Since 2004, the WISIONS of Sustainability initiative has been actively promoting the demonstration and scalability of sustainable decentralised renewable energy (DRE) solutions. The WISIONS approach is to empower local partners to identify and scale successful models and techniques in their regional contexts.

Ever since its inception, the WISIONS initiative has been firmly rooted in sustainability criteria that reflect the complexity of the sustainable development challenge. These criteria comprise technical, environmental, social, economic, managerial and political dimensions. This multi-dimensionality is universal to all the WISIONS pillars.SEPS projects are selected, supervised and evaluated along that multi-dimensional understanding of sustainable energy access. SEPS focuses on project concepts responding to energy needs that are key to the sustainable development challenges identified by the actors involved. Depending on the specifics of each project context, energy interventions can be integrated into existing environmental, social and economic developments; for instance in combination with forest management plans, by strengthening farmer/entrepreneur associations or through the integration of wastewater treatment, food and energy production. These are only some of the possible options.Additionally, knowledge building and dissemination of proven strategies to integrate energy access into sustainable development are central aims of both the WISIONS networks and the research pillars.

With the networks as vehicles for establishing local advancement founded on regional expertise, WISIONS designed a support scheme for capacity-building activities, called ‘Exchanges’. The reception and impacts of the scheme have been very positive. Since its inception four years ago, the scheme has supported knowledge and capacity-building processes covering diverse issues, from technical improvements to national policy frameworks, and has also targeted diverse actors, from technical staff of single organisations to ministerial officials. Moreover, WISIONS fosters the continuous evaluation and reflection about whether and how energy access measures lead to significant improvements in the sustainable development opportunities of the local population involved. This is achieved through (i) knowledge and capacity development activities via the WISIONS supported networks; and (ii) WISIONS scientific research aimed at understanding socio-technical transformation patterns that translate into improvements on the multi-dimensional challenges of sustainable development.

WISIONS of sustainability” is coordinated by the Wuppertal Institute supported by the Swiss-based foundation ProEvolution. The initiative comprises three inter-linked pillars that integrate practical and scientific elements of sustainable energy development:i) WISIONS fosters partnerships and networks to facilitate knowledge development and sharing between practitioners and stakeholders and to induce the broader dissemination of DREsii) “SEPS – Sustainable Energy Project Support” nurtures innovative projects that are environmentally, economically and socially soundiii) The WISIONS research pillar links the active promotion of practitioner activities with the Wuppertal Institute’s mission and scientific competenciesA central premise of the WISIONS approach is that only through building and strengthening local capacities is it possible to maintain the transformative dynamics that shape societies where clean and inclusive energy access is an actuality. Therefore, the WISIONS approach relies on fostering and maintaining cooperation with and among capable and committed individuals and organisations. To this end, WISIONS has so far supported the consolidation of four region and technology-specific knowledge networks. - Wind Empowerment has a global scope and supports the development of locally manufactured small wind turbines for sustainable rural electrification. - RedBioLAC brings together institutions involved in the applied research and advocacy of biogas technologies for the treatment and management of organic waste, as a strategy for improving the wellbeing of the Latin American and Caribbean people. - The Hydro Empowerment Network (HPNET) is a network of organisations actively working in the research, development and application of micro hydropower as tool for empowering rural populations in South and Southeast Asia.- The Colombian Biomass Network (RedBioCOL) aims to improve the perception of biomass technology, including biodigesters and gasifiers, in different areas of Colombia

Wuppertal Institute, WindEmpowerment, RedBioLAC, HPNet, RedBioCOL, GreenEmpowerment