DFID is committed to increasing access to reliable and affordable energy as an essential catalyst for reducing poverty and increasing economic growth in developing countries. We agree that renewable energy has an increasingly important role to play in helping developing countries make progress towards the Millennium Development Goals.DFID is working with international networks such as the Global Village Energy Partnership (GVEP) and the EU energy initiative (EUEI) to promote access to affordable energy services, drawing on the full menu of technology options, including renewable energy.DFID has supported the creation of a new €220 million EU energy facility, which will invite calls for proposals later this year. This grant fund aims to improve access to reliable and affordable energy, especially in Africa, and is encouraging viable renewable energy proposals.We are also encouraging the World Bank and other development partners to give renewable energy greater attention as part of their efforts to improve access to energy.The World Bank is scaling up its financial support for renewable energy and energy efficiency and announced in December 2005, a rise to $299 million for the year to June 2005, compared to an average of $209 million per annum over the previous three years. These figures exclude large hydropower projects and exceed the commitment they made in 2004 to increase their renewable energy and energy efficiency investments by 20 per cent. per annum over the next five years. We very much welcome this increased investment by the World Bank on clean energy.DFID has provided around £3.4 million for renewable energy research projects in the last eight years. This was spent on the development and promotion of renewable energy, especially for rural communities. It has included a wide range of technologies such as wind, small hydropower, solar and biomass.