Policy Priorities

DESC believes that governments can take many actions to encourage ICT-enabled energy efficiency, clean energy innovation, and sustainable growth. While policies will vary depending on national circumstances and cultures, key recommendations include:

• Establishing a national strategy or roadmap for the use of ICT to improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
  


• Expanding the availability of broadband throughout society to encourage the many energy efficiencies and innovations possible through intelligent connected devices.
  
  
• Increased funding for research, development, and deployment in energy efficiency and clean energy innovations.
  
  
• Improving electricity utility regulation by permitting utilities to earn money from energy-efficiency ("negawatts"), not just from the sale of electricity.
  
  
• Creating agreed-upon protocols/approaches for measuring the energy-efficiency and climate impacts of ICT in other economic sectors.
  
  
• Empowering consumers to be more energy efficient by ensuring that consumers can access tools to better manage their electricity use.
  
  
• Leading by example to demonstrate the benefits of smart grid, smart transportation, travel substitution, smart buildings and other smart technologies via green procurement and by sharing and featuring relevant best practices.