The ECPA Clearinghouse Mechanism launched the ambitious “General ECPA Survey on National Energy Sectors in Latin America and the Caribbean.” The survey is being carried out through National Focal Points to obtain detailed information on each country’s energy sector. The information will be used to plan the Clearinghouse Mechanism’s technical assistance and dialogue activities, as well as sustainable energy project incubation. This work is in partnership with the Clean Energy Solutions Center of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).

The survey addresses specific issues like electricity rates, capacity building and training based on ECPA pillars, national mapping of alternative energy resources and infrastructure vulnerabilities, fundable project profiles, and coordination and integration of regional efforts and initiatives to foster inter-institutional collaboration and partnerships to avoid duplication of efforts.

Information on electricity rate charts will be entered into a specialized system called the System Advisor Model (SAM). SAM is a performance and financial model designed by NREL to facilitate decision making in the renewable energy industry. SAM predicts cost of energy estimates for grid-connected power projects, based on installation and operating costs.

ECPA’s Clearinghouse Mechanism will assist Member States in data collection and answering any questions related to the initiative.