ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a list of barriers that clean energy technologies (CETs) have to overcome and details the experience of a Global Environment Facility-funded project aimed at influencing investment decisions in favour of CETs in developing and transition economies by providing advisory services to financial institutions. CETs have to overcome a series of barriers before they can penetrate the market. The project 'Redirecting Commercial Investment Decisions to Cleaner Technologies: A Technology Transfer Clearinghouse' provides advisory services to financing parties evaluating specific RET and EE investments. The purpose is to assist financial institutions and other investors to evaluate financing requests for RET and EE projects operating in developing and transition economies. When a proposal involves a new technology or business activity, the risk assessment is more difficult because there is little practical experience with these technologies or activities. An organisation operating in Central and Eastern Europe specialises in evaluating and upgrading district heating systems for local municipalities.
