GLOBE-Net - A global public-private partnership that helps facilitate renewable energy projects around the world has issued a call for project proposals.

The Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP), whose international secretariat is based in Vienna,  wants to develop energy from natural resources, such as sunlight, wind, tides or geothermal heat, in several Least Developed Countries and emerging market economies.  More than 4.3 million Euros will be available to support these projects.

Funding comes from Australia, Ireland, Italy, Norway and the United Kingdom. Australia, with its significant contribution, will help intensify REEEP’s efforts in small island states in the Pacific. The United Kingdom and Norway will focus on emerging economies.  Ireland and Italy will concentrate on Africa.

The REEEP call is an open tender seeking projects from Brazil, China, India and South Africa and from across the developing world. REEEP will build on its experience gained over the last five years with a bottom-up approach to defining priorities and selecting projects.

REEEP is intensifying its efforts to directly engage governments and financial institutions in its program.  It would like countries with specific policy, legislative or regulatory needs to work directly with the partnership.   Development finance institutions with need for financing structures and business models can also apply.   It is hoped that this will convince the  financial world to invest in these new markets.

REEEP’s principal partner in Canada is Environment Canada.  The department responsible for coordinating the government’s environmental politcies,  contributes financially to the program and distributes the on-line RETScreen Clean Energy Project Analysis Software. This decision-support tool is developed with the contribution of experts from government, industry, and academia. The software, provided free-of-charge, can be used worldwide to evaluate the energy production and savings, costs, emission reductions, financial viability and risk for various types of Renewable-energy and Energy-efficient Technologies (RETs).

Dr. Marianne Osterkorn, REEEP International Director believes the partnership can add value across a number of areas. “We are grateful to all REEEP donors - UK, Norway, Ireland and Italy and we welcome the new donor Australia to the REEEP programme. We look forward to working with Australia to support the Pacific Islands to develop local energy sources and helping their quest for energy security.,” she says.

One of REEEP’s advantages  is the assurance that background checks take place with financial institutions and project developers to ensure that clients receive carbon credits from reliable projects with genuine emissions reductions.

Though its global network of partners, REEEP’s eight regional secretariats can contact project developers selling carbon credits   and independently verify their information. REEEP also co-operates with the Gold Standard Foundation (http://www.cdmgoldstandard.org/) to provide a further quality assurance label for the projects and credits its clients purchase.

The current call for tender is the largest in REEEP’s five-year history.  The partnership disbursed € 3.2 million euro in 2007, € 2.2 million in 2006 and € 1.1 million in 2005.

To get more information on how to apply please visit the 7th REEEP Programme Call page on the REEEP website. Initial project proposals can be submitted until 21st November 2008.