International
IRENA and GWEC in historic cooperation agreement
A Paris-compliant future by 2050 requires transformative changes to policy, behaviour and international cooperation.
CAPE TOWN – The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) signed a historic cooperation agreement on the 19th of November 2020 that will see the two renewable energy focused organisations join efforts to scale up adoption of renewable energy worldwide.
The cooperation agreement was signed by the Director-General of IRENA, Francesco La Camera and the CEO of GWEC, Ben Backwell. The signing took place on the occasion of the Race to Zero Dialogues, a programme to accelerate progress by governments, industry and other key stakeholders to meet the Paris Agreement, convened by the High-Level Champions for Global Climate Action.
The cooperation agreement combines forces to advance RE uptake
IRENA’s Global Renewables Outlook report outlines that a Paris-compliant future by 2050 requires transformative changes to policy, behaviour and international cooperation. Renewable technologies such as onshore and offshore wind, as well as energy efficiency measures, can deliver more than 90 per cent of the emission reductions needed, while providing net employment and economic gains in the process.
IRENA and GWEC are cognisant of the reality that rapid decarbonisation will require a variety of policy shifts and investments, including intensifying renewable energy commitments, resolving market and regulatory barriers, improving access to finance and expanding the pipeline of bankable projects. Around a third of all new renewable power capacity added in 2019 was from wind power and IRENA data suggests wind – together with solar – will dominate future capacity growth.
“By blending the knowledge, capabilities and convening power of our two organisations, we can jointly work to address policy and investment barriers and create an enabling environment for wind energy.” said Francesco La Camera, Director General at IRENA.
Wind Energy crucial in the decarbonisation agenda
“Wind energy is a cornerstone of the global energy transformation and with evolving technologies and a strengthening economic case, it will continue to support the world’s low-carbon growth agenda through to mid-century,” Francesco La Camera concluded.
Ben Backwell, CEO at GWEC added: “On behalf of the global wind industry, we look forward to strengthening our partnership and work with IRENA through the Climate Investment Platform and other important initiatives. It is more important than ever that intergovernmental institutions work collaboratively with industry in pursuit of shared sustainable development goals.
Among other areas, the enhanced cooperation between IRENA and GWEC will focus on: strengthening wind energy project facilitation in the Climate Investment Platform; engaging the wind industry in Industry-Government Dialogues, Investment Forums and other arenas for knowledge exchange; and exploring open-source agreements and project templates for wind projects in emerging markets in order to mitigate legal risks and barriers. The parties agree to work collaboratively to minimise regulatory, legal and administrative barriers to investment in wind and renewable energy, and enhance international dialogues and actions on increasing the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.
Excerpts of the article sourced from IRENA
