As the largest energy consumer in the world, energy efficiency and conservation have been prioritized in China to meet its fast-growing appetite for energy as a result of industrialization and urbanization, as well as to alleviate environmental pressure and tackle climate change.

Da Nang is a major harbor city and the largest urban centre in central Vietnam. In 2010, the city used roughly 17.9 petajoules of energy in various forms. Lack of local fossil fuel resources results in 100 percent reliance of Da Nang on energy imports. While notable solar energy potential and local wind resources are present, their utilisation has not yet started in the city.

In the past two decades, Vietnam has been experiencing rapid economic growth, with GDP growing by 6.8 percent in 2017. Economic growth has resulted in significant improvement in the quality of the people’s lives and poverty reduction. In 2015, Vietnam became a net energy importer with an import share of energy at 5%, which is expected to grow.

Georgia will soon be releasing its first National Energy Efficiency Action Plan (NEEAP), which covers a comprehensive set of policies and cross-sectoral measures in power, transport,  industry, buildings and services. Energy demand in Georgia stems primarily from transport (33 per cent), the residential sector (30 per cent) and industry (15 per cent).

Without strong and ambitious policy support, the energy efficiency potential of cities is likely to remain largely untapped. Often cities have the opportunity to implement policies and programmes in the building sector that are complementary, more stringent or reflect greater ambition than national activities. 

The growing per capita income in India is expected to increase the demand for various energy-consuming products and services among Indian households. Enhancing energy efficiency remains one of the cheapest options to “produce” energy in India, as the efficiency of many energy systems has a large scope for improvement, and as this option plays an important part in enhancing India’s energy security.

China has made energy conservation and energy efficiency one of its top priorities as a means of guiding its economic and social development. In the past three decades, while China’s economy increased eighteen‑fold, energy consumption increased only five‑fold. The energy intensity of China’s GDP declined by about seventy percent during the same period. In the face of resource and environmental constraints, China vowed to make energy conservation a foundation of its economic and social development strategy, as well as its energy and climate change strategy.

With over 4 million inhabitants and a growth rate of over 4% annually, Kenya’s capital city Nairobi is the largest and most populous city in the country, and the tenth largest city in Africa. It is an established hub and the main commercial centre of the country with a well-developed business infrastructure, and is estimated to generate more than 63% of Kenya’s gross domestic product.

Argentina’s significant domestic natural gas and hydro resources has led to an electricity generation system based on these fuel sources, offering low electricity prices. However, declining gas production due to the exhaustion of resources coupled with growing energy consumption is emphasizing the importance of both diversifying energy supply and managing energy demand.

Economic development will lead to higher demand for various end-use goods and services in India. Energy-efficient technologies provide a way forward to achieve economic growth at relatively lower costs due to associated multiple benefits such as resource conservation, lower energy consumption, higher productivity and lower emissions intensity per unit of output.
The report undertakes the following analysis to identify High Impact Opportunities (HIOs):