Switzerland promoting energy projects in developing and transition countries

Bern, 30.06.2014 - Switzerland is consolidating its international commitment to sustainable development. In a fourth phase, SECO, the SDC and the SFOE are allocating a total of CHF 6.8 million to the REPIC Platform for the years 2014 – 2017.

REPIC – Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Promotion in International Cooperation – is an interdepartmental platform for the promotion of renewable energies and energy efficiency in developing and transition countries. It was established in 2004 and is now supported by the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO), the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE).

The REPIC Platform (www.repic.ch) supports projects in renewable energies and energy efficiency with the participation of Swiss businesses and organisations. As such, its work supplements the strategic efforts and other instruments of the federal offices involved.

The primary concern for the REPIC Platform is to ensure a sustainable impact and the dissemination of promising solutions. The sponsored projects must therefore lead to local partners becoming autonomous and create appropriate networking for knowledge transfer. For the new phase from 2014 to 2017, the focus of support has thus shifted to the replication and multiplication of those projects offering the best prospects.

This additional CHF 6.8 million can provide funding for 15 to 20 new energy projects a year, all of which concern renewable energy sources (photovoltaics, solar heat, biomass, small-scale hydropower, wind, geothermal energy) and energy efficiency. Various events and workshops will be held to expand and consolidate the REPIC network, covering stakeholders from development cooperation, business and the energy and financial sectors.

Since the REPIC Platform was first created, the number of applications and projects funded has increased steadily. As at end-May 2014, 91 projects had received funding support in excess of CHF 7 million, triggering total investments of some CHF 25 million in projects in 37 countries in Africa, Asia, Central and South America, and in Eastern Europe.

Examples of projects
Apart from individual projects, REPIC is increasingly advocating some proven Swiss concepts, such as the Energy City Label. One example of this is the "MENA Energy Award" project, which promotes an adapted form of the Energy City model in Morocco under the leadership of research institute IDE-E. Other such projects are also being developed.
IDE-E, Morocco: http://www.repic.ch/repic-en/projects/ongoing_projects/energyefficiency/idee-morocco/

An innovative example in the conversion of organic waste into energy is being implemented by Caritas Switzerland, which has set up a social enterprise in Indonesia for recycling used cooking oil into biodiesel. This makes sense not only for the recycling of waste but also in socio-economic terms.
Caritas Switzerland, Indonesia: http://www.repic.ch/repic-en/projects/completed_projects/biomass/caritas-indonesia/

Projects in electric mobility are of particular interest for reducing local air pollution. The pilot project "Environmentally Friendly Mobility on the Rivers in Valdivia" run by Ernst Basler + Partner AG (EBP) is introducing electric boats in Chile with a solar charging station for public transportation.
The project "Sustainable E-Cab System for City Transport" by Torrex Consulting addresses the same topic with the launch of electric three-wheeler taxis in the Philippines.
EBP, Chile: http://www.repic.ch/repic-en/projects/completed_projects/diverse/ebp-chile/
Torrex Consulting AG: http://www.repic.ch/repic-de/projekte/laufend/energieeffizienz/torrex-philippinen/ (page in german only)


Address for enquiries

State Secretariat for Economic Affairs SECO
Holzikofenweg 36
CH-3003 Bern
Tel. +41 58 462 56 56
medien@seco.admin.ch



Publisher

State Secretariat for Economic Affairs
http://www.seco.admin.ch

Federal Department of Foreign Affairs
https://www.eda.admin.ch/eda/en/home.html

Swiss Federal Office of Energy
http://www.bfe.admin.ch

https://www.admin.ch/content/gov/en/start/documentation/media-releases.msg-id-53572.html