A national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy

Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy

National Renewable Energy Laboratory 

Innovation for Our Energy Future 

Washington International 

Renewable Energy Conference 

(WIREC) 2008 Pledges: 

Methodology and Assumptions 

Summary 

Bill Babiuch, Daniel E. Bilello, Shannon C. Cowlin, 

Margaret Mann, and Alison Wise 

Technical Report 

NREL/TP-670-43919 

August 2008 

NREL is operated by Midwest Research Institute ● Battelle Contract No. DE-AC36-99-GO10337 
Washington International 

Renewable Energy Conference 

(WIREC) 2008 Pledges: 

Methodology and Assumptions 

Summary 

Bill Babiuch, Daniel E. Bilello, Shannon C. 

Cowlin, Margaret Mann, and Alison Wise 

Prepared under Task No. SAO7.5109 

Technical Report 

NREL/TP-670-43919 

August 2008 

National Renewable Energy Laboratory

1617 Cole Boulevard, Golden, Colorado 80401-3393 

303-275-3000 • www.nrel.gov 

Operated for the U.S. Department of Energy 

Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy 

by Midwest Research Institute • Battelle 

Contract No. DE-AC36-99-GO10337
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1

Introduction

The 2008 Washington International Renewable Energy Conference (WIREC) was held in 

Washington, D.C., from March 4-6, 2008, and involved nearly 9,000 people from 125 countries. 

The event brought together worldwide leaders in renewable energy (RE) from governments, 

international organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector to discuss the 

role that renewables can play in alleviating poverty, growing economies, and passing on a 

healthy planet to future generations. The conference concluded with more than 140 pledges from 

governments, international organizations, and private-sector representatives to advance the 

uptake of renewable energy (see Table 1 at the end of this report). 

The U.S. government authorized the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to estimate 

the carbon dioxide (CO2) savings that would result from the pledges made at the 2008 

conference. This report describes the methodology and assumptions used by NREL in 

quantifying the potential CO2 reductions derived from those pledges. 

As a first step in this process, analysts reviewed and placed each WIREC pledge in one of two 

categories (Tier 1 or Tier 2). Tier 1 pledges were characterized as pledges that included specific 

metrics (e.g., “x” number of megawatts (MW) of renewable energy technology installed; or “y” 

percentage of renewable energy in total energy mix) where a specific greenhouse gas (GHG) 

impact could be derived from the pledge. Tier 2 pledges were defined as pledges that will enable 

broader RE deployment, but did not include specific quantifiable elements that would allow for a 

specific GHG impact to be derived. Examples include research and development (R&D), 

resource assessments, grants, loans, and project financing. Because this distinction was not 

entirely clear in all cases, NREL asked contributors to review their pledges and provide any 

additional information or detail if they viewed a Tier 2 pledge as more appropriate for Tier 1 

classification. 

To facilitate easier review and consistency across Tier 1 pledges, NREL developed four standard 

templates to evaluate common pledges. These included pledge targets measured by: 1) Installed 

RE Capacity; 2) Total Primary Energy Supply provided by renewables; 3) Total Primary Energy 

Consumption met by renewables; and, 4) Alternative Fuels produced. The templates were 

populated by the pledge information and other assumed factors outlined in the sections below. 

For those pledges that did not logically fit in one of these categories, analysts carried 

spreadsheet-based calculations using the same methodology outlined below, but a standard 

template was not used. 

Unless specifically noted in the pledge text, the baseline year for energy and emissions growth 

was 2005. This start date allowed for consistency across pledges and facilitated the use of a 

common International Energy Agency (IEA) database for 2005 energy use. 

The analysis used incremental GHG reductions from 2009 through 2030 for all pledges, with the 

assumption that measurable GHG impacts from pledges made at the WIREC conference in the 

spring of 2008 would begin in 2009. Analysts selected 2030 as the end date, which would 

provide a reasonable time horizon to demonstrate the benefit of cumulative reductions during 

that period. 
The source text for all pledges was taken from the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 

21st Century (REN21) Web site,1 which included the written definition and assumptions for each 

pledge provided by the pledge maker. In cases where pledges included multiple commitments –

such as both an electricity and a fuels component – the elements of the pledge were assessed 

individually. 

General Approach

Most regions impacted by WIREC pledges had some level of renewable energy penetration at 

the time of the conference in 2008. This analysis assumed that only renewable energy use from 

2009-2030 could be attributed to pledges made at WIREC. To estimate the additional benefits 

from the pledges, analysts subtracted the total renewable energy contribution in 2008 from the 

renewable energy contributions in 2009-2030. 

The general equation used to estimate GHG emission reductions resulting from each nonfuels 

WIREC pledge is shown in Equation 1. 

CO2 ( ) emission reductions i = ( ) RE use i − (RE use) [ ] 2008* ΔCO2 ( EF)base year (1) 

In Equation 1, i = year >2008 and ≤ 2030; RE use = RE electricity, energy consumption, energy 

production, or fuel use depending on the sector(s) targeted by the pledge; and ΔCO2 EF is the 

change in emission factor from the traditional energy mix to the renewable energy mix (CO2 EF 

for traditional energy mix – CO2 EF for the renewable energy use). The GHG emissions 

reductions attributable to the pledge were estimated by summing the annual reductions occurring 

in 2009-2030. 

Emission Factors 

The GHG emission reduction estimates from nonfuel pledges assumed that GHG emissions from 

RE are zero. In addition, analysts assumed that each unit of electricity reduced through energy 

efficiency (EE) measures offset an equivalent unit generated at the average national emission 

factor. Although renewable technologies such as wind and solar have GHG emissions associated 

with manufacturing and transportation and, to a lesser degree, operation and maintenance, 

emission factors levelized over the lifetime of these units will be orders of magnitude less than 

those from fossil fuels. This should not substantially impact the emission-reduction estimates 

that apply to these technologies. This is not necessarily the case for bio-based renewable energy 

production, whose GHG emission factors can vary widely and depend greatly on feedstock type 

and cultivation processes. This simplification will add some degree of uncertainty to the GHG 

emission-reduction results. 

The assumption that GHG emissions from renewables is zero means that the “change in 

emission” factor used in Equation 1 is equal to the emission factor for the traditional energy mix. 

Analysts based the emission factors on whether the pledge applied to total electricity generation, 

                                                       

1

2

http://www.ren21.net/wiap/wirec.asp
3

production, and domestic supp

                                                       

energy consumption, or energy production. The emission intensity for each of these metrics was 

available by country for 2005. For this analysis, the emission factors from 2005 were applied for 

calculations of GHG reductions in all subsequent years to 2030. 

Emission factors for the electricity sector, which analysts obtained from the IEA,2 were reported 

in units of grams (g) CO2 per kilowatt hour (kWh). NREL obtained emission factors for energy 

production from the IEA Web site, which reports the total primary energy supply (TPES) CO2

EF on the Indicators page for each country in units of tons CO2 per ton of oil equivalent (toe).3 

Analysts obtained emission factors for energy consumption from data available on the Energy 

Information Administration (EIA) Web site. The EIA reports total primary energy consumption 

(TPEC) in quadrillion British thermal units (BTU) and CO2 emissions from consumption of 

fossil fuels on its country-level Energy Profiles.4 Analysts used these values to compute the 

emission factor for pledge-impact estimates using TPEC. 

Baseline Total and Renewable Energy Use and Growth Factors 

To estimate the impact of pledges to increase renewable energy to a percentage of supply or 

consumption in a given year, analysts first estimated what the total supply and consumption 

would be during the analysis period. Base-year electricity generation values were obtained from 

the IEA Electricity/Heat pages for each country; the total production values on these pages were 

used as the base-year electricity values. When a pledge referred to total production, the TPES 

values from the IEA Indicators were used as the base-year values. For pledges referencing 

energy consumption, the total primary energy consumption values on the EIA country profile 

were used as the base-year values. 

NREL obtained the growth rates applied to these base-year values from the IEA World Energy 

Outlook,5 which reports consumption demand growth in percentage per year, based on status in 

the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and continent. This 

analysis assumed constant growth rates from the base year to 2030 (the analysis period). 

Because the coarse aggregation of growth rates and assumption of constant growth added error to 

the analysis, reviewers were encouraged to provide more accurate, country-specific information 

where available. 

When baseline renewable energy contribution was provided by the pledging agency, those values 

were used in the analysis. For pledges that did not include baseline renewable energy data, 

values were collected from the IEA Web site country pages. When baseline electricity use was 

required to compute the pledge impact, the gross electricity generation in 2005 from all 

renewable sources was summed to get total gigawatt hours (GWh) in that base year. For pledges 

targeting total production, analysts converted the gross electricity generation, gross heat 

ly reported on the IEA renewables pages to common units and 

2

 International Energy Agency Data Services. (2007). “CO2 Emissions from Fuel Combustion (2007 Edition).” 

3 http://www.iea.org/Textbase/country/index.asp

4 http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/country/index.cfm 5

 IEA, World Energy Outlook. (2006). Paris, France. November 2006. Pp. 492-527 
4

Motor gasoline consumption (

to get the final number used in

                                                       

summed them for all renewable sources; these were then used to compute the percentage 

contribution to TPES. For pledges targeting consumption, analysts summed the gross electricity 

generation, gross heat production, and total final consumption values from the IEA renewables 

pages for use as the base-year renewable contribution to TPEC. 

This analysis assumed that renewables experienced linear growth between the base year and the 

target year, and that the renewable contribution to the energy mix remained constant after the 

target year until 2030. For example, if a country had 0% renewable electricity at the time of 

WIREC (2008) and stated a target of 10% renewable electricity by 2012, the percent renewable 

contribution would grow by 2.5% each year until 2012. The total GWh corresponding to 10% of 

the total electricity production in 2012 is assumed to be an ongoing contribution for all years 

2013-2030. 

Units and Conversions

The reporting units of pledge impacts depended on the target sector of the pledges, with 

electricity-sector estimates based on kWh, and TPES and TPEC based on toe. When reported 

values did not correspond to these numbers, analysts used the IEA online unit converter.6

The final results for the CO2 avoided in the pledge’s target year, and cumulatively for 2009-

2030, are reported in million metric tons of CO2. 

Fuel Consumption Calculations 

If data for fuel consumption was not included in the specific pledge, analysts obtained 

information from the IEA database for 2005. Using the IEA Web site country pages, fuel data 

was obtained from the “Oil” link in the transport section; data for motor gasoline was obtained 

from the column titled “Motor Gasoline” from the same IEA country page; and data for 

petrodiesel was obtained from the column titled “Gas/Diesel.” 

All conversion factors were based on information from the bioenergy section of Oak Ridge 

National Laboratory’s Web site.7

 Using this database and IEA data from the sources noted 

above, the following conversions were used: 

Motor Gasoline = 1,356 L/tonne. 

Petrodiesel = 0.84 g/ml (converts to 1,190 L/tonne). 

 “Motor Gasoline” IEA data was multiplied by the motor gasoline conversion factor (1,356 

L/tonne) to get liters of motor gasoline consumption. 

The “Gas/Diesel” IEA data was multiplied by the petrodiesel conversion factor (1,190 L/tonne) 

to get liters of gas/diesel consumption. 

in liters) and the gas/diesel consumption (in liters) were summed 

 the calculation spreadsheet. 

6 http://www.iea.org/textbase/stats/un t.asp i 7 http://bioenergy.ornl.gov/main.aspx
5

Renewable fuels were assumed for the purposes of this analysis to be cellulosic ethanol, corn 

ethanol, and biodiesel. The fuel pledge for each country was assumed to be met with ethanol or 

biodiesel in the same relative proportion as current use of gasoline and petrodiesel. Ethanol was 

assumed to be 50% sugar/starch-based (e.g., corn or sugar cane) and 50% lignocellulosic. 

Greenhouse gas emissions savings with this ethanol mix as a replacement for gasoline was 

estimated to be about 40%. Biodiesel was assumed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 50% 

from petrodiesel; varying biomass sources and cultivation practices made more precise estimates 

impractical. 

Summary 

The WIREC 2008 pledge process clearly demonstrates that renewable energy will play a key role 

in the global effort to meet future energy needs and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. While 

there are still methodological and data challenges in measuring the precise GHG impact of the 

measures proposed, there is no doubt that many nations are looking at renewable energy 

technologies as a way to meet a large part of their future energy needs as well as reduce their 

carbon footprint, particularly in the electricity sector. NREL evaluated 145 WIREC pledges, 

which have the potential to provide thousands of megawatts of renewable electricity capacity 

through 2030, and eliminate billions of tons of CO2 that otherwise would have been generated 

from conventional sources. 

The WIREC 2008 pledges represent a diverse number of actors and sectors, illustrating a wide 

variety of opportunities that exist to accelerate renewable energy markets. In addition, the 

diversity of these pledges shows that both mandatory and voluntary approaches can complement 

one another in achieving real and measurable impacts on the ground. In respect to the Tier 2 

pledges that were not quantified in this exercise, the likely market impact is also significant. For 

example, research and development (R&D) pledges will play a key role in helping meet 

renewable energy goals without overburdening national economies because the 10- to 20-year 

timeline for most pledge goals will enable renewable energy technical milestones to be met, 

thereby significantly reducing the commercial costs of these electricity and alternative fuel 

options. Financial and in-kind pledges also will help reduce the near-term economic burdens of 

renewable energy options, particularly in developing countries. 

Project leaders hope that this methodological exercise and the associated templates will directly 

assist in the process of evaluating new pledges and tracking progress on existing voluntary 

commitments. With this goal in mind, all of the calculation spreadsheets, templates, and 

supporting documents will be maintained on a public database for viewing and updating. 
Tier Lead Entity Pledge Target Year

Annual CO2 

Reduced in 

Target Year 

(MMT)

Cumulative 

CO2 Reduced 

2009-2030 

(MMT)

Annual Petro 

Fuels 

Displaced In 

Target Year 

(million liters)

Cumulative 

Petro Fuels 

Displaced 2009-

2030 (million 

liters)

Annual CO2 

Reduced from 

Biofuels Produced 

in Target Year 

(MMT)

1 Australia / Government of Australia 20% target for renewables in Australia's electricity supply by 2020 2020 29.80 483.87

1 Rwanda / Government of Rwanda 90 % of renewable energy in electricity production by 2012 2012 0.03 0.56

1 American Jewish Committee, USA1 A U.S. Human Rights NGO Going Green

1 Kenya / Ministry of Energy Accelerate renewable energy growth through Formulating and Instituting a policy on renewable energy development in the next two 2020 0.36 5.95

2 USA / Department of Commerce Access of renewable energy technologies in China and India

1 Pakistan / Planning and Development Achieve 10% share of renewable energy in the national energy mix by 2012 2012 6.25 127.65

2 Equity International, Inc., USA Achieving 100% RPS by all 50 U.S. states

1 Spain / Ministry of Industry, Tourism and TradAction Plan to increase use of renewables to at least 12% by 2010 and increase energy efficiency 2010 13.64 293.15 805 17,303 1.13 

2 USA / Department of Transportation Alternative fuel vehicle testing and research on required biofuels infrastructure 

1 USA / Department of State APP grants add renewable power in India 2015 0.18 3.452 Global Network on Energy for Sustainable Assessment of priority options for biofuels strategy for poverty

Final Table - August 28, 2008

Table 1. WIREC 2008 Pledges - Estimate of CO2 and Biofuel Impacts if Goals are Met by Target Years

2 gy Development p yp gy p y alleviation and achieving the important MDGs in selected regions and 2 USA / Climate Institute Assist a dozen small island states in developing and implementing sustainable energy plans 1 Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, ThailanBangkok’s program on initiatives to alleviate the effects of climate change 2012 7.30 149.72

1 France / Government of France Beyond 20% of RE in the final energy consumption by 2020 2020 60.12 981.81 3,787 62,309 5.22 

2 USA / Trade and Development Agency Biomass power generation feasibility study in Namibia 

2 USA / Department of Energy Biomass products market cost targets through 2012 2 Germany / Government of Germany Boosting energy research and demonstration in innovative fields of renewable energy2 Germany; Spain; Slovenia / Governments Boosting international cooperation on feed-in systems 2 EarthAction International, USA Bring 'Feed In' legislation to state and federal governments in the US,- convince 10 States within two years 2 Solar Generation International Campaign geared towards public awareness and real solutions on climate change through renewable energy and energy efficiency2 Philippines / Miriam Colleage Campaign to increase public education and awareness of renewable energy and the environment2 Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, India Capacity building for creating access to clean, affordable and reliable energy services for the rural households and urban poor households 1 City of Bellingham, WA, USA1 City of Bellingham commits to 100% green power2 Global Urban Development and Rockefeller Brothers Fund, USA Climate Prosperity Project to increase public awareness about the opportunities of engaging in climate protection 1 College of the Atlantic, USA1 College of the Atlantic 100% renewable by 20152 USA / Department of the Interior Complete national geothermal resource assessment by end of 2008 2 USA / Department of the Interior Complete Regulatory framework for alternative energy development on the Outer Continental Shelf 2 European Renewable Energy Council Council to facilitate EU's commitment to obtain 20% of energy needs from renewable energy by 2020 2 Fundacion Solar, Guatemala Create a positive energy footprint in everyday practices of indigenous populations through education, social organization and environmental 2 Haiti / Government of Haiti Creating the proper environment for renewable energy in Haiti2 International Institute for Sustainable Development Creation of ENERGY-L distribution list for international sustainable energy activities

6
Tier Lead Entity Pledge Target Year

Annual CO2 

Reduced in 

Target Year 

(MMT)

Cumulative 

CO2 Reduced 

2009-2030 

(MMT)

Annual Petro 

Fuels 

Displaced In 

Target Year 

(million liters)

Cumulative 

Petro Fuels 

Displaced 2009-

2030 (million 

liters)

Annual CO2 

Reduced from 

Biofuels Produced 

in Target Year 

(MMT)

2 Cemtec, Aalborg University / Northern Jutland, Denmark Creation of Hydrogen Valley - Cluster for hydrogen and fuel cell business 2 Poland / Ministry of Economy Develop and implement national program for agricultural biogas 

plants and introduce white certificate mechanism for energy efficiency

2 Waitukubuli Ecological Foundation, Dominica Develop community wind energy projects in Dominica to cover at least 25% of the island’s energy needs 1 St. Kitts and Nevis / Government of St. Kitts aDevelop various renewable energy technologies and energy efficiency 2015 0.16 2.95

2 Bahamas / Ministry of Public Works and Transport Developing an energy policy for the Commonwealth of the Bahamas

2 Institute for Research in Sustainable Energy and Development, Kenya Development of sorghum for food and bioenergy1 The Netherlands / SNV Netherlands Develop Domestic biogas: Capturing the markets in Asia and Africa 2012 0.52 10.74

2 Ireland / Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Domestic grant programme of EUR 58m for biomass, solar and 

geothermal technologies 

2 Switzerland / Government of Switzerland Double the interdepartmental platform budget to CHF 4m in 2008- 2010 to promote renewable energy and efficiency in international 2 Germany / Government of Germany Doubling the special facility for renewable energy and energy efficiency2 International Green Energy Council, USA Educating leaders and students worldwide about the benefits of energy efficiency and renewable energy2 USA / Department of the Interior Efficiency improvements in 58 hydroelectric power plants 2 Greenpeace International Energy [R]evolution 2008 – communicating A Sustainable World Energy Outlook 2 Ireland / Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resouces EUR 20m research fund to increase energy research capacity in Energy and Natural Resouces Ireland Ireland2 Ireland / Department of Communications,Energy and Natural EUR 26m for ocean energy research and development 2 Germany / Government of Germany EUR 550m to renewable energy and energy efficiency in developing countries in 20081 Japan / Ministry of Economy, Trade and Indu Expanding introduction of renewable energy to 3% of total primary energy supply by 2010 2010 37.37 803.52

1 Nicaragua / Ministry of Energy and Mines Expanding renewable electricity generation to 38 percent by 2011, improving regulatory framework for renewable energy investments, 2011 0.18 3.76

1 Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Japan Expansion of the Use of Solar Energy 2016 0.75 13.89

1 UK / Department for Business, Enterprise andExpedite offshore wind farm development to contribute to the UK’s target of 10% of electricity generation from renewables by 2010 2020 47.43 782.67

2 USA / Department of Agriculture Federal biobased preferred product procurement 

2 USA / Department of Transportation Federal Transit Administration Clean Fuels and Advanced Propulsion Technologies Program with focus on field testing in public transit 1 Germany / Government of Germany Feed biogas into the natural gas network 2030 22.80 248.46

2 UK / Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Funding a European marine energy test centre 

2 USA / Overseas Private Investment Corporation Global renewable energy facility to be created in 2008 2 Baylor Institute for Air SciencesSpirit of Hispaniola, USA Green airport and International Flight Academy on biofuels1 USA / Environmental Protection Agency Green Power Partnership includes 850 private partners buying 17 bn KWh of green power in 2008 2009 9.74 214.30

1 Cape Verde / Ministry of Economy, Growth anGreening Cape Verde: 50% renewables in nationwide power 

production by 2020, 100% on one island 2020 0.02 0.27

2 USA / Department of State Greening United States embassies

2 GreenMotion Identify at least 1,000 new ideas, technologies, processes, and techniques which will help meet the global energy needs in a 1 Sweden / Ministry of Enterprise, Energy and CImplement energy policy to reach 49% of renewable energy by 2020 and long-term sustainability 2020 8.51 139.11

1 Germany / Government of Germany Implementation of the strategy of the German Government on the use of offshore wind energy 2030 27.52 316.422 USA / Agency for International Develpment Improved access to clean energy services in developing countries with USD 125m in 2008 

1 Forrester Partners Limited, UK1 Incentive program to encourage employees of Forrester Partners Limited to switch to renewable energy

7
Tier Lead Entity Pledge Target Year

Annual CO2 

Reduced in 

Target Year 

(MMT)

Cumulative 

CO2 Reduced 

2009-2030 

(MMT)

Annual Petro 

Fuels 

Displaced In 

Target Year 

(million liters)

Cumulative 

Petro Fuels 

Displaced 2009-

2030 (million 

liters)

Annual CO2 

Reduced from 

Biofuels Produced 

in Target Year 

(MMT)

2 Canada / Government of Canada Inclusion of renewable energy tax incentives in the 2008 budget 1 Brazil / Government of Brazil Increase renewable energy and implement Ten-year Plan for Energy Expansion to match expected 47% increase in installed electric 2025 39.66 509.97

2 GE Energy Financial Services Increase renewables investment to USD 6bn by 2010

1 European Union / Council of the European UnIncrease share of renewable energy to 20% and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 20% in the EU by 2020 2020 1,028.18 59,116.07

1 Lithuania / Ministry of Economy Increase share of renewable energy to at least 20% by 2025 2025 2.25 30.56 239 3,317 0.32 

1 Morocco / Ministry of Energy, Mines, Water aIncrease the contribution of renewable energy to 10% of national energy balance and 20% in electricity supply by 2012 2012 2.59 52.96

1 Italy / Ministry of Economic Development Increase the share of renewable energies in the energy mix 2016 3.14 61.08 769 16,529 1.01 

1 Denmark / Ministry of Climate and Energy Increase use of renewable energy and energy efficiency 2025 10.09 147.36

1 Cameroon / Ministry of Energy and Water ReIncreasing energy supply and energy services for sustainable development via accelerated use of renewable energy 2020 1.10 23.23 3,000 64,000 1.06 

1 Argentina / Government of Argentina Increasing renewable energy to 8% of electricity consumption by 2016, 5% of fuels by 2011, and promoting rural access to renewable 2016 2.70 50.75 410 8,599 0.56 

1 Netherlands / Government of the NetherlandsIncreasing share of renewable energy to 20% in 2020, increasing share of sustainable biofuels, energy efficiency, emission reduction 2020 77.43 1,276.86

1 Volvo Group1 Increasing the use of renewable energy in production and products, and increasing energy efficiency

1 Planet2025 Network Integration of sustainable biofuel crops as renewable energy 

component into community based agroforestry efforts 2009 0.30 6.60

1 Switzerland / Department of the EnvironmentIntroduction of Action Plan for renewable heat sources to raise share of renewable energy in TPES from 16 2% to 24% by 2020 of renewable energy in TPES from 16,2% to 24% by 2020 2020 4 40 . 72 04 .

2 USA / Trade and Development Agency Jatropha biodiesel development feasibility study for possible large- scale production 2 USA / Department of the Interior Land use planning to increase renewable energy development on public lands2 Canada / Government of Canada Latest version of the Government of Canada's (NRCan) RETScreen Clean Energy Project Analysis Software - officially launched2 USA / Department of Treasury Launch USD 2bn Clean Technology Fund 1 Switzerland / Department of the EnvironmentLegally based financial mechanism for accelerated market penetration of renewable electricity to boost generation by 5.4 TWh by 2030 2030 0.14 1.61

2 India / City Managers' Association Orissa Local Government Climate Change Adaptation Programme

1 Uganda / Ministry of Energy and Mineral Dev Making modern renewable energy a substantial part of Uganda's national energy consumption, up from 4% to 61% 2017 1.06 18.88

2 Energy Efficiency Centre, Georgia Nation wide campaign for the promotion of renewable energy and energy efficiency

1 Paraguay / Ministry of Industry and CommercNational Biofuels Development Plan to expand biofuels from 5% to 50% by 2013 0 0.90 17.87 621 12,368 0.90 

1 Madagascar / Ministry of Energy and Mines National policies to achieve 54% renewable energy share by 2020 2020 1.39 22.45

2 Afghanistan / Ministry of Energy and Water National policy and public awareness campaign on renewable energy use in Afghanistan and reduction of air pollution in Kabul

1 Indonesia / Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources New national energy policy to optimize the national primary energy mix by increasing share of renewable energy to 15% in 2025 2025 300.26 4,032.22

1 My Organic Market, LLC, USA1 Offset 100% of energy usage by purchasing wind energy

1 Juniata College, USA Offsetting 75% of electricity consumption through wind energy credits 2012 0.00 0.05

2 USA / Environmental Protection Agency Partnership for Clean Indoor Air to reduce exposure of 750,000 people in developing countries by 2009 

2 Grameen Shakti, Bangladesh Policy advocacy for formulating and declaring a national renewable energy policy for Bangladesh1 Latvia / Ministry of the Environment Programme for the development of production and use of biogas 2030 0.02 0.29

2 USA / U.S. Trade and Development Agency Project preparation assistance, investment analysis, project definition, sector development, and trade capacity building to accelerate 

1 Azerbaijan / Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources Promote and increase utilisation of wind and solar energy in the country 2012 0.03 0.51

2 Norway / Ministry of Foreign Affairs Promote and support renewable energy in developing countries 

8
Tier Lead Entity Pledge Target Year

Annual CO2 

Reduced in 

Target Year 

(MMT)

Cumulative 

CO2 Reduced 

2009-2030 

(MMT)

Annual Petro 

Fuels 

Displaced In 

Target Year 

(million liters)

Cumulative 

Petro Fuels 

Displaced 2009-

2030 (million 

liters)

Annual CO2 

Reduced from 

Biofuels Produced 

in Target Year 

(MMT)

2 Partnership International, Inc, USA Promote financing, development, implementation, and dissemination of best-practice model to help expand solar and wind power in African 2 Biomass Coordinating Council, USA Promoting collaboration and information sharing on biomass through WIKI platform 1 Jordan / Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources Promoting the utilisation of renewable energy sources to share 10% in the primary energy by the year 2020 2020 2.25 35.75

2 Switzerland / Department of Finance Promotion of biofuels

2 Shri Jagdamba Samiti, India Promotion of pico hydro power unit in Garhwal Himalayas for agroprocessing - revival programme of traditional water mills2 World Experience for Georgia (Foundation), Georgia Promotion of renewable energy in Georgia through policy development, increased awareness and regional cooperation1 Tunisia / National Agency for Energy ConservPromotion of renewable energy to reach 10% in national energy demand by 2011 and reduction of total demand 2011 7.12 151.53

2 Canada / Government of Canada Provide CAD 4 bn in funding to the ecoENERGY Initiatives in support of renewable energy and energy efficiency in Canada 

2 UK / Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Provide financial support for commercial scale anaerobic digestion demonstration plants 2 Tanzania Traditional Energy Development and Environment Organization Providing energy access to at least 1 million people through use of renewable energy in order to reduce poverty2 ADEME, EDF, Fondation Energies pour le Monde, GERES FRANCE Providing energy services through renewable energy technologies to 1.5 m people in off-grid rural and peri-urban areas 2 NatureWorks, LLC, USA Purchasing green power to offset electricity used in manufacturing 

process 

1 New Zealand / Ministry of Economic Development Reach 90% renewable electricity target by 2025 2025 4.94 67.00

1 Norway / Ministry of Petroleum and Energy Reach combined target for renewable energy and energy efficiency: 30 TWh increased annual production from 2001 to 2016 30 TWh increased annual production from 2001 to 2016 2016 0 10 . 1 78 .

1 USA / Environmental Protection Agency Recovery of landfill methane to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and generate renewable energy from 560 landfills by 2012 2012 24.00 492.00

1 Jamaica / Ministry of Energy, Mining & Telecommunication Petroleum Corporation Reduce dependence on imported fossil fuels through the development of indigenous renewable energy resources to 10% of the electricity 2020 0.95 15.02

1 Town of Warrenton, Virginia, USA Reduce the carbon footprint of Warrenton by 25% by 2012 primarily through a waste to energy plant 2012 0.08 1.69

2 UK / Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Reform of financial support to renewable electricity generators

1 Germany / Government of Germany Renewable Energies Heat Act to help increase share of renewable energies in heat provision to 14% by 2020 2020 5.77 94.14

1 Turkey / Ministry of Energy and Natural Sources Renewable energy and energy efficiency targets and regulation 433 30.16 479.01 3,529 46,157 4.83 

1 USA / Department of Defense Renewable energy production and procurement to reach 25% of the Department’s facility electrical consumption by 2025 2025 1.69 23.66

1 Germany / Government of Germany Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) to help raise share of renewable electricity to 25–30% by 2020 2020 69.05 1,118.95

1 USA / Department of Agriculture Renewable energy systems and energy efficiency improvements 

program with loan guarantees and grants 2013 0.39 7.82

1 USA / Department of Energy Renewable energy use requirements for federal facilities and vehicle fleets through 2015 2015 2.41 51.60 56 1,082 0.05 

1 USA / Environmental Protection Agency Renewable fuel standard of 36 bn gallons by 2022, with sub- requirement of 21 bn gallons of advanced biofuels by 2022 2022 115.37 1,572.80 94,019 1,555,629 115.37 

2 Firestar Engineering, LLC, USA Research into non-carbon-based fuels and low temperature energy conversion processes

2 University of Hawaii-Hilo, College of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resource Research project for the growing of palm oil in Hawaii on abandoned sugar cane lands1 France / Electricite De France Rural electrification in South Africa with photovoltaic kits 2028 0.00 0.03

1 Egypt / Ministry of Electricity and Energy Satisfying 20% of the Egyptian generated electricity by renewable energies, mainly wind & hydro, by 2020 2020 15.66 258.36

2 Prokaushali Sangsad Limited, Bangladesh Scaling up RE technology application and adaptation to the impact of climate change

1 USA / Environmental Protection Agency SmartWay Grow & Go partnership with freight industry to increase use of renewable fuels 2012 9.99 207.89 10,409 216,502 9.99 

2 USA / Department of Energy Solar America Initiative

2 USA / National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration

Solar resource assessment using earth observations with emphasis on 

products for the developing world 

1 USA, State Governments State Renewable Portfolio Standards (RPS) 2020 181.24 2,990.46

9
Tier Lead Entity Pledge Target Year

Annual CO2 

Reduced in 

Target Year 

(MMT)

Cumulative 

CO2 Reduced 

2009-2030 

(MMT)

Annual Petro 

Fuels 

Displaced In 

Target Year 

(million liters)

Cumulative 

Petro Fuels 

Displaced 2009-

2030 (million 

liters)

Annual CO2 

Reduced from 

Biofuels Produced 

in Target Year 

(MMT)

2 Norway / Ministry of Petroleum and Energy Step up energy research and development policy 2 Tanzania / Ministry of Energy and Minerals Strengthen the legal, regulatory and institutional framework to support the development of a sustainable biofuels industry2 USA / Export-Import Bank Supporting increased renewable energy exports with lending enhancements 2 Remineralize the Earth, Inc. (NGO), USA The potential of remineralization with rock mineral fines to transform biofuel production and sequester carbon2 UK / Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs UK commitment to fund REEEP, the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiecny Partnership, for 3 years, with GBP 2.5m available for 1 Japan / Ministry of Economy, Trade and Indu Usage target of 16 bn kWh by 2014 based on the Renewable Portfolio Standard law 2014 6.86 133.85

2 USA / Department of Energy USD 10bn Loan guarantee program for renewable and energy efficiency

1 Mauritania / Ministry of Hydraulics, Energy anUsing wind power for sea water desalination 2010 0.02 0.51

2 USA / Department of Energy Wind Electricity Market Cost Targets for land-based and offshore systems 

2 USA / Department of Agriculture Woody biomass grants to turn forest residue into marketable products 2 Romanian Energy Policy Association Workshop for dissemination of WIREC 20082 World Bank Group World Bank Group Strategic Framework for Climate Change and Development

Notes 1: Not calculated because of lacking baseline data.

10
F1147-E(09/2007) 

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1. REPORT DATE (DD-MM-YYYY)

August 2008 

2. REPORT TYPE

Technical Report 

3. DATES COVERED (From - To)

4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE

Washington International Renewable Energy Conference (WIREC) 

2008 Pledges: Methodology and Assumptions Summary 

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DE-AC36-99-GO10337 

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6. AUTHOR(S)

B. Babiuch, D.E. Bilello, S.C. Cowlin, M. Mann, A. Wise 

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NREL/TP-670-43919 

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SAO7.5109 

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National Renewable Energy Laboratory 

1617 Cole Blvd. 

Golden, CO 80401-3393 

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NREL/TP-670-43919 

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14. ABSTRACT (Maximum 200 Words)

The 2008 Washington International Renewable Energy Conference (WIREC) was held in Washington, D.C., from 

March 4-6, 2008, and involved nearly 9,000 people from 125 countries. The event brought together worldwide 

leaders in renewable energy (RE) from governments, international organizations, nongovernmental organizations, 

and the private sector to discuss the role that renewables can play in alleviating poverty, growing economies, and 

passing on a healthy planet to future generations. The conference concluded with more than 140 governments, 

international organizations, and private-sector representatives pledging to advance the uptake of renewable energy. 

The U.S. government authorized the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to estimate the carbon dioxide 

(CO2) savings that would result from the pledges made at the 2008 conference. This report describes the 

methodology and assumptions used by NREL in quantifying the potential CO2 reductions derived from those 

pledges. 

15. SUBJECT TERMS

Washington International Renewable Energy Conference; WIREC; greenhouse gas emissions; carbon dioxide; CO2; 

pledges; Shannon C. Cowlin; Bill Babiuch; Daniel E. Bilello; Margaret Mann; Alison Wise 

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