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CONSULTANCY: COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF PUBLIC POLICY INSTRUMENTS TO PROMOTE RENEWABLE ENERGY DEPLOYMENT

The UNDP Environment and Energy Group (EEG) is based in UNDP’s Bureau of Development Policy and is responsible for providing leadership and technical support to engineer delivery of the Environment and Sustainable Development pillar of UNDP’s Strategic Plan. Its main focus is on helping countries develop the capacity to fully incorporate environmental sustainability into development at national and local, but also global and regional, levels. The principal areas of work are in environmental mainstreaming, environmental finance, adaptation to climate change, and local management of natural resources.

With its technical focus, EEG is organized into substantive technical teams. One such team is Energy, Infrastructure, Transport and Technology (EITT), which focuses on energy use and supply, climate resilient infrastructure and low carbon transport and mobility. The EITT team assists developing countries to attract and direct public and private investment towards these areas. Currently EITT advises on a number of sources of public funds including: the Global Environment Facility (GEF); the UNFCCC Adaptation Fund; carbon markets; and various bilateral, multilateral, and sub-national funds, donors and partners. Increasingly EITT’s work is oriented to utilizing scarce public funds to catalyze greater flows of private capital.

As part of EITT’s activities, in 2010 UNDP formed a research partnership with Deutsche Bank to promote large scale deployment of renewable energy technologies in developing countries, based around the concept of a Global Energy Transfer Feed in Tariffs Program (GET FiT). In the April 2011 report entitled GET FiT Plus, UNDP and Deutsche Bank stressed the importance of complementary public instruments, based around the center-piece of a Feed in Tariff regime, to create an overall enabled investment environment for renewable energy.

Building on this work, UNDP has now embarked on a comparative analysis of the impact of different public instruments for renewable energy deployment. This analysis compares a range of instruments including feed in tariffs, financial de-risking instruments (for example, political risk insurance, partial risk guarantees) and grant-based technical assistance. The analysis is based on a quantitative, bottom-up financial model which compares and calculates the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) for a baseline and renewable energy alternatives in different country and resource scenarios.

UNDP is seeking a consultant to provide technical input into the above comparative analysis on public instruments for renewable energy deployment. The overall analysis has already commenced, with the methodology and financial modeling at a developed stage. The consultant will review the existing work and contribute to bringing the analysis to completion.

Duties and Responsibilities

The consultancy will have a number of outputs:

  • Academic Literature: Provide an overview of current academic papers and studies relevant to the comparative analysis.
  • Methodology: Review and provide input into the methodology used in the analysis.
  • Data and assumptions: Review and provide input into data and assumptions used in the analysis and financial model.
  • Financial modeling: Assist, where necessary, in financial modeling and sensitivity analyses.
  • Written materials: Assist, where necessary, in the drafting of reports and materials related to the findings of the analysis.

Specific timing for the outputs for this consultancy will be determined and agreed at the onset of the consultancy.

Implementation arrangements:

The consultancy will be performed in collaboration with an existing team of EITT members working on this initiative. The consultant will report to the Head, Energy, Infrastructure, Transport and Technology.

The consultancy will likely involve 2 missions to New York: the first, at the beginning of the consultancy, for an initial briefing by, and meetings with, the EITT management and team; the second, for the consultant to present her/his final outputs to EITT management.

Competencies

  • Ability to provide technical input on, and full familiarity with, financial aspects of renewable energy investment, and in particular the role of public instruments to catalyze such investment.
  • Ability to analyze and address problems with full technical competency, leading to fact-based and practical recommendations and creative solutions;
  • Ability to produce high-quality outputs in a timely manner while understanding and anticipating evolving needs.

Required Skills and Experience

Education:

  • Masters degree in a relevant field, such as engineering, finance or environmental economics

Experience:

  • At least 2 years of postgraduate experience or professional experience in the area of public policy instruments for promoting renewable energy investment
  • Excellent financial modeling skills in valuing clean energy investments. Candidates with experience in renewable energy costing models (e.g., LCOE) will be at an advantage
  • Experience in relevant data-driven studies and reports, including in academia, is a plus
  • Familiarity with international agencies and organizations, as well as the international climate finance architecture, preferred

Language:

  • Fluency in English is required (written and verbal)

UNDP is committed to achieving workforce diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture. Individuals from minority groups, indigenous groups and persons with disabilities are equally encouraged to apply. All applications will be treated with the strictest confidence.