OLADE - University of Calgary Energy and Environment Project (2003-2005)

Overview

Between 2003 and 2005, the Pembina Institute was contracted by the University of Calgary to implement the Rural Energy Initiative, a component of the OLADE – University of Calgary Energy and Environment Project. The five-year project (2002–2007) was jointly developed by the Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE) and the University of Calgary, with funding from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). The overall goal of the project was to enhance policy making in OLADE’s 26 member countries throughout Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) in the areas of rural energy, energy markets and climate change, as well as gender and indigenous issues within the context of energy development.

Objective

The Rural Energy Initiative in Guatemala had three main objectives:

1. To explore how innovative approaches and best practices in rural energy development could be adapted to meet the energy and development needs of rural communities in Guatemala.

2. To implement rural energy pilot projects in the Alta Verapaz region of Guatemala to trial the approaches and practices with the aim of facilitating the delivery of ongoing development initiatives through the provision of modern energy services.
3. To provide policy recommendations for supporting rural energy development based on the experiences and lessons learned from the roundtables and pilot projects.

Outcomes

Working in partnership with OLADE, our team facilitated the design and delivery of the Rural Energy Initiative in Guatemala. This included:

• a multi-stakeholder roundtable of local development practitioners, community organizations, government officials and technical experts in the Alta Verapaz region to discuss perceptions regarding rural energy and explore opportunities for integrated rural development
• three integrated rural energy pilot projects in San Pedro Carchá, Alta Verapaz, designed and implemented with community members
• a study of best practices in rural energy development to inform the roundtable discussions and policy recommendations
• policy recommendations to support rural energy development in Guatemala based on the roundtable discussions and pilot projects.

Additional information on the Rural Energy Initiative is available in Spanish at the OLADE website.

For more information on our rural energy initiatives, contact:

Paul Cobb

• Community Project Analyst
• Email: paulc(at)pembina.org
  Tel: 819-483-6288 Ext 23