Tripling Up Renewables, and Doubling Down on Efficiency
About a decade ago, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) established the Coalition for Action (CfA), a non-governmental multi-stakeholder platform for promoting the rapid uptake of renewable energy technologies. I wrote about the CfA in my last SunBurst, nearly two years ago, but the activities that ISES plays within the CfA are perhaps even more relevant today.
IRENA is a multigovernmental agency. But, as the Secretariat of the CfA, they see immense value in bringing non-governmental experts together to provide their perspective on how to accelerate the renewable energy transformation at a time when we are rapidly approaching the 2.0 0C global warming limit that was targeted in the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement. In fact in 2024 the world exceeded the 1.5 0C limit that the Agreement ideally intended not to be broached.
The current structure of the CfA includes three Working Groups:
- Renewable Energy Markets and Finance
- Empowering People and Communities
- Towards 100% Renewable Energy Systems
For several years, I, along with Rainer Hinrichs-Rahlwes, who represents the European Renewable Energy Foundation, or EREF (but is also a long-term dedicated member of ISES), have co-Chaired the Towards 100% Renewable Energy” Working Group. We work closely with our IRENA colleague, Jarred McCarthy an Associate Program Officer for the CfA. The Working Group has recently been developing policy recommendations for achieving a global 100% renewable energy system by mid-Century. The Working Group examined three 100% renewable energy scenarios that show how such a system would likely be the most cost effective means of reducing energy-related greenhouse gas emissions to levels that would allow us to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement. A Policy Brief comparing these three studies as well as two Net-Zero studies was published in 2023.
But actual progress towards the Paris goals remains to be much slower than required. So, at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 28th Conference of the Parties (COP 28), held in Dubai, UAE in December 2023, participating countries signed a pledge to triple renewable energy capacity and double energy efficiency improvements by the year 2030. This pledge came about in part due to very strong advocacy measures taken by a number of renewable energy organizations, including ISES through its partnerships, and was stimulated by the need to take more aggressive action to reduce global greenhouse gases to zero, or net-zero, by mid-Century[1].
The various working groups of the CfA participate actively in these annual COP events. At COP 28 the Global Renewables Alliance, in collaboration with other non-governmental organizations as well as IRENA, organized a Global Renewables Pavillion where a number of CfA events took place, including an event that Rainer, Jarred and I conducted on the outcomes of the Policy Brief. A similar pavilion was also established at the recent COP 29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, where more CfA events were held, and a Renewables Pavillion is being planned for COP 30 in Belém, Brazil later this year.
The Towards 100% Renewable Energy Systems Working Group is now finalizing an update to the original Policy Brief, taking a deeper dive into policies that not only address the Paris goals but also the near-term tripling target embraced at COP 28. A specific Task Force within the Working Group has been established to develop this paper, titled “Policy Recommendations for Achieving 100% Renewable Energy by 2050”. Key elements of this paper were presented at a side event during IRENA’s 15th Assembly in Abu Dhabi, UAE this past month (January 2025). The event took the shape of a dialogue among key global stakeholders from governments, research institutes, and industry around the world addressing various aspects of a transformation to a fully renewable energy system as well as the need to accelerate our current renewable energy ambitions. Rainer moderated the event, and I provided a stage-setting introductory speech.
Also at this 15th Assembly, the CfA held a strategy meeting to review the recent outcomes of the Working Groups and address work plans for the coming year. Melina Hanhart from ISES HQ joined Rainer and I, as well as about 50 other CfA participants at this meeting, held at IRENA’s Headquarters in Masdar City. ISES past President Monica Oliphant, who has been active in both the 100% Renewable Energy Working Group and in the Empowering People and Communities Working Group also attended in person, while ISES Treasurer Chiel Boonstra participated in the meeting online. For the Towards 100% RE Systems Working Group the current focus is to complete the Policy Paper by the middle of this year, A second paper, “Enabling High Shares of VRE (Variable Renewable Energy) through Grid Stability and Energy Systems Advances” is being prepared by a separate Task Force within the Working Group, with publication planned before the end of 2025.
Later this year, the Working Group will be considering other workstreams to take on once the two current reports are finalized. Because of ISES’ membership in the CfA all ISES members are welcome to participate in any of the Working Group activities. Please contact me or ISES HQ for further details.
[1] There is strong scientific consensus that this emission reduction target is essential in order to keep global warming below 1.5 0C above preindustrial levels and therefore avoid potentially catastrophic human-caused climate change impacts.
