Washington, D.C., May 20, 2010 – Three leading energy efficiency and renewable energy organizations – the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP, an international body), the Alliance to Save Energy (Alliance) and the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) – have jointly released their Compendium of Best Practices: Sharing Local and State Successes in Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy from the United States, in which state and local governments share the key elements of their programs, lessons learned and what made each program a success.

The new report describes more than 20 practices and their effective implementation by states or cities across the United States. It is designed to share successful program and policy models that can be easily replicated around the country, as well as adapted for implementation in emerging markets. The compendium’s overviews, insights, lessons learned and best practices were selected by a panel of U.S., Indian and Chinese energy experts.

The compendium highlights policies, financing mechanisms and other initiatives that have successfully created favorable market conditions for energy efficiency and renewable energy. The examples also were selected based on the relative ease with which they can be replicated and implemented, the ability to measure energy savings, the ability to offset the need for conventional energy and because they are cost effective, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create jobs.

“This well-researched compendium takes the best practices from the sub-national level in the United States and presents them in a clear format that makes the lessons learned easy to understand and to digest,” said REEEP Director General Marianne Osterkorn. “We’re proud to support this kind of collaborative effort between developed countries and emerging markets.”

“In the United States, innovative programs and policies that are building a new energy economy are the hallmark of municipal, state and regional governments,” said Alliance President Kateri Callahan. “The compendium details the very best of these U.S. sub-national policies for advancing renewable energy and efficiency and should be viewed as a ‘how to’ guide for policy makers across this nation and around the world.”

“It is our hope that the compendium will offer replicable examples in renewable energy and energy efficiency as the international community works together to lay a foundation for a new, sustainable and prosperous clean energy future,” said ACORE President Michael Eckhart.

This report is made possible in part by the generous support of the U.S. government through the Asia-Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate. The contents are the responsibility of REEEP, the Alliance to Save Energy and ACORE and do not necessarily reflect the views of any of the APP partner countries.

“We hope that this Compendium of Best Practices from the United States, and future reciprocal reports from other nations, will promote the sharing of best practices by local, state and national governments and will result in the accelerated adoption of energy efficiency and renewable energy worldwide,” said Griff Thompson of the U.S. Department of State.

The full report can be downloaded at www.reeep.org/compendium.

####

Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership(REEEP) is an active, global partnership that works to reduce the barriers limiting the uptake of renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies, with a primary focus on emerging markets and developing countries. REEEP’s mission is to facilitate the transformation of energy systems by accelerating the uptake of renewable and energy efficiency technology as a means of reducing carbon emissions, increasing energy security, and improving access to sustainable energy for the poor worldwide. REEEP is comprised of 300 partners including private companies, international organizations and 46 governments, and has a network of Regional Secretariats around the globe. Additional information is available at: www.reeep.org

The Alliance to Save Energy (ASE) is a non-profit coalition of business, government, environmental and consumer leaders. The Alliance supports energy efficiency as a cost-effective energy resource under existing market conditions and advocates energy-efficiency policies that minimize costs to society and individual consumers. It undertakes research, educational programs, and policy advocacy; designs and implements energy-efficiency projects; promotes technology development and deployment; and builds public-private partnerships. The Alliance to Save Energy strives to achieve a healthier economy, a cleaner environment, and greater energy security. Additional information is available at: www.ase.org

American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE), a 501(c)(3) membership non-profit organization headquartered in Washington, DC, is dedicated to bringing renewable energy into the mainstream of the US economy and lifestyle through research and communications programs and membership committees. ACORE’S membership works in all sectors of the renewable energy industries including wind power, solar energy, geothermal energy, hydropower, ocean energy, biomass, biofuels, and waste energy. ACORE provides a common platform for the wide range of interests in the renewable energy community including end users, technology companies, manufacturers, utilities, professional service firms, financial institutions, colleges and universities, associations, non-profit organizations and government agencies. ACORE serves as a thought leadership forum through which these parties work together on common interests. ACORE co-organizes the REFF-Wall Street and REFF-West Finance Conferences, the RETECH All-Renewables Energy Conference and Exhibition, the Phase II National Policy Forum in Washington, DC, and hosts both domestic and global policy events furthering the mission of renewable energy. Additional information is available at www.acore.org.