{"id":4097,"date":"2017-12-06T07:20:05","date_gmt":"2017-12-06T05:20:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/irenas-14th-council-reinforces-need-for-more-action\/"},"modified":"2017-12-06T07:20:05","modified_gmt":"2017-12-06T05:20:05","slug":"irenas-14th-council-reinforces-need-for-more-action","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/irenas-14th-council-reinforces-need-for-more-action\/","title":{"rendered":"IRENA\u2019s 14th Council Reinforces Need for More Action"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two things characterized the\u00a0Fourteenth Meeting of the IRENA Council<\/a>: The first was a clear sense of collective determination to build on the momentum of the global energy transition. The second was a redoubling of commitments to the work of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) as a catalyst for that process.<\/span><\/p>\n

There was a strong sense among the over 300 attendees representing 115 IRENA Members of the need to strengthen cooperation in pursuit of a low-carbon future. The Council, which meets twice annually to facilitate cooperation among Members, oversee implementation of IRENA\u2019s work programme and complete substantive preparations for the Agency\u2019s annual Assembly, provides an important mechanism for this.<\/p>\n

In his opening remarks, IRENA Director-General Adnan Z. Amin underscored the urgency of this task: \u201cAn energy transformation of a scale and reach that few would have envisaged a few years ago is reshaping the way energy is produced, distributed and consumed. The challenges this raises and the opportunities it presents call for strengthened international cooperation at all levels.\u201d<\/p>\n

China, re-elected as Council Chair for the second time and represented by Mr. Zhi Guo, Chief Economist of China\u2019s National Energy Administration, said that it sought to further encourage a \u201crevolution in energy production and consumption\u201d that would demonstrate the viability of renewable energy technologies as a \u201csubstitute energy source\u201d for large-scale power generation. The country’s\u00a0recent pledge<\/a>\u00a0to invest a further USD 360 billion in renewables by 2020 is evidence of that commitment.<\/p>\n

During discussions about the Agency\u2019s Medium-Term Strategy, Council members noted that the global energy landscape has undergone a dramatic transformation since IRENA’s foundation in 2009. This presents an opportunity to reassess the needs of Members as the industry enters a new phase of transformation, defined by socioeconomic benefits.<\/p>\n

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\u2018The energy transition presents new economic opportunities \u2013 creating jobs \u2013 and we need to take advantage of that. We should not forget the role of energy in women\u2019s economic development\u2019- #Netherland<\/a>\u2019s Frank Mollen #IRENAcouncil<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/4xnGXWOtPS<\/a><\/p>\n

— IRENA (@IRENA) November 28, 2017<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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"Clean technology is developing at a rapid pace and the UK has shown cutting emissions and growing the economy can go hand in hand" – #UK<\/a>'s David Beadle #IRENAcouncil<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/xtOEbwOza8<\/a><\/p>\n

— IRENA (@IRENA) November 28, 2017<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Going beyond power generation, and doing more to integrate renewable technologies into the transport, heating and cooling sectors was a key element of discussions, with the Director-General pointing out that, \u201cWhile great progress is underway in the power sector, attention can be turned to the relatively untapped potential that exists to integrate renewable energy into end-use sectors such as transportation, heating and cooling.\u201d<\/p>\n

Members also covered increasing the share of\u00a0renewable energy through nationally determined contributions\u00a0<\/a>\u2014 the\u00a0actions countries plan to undertake to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and achieve the Paris Agreement\u2019s climate objectives \u2014 and scaling-up renewables deployment through effective\u00a0project facilitation<\/a>. This is echoed in the findings of a recent IRENA report, which identifies a gap between national renewable energy plans, actual deployment progress and the targets set within the global climate framework.<\/p>\n

Korean Minister Yeon-jean Yoon highlighted that at this critical junction, IRENA\u2019s initiatives are of great value to countries developing renewable energy, and Germany pointed to IRENA\u2019s REmap analyses on costs, job creation, economic and health benefits, as being valuable in this regard.<\/p>\n

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"At this critical junction, #Korea<\/a> believes @IRENA<\/a>'s programmes are of great value to countries developing renewable energy programmes"-Yeon-jean Yoon, Republic of #Korea<\/a> Minister #IRENAcouncil<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/PINX5hx5wO<\/a><\/p>\n

— IRENA (@IRENA) November 28, 2017<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

\u2018@IRENA<\/a>\u2019s REmap analyses on costs, job creation, economic & health benefits, are both valuable on country level and regional scale\u2019 – #Germany<\/a>\u2019s Martin Sch\u00f6pe #IRENAcouncil<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/AgVOvcFGIL<\/a><\/p>\n

— IRENA (@IRENA) November 28, 2017<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Across the two days, many IRENA Members emphasised that while great strides have been made with regards to renewables at the policy level in recent years, more work must now be done to attract financing for renewable energy projects.<\/p>\n

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\u201cInvestment is critical for the future of renewables. We look forward to strong engagement from @IRENA<\/a> in advancing international cooperation to bring this forward\u201d – #Denmark<\/a>'s Merete Juhl #IRENAcouncil<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/KwGAUq0Syb<\/a><\/p>\n

— IRENA (@IRENA) November 29, 2017<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

IRENA’s Director-General told the Council that globally, investment levels are still not increasing at a sufficient pace to meet climate objectives, and increasing investments in renewables, especially in developing countries, requires a steady pipeline of investor-ready and scalable projects. To address this challenge, IRENA has developed a range of project facilitation platforms, which IRENA Directors, Henning Wuester and Dolf Gielen, shared with the Members.<\/p>\n

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"India is committed to scaling-up renewables to 175GW by 2022. India would like to work closely with @IRENA<\/a>'s project facilitation platforms to help formulate economically and technologically viable renewable energy projects" – #India<\/a>'s Anjani Nandan Sharan #IRENAcouncil<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/QeClPff7zd<\/a><\/p>\n

— IRENA (@IRENA) November 29, 2017<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\n

\u2018In the works is IRENA\u2019s Global Solar Energy Standardisation Initiative, which has 15 law firms, 25 financial institutions and industry actors developing standard contracts to simplify solar development and financing\u2019 \u2013 @IRENA<\/a>\u2019s Henning Wuester #IRENAcouncil<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/B1hvvahrAZ<\/a><\/p>\n

— IRENA (@IRENA) November 29, 2017<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Further topics, such as improving information about modern uses of bioenergy in support of energy transformation, enabling higher shares of\u00a0variable renewable energy<\/a>\u00a0through flexibility options including\u00a0electricity storage<\/a>, and accessing funding in the\u00a0sixth cycle\u00a0<\/a>of the IRENA\/Abu Dhabi Fund for Development Project Facility, were also discussed.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe IRENA\/ADFD Project Facility provides an opportunity for public sector renewable energy projects to access low-cost finance from @ABUDHABI_FUND<\/a>\u201d \u2014@IRENA<\/a>\u2019s Seleha Lockwood #IRENAcouncil<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/3LBJWf300S<\/a><\/p>\n

— IRENA (@IRENA) November 29, 2017<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Special mention was made of new members Lebanon, El Salvador and Uzbekistan, whose ratification of the IRENA Statue brings the membership closer to universality, with 153 Members and a further 27 in accession.<\/p>\n

\n

'With 153 Members & 27 more engaged, we've reached near universality since @IRENA<\/a>\u2019s establishment more than 6yrs ago. This is a unique achievement in the recent annals of int'l coop. reflecting the strong momentum of the global energy transformation'-DG Amin, #IRENAcouncil<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/rQXic4s5os<\/a><\/p>\n

— IRENA (@IRENA) November 28, 2017<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Find out More here<\/strong>: IRENA\u2019s 14th Council Reinforces Need for More Action<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Two things characterized the\u00a0Fourteenth Meeting of the IRENA Council: The first was a clear sense of collective determination to build on the momentum of the global energy transition. The second was a redoubling of commitments to the work of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) as a catalyst for that process. There was a strong […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[2],"tags":[1878,986,1221,921,606,470,1879],"class_list":{"0":"post-4097","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-solar","7":"tag-14th","8":"tag-action","9":"tag-council","10":"tag-irenas","11":"tag-more","12":"tag-need","13":"tag-reinforces","14":"entry"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"Alan","author_link":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/author\/alan\/"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5HvVd-145","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3345,"url":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/irenas-13th-council-convenes\/","url_meta":{"origin":4097,"position":0},"title":"IRENA\u2019s 13th Council Convenes","author":"Alan","date":"26 May 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Agency\u2019s governing body discusses the next steps towards a sustainable future \u201cWe are in the midst of a major energy transition and renewables are at the centre stage of it, experiencing continuous growth and development in more and more countries around the world,\u201d announced IRENA Director-General Adnan Z. Amin at\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Solar"","block_context":{"text":"Solar","link":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/category\/solar\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/straton.co.za\/solar\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/colombia-vice-chair.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":2479,"url":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/irenas-12th-council-convenes\/","url_meta":{"origin":4097,"position":1},"title":"IRENA\u2019s 12th Council Convenes","author":"Alan","date":"4 November 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cWhen we started out just over five years ago, many were not convinced of the need for the energy transformation, or of the role renewables could play therein. But developments during the past few years exceeded the expectations of even the most optimistic supporters,\u201d announced IRENA Director-General, Adnan Z. Amin,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Solar"","block_context":{"text":"Solar","link":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/category\/solar\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"irena-director-general-adnan-z-amin-at-opening-of-12th-council-1-november-2016","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/straton.co.za\/solar\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/irena-director-general-adnan-z-amin-at-opening-of-12th-council-1-november-2016.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3921,"url":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/irena-at-cop23\/","url_meta":{"origin":4097,"position":2},"title":"IRENA at COP23","author":"Alan","date":"24 October 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"IRENA to convene a global conversation at COP23 on the centrality of renewables in efforts to combat climate change The adoption and entry into force of the Paris Agreement represented an unprecedented global deal to take deliberate and concerted action to combat climate change and keep the global temperature rise\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Solar"","block_context":{"text":"Solar","link":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/category\/solar\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":2757,"url":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/irenas-year-in-review-2016\/","url_meta":{"origin":4097,"position":3},"title":"IRENA\u2019s Year in Review 2016","author":"Alan","date":"3 January 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Entering 2017 presents an ideal moment to review IRENA\u2019s\u00a0progress and what better way to do that than to take account of what has occurred in the year just finished\u2014 and so here we present to you IRENA\u2019s year in review. 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As\u00a0IRENA\u2019s ultimate decision-making authority, the Assembly brings together the international community to reaffirm the global renewable energy\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Solar"","block_context":{"text":"Solar","link":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/category\/solar\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/pixel.wp.com\/b.gif?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":4024,"url":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/irena-and-state-grid-corporation-of-china-team-up-to-expand-regional-renewable-capacities\/","url_meta":{"origin":4097,"position":5},"title":"IRENA and State Grid Corporation of China Team-Up to Expand Regional Renewable Capacities","author":"Alan","date":"18 November 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Technical experts from SGCC to\u00a0support\u00a0IRENA\u2019s activities in Africa, Central America and Southeast Asia A new agreement signed today between IRENA and the\u00a0State Grid Corporation of China\u00a0(SGCC) at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP23) in Bonn, Germany will see technical expertise from the world\u2019s largest utility support the Agency work on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Solar"","block_context":{"text":"Solar","link":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/category\/solar\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4097","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4097"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4097\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4097"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4097"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/straton.co.za\/solar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4097"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}