Renewable Energy and National Development Training in Reykjavik

Programme Overview

Reliable, affordable energy sits underneath almost every development goal: jobs, health services, schools, water supply and industry. The Tracking SDG7 Energy Progress Report 2025 found that global electricity access reached almost 92% in 2023, yet 666 million people still had no electricity and about 2.1 billion relied on polluting fuels for cooking. Most of those without power live in rural areas and in sub-Saharan Africa.

The same report shows that international financial flows for clean energy to developing countries rose for a third year to USD 21.6 billion in 2023, but remain below their 2016 peak. Money, policy and institutions therefore have to work together: governments need sound energy plans, credible regulators, utilities that can pay their bills and project pipelines that investors and development banks will finance.

New initiatives are raising the pace. Mission 300, led by the World Bank Group and the African Development Bank Group, aims to connect 300 million more Africans to electricity by 2030, and 29 countries had finalised National Energy Compacts by September 2025, setting out targets, reforms and investment needs. Geothermal programmes in Kenya, Ethiopia and Indonesia, supported by development finance, show how domestic renewable resources can replace imported fuel.

Iceland is a useful place to study this shift. In the early twentieth century it was among Europe’s poorest countries and depended on imported coal and later oil. After the oil crises of the 1970s it turned decisively to hydropower and geothermal energy, and today almost all of its electricity and most of its space heating come from domestic renewable sources.

This five-day programme in Reykjavik helps policymakers, regulators, utilities and project teams link renewable energy choices to national development outcomes: planning, policy design, technology options, grid integration, financing and community benefit. It closes with technical visits and a capstone exercise in which teams build a practical roadmap for their own country.

The Programme Strengthens Institutional Capability

• Linking energy planning to national development plans
• Energy access planning and SDG7 tracking
• Renewable energy policy and target setting
• Regulatory frameworks and tariff design
• Resource assessment for solar, wind, hydro, geothermal and bioenergy
• Geothermal exploration risk and how it is shared
• Grid integration and system flexibility
• Energy storage and mini-grid options
• Least-cost generation planning
• Project preparation and pipeline management
• Public-private partnerships and independent power producers
• Blended and concessional finance structures
• Utility financial viability
• Productive use of energy for jobs and enterprise
• Environmental and social risk management
• Community engagement and benefit sharing
• Inter-ministerial coordination on energy
• Monitoring and reporting on energy transition targets

The approach is practical: each topic is tied to a planning, policy or financing decision that participants face at home.

The Growing Importance of Renewable Energy for National Development

Energy policy has become development policy. About 600 million Africans lack electricity, roughly 83% of the global total according to the African Development Bank, and Mission 300 Compacts list more than 400 policy actions in their first batch alone, from strengthening utilities and simplifying regulation to cutting losses and improving the investment climate.

At the same time, countries with domestic renewable resources are using them to cut import bills and stabilise supply. Geothermal remains the leading source in Kenya’s electricity mix according to the regulator’s 2024-25 reporting, Ethiopia is expanding its Aluto-Langano geothermal field, and in Indonesia the World Bank’s Geothermal Resource Risk Mitigation Project, with a US$150 million IBRD loan and Clean Technology Fund resources channelled through PT Sarana Multi Infrastruktur, aims to scale up investment in geothermal power.

These examples share a lesson: technology is rarely the main constraint. The harder work is planning, regulation, risk allocation, financing and keeping communities on side.

Organisations increasingly require professionals capable of:

• Translating national development goals into energy targets
• Preparing least-cost and integrated resource plans
• Designing renewable energy auctions and tenders
• Setting cost-reflective but affordable tariffs
• Assessing resource potential and data needs
• Allocating exploration and construction risk
• Planning grid expansion and off-grid solutions together
• Integrating variable solar and wind into the grid
• Structuring projects for development bank and private finance
• Evaluating projects with financial and economic analysis
• Managing environmental and social safeguards
• Designing benefit-sharing arrangements with host communities
• Coordinating ministries, regulators and utilities
• Tracking progress against SDG7 and national compacts

Strong renewable energy systems help organisations:

• Reduce dependence on imported fuel
• Stabilise electricity and heating costs
• Extend access to rural and underserved communities
• Support industry, agriculture and small business
• Attract private and development finance
• Improve utility finances and service quality
• Lower emissions and local air pollution
• Build domestic technical skills and jobs
• Strengthen energy security against price shocks

Iceland’s experience shows that a long-term national commitment, backed by public institutions and research, can turn local resources into a lasting economic advantage.

Who Should Attend This Renewable Energy and National Development Training?

This programme is designed for:

• Officials of ministries of energy, power and natural resources
• Ministries of planning, finance and economic development
• Energy and electricity regulators
• Rural electrification agencies and funds
• Utility planning, generation and grid managers
• Geothermal, hydropower and renewable energy development agencies
• Project implementation units of donor-funded energy projects
• Public-private partnership units
• Local government energy and environment officers
• Climate change and environment ministries
• Development bank and donor programme officers
• Private developers and independent power producers
• Energy NGOs and community energy organisations
• Researchers and university staff in energy policy

Delegations that bring policy, regulatory and utility staff together gain the most, because the capstone roadmap needs all three views.

Renewable Energy and National Development Training Objectives

Upon successful completion of this Renewable Energy and National Development Training, participants will be able to:

• Explain how energy access and supply drive economic and human development
• Use SDG7 tracking data to diagnose their country’s position
• Compare renewable technologies by cost, resource and system role
• Design policy and regulatory measures that attract renewable investment
• Assess grid integration, storage and off-grid options
• Understand geothermal development stages and how exploration risk is shared
• Evaluate projects using basic financial and economic analysis
• Select suitable financing models, including PPPs and blended finance
• Plan community engagement and benefit sharing
• Apply lessons from Iceland, Kenya, Ethiopia and Indonesia to their context
• Prepare a practical renewable energy roadmap for their institution

Objectives are reinforced through workshops each afternoon and the technical visits on the final day.

Programme Contents and Structure

Renewable Energy and National Development Training Methodology

The programme mixes short expert inputs with structured group work on real country data, so participants spend most of their time applying ideas to their own systems.

The programme combines:

• Expert briefings on policy, technology and finance
• Case studies of financed projects in Africa and Asia
• Country diagnostics using SDG7 tracking data
• Policy and auction design workshops
• Financial modelling exercises at an introductory level
• Risk-sharing and safeguard discussions
• Panel discussions with practitioners
• Technical visits to energy facilities in Iceland
• Peer exchange between delegations
• Roadmap drafting with facilitator coaching
• Pre-course self-assessment and post-course action plans

Institutions can check their starting point before the course with Risalat’s free institutional capacity assessment, and project teams can review delivery risks with the project health check.

Technical Visits and Site Programme

The final day includes a structured technical visit programme in the Reykjavik area, organised around the themes of the week. Typical visits may cover a geothermal power or combined heat and power plant, a district heating facility, a hydropower or grid operation site, or an energy research and training institution. Visits are confirmed with host organisations closer to the programme dates and depend on access and operating conditions.

Each visit is preceded by a short briefing and followed by a facilitated discussion on what participants can transfer: planning horizons, public ownership models, maintenance practice and how local communities share the benefits. December brings short daylight hours and winter weather, so visits are scheduled with suitable transport and clothing advice.

Expected Outcomes

Upon completion of this Renewable Energy and National Development Training, participants will be able to:

• Present a clear diagnostic of their country’s energy access and supply gaps
• Recommend policy and regulatory changes to attract renewable investment
• Compare technology options by cost, resource and system role
• Explain how exploration and construction risk can be shared
• Prepare a basic financing plan for a renewable project
• Plan community engagement and benefit sharing
• Coordinate ministries, regulators and utilities around shared targets
• Track progress against SDG7 and national compact commitments
• Lead implementation of a five-year renewable energy roadmap

Delegations return with a roadmap their leadership can review and adopt, not only a set of notes.

Institutional Application of Renewable Energy and National Development Training

This programme supports organisations in strengthening:

• National energy and development planning
• Renewable energy policy and regulation
• Tariff and subsidy design
• Procurement of renewable generation
• Project preparation and pipelines
• Grid and off-grid planning
• Geothermal and hydropower development
• Financing strategies and partnerships
• Utility performance
• Environmental and social risk management
• Community engagement and benefit sharing
• Monitoring of energy transition targets

Participants return with practical tools to improve:

• Energy access diagnostics
• Auction and tender design checklists
• Technology comparison matrices
• Risk allocation tables
• Project financing plans
• Stakeholder and benefit-sharing plans
• Monitoring indicator sets
• Five-year roadmap templates

These tools fit into existing planning cycles, compact reviews and donor project reporting, so the programme supports work already under way.

Regional Relevance & Application

Africa

Africa holds most of the world’s population without electricity. Mission 300 and the 29 National Energy Compacts finalised by September 2025 create clear demand for officials who can turn targets into reforms and bankable projects. Kenya’s geothermal sector and Ethiopia’s Aluto-Langano expansion offer regional examples close to home.

Asia

Indonesia’s geothermal risk mitigation programme with the World Bank shows how public finance can mobilise private investment in exploration. Across Asia, rising demand and grid integration of solar and wind are central planning questions for regulators and utilities.

Latin America and the Caribbean

The GRÓ Geothermal Training Programme lists cooperation countries in Latin America and the Caribbean islands, reflecting active geothermal interest in the region. Island states that rely on imported fuel can draw directly on Iceland’s shift from oil to local resources.

Pacific

Small island developing states face high fuel import costs and limited grid scale. The sessions on mini-grids, storage and community ownership are designed with these constraints in mind.

Middle East

Countries in the region are adding large solar and wind capacity while managing water scarcity and fast-growing demand. Auction design, grid integration and storage sessions are directly relevant.

Europe

For European agencies and development partners, the programme offers a practical view of how renewable energy supports development objectives in partner countries.

Across all regions, the shared challenge is turning resources and commitments into projects, institutions and services that last.

Host Country Profile – Iceland

Reykjavik, Iceland’s capital, is compact, safe and home to the country’s main ministries, universities and energy institutions. It is also the base of the GRÓ Geothermal Training Programme, which began in 1978 as the United Nations University Geothermal Training Programme and since 2020 has operated under UNESCO’s auspices, offering six-month training for professionals from developing countries and MSc and PhD study with the University of Iceland and Reykjavik University.

According to the Government of Iceland, about 85% of the country’s primary energy supply comes from domestic renewable sources, hydropower provides about 73% of electricity and geothermal about 27%, and around 85% of houses are heated with geothermal energy through district heating. A 2006 report by Iceland’s National Energy Authority describes how hot-water heating in Reykjavik began in 1930, how the 1970s oil crises pushed policy towards domestic resources, and how geothermal heating produced large savings compared with oil.

Iceland is a member of the Schengen Area, so Schengen visa rules apply, and Keflavík International Airport serves the capital area with direct flights to Europe and North America. Participants should check current visa requirements for their nationality on official government websites. December is cold with short daylight hours, and Risalat provides clothing and travel advice with joining instructions.

Renewable Energy and National Development Training Deliverables

Every participant receives a full package of support before, during and after the programme.

Before the Programme

• Participant Pre-Assessment
• Energy Transition Readiness Assessment
• Renewable Energy and National Development Resource Pack
• Preparatory Reading Materials
• Complimentary Visa Support & Advisory

During the Programme

• Airport Pickup & Welcome Assistance
• Accommodation with Breakfast
• Welcome Networking Dinner
• Risalat Training Kit (Bag, Bottle, Mug, T-Shirt, Cap, Passport Cover, Pens, Notebook, Magnet & Keychain)
• Comprehensive Renewable Energy and National Development Training Manual
• Energy Access Diagnostic Template
• Renewable Auction Design Checklist
• Technology Comparison Matrix
• Geothermal Risk Allocation Table
• Project Financing Plan Template
• Benefit-Sharing and Stakeholder Plan Template
• Practical Workshops & Simulations
• Group Discussions & Peer Learning
• Daily Lunch and Refreshments
• Full Access to Training Venue Facilities
• Mini Pad / Tablet with Digital Learning Materials
• Field Visit (where applicable)
• Entertaining City Tour

After the Programme

• Certificate of Completion
• Risalat Programme Participation Recognition Award
• Post-Training Reference Materials
• Five-Year Renewable Energy Roadmap Template
• SDG7 Monitoring Indicator Set
• Technical Visit Notes and Lessons Summary
• Post-Training Support & Follow-Up Guidance
• Programme Report

Ministries, regulators, utilities and project teams can request a tailored in-house version focused on their own energy plans and projects through our request a proposal form. A short training needs assessment helps us shape it.

Common Challenges in Renewable Energy and National Development, And How This Training Helps

How can we link energy targets to wider development goals?

Day 1 uses SDG7 data and the participant’s national plan to connect energy actions to jobs, services and growth, and the capstone turns that link into a roadmap.

How do we attract private investment without raising tariffs too far?

Day 2 covers auction design and tariff setting, and Day 4 shows how concessional finance and guarantees can lower costs for consumers.

How can we manage the high risk of geothermal exploration?

Day 3 examines how risk mitigation funds and contingent grants share early drilling risk, using the Indonesian programme as a case.

How do we integrate solar and wind without destabilising the grid?

Day 3 covers grid planning, flexibility and storage options suited to systems of different sizes.

How can we reach rural communities the grid will not reach soon?

Days 2 and 3 compare mini-grid and off-grid solutions with grid extension and show how to plan them together.

How do we keep host communities supportive of large projects?

Day 4 covers safeguards, engagement and benefit-sharing arrangements, reinforced by discussion during the technical visits.

How can ministries, regulators and utilities work from the same plan?

The capstone on Day 5 requires delegations to assign roles across institutions and agree shared indicators for monitoring progress.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is this programme for?

Officials from energy, planning and finance ministries, regulators, utilities, rural electrification agencies, PIUs of donor-funded energy projects, developers and development partners.

Does the programme include site visits?

Yes. The final day includes technical visits in the Reykjavik area, for example to geothermal, district heating, hydropower or research facilities. Visits are confirmed with host organisations closer to the dates.

Why hold it in Iceland?

Iceland moved from imported fuel to domestic hydropower and geothermal energy; today almost all its electricity and most of its heating are renewable, and it hosts the GRÓ Geothermal Training Programme under UNESCO's auspices.

Is the content only about geothermal?

No. It covers solar, wind, hydropower, geothermal and bioenergy, plus grids, storage, policy, regulation, finance and community benefit sharing.

What will delegations take home?

Templates for an energy access diagnostic, auction design, technology comparison, risk allocation, financing plans and benefit sharing, plus a five-year national roadmap drafted in the capstone.

Can the programme be delivered in-house?

Yes. Institutions can request a tailored version focused on their own energy plans and projects through Risalat's request a proposal form.

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