JON CLOKE - LOW CARBON ENERGY FOR DEVELOPMENT NETWORK (LCEDN)

SMES AND CLEAN ENERGY FOR EMERGING MARKETS: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES:

HOW CAN ACADEMIC RESEARCH AND EVIDENCE

SUPPORT THE ACTIVITIES OF SMES WORKING IN EMERGING

ECONOMIES?

“The expected investment across a wide range of clean technology sectors, just in the world’s

developing and emerging economies, will exceed $6.4 trillion over the next decade. Better still, about $1.6 trillion of that total offers an opening for small

and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)”

(World Bank 2014, Building Competitive Green Industries: The Climate and Clean Technology Opportunity for Developing

Countries)

Why focus on SMEs? World Bank assertions:

What could be the role of Academia/research?

“There are important niches for SMEs in established clean

technology value chains”

i. Mapping the value chainsii. Researching local marketsiii. Locating nichesiv. Outlining technical/financial barriers and possible

solutions

“SMEs are well positioned to uncover and address opportunities in local clean technology markets”

i. Researching and mapping marketsii. Researching business modelsiii. Helping to identify these opportunities

“SMEs play an important role in adapting existing

technology for local conditions”

i. Researching local conditions to better understand necessary adaptation

ii. Technological research into adapting to local conditionsiii. Science and technology studies to aid in adaptation

“Innovative SMEs face different barriers to growth”

Research to help SMEs overcome barriers to growth (access to finance, economies of scale, etc.)i.Help to overcome asymmetries of information of all kindsii.Helping SMEs put their case to policy-makers for ‘SME-friendly’ regulation