SIDS Lighthouses Initiative (SIDS LHI)

International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) (

Intergovernmental organization

)

#SDGAction46548

Description

The SIDS Lighthouses Initiative is the framework of action for SIDS’ energy transition and climate action. It supports global, regional and national level efforts towards achieving the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The initiative seeks to achieve a target of 10 gigawatts of total renewable energy installed capacity in all SIDS by 2030. It brings together 38 SIDS from the Caribbean, the Pacific, the Atlantic, Indian Ocean and South China Sea (AIS) regions, as well as 31 other partners, including developed countries, regional and international organisations, development partners, private companies, research institutes, and non-profit organisations.

Implementation of the Project/Activity

Since the launch of the second phase of the SIDS LHI in 2018, IRENA has continued to support SIDS’ energy transition efforts in alignment with the SIDS LHI priority areas: • Support SIDS in reviewing and implementing NDCs with technical assistance and capacity building. • Expand from assessment and planning to implementing effective, innovative solutions. • Promote all renewable sources, including geothermal and ocean energy, and step up work on wind and PV. • Support the development of bankable projects, access to finance and co-operation with the private sector. • Strengthen institutional and human capacity in all segments of the renewable energy value chain. • Expand focus beyond power generation to include transportation and other end-use sectors. • Leverage synergies between renewables and energy efficiency. • Create a nexus for renewable energy and agriculture, food, health and water to foster broad socio-economic development. • Raise awareness about job creation, gender equality and women’s empowerment through renewables. • Link renewable energy uptake to climate resilience and more effective disaster recovery. • Enhance the collection and dissemination of statistics supporting informed decision-making. • Reinforce and expand partner engagement, leveraging synergies with other SIDS initiatives. IRENA’s strategic engagement with developed countries and partners through the SIDS LHI has led to increased partnerships and collaborations that contribute to strengthening SIDS’ capacity and accelerating the deployment of renewables. Further engagement with regional organisations, the private sector, financing institutions and other development partners has led to joint post-pandemic recovery efforts. These efforts include energy transformation knowledge sharing, capacity building, analytical work relating to the update of SIDS commitments to the Paris Agreement, and the facilitation of developing bankable projects as well as accessing finance.

Arrangements for Capacity-Building and Technology Transfer

As a global voice for renewables, IRENA promotes all renewable sources, including geothermal and ocean energy, and step up work to integrate solar PV and wind power. Support for National Determined Contributions' (NDC) enhancement and implementation. IRENA is supporting 18 SIDS in their NDC enhancement and implementation. The Agency, in partnership with UNDP, the NDC Partnership and other partners, is supporting these SIDS in the development of energy management methodology for GHG emissions, target tracking, and roadmaps for the electrification of the transport sector and emerging technologies such as green hydrogen and ocean energy, rooftop solar simulation, energy MRV, mitigation scenarios, project facilitation and access to finance. Collection and dissemination of data to inform decision making and effective monitoring. The initiative collects data and statistics on SIDS, tracking their progress on renewable energy capacity. The SIDS LHI website’s regional and country profiles include a wide range of information on SIDS, from the percentage of renewable energy over total final energy consumption to information on energy trade. The SIDS LHI also collects and tracks data on SIDS’ renewable energy targets, including targets enshrined in SIDS’ NDCs. The SIDS LHI knowledge-sharing platform. In 2021, IRENA continued to update the SIDS LHI website, an integral part of the SIDS knowledge-sharing platform: http://islands.irena.org/. The SIDS LHI website features tools, studies, videos, key events and a wealth of information on the energy transformation in SIDS. Support the development of bankable projects. The SIDS LHI works to support the improvement of the investment climate in SIDS and the increased participation of the private sector to include concessional finance that will leverage private capital. IRENA has also developed project facilitation tools to help SIDS access innovative and appropriate financing for their renewable energy projects. IRENA has also established the IRENA for Climate Investment Platform and the Energy Transition Accelerator Financing Platform to create bankable projects. Further examples for capacity-building and technology transfer include: strengthening of institutional and human capacity development in all segments of the renewable energy value chain, reinforcing links between renewables and non-energy sectors – including agriculture, food, health and water – to foster broad socio-economic development, as well as to raise awareness about job creation, gender equality and women’s empowerment through renewable energy; and linking renewable energy uptake to climate resilience and more effective disaster recovery.

Coordination mechanisms

As the LHI’s co-ordinator, IRENA facilitates and enhances dialogue at all levels, including through the operationalisation of the initiatives led by the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS) and the IRENA-AOSIS Energy Compact launched at the High-level Dialogue on Energy in September 2021. Through this Energy Compact, the two organisations re-affirm the SIDS Climate Action Summit Package, which includes ambitious political action to support the achievement of as much as 100% renewable energy and energy efficiency targets in the power sector by 2030. After the joint submission of the IRENA-AOSIS Energy Compact to the UN, the two agencies further strengthened their collaboration by signing of the MOU on the margins of COP26.

SDGS & Targets

Goal 7

Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

7.1

By 2030, ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services

7.1.1

Proportion of population with access to electricity

7.1.2

Proportion of population with primary reliance on clean fuels and technology

7.2

By 2030, increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix

7.2.1

Renewable energy share in the total final energy consumption

7.3

By 2030, double the global rate of improvement in energy efficiency

7.3.1

Energy intensity measured in terms of primary energy and GDP

7.a

By 2030, enhance international cooperation to facilitate access to clean energy research and technology, including renewable energy, energy efficiency and advanced and cleaner fossil-fuel technology, and promote investment in energy infrastructure and clean energy technology

7.a.1

International financial flows to developing countries in support of clean energy research and development and renewable energy production, including in hybrid systems

7.b

By 2030, expand infrastructure and upgrade technology for supplying modern and sustainable energy services for all in developing countries, in particular least developed countries, small island developing States, and land-locked developing countries, in accordance with their respective programmes of support

7.b.1

Installed renewable energy-generating capacity in developing countries (in watts per capita)

Goal 13

Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

13.1

Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries

13.1.1

Number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population

13.1.2

Number of countries that adopt and implement national disaster risk reduction strategies in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030

13.1.3

Proportion of local governments that adopt and implement local disaster risk reduction strategies in line with national disaster risk reduction strategies

13.2

Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning

13.2.1

Number of countries with nationally determined contributions, long-term strategies, national adaptation plans and adaptation communications, as reported to the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

13.2.2

Total greenhouse gas emissions per year

13.3

Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning

13.3.1

Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education; and (d) student assessment

13.a

Implement the commitment undertaken by developed-country parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to a goal of mobilizing jointly $100 billion annually by 2020 from all sources to address the needs of developing countries in the context of meaningful mitigation actions and transparency on implementation and fully operationalize the Green Climate Fund through its capitalization as soon as possible

13.a.1

Amounts provided and mobilized in United States dollars per year in relation to the continued existing collective mobilization goal of the $100 billion commitment through to 2025

13.b

Promote mechanisms for raising capacity for effective climate change-related planning and management in least developed countries and small island developing States, including focusing on women, youth and local and marginalized communities

13.b.1

Number of least developed countries and small island developing States with nationally determined contributions, long-term strategies, national adaptation plans and adaptation communications, as reported to the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

SDG 14 targets covered

Name	Description

Deliverables & Timeline

N/A

Resources mobilized

Other, please specify

All support, including financial, technical and in kind is required for further implementation of the deliverables listed above

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False

Action Network

Timeline

N/A

Entity

International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)

SDGs

7 13

More information

https://islands.irena.org/

Countries

N/A

SIDS regions

Atlantic, Indian Ocean and South China Sea
Caribbean
Pacific
Other (including Global)

Samoa pathway priority area

Sustained and Sustainable, Inclusive and Equitable Economic Growth with Decent Work for All
Climate Change
Sustainable Energy
Disaster Risk Reduction
Oceans and Seas
Food Security and Nutrition
Water and Sanitation
Sustainable Transport
Social Development
Means of Implementation, including Partnerships
SIDS Priorities for the post-2015 Development Agenda

Contact Information

Arieta , Programme Officer, SIDS Lighthouses

ARakai@irena.org