Energy services and development

Increased energy efficiency at the point of end-use is a key strategy for addressing a range of energy related problems, including greenhouse gas emissions. There are energy efficiency alternatives that can be implemented at low cost,and perhaps with some cost savings – these activities offer no-regrets opportunities for climate change mitigation. In addition, high levels of end-use energy efficiency will be key for sustainable growth of energy systems, which will be required for economic growth and the concurrent increased demands for energy services.
This paper briefly reviews the role of energy in development, and the main experiences and considerations associated with energy efficiency as a strategy for least-cost provision of energy services.A major challenge for society is accelerating the rate of energy efficiency improvement to meet the increasing demand for energy services and to ameliorate the negative impacts of increased energy supply at the same time. Thus, the primary focus of this paper is the discussion of various policies and incentives that are conducive to energy efficiency, within the context of development.