New international agency to promote renewable energies

Joint efforts to expand worldwide use of renewable energies recently received a boost as countries from all continents team up to support the establishment of an International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

The agency, an initiative from Germany, Spain and Denmark, is set to be launched in Bonn in January, after 51 countries agreed upon its statute at a conference in Madrid on 23 and 24 October.

IRENA is meant to be the first truly international organisation offering both industrialised and developing countries support and concrete advice to help them reach higher shares of renewable energies on the road to low-carbon economies. It will work closely with other related international organisations and initiatives, only offering its services at the request of member states.

Details of the agency’s size remain unclear, but a “lean” structure is foreseen. Signatory countries are invited to submit applications for the location of its headquarters as well as nominations for a director-general.

The agency’s mandate encompasses all forms of renewable energy, including bio-energy, solar power and wind energy.

IRENA aims to help its member states create a political environment more conducive to renewable energies and build their capacity in the field. Providing information on best practices and promoting technology transfer will be at the core of its aim to give all countries access to reliable information on the latest expertise and effective financing options.

According to the German government, which has taken the lead in the preparatory phase, a “large majority” of the numerous countries that have set ambitious targets to give renewable energies a more prominent place in their national energy consumption “would like detailed consultation and advice on this”.

The added value of IRENA is expected to come from its global reach. It seeks to combat the many obstacles to tapping the potential of renewable energies, such as lack of public awareness and proper information, market distortions in favour of traditional energy sources and ineffective political frameworks. Lessons learnt and price reductions resulting from economies of scale should accelerate the expansion of clean energies.

The EU has adopted a binding target to source 20% of its energy needs from renewables by 2020 in response to the double challenge of global warming and energy security. In January 2008, the Commission proposed differential targets to each member state depending on their per capita gross domestic product (see EURACTIV LinksDossier).

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