REN21 Renewables Academy 2014 Best Data for Good Decision Making

, accessible and timely renewable energy data is essential for establishing energy plans, defining baselines and policies, monitoring progress, and attracting investment. While data collection and quality has improved over the last decade, significant data gaps still exist; data collection remains difficult particularly for decentralised renewable energy applications, energy output data and specific sectors, bioenergy and renewable heating and cooling. To overcome some of these existing data gaps, innovative and collaborative approaches to data collection, processing and validation need to be explored, the results of which should then be complemented with official renewable energy data. While often being regarded as less valuable and secondary, the addition of informal data can improve coverage on sectors and regions and helps resolve the lack of data. However, the use of informal data requires the inclusion of previously uninvolved, actors from varying sectors. Many of these individual or institutional actors have usually already engage in some form of data collection, but are unaware of the importance of their data or lack the means of sharing session aims to:- Present REN21s experience in collection of informal renewable energy Discuss the complimentary of formal and informal Explore the possibility of establishing regional-level mechanism to support informal data collection Develop strategies on how to simplify data collection, while increasing the quality and timeliness of speaker:Rana Adib, REN21:Moderator:Tania Rdiger-Vorwerk, BMZPanelists:Karin Reiss, ECREEEGonzalo Bravo, Fundacion BarilocheStephanie Weckend, IRENA Yasmina Abdelilah, IEAHelene Connor, HELIO International