A meeting organized by Climate Policy Initiative
in partnership with the Climate Investment Funds Administrative Unit

To read a CIF blog on the event click here

This meeting was the first in a series of CSP Dialogues that will take place over the next year, aimed at bringing together major actors in financing solar energy to enable a global sharing of experiences and to explore emerging lessons in the quest to scale up effective CSP finance. The Dialogues bring together countries receiving support from the CIF for CSP projects and host countries involved in other (‘non-CIF’) CSP projects, donor countries, project developers and financiers, multilateral development banks, representatives of the CIF Administrative Unit and a few selected additional participants.

Welcome

• Patricia Bliss-Guest, Program Manager, Climate Investment Funds
• Thomas C. Heller, Executive Director, Climate Policy Initiative

Session 1 – The CSP Landscape: Setting the scene

This session revisited the purpose and objectives of the CSP Dialogues and introduced focal themes and questions to guide our discussions. The session began with a tour de table to introduce all participants and identify priority areas of interest to the Group. An opening presentation then set the scene for a discussion of the current state of CSP based on a background paper describing the current landscape of CSP financing, including the development of the technology, the financial models and the role of policies and public investment in driving CSP progress.

Chair: Patricia Bliss-Guest, Program Manager, Climate Investment Funds

Opening Presentation:

• Martin Stadelmann, Senior Analyst, Climate Policy Initiative
  Presentation: The Landscape of Concentrated Solar Power (CSP)

Opening Comments:

• Shaanti Kapila, Global Support Program Coordinator, Administrative Unit, Climate Investment Funds
• Ming Yang, Senior Climate Change Specialist, the Global Environment Facility
  Presentation: Financing Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) Projects at the GEF

Session 2 – Financing CSP: The respective roles of the public and private sector

The focus of this session was a case study on the CSP Reliance Power Project in Rajasthan, India. The Reliance 100 MW power plant presents an interesting case for studying the effectiveness of CSP financing for several reasons:

• It is part of the 20 GW Indian Solar Mission, which is among the largest renewable energy policies passed by an emerging economy in the last few years – and is implemented through a competitive tender with reverse auctioning.
• The will be the first large-scale installation of the compact linear Fresnel technology, a potentially lower cost solution of CSP technology.
• The simultaneous financing of seven CSP plants under the first phase of the Indian Solar Mission allow a comparative analysis across different technology specifications and financing solutions.
• The project is financed through a unique combination of private sector resources and development bank funding on non-concessional terms.

Based on this concrete example, financiers and experts from the host country commented on the roles of the public sector and the private sector (e.g., national policies, financing structure, risk allocation).

Chair: Jane Wilkinson, Director, Climate Policy Initiative

Overview Presentation:

• Gianleo Frisari, Analyst, Climate Policy Initiative
  Presentation: 100 MW Reliance Suntech CSP, Rajasthan, India: A San Giorgio Group Case Study

Opening Comments:

• Aniruddha Patil, Team Leader Reliance Power Project, Asian Development Bank and Don Purka, Principal Investment Officer, Asian Development Bank
  Presentation: Rajasthan CSP Project
• Tarun Kapoor, Joint Secretary, Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, India
  Presentation: A Perspective on Solar Power Development in India
• Ashvini Kumar, Director (Solar), Solar Energy Corporation of India
  Presentation: Solar Thermal Power Development under JNNSM
• Wilfred van den Bos, Investment Officer, Structured Finance Energy, FMO Entrepreneurial Bank

Session 3 – Financing CSP: Perspectives from project developers and financiers

This session focused on recent developments from the financing perspective, with insights from projects developers, technology providers, and both public and private investors. Panelists shared experiences and explored how existing solar energy projects can identify viable options to achieve economies of scale, reduce costs, and close the competitiveness gaps.

Chair: Thomas C. Heller, Executive Director, Climate Policy Initiative

Panelists:

• Penny Herbst, Corporate Specialist Renewables, Eskom
  Presentation: Financing CSP: Perspectives from Project Developers and Financiers
• Paolo Martini, Business Development Manager and Sales Director, Archimede Solar Energy
  Presentation: Archimede Solar Energy
• Kruskaia Sierra-Escalante, Acting Head, Blended Finance for Climate, Climate Business Department, International Finance Corporation, The World Bank Group
• Obaid Amrane, Board Member, Moroccan Agency for Solar Energy
• Alfredo Idiarte, CIF Private Sector Focal Point, Inter-American Development Bank
  Presentation: Overview of CSP project in Chile
• Louis Borgo, Senior Banker, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development

Stocktaking Session: What have we learned?

Moderation and wrap up: Barbara Buchner, Senior Director, Climate Policy Initiative

The concluding session invited a broad discussion among participants to highlight priorities going forward. Based on the previous sessions, the aim was to draw preliminary lessons and highlight key issues that require further attention to render CSP financing effective.

 

Closing of the meeting by Thomas C. Heller, Executive Director, Climate Policy Initiative and Patricia Bliss-Guest, Program Manager, Climate Investment Funds