COMMEND (COMMunity for ENergy environment & Development) is an international initiative designed to foster a community among energy analysts working on energy for sustainable development. COMMEND is managed by the U.S. Center of the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) in collaboration with four leading international institutions: Fundación Bariloche in Argentina, ETC International in the Netherlands, ENDA-TM in Senegal, and the Energy Research Centre in South Africa (ERC). COMMEND is funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (DGIS)
A premise of COMMEND is that institutional and human capacity for energy and environmental analysis is in acutely short supply, and that Southern analysts are isolated from their colleagues in other institutions and from sources of institutional support in both the North and South. In short, there is a pressing need for initiatives that can professionalize sustainable energy analysis in the South and increase its role in decision-making.
COMMEND is built upon a previous effort led by SEI to create a set of transparent and user-friendly software tools for strategic analysis of energy and environmental policy issues. That project has resulted in the creation of an advanced Windows-based software tool named LEAP, the Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning system, which has already been widely disseminated and applied in hundreds of organizations in the developing world. COMMEND has been designed in part to provide technical support, training, and the exchange of knowledge needed by this new worldwide community of energy analysts. However, experience of using LEAP is not required to participate in the COMMEND initiative.
COMMEND activities include:
Regular Regional Training Workshops for southern energy professionals that build capacity in energy-environment analysis techniques and the specific skills needed to use LEAP. Workshops have been organized by Fundacion Bariloche in Argentina for Latin American energy professionals, and by ERC in South Africa for Southern African professionals. Additional workshops are planned this year. Check this web site for announcements.
Support to Regional Centers of Expertise: The initiative is also providing support to IDEE/FB, ERC and ENDA to enable them to act as regional centers of expertise in energy modeling, with the aim of fostering regional expertise and reducing the costs of training and technical support for developing country modelers.
A Newsletter The reCOMMEND newsletter contains articles describing studies and innovative new methodologies, as well as news of modeling and software developments.
Updates to LEAP designed to support the continuously evolving needs of Southern energy professionals.
The COMMEND Web Site, which includes access to LEAP and the reCOMMEND newsletter, information on other relevant software tools, and an online resource library as well as technical support and discussion forums designed to foster a community among COMMEND members.
If you have any questions, comments, or ideas about COMMEND please contact Charlie Heaps, the COMMEND Manager.