Exploring the role of the clean development mechanism in promoting access to clean renewable energy in Uganda.

Abstract

Access to and utilization of clean renewable energy remains low in Uganda where the impacts of climate change are expected to exacerbate energy insecurity-related problems; Thus, the country joined the rest of the world in attempting to use market-based approaches and tools such as the Clean Development Mechanism to motivate and incentivize the development of clean renewable energy. This cross-sectional descriptive study undertook to explore the actual impact that the CDM framework has had on energy development in the county. The data, which were collected through questionnaire based interviews, revealed the impact of CDM as being positive in spurring the development of projects that sought to address energy insecurity in Uganda and a range of challenges and risks that are inherent in the use of CDM and other market-based approaches in the country, as well as the interventions that need to be undertaken to make these approaches more effective for the country.