Energy Planning and Sustainable Development Training Course

Participants can construct and interpret an energy balance for a defined planning area.

• Primary energy, final energy and useful energy distinguished clearly
• Sankey diagrams used to trace conversion losses and energy flows
• Energy balance tables organised by fuel, sector and transformation process
• Supply losses separated from technical losses and non-technical losses
• Electricity generation, transmission and distribution represented within energy balances
• Checking energy balance consistency through reconciliation of supply and demand

Participants can establish a fit-for-purpose baseline from available energy and socioeconomic data.

• Data inventory built from utility records, surveys and national statistics
• Baseline year selected using data completeness, relevance and comparability
• Demand data disaggregated by customer class, end use and location
• Missing data estimated through proxy variables and documented assumptions
• Data quality assessed using accuracy, completeness, consistency and timeliness criteria
• Baseline narratives connect consumption patterns with economic and social drivers

Participants can develop demand forecasts using transparent drivers and scenario assumptions.

• End-use demand forecasting separates activity, intensity and technology effects
• Econometric forecasting relates energy demand to income, prices and population
• Bottom-up forecasts aggregate appliance, equipment and process energy requirements
• Reference scenarios document expected policy, technology and economic assumptions
• Sensitivity analysis tests demand forecasts against uncertain input variables
• Peak demand forecasts distinguish annual consumption from capacity requirements

Participants can identify and rank energy efficiency measures within supply-demand planning.

• Energy efficiency potential classified as technical, economic and achievable
• Energy audits identify significant energy uses and improvement opportunities
• ISO 50001 principles structure energy management objectives and action plans
• Demand-side management measures reduce peak load and deferred capacity investment
• Energy performance indicators normalise consumption against activity and output
• Avoided energy costs compared with generation, network and fuel investments

Participants can assess renewable resource opportunities using technical and spatial screening criteria.

• Solar irradiation datasets screened for seasonal output and data uncertainty
• Wind resource assessment considers hub height, turbulence and terrain effects
• Hydropower sites evaluated through flow duration curves and catchment risks
• Biomass feedstocks assessed for availability, competing uses and transport distances
• Geographic information systems support land, resource and exclusion screening
• Resource assessments distinguish theoretical potential from developable potential

Participants can match renewable technologies to demand profiles, site conditions and system constraints.

• Technology screening compares solar PV, wind, hydro, biomass and geothermal
• Capacity factor estimates link resource quality with expected annual generation
• Dispatchable and variable generation matched against load profile requirements
• Hybrid systems combine renewable generation, storage and conventional backup
• Technology maturity assessed using operating history, supply chains and maintainability
• Site selection considers access, land tenure, water and transmission proximity

Participants can identify grid integration requirements for increasing renewable electricity shares.

• Grid hosting capacity assessed against voltage, thermal and stability limits
• Variable renewable energy forecasting supports dispatch and reserve planning
• Flexibility resources include storage, demand response and flexible generation
• Battery storage sized using power rating, duration and cycling assumptions
• Transmission planning connects resource zones with demand centres and substations
• Ancillary services requirements increase with variable generation penetration levels

Participants can design planning approaches for energy access and decentralised energy services.

• Energy access measured through availability, reliability, affordability and safety
• Mini-grid planning estimates load growth, tariffs and productive-use demand
• Solar home systems compared with mini-grids and grid extension options
• Productive-use appliances linked with income generation and local economic activity
• Service quality standards define hours, capacity and reliability expectations
• Demand aggregation improves viability for remote public facilities and enterprises

Participants can compare energy supply and demand options using least-cost planning methods.

• Levelised cost of energy calculated from capital, operating and fuel costs
• Net present value incorporates discount rates, timing and residual values
• Least-cost planning compares supply options with demand-side measures
• External costs considered through pollution, health and climate damage estimates
• Fuel price scenarios test exposure to import dependence and volatility
• Marginal cost curves rank measures by cost and energy or emissions impact

Participants can appraise energy investments using financial returns, risks and funding structures.

• Project cash flows map development, construction, operation and replacement costs
• Internal rate of return interpreted alongside net present value
• Debt service coverage ratio tests repayment capacity under downside scenarios
• Power purchase agreements allocate price, volume and curtailment risks
• Blended finance structures combine grants, debt, equity and guarantees
• Bankability assessment reviews revenue certainty, permits, contracts and sponsors

Participants can select policy instruments suited to stated energy transition objectives.

• Policy instrument selection matches barriers with regulatory, fiscal and information measures
• Renewable portfolio standards set enforceable procurement and compliance obligations
• Feed-in tariffs compare tariff design, contract duration and cost recovery
• Competitive auctions assess bid evaluation, qualification and delivery safeguards
• Carbon pricing mechanisms influence fuel switching and investment decisions
• Electricity tariff design balances cost recovery, affordability and efficiency

Participants can prepare an energy-related emissions baseline and mitigation pathway.

• GHG Protocol scopes distinguish direct emissions and purchased electricity emissions
• Emission factors selected by fuel type, grid source and reporting period
• Activity data multiplied by emission factors to calculate emissions
• Location-based and market-based electricity emissions reported under GHG Protocol
• Mitigation pathways connect energy measures with annual emissions reductions
• Data trails document calculation sources, assumptions and quality limitations

Participants can formulate and compare plausible energy transition scenarios.

• Scenario narratives combine demographic, economic, technology and policy drivers
• Reference, accelerated transition and constrained scenarios defined with explicit assumptions
• Energy pathway results compared by cost, reliability, access and emissions
• Tipping points identified through threshold analysis and critical uncertainties
• Backcasting works from target outcomes to required interim actions
• Scenario stress tests expose vulnerabilities to fuel prices and climate hazards

Participants can rank energy options using transparent weighted decision criteria.

• Multi-criteria decision analysis structures choices beyond financial cost alone
• Decision criteria include reliability, emissions, jobs, land and affordability
• Weighting methods capture stakeholder priorities without concealing trade-offs
• Scoring scales define evidence requirements for consistent option assessment
• Sensitivity testing identifies rankings dependent on disputed criterion weights
• Decision matrices record rationale, uncertainties and conditions for approval

Participants can identify environmental, social and climate risks affecting energy plans and projects.

• Environmental and social impact assessment identifies material project effects
• Climate risk screening examines hazards, exposure, vulnerability and adaptive capacity
• Land acquisition risks assessed through tenure, livelihoods and resettlement requirements
• Biodiversity screening identifies sensitive habitats, migration routes and protected areas
• Cumulative impacts considered for clustered generation, transmission and extraction projects
• Mitigation hierarchy applies avoidance, minimisation, restoration and compensation measures

Participants can design stakeholder engagement and governance arrangements for energy plan delivery.

• Stakeholder mapping identifies influence, interests, rights and potential conflict
• Engagement plans specify audiences, methods, timing and feedback responsibilities
• Free, prior and informed consent considered for affected Indigenous communities
• Institutional mapping clarifies mandates, approvals, coordination and accountability gaps
• Governance structures assign decision rights for planning, procurement and monitoring
• Grievance mechanisms establish accessible channels, response times and escalation routes

Participants can convert an energy strategy into an owned, financed and measurable implementation plan.

• Theory of change links activities, outputs, outcomes and development impacts
• Implementation roadmaps sequence policy, infrastructure, finance and capacity actions
• RACI matrices assign accountable, responsible, consulted and informed parties
• Key performance indicators track energy, financial, social and emissions results
• Monitoring plans specify baselines, targets, sources, frequency and owners
• Risk registers assign mitigation actions, triggers and contingency responses

Participants can communicate energy planning evidence and recommendations to decision-makers.

• Decision briefs present recommendations, evidence, costs, risks and required approvals
• Data visualisation uses charts that reveal trends, comparisons and uncertainty
• Executive summaries separate strategic choices from technical supporting detail
• Recommendation logic links objectives, scenarios, criteria and preferred actions
• Stakeholder messages adapted for ministers, boards, communities and financiers
• Presentation reviews test clarity, credibility and response to challenge

Participants can build, review and present a complete sustainable energy plan for a defined jurisdiction, organisation or programme.

• Planning scope defines geography, baseline, objectives, governance and time horizon
• Demand forecast and energy balance provide quantified planning foundations
• Scenario comparison identifies preferred supply, efficiency and access pathway
• Investment pipeline prioritised through financial, environmental and social screening
• Implementation roadmap assigns actions, budgets, owners, milestones and indicators
• Peer review challenges assumptions, evidence gaps, risks and recommendations