Rich countries should pay feed-in tariff

Rich countries should bear the cost of feed-in tariffs for developing countries to develop renewable energies, World Wind Energy Association (WWEA) Secretary General Stefan Gsaenger said.

"It's difficult for many developing countries to finance such an instrument, a feed-in tariff, which has been proved to be the best way to develop renewable energy," Gsaenger said during the second round of United Nations climate talks in Bonn.

"Out of the funds pledged by those rich countries, money should be given to the developing countries' governments, so they can set up a national fund to cover the additional cost (of alternative energy over) the average electricity price," Gsaenger said.

Feed-in tariffs is a policy mechanism adopted by many developed countries to subsidize sectors that use renewable energies to generate electricity.

Germany serves as a good example of adopting feed-in tariffs to boost its wind and solar energy sectors, and the cost of such a tariff is undertaken by all German electricity consumers, said the expert, who suggested the setting up of a "global feed-in tariff program" to make it workable.

He also said renewable energy might be the easiest area for developed and developing countries to achieve consensus amid current faltering climate change negotiations.

"It will be easier to agree on something that can bring growth," he said. "It's much more likely we can get something like this."

"For developed countries, if they change in time, they can keep their economic wealth," he said, adding that "some developed countries like Germany can export their renewable energy technologies and equipment, which could maintain their technology advantages".

"For the poorest countries, they can for the first time get energy, while for the emerging economies, it's a huge opportunity," Gsaenger said. Xinhua