Asian solar panels
Asian solar panels

IRENA Assembly to chart international pathway to double renewable energy by 2030

Newsletter

Ministers and senior officials from more than 150 countries will chart the way forward to double the world’s share of renewable energy by 2030, at the 2013 IRENA Assembly from 13-14 January in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

During the annual flagship meeting of its General Assembly, IRENA will launch REMAP 2030, a pathway to increase the share of wind, solar, hydropower, geothermal, ocean and sustainable biomass to at least 30 per cent of the global energy mix, in line with the UN Secretary-General’s Sustainable Energy for All initiative.

IRENA, as the global hub for renewable energy, will also launch the world’s first Global Atlas for Renewable Energy Resources, a collaborative and openly accessible map of solar and wind resources, as well as launching a network to promote renewable energy in islands, a report on Africa’s renewable future and a number of other landmark technical and policy studies.

A limited number of spaces will be available for reporters to attend the opening session of the Assembly (13 Jan, 9am-1pm), the side-event launching the Global Atlas (13 Jan, 1-2.30pm), the Financial Times debate (Jan 13, 6.30-8pm), IRENA’s future work (14 Jan, 12-1.30pm) and the closing session of the Assembly (14 Jan, 3-6pm).

A closing press conference will be held at the St Regis hotel on 14 January at 6.30pm, in Meeting Room1

The two-day Assembly opens Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, a global gathering of policy makers and business leaders. Other highlights on IRENA’s agenda include:

  • The IRENA-FT Question Time Debate, moderated by Ed Crooks, US Energy and Industry Editor for the Financial Times, with Adnan Z. Amin, IRENA Director-General; Martin Lidegaard, Danish Minister for Climate, Energy and Building and President of the third session of the IRENA Assembly; and other leaders in the field of sustainable energy;
  • Establishment of the Global Renewable Energy Islands Network (GREIN);
  • The first South America-Arab Countries (ASPA) energy ministerial (16 Jan);

During the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) and the Abu Dhabi International Renewable Energy Conference (ADIREC) from 15-17 January, IRENA will hold side events, offer expert briefings and issue daily reports on renewable energy issues at the IRENA booth in the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), including:

    • Africa’s Renewable Energy Future;
    • The falling cost of renewable energy;
    • Renewables Readiness Assessment reports for Senegal, Mozambique, Kiribati and Grenada;
    • 40 Years of Policies for Wind Energy: Lessons Learnt from 12 Wind Energy Markets;
    • An assessment of Tariff-Based Support Mechanisms for renewable energy;
    • The transition to renewable energy in Gulf Countries;
    • IRENA project navigator to help renewable energy project development.

Note to Editors
IRENA is mandated by 159 countries and the European Union to promote the sustainable use of all forms of renewable energy, and to serve as the global hub for renewable energy cooperation and information exchange. Formally established in 2011, IRENA is the first major international organization to be headquartered in the Middle East.