Renewable Energy in Central Asia: Creating Economic Sustainability to Solve Socio-Economic Challenges
On November 11 and 12, 2009, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the Joint Stock Company SystemAvtomatika, Dushanbe, Tajikistan, and the Renewable Energy Association of Tajikistan, with support by the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation Institute of the Asian Development Bank, held an international conference on “Renewable Energy in Central Asia: Creating Economic Sustainability to Solve Socio-Economic Challenges.” The conference was also supported by the Government of Tajikistan and the Ministry of Energy and Industry of Tajikistan.
Participants
The conference brought together participants and speakers from throughout Central Asia and Afghanistan, as well as the United States and Europe. Participants included academic and scientific experts on renewable energy, business leaders involved in practical applications of renewable energy resources, and representatives of international organizations and financial institutions.
Issues
This diverse group gathered to discuss the development and use of renewable energy in Central Asia, to share positive experiences across borders, to exchange ideas on regional approaches to their common problems, and to identify policy frameworks that would help facilitate the introduction of renewable energy projects in the region and improve investment climate.
Special session on Afghanistan
A special session was dedicated to the importance of renewable energy for Afghanistan, and featured a keynote presentation by Dr. A. Rahman Ashraf, Senior Advisor to the President of Afghanistan for Mines and Energy, and a discussion of Afghanistan’s clean energy program led by Mr. Mohammad Arif Arghoshi, an experts with the Office of Infrastructure Engineering and Energy of the United States Agency for International Development in Afghanistan.
Site visits
The conference included visits to the Tajik Technical University, well known in the region for its sophisticated renewable energy laboratory and supported by the European Union, and SistemAvtomatica, a private enterprise involved in the production of renewable energy systems and components. International participants also took a field trip to the site of a pilot project on renewable energy and education assistance, launched by the Carnegie Endowment and the Association of Energy Specialist of Tajikistan in the spring of 2009.
Russian-language resources
Conference materials are also available in Russian. Click here to read more.
Resources for this event
Featured Publication
Central Asia: Living in Afghanistan’s Shadow
While the U.S.-led NATO operations in Afghanistan have resulted in somewhat enhanced security capacity for Central Asian countries, their long-term security challenges seem to be increasing, given the current situation in Afghanistan and the growing instability of Pakistan.