REN21 Members are industry associations, governments, inter-governmental organisations, NGOs, and academic and scientific institutions. Members who wish to add their content to this kind of post should contact community@ren21.net.

Stepping Up: RE100 gathers speed in challenging markets

Great new insights from the RE100 and CDP in its latest membership report as it sees nearly half of its members electricity consumption being generated from renewable sources. The full insights are available in the report to download here.

Member: RE100 – Climate Group

Twelfth Session of the IRENA Assembly (15-16 January 2022)

The 12th IRENA Assembly will take place virtually and live-streamed on 15 – 16 January 2022, with related stakeholder and ministerial meetings held on 13 – 14 January 2022. The Assembly will bring together Heads of State/Government, Ministers, and energy decision-makers among its Membership and States-in-Accession, as well as multilateral organisations, global stakeholders, and private actors to discuss the energy transition as an investment in our collective future. The Opening will feature a high-level meeting on the follow-up of COP26 and High-level Dialogues on Energy outcomes aligned with the Assembly theme “Energy Transition: From Commitments to Action”.

Member: IRENA – International Renewable Energy Association

Micro-Grid Academy (25 Jan – 3 Feb 2022)

Applications for the 21st edition of the Micro-Grid Academy will close on the 11th of January. The new online session, to be held between the 25th of January and the 3rd of February 2022, will focus on solar mini-grids. Relevant topics will be renewable and non-Renewable generation solutions, renewable energy resources, and community needs assessment providing an overview of the whole mini-grids’ value chain for rural electrification and hands-on learning about renewable energy technology.

Member: RES4Africa Foundation

Registration Open – World Sustainable Development Summit 2022 (16-18 February 2022)

The Twenty First Edition of the annual flagship event of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), the World Sustainable Development Summit (WSDS), will be held from 16th to 18th February 2022 in a virtual format. The Summit deliberations will be focus on the umbrella theme: Towards a Resilient Planet: Ensuring a Sustainable and Equitable Future. The last Summit was inaugurated by India’s Prime Minister and saw participation from 118 countries. More details of the Summit can be accessed online, and registration is open. Register now.

Member: TERI – The Energy and Resources Institute

ISEC 2022 – Conference for Renewable Heating and Cooling in Integrated Urban and Industrial Energy Systems (5–7 April 2022)

ISEC 2022, the International Sustainable Energy Conference will be held as a hybrid conference in Graz, Austria, 5–7 April 2022. AEE INTEC is expecting participants from all over the world including experts from the United Nations Industrial Development Organization and IRENA, as well as globally recognized key-note speakers who will highlight pathways to a CO2-free energy future. Please find further information on the conference website. The program for ISEC 2022 will be published end of January, 2022.

Member: AEE INTEC – AEE – Institute for Sustainable Technologies

Forum on Scenarios for Climate and Societal Futures (20-22 June 2022)

The Forum on Scenarios for Climate and Societal Futures (in Laxenburg, Austria) brings together a diverse set of communities who are using or developing scenarios for use in climate change and sustainability analysis to:

• exchange experiences, ideas, and lessons learned;
• identify opportunities for synergies and collaboration;
• reflect on the use of scenarios; and
• identify knowledge gaps for future research.

The Scenarios Forum will be held 20-22 June 2022 and is open to anyone using, developing, or interested in scenarios to carry out research or policy analysis related to climate change and sustainability. Abstract submissions are now being accepted through 14 February 2022. Sessions formats include Research Sessions to which abstracts for research presentations can be submitted, or Workshop Sessions, focusing on discussing a specific topic, to which shorter panel contributions can be submitted.

The Scenario Forum 2022 is presented by the International Committee on New Integrated Climate Change Assessment Scenarios (ICONICS) and hosted by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA).

Member: IIASA – International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis

The Road to Beijing – A Geothermal Success Story (April 2023)

The IGA announces its next flagship event will take place in Beijing, China, in April 2023. Geothermal has been a recent addition into the clean energy mix of China´s energy assets, and its one set for a significant growth path. The IGA has opened the Call for Abstracts on January 1, 2022 and a submission deadline of 31 March 2022.

Member: IGA – International Geothermal Association

RGI IUCN ENTSO-E ‘Optimising Energy and Empowering Nature’ event underscores need for collaboration across sectors

A radical alliance is needed between the conservation and energy sector to meet the growing demand for renewable energy and related grid infrastructure, according to the Renewables Grid Initiative (RGI), International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E), which hosted a conference on December 7th called ‘Optimising Energy and Empowering Nature’. The event also highlighted the need for integrated planning to optimise increasingly scarce resources, such as land and raw materials, and the benefits of developing nature-based and community-based solutions to scale up successful projects in the long-term.

Download the full statement of the three organisations here.

Member: RGI – Renewables Grid Initiative

New CLEANaction Coalition Launched to Protect Nature During the Energy Transition

A new coalition launched at COP26 aims to ensure that the impacts on nature are considered during the global energy transition. The Coalition Linking Energy And Nature for action (CLEANaction), aims to drive short-term action and highlight the need for new renewable energy generation projects to be carefully assessed for their impacts on biodiversity, allowing the options that are the least damaging to nature to be prioritized. Founding members include the Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE), Birdlife International, ICLEI-Cities Biodiversity Center, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and WWF.

Members: ARE, IRENA and WWF

2021 Week of Clean Cooking

In October 2021, the Clean Cooking Alliance hosted the Week of Clean Cooking, a series of virtual engagements, events, content releases, and networking opportunities to catalyze action on clean cooking. With more than 1,000 attendees representing 42 countries, the Week of Clean Cooking brought together actors from across the clean cooking ecosystem to engage, learn, network, and share knowledge that will help drive progress during this critical year and beyond.

Member: Clean Cooking Alliance

GFSE Policy Brief: Green Skills for the Youth

This Policy Brief highlights the importance of a workforce with skills and knowledge in renewable energy, energy efficiency and presents examples in four areas, namely mini-grids, buildings, heat pumps and e-mobility. Education and training systems need to be redesigned to align with deployment targets and create opportunities for decent jobs that ensure social and gender equity. In practice, the workforce lacks skills, which hinders the deployment of clean technologies. While technical skills remain critical, non-technical skills as communication, negotiation, and management skills are also becoming increasingly important. Partnerships between governments, businesses, educational institutions, and professional associations are necessary.

Member: GFSE – Global Forum on Sustainable Energy

New research: How to limit global warming to 1.5C

New research from the Institute for Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology Sydney details carbon budgets, and tiers of responsibility, for 12 main industry and service sectors that will allow them to meet Paris Climate Agreement targets. The research builds on the One Earth Climate Model, co-developed by the Institute for Sustainable Futures in 2018.

Member: UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures

Investment Sizing India’s 2070 Net-Zero Target

Achieving net-zero involves technology pathways as well as financial flows. CEEW’s latest study analyses the total investment, investment gap and investment support needed under four net-zero scenarios for India. India would need a total investment of USD 10.1 trillion and the investment gap would be USD 3.5 trillion. The total investment estimated pertains to electricity (generation, integration, transmission, and distribution), hydrogen (production), and vehicles (manufacturing). Further, the aggregate investment support required by India to achieve its 2070 net-zero target will be USD 1.4 trillion at an average of USD 28 billion per year.

Member: CEEW – Council on Energy, Environment and Water

GSC rejects labelling nuclear and gas as green, calls on EU to concentrate on solar energy and other truly green sources

The EU has drawn up plans to label some natural gas and nuclear energy projects as “green” investments after extensive confrontation between parties over which investments are truly climate-friendly… José Donoso, the Global Solar Council Chairman, commented, “this proposal is a matter of deep concern, as it will extend the transition period to clean energy more than necessary. It is very clear that gas and nuclear are not green. On the other hand, solar energy and other renewable sources have already reached remarkably low prices, so we should only focus on how to make the most of these truly clean and mature technologies…”

Member: Global Solar Council

ESMAP Report Highlights Key Factors for Successful Development of Offshore Wind in Emerging Markets

The Key Factors for Successful Development of Offshore Wind in Emerging Markets report, developed by the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP), is a publication of the World Bank Group’s Offshore Wind Development Program led by ESMAP in partnership with the International Financing Corporation (IFC), which looks at offshore wind development as a potential source of renewable energy.

Member: World Bank Group

Mobilising Private Finance: Experience from a decade of decarbonization

One of the primary challenges slowing the deployment of renewable energy assets in developing countries is the “early stage financing gap.” The Seed Capital Assistance Facility (SCAF) is a public sector donor‐funded Project Preparation Facility (PPF) designed to address this challenge by supporting private sector investment entity managers and development companies working in high‑risk frontier markets in Africa and Asia. Mobilising Private Finance: Experience from a decade of decarbonisation describes the SCAF project, highlights the project impacts and outcomes while focusing on its innovative approach. The brochure also offers a range of case studies and best practices. Click here to watch a video.

Member: UNEP – United Nations Environment Programme

Launch of Glasgow Declaration on Sustainable Bioenergy

A new Declaration on Sustainable Bioenergy sets out how wood-based bioenergy can help tackle climate change, with a world-wide industry standard for sustainability at its core. By 2030, sustainable wood-based bioenergy is projected to reduce net emissions by 600 million tonnes of CO2e annually and one billion tonnes of CO2e by 2050 – more than is currently emitted by the world’s entire aviation industry. The Declaration sets a global standard of sustainability for the industry, aiming to launch a cross-sector dialogue about how wood bioenergy can deliver to its full potential as an indispensable tool for reaching global net zero.

Member: World Bioenergy Association

The Global Platform of Action for Renewable Energy (PoA) Clean Energy Webinars

PoA held the first of its monthly Clean Energy Webinars on 17th December 2021. The list of speakers included Prof. Jim Skea (IPCC), Rana Adib (REN21), Thomas Pullenkav (CAN-I), Anna Skowron (WFC), Katie Treadwell (WWF), Anhelina Lavreniyk (Climate Dialogues), Gunnar Boye Oleson (Inforse) and Hajar Khamlichi (Moroccan Youth). The discussions highlighted the importance of collaboration among different stakeholders and the requirement for the incorporation of multi-faceted strategies among stakeholders to push the envelope for Renewable Energy ambition.

Details of the next webinar to be held on 31st January 2022 will be shared in the coming days (CAN’s website).

Member: CAN – Climate Action Network – International

World Wind Energy Conference – WWEC2021 Resolution

More than 400 delegates from 30 countries participated in the virtual 19th World Wind Energy Conference. Over 100 speakers presented all important aspects of wind and renewable energy. The WWEC2021 resolution underlines that wind and other renewables are now understood as lowest-cost solutions which may foster sustainable economic growth, overcome energy poverty, and strengthen resilience, autonomy and prosperity of communities. Policies must be adjusted and, if necessary, corrected in order to allow countries to achieve the climate targets by substituting non-renewable fuels. This must address remuneration systems as well as accelerating permitting procedures. The need for feed-in tariffs should be re-considered.

Member: WWEA – World Wind Energy Association

New ISES Executive Committee and Board Elected

The new ISES Executive Committee (ExCo) and Board of Directors for the term 2022-2023 have been elected and will take office in January of 2022. The ExCo works and Board of Directors and the ISES Headquarters Team work together to help shape the future of ISES and lead ISES’ role in the rapid transformation to a renewable energy world. Meet the new ISES ExCo and Board here!

Member: ISES – International Solar Energy Society

ARE & ADEME to Collaborate on Accelerating Rural Electrification in Benin, Cameroon and Madagascar

The French Agency for Ecological Transition (ADEME) and the Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE) have entered into a partnership to promote and provide market intelligence on productive use of energy, as well as advance renewable and reliable electricity for essential services in Benin, Cameroon and Madagascar.

Targeting these countries, the partners will carry out the following activities:

1. a market study on decentralised renewable energy (DRE) equipment for productive use,
2. a technical guide for rural healthcare facility electrification, and
3. an awareness campaign on DRE deployment for productive use in rural communities.

Learn more about these activities.

Member: ARE – Alliance for Rural Electrification

Capitalise on momentum and increase collaboration in 2022

There have been encouraging signs of political will and investments coming from COP26 and the HLDE in 2021, like GEAPP’s 10 billion commitment to decentralised renewable energy and the increased presence of a just and inclusive energy transition as a key part of the climate agenda. However, there is still a big gap between commitment and action that we will need to bridge with deeper collaboration among stakeholders for universal and clean energy access.

Member: GOGLA – Global Off-Grid Lighting Association

#EnergySuperHeroes

Meet Coally, Sunny and Windy the new #EnergySuperHeroes. It’s a comic series by CAN Europe that attempts to better explain the policy process which need to take place in order for the Western Balkans to achieve decarbonisation by 2050, as declared by the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans. So far episode 1- New kids on the block and episode 2 – We’ve got the power can be viewed on Twitter and Instagram. Follow us to find out more about #coalphaseout and #JustTransition in the WB region.

Member: CAN – Climate Action Network – Europe

Solar Investment Action Agenda launched at COP26 to kick off Roadmap development

Enormous growth in solar investment is needed to meet global climate and development goals. At COP26, World Resources Institute, the International Solar Alliance (ISA), and Bloomberg Philanthropies launched a Solar Investment Action Agenda, which identifies high-impact opportunities to rapidly accelerate solar investment. (See the Press Release and launch event.)

During 2022, the partners will build on the Action Agenda and develop a Solar Investment Roadmap. The Roadmap will help strengthen coalitions to mobilize $1 trillion of solar investment by 2030, improve energy access and security, and accelerate climate mitigation solutions. For more information, contact ScalingSolarInfo@wri.org.

Member: World Resources Institute

New Organisation: Center for Climate Finance

Michael Eckhart, REN21 member at large, has formed the Center for Climate Finance, a US-based nonprofit organization. CCF seeks to be a global leader and central coordinator of executive- and board-level education on climate change and climate finance. CCF will publish monthly journals on the status of climate finance around the world, building towards a book to be entitled “Climate Finance: The Path Forward.” Learn more about the Center at www.climatefinance.org, or contact Michael for more information.

Member: Michael Eckhart, Member at-large