PCREEE Capacity Building Framework and Strategy 2019 - 2021

PICTs expressed an urgent need for capacity building in the renewable energy and energy efficiency sector. The increasing sustainable energy investments and the introduction of appropriate regulations and standards go hand in hand with the need for local capacities. Moreover, there is the impression that the local private sector and industry do not take advantage of the growing sustainable energy market and job opportunities.

These developments endanger the long-term sustainability of existing investments as they are usually conducted by enterprises from outside. Technical knowledge is required to establish a critical mass of policy makers, project financiers and engineers who will be able to manage all aspects of sustainable energy development and implementation. The following table summarises the capacity requirements of the different stakeholder groups.

Stakeholder group	Capacity needs
Policy makers in the renewable energy and energy efficiency sectors and the energy sector in general.	Developing and operationalize coherent, comprehensive and evidence based policies, laws and regulations that create a level playing field for RE&EE technologies Implementing rural energy planning Negotiating power purchase agreement (PPAs) with independent power producers (IPPs) and setting viable feed-in tariffs mainstreaming climate resilience and gender
Policy makers from non-energy sectors like agriculture, health, water, private sector, transport sectors etc.	Basic design of renewable energy systems Integrating renewable energy components into their sectors
Entrepreneurs, project developers, equipment manufacturers, consultants and industry support bodies	Development of vocational and higher education courses adapted to the RE&EE requirements and languages of the region Certification for conducting energy audits Identifying, developing and packaging a pipeline of potential RE&EE investment projects Negotiating viable power purchase agreement with investors Preparing quality business plans that are consistent with existing financing mechanisms Identifying and developing potential CDM projects Mobilizing and structuring investments in RE&EE projects Mainstreaming climate resilience of energy infrastructure and gender
Utilities	Ability to tender RE&EE efficiency projects Negotiate power purchase agreements (PPAs) Integrate RE generation in the grid
Recipients/buyers of energy services and technologies	Willingness and ability to pay for the services or technologies Ability to assess the energy implication or cost in daily choices and decisions such as selecting electric equipment

PCREEE aims at strengthening the capacities of local key institutions and stakeholder groups through the up-scaling and replication of certified training and applied research programs and mechanisms. Particularly, the centre implements the following activities:

Undertake a regional capacity needs assessment (particularly reflecting the needs of local business and industry groups)
Promote south-south and north-south technology development partnerships
Develop a regional multi-year capacity development framework for key stakeholders in the RE&EE sector (particularly reflecting the needs of local business and industry groups)
Facilitate the adoption and implementation of the regional capacity development framework and mobilize support from various partners
Develop training competency standards, certification and accreditation schemes and models on RE&EE in coordination with local business and industry groups
Act as coordinative hub for the accreditation and certification of national training centres and trainers
Execution of regional train-the-trainer workshops
Train key policy makers in sustainable energy policy planning and incentive mechanisms, including cross-cutting nexus issues (e.g. waste-to-energy, mainstreaming of environmental assessments and standards in project approval procedures, energy-water-food nexus, gender mainstreaming, decommissioning and recycling procedures for RE&EE technologies)
Train utilities and regulators regarding RE integration/grid stability and energy efficiency (e.g. demand side management)
Provide targeted RE&EE business development training for clean-tech SMEs and entrepreneurs (e.g. energy auditors, equipment installers, RE service providers)
Increase the capacity of stakeholders to mainstream gender, environmental sustainability and climate resilience into RE&EE policies and projects
Train experts on the financial structuring, design and planning of RE&EE projects (e.g. climate finance, RETScreen, HOMER)
Conduct a baseline study on the research priority needs of the Pacific RE&EE industry and business sectors
Create a regional incentive model for the establishment of regional research programmes with high relevance for the local industry