Scaling Up Renewable Energy (SURE) 2020 Annual Report

Agency for International Development (USAID), aims to help partner countries power their economies with clean energy while opening markets to private investment and competition. In 2020, SURE worked in 18 countries, advising governments, utilities, private developers, and others on actions that can increase electricity access and power brighter futures for all. In Colombia, SURE supported the country's first successful renewable energy auction, which awarded contracts for seven projects that will mobilize an estimated $1.3 billion in private capital. The projects will provide 1,374 MW of clean energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions by more than 11 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) through 2030, and create around 5,000 local construction jobs. Colombia's Minister of Mines and Energy expressed gratitude to USAID for its support of the successful renewable energy auction. In India, SURE oversees USAID's Partnership to Enhance Clean Energy Deployment 2.0 Renewable Energy (PACE-D 2.0 RE), a collaboration with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) to help India meet the energy needs of a growing population. PACE-D 2.0 RE is an integral part of the Asia EDGE initiative, which builds sustainable and secure energy markets throughout the region. The project addressed the opportunity for electricity distribution companies (DISCOMs) in India to reduce power purchase costs by 5 to 10 percent ($35 million annually for each DISCOM) and increase the share of electricity from renewable energy by 10 to 15 percent. SURE also helped partner countries increase renewable energy development with open and competitive auctions. In Bangladesh, SURE supported the Government of Bangladesh's efforts to diversify its energy mix via increased integration of renewable energy. SURE improved the knowledge and institutional capacity of the Government of Bangladesh, as well as private sector, academic, and non-governmental organizations, on issues related to utility-scale renewable energy. The project developed "System-Friendly Competitive Procurement in Bangladesh," a white paper that outlines VRE system integration measures that can enhance power system flexibility. In 2020, SURE developed 30 technical tools that supported the design and implementation of renewable energy programs, built the capacity of 221 institutions to address clean energy issues, and trained 1,066 people in strategic energy planning, renewable energy procurement and integration, and distributed energy business models and incentives. USAID and SURE designed these trainings and tools to help policymakers, power utilities, and regulators be more strategic, effective, and innovative. The Scaling Up Renewable Energy (SURE) project will continue to advance renewable energy through a new five-year, $29.7 million project that will help partners create modern, reliable, and efficient power networks. SURE's next phase will provide technical support and build capacity around renewable energy planning, grid integration, competitive procurement, and technology end-of-life management to reduce e-waste. SURE will also manage an innovation fund to attract new and nontraditional partners to scale up renewable energy.