IGC Energy and growth conference: Challenges and opportunities for developing countries

The IGC Energy programme held a conference in London on 12-13 November 2015, titled 'Energy and growth: Challenges and opportunities for developing countries'.

The conference focused on themes including:

• Rural electrification
• Improving grid services and power sector reform
• Externalities of electrification
• Energy efficiency and renewables

Links to available presentations can be found below.

Opening Session

"The Global Energy and Growth Challenge: Facts and Directions for Research & Policy"- Michael Greenstone (IGC and University of Chicago)

Session 1: Rural Electrification and Demand for Modern Energy

Presentations: 

• “Price Salience and Social Comparisons as Policy Instruments: Evidence from a Field Experiment in Energy Use”
  Presenter: Steve Puller (Texas A&M)
  Discussant: Steve Cicala (University of Chicago)

• “Experimental Evidence on the Demand for and Costs of Rural Electrification”
  Presenter: Catherine Wolfram (University of California, Berkeley)
  Discussant: Rocco Macchiavello (University of Warwick)

Policy Panel

• Michael Toman (World Bank) - Moderator
• Pradeep Pursnani (Shell Foundation)
• Simran Grover (Boond Engineering & Development)
• Praveen Kumar (IFC)

Session 2: Improving Grid Services and Power Sector Reform

Presentations:

• “Audits from Space”
  Presenter: Brian Min (University of Michigan)
  Discussant: Anant Sudarshan (Energy Policy Institute - India)
• “Prepaid Electricity – Evidence from South Africa"
  Presenter: Kelsey Jack (Tufts University)
  Discussant: Hilton Trollip (University of Cape Town)

Policy Panel

• Nicholas Ryan (IGC and Yale University) - Moderator
• Nii Darko Asante (Ghana Energy Commission)
• Rahul Tongia (Brookings India)
• Bharath Jairaj (World Resources Institute)

Session 3: Externalities of Electrification

Presentations: 

• “Short Term Effects of Household Electrification: Experimental Evidence from Northern El Salvador”
  Presenter: Manuel Barron (Universidad del Pacífico)
  Discussant: Jörg Peters (Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut and University of the Witwatersrand)
• “Willingness to Pay for Clean Air: Evidence from Air Purifier Markets in China”
  Presenter: Koichiro Ito (University of Chicago)
  Discussant: Christopher Timmins (Duke University)

Policy Panel:

• Yonas Alem (University of Gothenburg) - Moderator
• Rohini Pande (Harvard Kennedy School)
• Abu Bakr Bahaj (University of Southampton)

 Session 4: Energy Efficiency and Renewables

Presentation:

• “Rural electrification with off-grid community microgrids: An impact evaluation in Uttar Pradesh, India”
  Presenter: Johannes Urpelainen (Columbia University)
  Discussant: Bruce Krogh (Carnegie Mellon - Rwanda)
• “Productivity Co-benefits of Energy-Saving Technology”
  Presenter: Achyuta Adhvaryu (University of Michigan)
  Discussant: Nicholas Ryan (IGC and Yale University)

Policy Panel: 

• Danny Leipziger (George Washington University) - Moderator
• Jenny Cargill (Western Cape Government - South Africa)
• Dr. Sushanta Chatterjee (India Central Electricity Regulatory Commission)