| Global Bioenergy Perspectives: REthinking Energy: Renewable Energy and Climate Change
REthinking Energy is the flagship publication from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). Its second edition looks at how the transition to renewables could help limit global warming. As the report points out, renewable energy is at the core of any strategy for countries to meet climate goals while supporting economic growth, employment and domestic value creation.
According to the report, doubling the share of renewables by 2030 could deliver around half of the emissions reductions needed and, in combination with energy efficiency, keep the rise in average global temperatures within 2 degrees Celsius, the widely recognized target to prevent catastrophic climate change.
The share of renewables needs to grow not only in power generation but also in transport, heating and cooling. To avoid a lock-in with unsustainable energy systems, investments must grow immediately and must almost double to USD 500 billion annually between now and 2020, IRENA’s analysis shows.
Five clear actions are needed to support the renewable energy transition:
• Strengthening the policy commitment to renewable energy:
Enabling policies and regulatory frameworks create stable and predictable investment environments, help to overcome barriers, and ensure predictable revenue streams for projects. Setting renewable energy targets and formulating dedicated policies to implement them provides strong market signals, reflecting government commitment to the sector’s development. Depending on the national context, complementary measures can level the playing field for renewables through the introduction of appropriate energy pricing structures
• Mobilizing investment in renewable energy:
public funding will remain an important catalyst and will need to increase, but the lion’s share of new investment in renewables will have to come from the private sector. To mobilise private investment, the strategy pursued must focus on risk mitigation instruments and structured finance tools to develop a strong pipeline of projects, and to unlock project financing and refinancing opportunities. To scale-up investments in developing countries, dedicated risk mitigation facilities are needed using both climate finance and traditional development finance channels
• Building institutional, technical and human capacity:
clarity of institutional roles accompanied by transparent and streamlined procedures can reduce transaction costs and make projects more attractive. From policy and regulatory design to project preparation, evaluation, development and financing, a wide array of skills needs to be built up in government ministries, financing institutions and regulatory agencies. Coordination is also vital between the different stakeholders in order to ensure, for instance, that physical infrastructure and complementary regulations, such as grid codes, keep pace with accelerating renewable energy development
• Harnessing the cross-cutting impact of renewables on sustainable development:
achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) on energy will transform the energy system while helping meet other SDGs such as for health, poverty alleviation, water and cities. Access to reliable, cost-effective and environmentally sustainable modern energy services can have a multiplier development impact in both advanced and access contexts. In particular, renewable energy solutions can expand electricity access, increase productivity, create jobs, improve water security and bolster poverty alleviation efforts. The wider sustainable development impact of renewable energy must be taken into account when strategies for the implementation of SDGs are developed.
• Enhancing regional engagement and international cooperation:
regional approaches and common initiatives can reduce costs, generate economies of scale, attract investments, boost financial capacity, stimulate cross-border trade and enable common progress in accelerating the deployment of renewable energy worldwide. To meet national goals and ambitions, countries would benefit from concerted action that regional and international cooperation offers. Governments should tap into opportunities for engagement and cooperation on renewables and climate mitigation.
Read the report on IRENA website
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