A United Nations report launched in Nairobi on Monday recommends the setting up of a global clean energy fund and a feed-in tariff regime in support of renewable energy sources.

It envisages developing countries tapping into this fund to create renewable energy that is not harmful to the environment.

The report says the demand for energy is rising as developing countries industrialise.

"To satisfy development needs, energy demands will have to rise in developing countries, posing a challenge in how to combine the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions with economic objectives" says the World Economic and Social Survey 2009 published by the United Nations' department of economic and social affairs.

Kenya has appointed a new team to fast-track the exploitation of clean and renewable sources of energy such as wind, solar, biomass and biogas as the demand for energy by its manufacturing sector increases.

Environmental law

Prime Minister Mr Raila Odinga who named the team in a Kenya Gazette notice published in June said the national task force will explore ways of accelerating the development of green energy power generation projects.

The task force will investigate and recommend a raft of measures to expedite the construction and commissioning of an accelerated green energy programme by June 2012.

This move by the government follows campaigns by the UN to have countries in Africa embark on green energy projects.

Kenya is currently suffering a power crisis that has nigh crippled its manufacturing sector following an extended drought that has forced power generator KenGen to shut down its 40MW Masinga hydro power generation station.

The World Economic and Social Survey 2009 recommends the setting up of a global clean energy fund and government policy interventions as part of a combination of large-scale investments and a more balanced intellectual property regime for aiding the transfer of clean energy technology to developing countries.

"Active participation of all countries in tackling the climate challenge will only come about if developing countries can maintain rapid economic growth. This will require satisfying the growing energy needs of developing countries: the energy-generating capacity of developing countries is projected to double that of developed countries in the coming decades.

This raises the question for climate change negotiators of how poor countries can pursue low-emissions and high-growth development" says Dr Rama Krishna, UNEP's Senior advisor on environmental law and convention.

The financing needed to meet the climate challenge that is available to developing countries from bilateral and multilateral sources is estimated at about $21 billion.