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Scaling Up Renewable Energy (SURE)
Transitioning to a net-zero economy is the greatest economic opportunity of our lifetimes - it has the potential to boost economic growth, produce jobs, create entire new industries, improve human health and well-being, and help protect vital natural ecosystems and biodiversity. However, to realize this promise, the energy transition needs to have inclusive policies and approaches, gender-sensitive programs, and go beyond Free, Prior, and Informed Consent for Indigenous Peoples so that benefits are broadly shared and historically marginalized groups can meaningfully participate and actively lead in energy projects in their communities.
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) supports partner countries in meeting bold international commitments by accelerating an inclusive and equitable transition to clean energy where marginalized groups can participate, benefit, and lead. Through the Scaling Up Renewable Energy (SURE) program, USAID provides technical support services to achieve large-scale renewable energy transition and deployment, including strategic energy planning, grid integration, renewable energy procurement, small-scale renewables program design, and energy efficiency and demand-side management program design.
Throughout this work, SURE engages Indigenous people, women, youth, people with disabilities, and other historically marginalized people whose voices have historically been left out. This inclusive approach is essential to protecting rights, creating green jobs, creating social and economic opportunities, and sustainably managing natural resources - all of which underlie an equitable energy transition. In the case of Indigenous Peoples, USAID works to secure their leadership in decision-making processes for projects that impact them and their communities based on an inclusive approach that takes into account their self-determined development based on Indigenous knowledge and practices as priorities.
SURE supports governments and companies to engage local communities and marginalized groups early in the process of planning energy projects and to go beyond free, prior, and informed consent. SURE also assists policymakers in capitalizing on renewable energy auctions as an effective tool to mobilize energy investment and finance an equitable transition to clean energy.
By helping countries design auctions processes that consider social impacts, SURE helps local communities maintain control of their land and resources while sharing in the benefits of renewable energy projects. These auction design elements include those that directly influence the outcome of the auction, such as conditions for participation, bid award criteria, and local value creation. Supportive measures that complement the auction process include social impact regulations, local value and benefit-sharing measures, and the formation of an auction working group.
In Colombia, SURE supports the Government of Colombia and energy companies in meaningfully engaging local communities like the Indigenous Wayuu people in renewable energy projects so that they can influence, lead, and benefit from the development. SURE partnered with the vocational training agency Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje (SENA) to create a workforce training program tailored to meet the needs of Indigenous communities and renewable energy companies. Thirty-seven young adults, 21 of whom are women, from 13 Wayuu communities completed the academic portion of their solar PV installation and maintenance certification and are now interning at a solar systems installation company. Following the six-month internship in June 2024, trainees will enter the job market as certified technicians or become entrepreneurs.
In Ecuador, SURE is partnering with the Ministry of Energy and Mines and a remote rainforest community of 30 households to install a solar mini-grid that will provide clean, reliable electricity. The solar mini-grid will reduce diesel reliance and power the internet and equipment for income-generating activities such as ecotourism in the Amazon and agro-processing that enables farmers to comply with organic certifications that pay premium prices. It will power social services such as digital learning for schools and health clinic operations and teletherapy for persons with disabilities. It will also protect 37,000 hectares of the incredibly rich biodiversity of Cuyabeno National Park with faster reporting of environmental crimes through the internet.
SURE supports financial institutions and investors in making energy-related credit and capital of different values, types, and sources more available and accessible to women. SURE also helps them to strengthen gender equality practices in human resources and business processes.
SURE is helping to change how public and private institutions invest in an equitable clean energy future. The program works with development finance institutions, private investors, funds, venture capital investors, private equity investors, and other financial intermediaries that offer financing for renewable energy and energy efficiency, helping them to incorporate an inclusive approach throughout the entire investment process. This includes due diligence for potential investment portfolios, risk analysis, portfolio performance evaluation, and capital allocation.
SURE engages financial actors on the economic and social benefits of applying a gender lens to their energy investment portfolios. We partner with firms to identify and invest in companies and projects that increase the number and bottom lines of women-owned enterprises and the gender diversity of financial institutions’ investment committees, workforce, and contractors who participate in infrastructure projects. Our experts conduct gender assessments on the investment life cycle of energy projects and identify entry points for gender lens investing. We help partners develop a gender lens integration strategy and customize tools and materials to successfully implement it in one procurement round with a subset of applicants. We assist partners with measuring and demonstrating gender impacts; we also monitor and evaluate what works to tailor tools and materials and apply lessons learned.
In Colombia, SURE assisted the Fund for Non-Conventional Energy and Energy Efficiency (FENOGE) to generate financial returns and positive social change in Colombia’s energy sector. We developed a methodology to effectively incorporate gender equality into FENOGE’s investment process, operations manual, and first-ever Gender and Diversity Policy, which promotes female participation in the energy sector, prioritizes reducing female energy poverty, and advances policies and mechanisms that address gender-based violence.
In Africa, SURE supports Acre Impact, a climate-aligned impact investing fund, in assessing their gender integration at the organizational and investment levels. SURE developed an action plan for Acre that includes increased networking with target African women and investing associations and gender lens investment training for the fund’s personnel and network of contractors. At the investment level, the fund will update their risk and impact management system, including developing unbiased pre-investment screening and due diligence tools, focused on sourcing and selecting deals using a gender lens.
SURE partners with power utilities and third-party providers to offer financing and payment schemes for energy-efficient and clean energy appliances that consider gender-based differences in energy needs, use, and access. Examples of productive use appliances include solar water pumps, refrigerators, electric cookers, agricultural processing units, and other products that enable income generation.
SURE experts analyze utilities’ qualitative and quantitative data to map out electrification infrastructure, consumption patterns, payment behaviors, and other factors that affect the financial viability of electrification efforts. We conduct a baseline assessment then work with utilities or third-party providers to design a gender-sensitive demand stimulation program that encourages women to use more electricity. Our experts assist partners with program implementation and evaluation. We use mixed data collection and analysis methods to gain a deep understanding of the program’s impact on the utility and its female customers. We also use lessons learned to tailor the program and increase its scale and impact.
An inclusive transition necessitates ensuring that all people are able to make the most of the economic advantages, time-saving benefits, and improved health and well-being that access to reliable energy can provide. Considering gender-based differences in energy needs, uses, and access in demand stimulation programs can increase electricity demand and sustainable revenue for power utilities that bolsters their ability to provide reliable renewable energy while supporting women’s productivity and economic empowerment.
Young Wayuu trainees completed the USAID workforce development program and entered the job market in Guajira, Colombia as certified solar technicians and entrepreneurs in the renewable energy market. Watch the video
As competitively procured renewable energy generation ramps up in Colombia, training the next generation of clean energy leaders while engaging local communities is more important than ever before. Learn more
Gender lens investing is an approach that strategically considers the impact of gender equality and women's empowerment when making investment decisions. Read the fact sheet
Considering gender-based differences in energy needs, uses, and access in demand stimulation programs can increase electricity demand and sustainable revenue for power utilities while supporting women’s economic empowerment. Read the fact sheet
The social impacts of renewable energy projects must be fully considered to avoid harmful outcomes for the local community and financial losses for the developers. Read the guide
Expanding women’s participation in male-dominated sectors leads to tangible economic empowerment outcomes for women, such as formal employment opportunities and higher income. Read the blog post