Energy Tools for Practitioners
Many partners have developed a variety of useful tools to assist practitioners in the initial process of designing sustainable energy solutions to decarbonize humanitarian operations and deliver energy access to displaced people. New tools emerge frequently and in some cases, partners are unaware of the effective tools which have already been developed, leading to a duplication of effort in the creation of new tools.
The Global Platform For Action (GPA) on Sustainable Energy in Displacement Settings has undertaken a research process to identify and assess the tools that are currently available and widely used by practitioners. The assessment is not a ranking. Instead, it aims to provide an overview of the key features of each tool, the types of solutions each can be used to provide, and what level of technical expertise is required for users.
Currently, the list encompasses the following:
- Energy Systems Planning Tools
- Energy Needs Assessment Questionnaires
- Carbon Calculators
This list of tools is a living document that will be continually updated as new tools are identified and partners provide feedback on those which are most useful in different contexts and for practitioners with varying levels of expertise. Partners interested in contributing to the research process can contact energy@unitar.org.
Energy Systems Planning Tools
| Tool Name and Link | Developer | Uses | Services Provided | Designs Provided | Customisable Parameters | Technical Knowledge Needed | Cost Estimate Included | Cost to Use | Other Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| REact | Action Against Hunger and acciona.org, funded by EU | Community facilities and households | Energy assessment and design | Rooftop solar, mini-grids | No | Little / no technical knowledge needed | Yes | Yes | Can be used for emergency and post-emergency response. |
| HOMER Enable Tool | HOMER Energy, funded by ESMAP | Community facilities and households | Energy assessment and design | Rooftop solar, mini-grids, hybrid | Yes | Requires basic technical knowledge | Yes | Yes | Can be used for emergency and post-emergency response. |
| HOMER Powering Health Tool | HOMER Energy, funded by ESMAP and USAID | Health facilities | Energy assessment and design | Rooftop solar, mini-grids, hybrid | Yes | Requires basic technical knowledge | Yes | Yes | The tool is intended for project managers, engineers and financiers in the energy industry to simplify the system design process. |
| Solar Energy Advisory Tool (SEAT) | ETH University in Zurich, Global Shelter Cluster, and Design to Production Agency | Community facilities | Energy assessment only | Rooftop solar, mini-grids | Yes | Little / no technical knowledge needed | No | Yes | Clean cooking not included. The tool target group consists of Shelter Cluster coordinators and partners, including those with limited experience and knowledge on energy systems. |
Energy Needs Assessment Questionnaires
| Tool Name | Developer | Availability | Application Stage | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Multi-Sectoral Needs Assessment (MSNA) indicators / guidance | REACH and GPA review and support | Upon request | Initial identification of needs | Contains multiple questionnaires, indicators and associated household survey questions for the energy module |
| Toolbox for Energy Assessments in Refugee Settlements and Host Communities | GIZ / EnDev | Online | Initial identification of needs | Covers general situations, cooking energy, electricity, business opportunities, and implementation. The assessment includes guidance on training of enumerators and sampling methods, as well as how to analyse the results. |
| World Bank Multi-Tier Framework Household Energy Questionnaire | World Bank in collaboration with SEforALL | Upon request | Initial identification of needs | Intensive questionnaire covering all related energy needs of households and community. |
Carbon Calculators
| Tool Name | Developer | Service provided | Designs provided | Customisable Parameters | Technical Knowledge Needed | Cost Estimate Provided | Cost to Use | Other Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Humanitarian Carbon Calculator (HCC) | The Climate and Environment Charter and International Committee of the Red Cross | GHG emissions | GHG emissions baseline, endline | Yes | High technical knowledge required | Yes | Yes | Based on the GHG Protocol international standard. Complex tool.
Looks at variety of sectors, including energy, goods and services, travels, goods, distributed products, and transportation. |
| Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emissions Calculator for Displacement Contexts | UNHCR, Geneva Technical Hub (GTH) and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) | GHG emissions | GHG emissions baseline, endline | No | Requires basic technical knowledge | Yes | Yes | Includes carbon emissions from cooking at displacement settings. |
