Integrating renewable energy policies and sustainable development tools for the assessment of policy reforms

Abstract

Energy sector is facing severe supply-demand gaps and multi-pronged issues contributing to huge circular debt. Government of Pakistan is focusing on different problem areas of the sector in the successive policy papers namely, National Power Policy 1994, 1995, 1998 and 2013, Policy for Development of Renewable Energy for Power Generation, 2006 Alternative and Renewable Energy policy, 2011 (also called Mid-term renewable energy policy) specifically highlighting the importance given to Renewable Energy Technology. Bearing in mind these policy documents this paper is aimed at analyzing the prior to renewable policy reforms scenario and other supportive measures from institutional perspective that are still in the phase of formulation by the government. For the reform process, Annual Development Plans/Medium Term Development Framework and Development Outlays (PSDPs) formulated, at the National, Federal and Provincial level, with the base-line analysis provided by Economic Surveys, are of key importance. The Social Development Department of the World Bank presented a sourcebook in 2007, titled “Tools for Institutional, Political and Social Analysis of Policy Reforms”. This sourcebook encompassed an analytical framework with a wide range of tools for the practitioners and consultants involved in policy analysis in developing countries. This paper uses the institutional tools from amongst them to analyze the policy recommendations of renewable energy. The methodology involves Meso-level (Policy Implementation) analysis with primary focus on institutional analysis that further splits into three broad dimensions namely, Static Mapping, Process Training and Process Mapping. Each of these dimensions is substantiated with relevant examples in this paper. This paper also addresses the vital question: How to make Renewable Energy Sustainable in the case of Pakistan? A plethora of literature deals directly or indirectly with this question. The highpoint of this paper is the integration of Renewable Energy Policies with Sustainable Development vision acclaimed world-wide. The ultimate findings presented in this paper accentuate that Renewable Energy policies and the resultant reforms need to be inclusive, context-based and equitable as well as efficient to have a huge and lasting distributional impact. For the energy sector to contribute positively and progressively Renewable Energy Policies need to be integrated with the Sustainable Development.