From June to August 2019, I spent 10 weeks at the Asian Development Bank Headquarters where I conducted research and analysis on a variety of public policy programs on energy efficiency implemented to scale in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania. As someone coming from the Philippines – a country with one of the highest electricity prices in Asia – I understand that the improvement of the energy sector is crucial for developing countries to achieve prosperity. Energy efficiency delivers significant social and economic benefits from the level of the individual to the national level. For individuals, energy efficiency makes energy more accessible, reducing the percentage of household income used for energy-related expenses. For the commercial sector, energy efficiency allows firms to reduce costs. This brings down the cost of goods and makes firms more competitive. On the national level, increased energy efficiency can reduce overall demand for energy, reducing the government budgets needed to fund energy projects.
Over the course of this research associate program, I undertook a deep dive of energy efficiency policies in various jurisdictions. From India, Turkey, Canada, Germany, and a host of other countries, I found common threads that make energy efficiency programs implementable and scalable across countries with various socio-economic conditions. Undertaking research on this matter has shown me that, while energy efficiency programs do take a significant amount of forethought and planning to undertake, it is an achievable way to promote overall welfare. By working as a research associate I believe I have contributed in the collation of knowledge that may help developing countries benchmark their practices against those countries with successful energy efficiency policies.
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