On 26 April 2022, an international workshop on "How to promote Clean Energy Access in Rural Areas in Central Asia and Beyond?" was held at the OSCE Academy. The event gathered experts from industry, academia, non-governmental organizations, and international organizations from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan to discuss important aspects of (off-grid) clean energy access in Central Asia. The workshop was moderated by Dr. Emil Juraev.
In his opening remarks, Dr. Alexander Wolters, Director of the OSCE Academy, highlighted that the OSCE focuses on Climate Change issues and has been implementing a number of activities to raise awareness and assess and address potential security risks stemming from climate change in the OSCE region, including Central Asia. Dr. Wolters stressed that the OSCE Academy increases research on these topics in Central Asian countries and works with its long-term partner Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) in this direction.
During the workshop, Sebastian Schiek, SPCE Hub, Berlin, briefly introduced Living Lab non-profit organization, its goals, and activities in Central Asia. Furthermore, participants talked about energy-related challenges, clean energy, and clean energy projects in the region. They discussed technology, business models, regulations, and state-business relations in the process of implementing the project in the field of energy. In particular, experts elaborated on the advantages and disadvantages of off-grid energy technology; different approaches to off-grid energy projects from the perspectives of private and social economies; regulation, taxes, and administrative support. Moreover, participants reviewed previous projects to prioritize the needs and capacities of local communities, as users, consumers, and prosumers.
The workshop was jointly implemented and co-funded by the SPCE Hub and the OSCE Academy in Bishkek in cooperation with the School of Intersectoral Governance at DHBW University, Germany.