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Climate change is the greatest challenge of our time for development. Adaptation to this change combined with the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions can help to boost the economic transformation which stimulates growth, fills the energy gap and reduces poverty. This paper focuses on the potential of renewable energy sources (RES) for electricity generation in Madagascar which is a lower-income country. A large accessibility to electricity could be a driving force for the economic development of this fourth worldwide Island. The Electricity mix is currently heavily dependent to fossil fuel imports. Indeed, most of the electric demands are fulfilled by diesel power plants. An overview of the power situation and renewable energy potential of Madagascar is first presented, then different scenarios for the evolution its electricity mix are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policies to assure combatting climate change and realising energy security have stimulated a rapid growth in global installed capacity of renewable energy generation. The expansion of power generation from renewables, though, has so far lagged behind the growth in generation capacity. This indicates missed and relatively cheap opportunities to reduce GHG emissions. This paper sheds light on the mismatch between installed capacity and power generation for the case of wind power. It analyses and compares wind power developments in the four countries that contributed most to the increase in wind power capacity during the last decade: namely, China, the United States, Germany and Spain. We estimate the dynamics of capacity utilisation of wind power installations and identify its drivers. Finally, we identify potential policies to reduce the gap between power capacity and generation, which will contribute to cost-effective reduction of GHG emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]