The International Renewable Energy Conference (IREC), one of the main events co-hosted by REN21 took place the 23 – 25 of October in the Republic of Korea. Named KIREC after the hosting country, the conference helped move the momentum forward by bringing together new and different perspectives on how to accelerate the renewable energy uptake. This also was an opportunity for regional players to showcase their experiences, present success stories and discuss the challenges that the region faces.
In a country where energy imports exceed the 20% of its GDP, renewables can offer a prime opportunity to help Korea improve its energy security. The KIREC’s programme was built around five tracks: Policy and Market Design; Cities; Finance, Technology and Industrialisation; Innovation; and Special Topics including globalisation and trade issues.
KIREC – Seoul 2019 was the first IREC to be co-organised jointly by a national and municipal government, underlining the importance of cities in driving renewable energy uptake and their importance in implementing national policies. The City of Seoul shared its renewable ambitions, solutions to spur renewable transition, innovation to increase renewable uptake for energy transformation, thus creating more efficient, sustainable and secure urban environment.
Daily Bulletin
The Daily Bulletin contains a summary of the sessions of the day alongside with quotes and more.
Final Report
This report covers everything that happened at KIREC, ranging from the side events on Day 0 all the way to the final luncheon on closing day.
Speeches
Please see below for copies of select speeches delivered at KIREC.
KIREC Declaration
KIREC’s closing event included a presentation of the KIREC Declaration. The Declaration expressed participants’ support for increasing renewables in Korea to reduce air pollution and address health issues. The Declaration also noted the role of cities, citizen participation and policy frameworks in renewable energy uptake. The KIREC Declaration can be accessed here.
Photos
All photos from the event can be accessed here.
Background
The IREC is a high-level political conference series hosted by a national government every two years. The previous IREC was held in 2017 in Mexico. Each conference provides a forum for policy and decision makers to exchange on renewable energy national and regional developments in the format of plenary sessions, interactive parallel sessions with plenty of time to network and learn.
