Financing energy efficiency has been a challenge in developing countries due to a variety of factors, including high transaction costs of many small and dispersed projects, lack of awareness and information about energy efficiency investment opportunities, lack of incentives due to low energy prices and high costs of borrowing, and perceived risks associated with such investments. The Bank and other IFIs have developed a range of financial products to address some of these issues including credit lines, public funds, super ESCOs, utility on-bill financing, risk/insurance products and others.

This BBL will focus on energy savings insurance. The Inter-American Development Bank has been developing and implementing the Energy Savings Insurance – ESI, an innovative mechanism to remove barriers to energy investments through four instruments that mitigate project risks and build investor confidence: standard contract, energy savings insurance, savings validation and financing. The presentation will describe the structure of the ESI Model and experience of the IDB in deploying the instrument in Latin America in cooperation with national Development Banks of the region.

Moderator:
-Jas Singh (Lead Energy Specialist, IECE1)

Speaker:
-Rodrigo Chaparro ( Inter-American Development Bank)

Discussants:
-Dilip Limaye (Energy Efficiency Advisor and World Bank Consultant)
-Ashok Sarkar (Senior Energy Specialist, IMNE1)