IRENA and GWEC team up to boost renewables uptake globally

Around a third of all new renewable capacity added in 2019 was from wind power and data from IRENA suggests wind power, together with solar, will dominate future capacity growth

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) have teamed up to increase the adoption and deployment of renewable energy worldwide.

They have signed a co-operation agreement to join efforts to boost the uptake of wind energy and renewables as a whole as both organisations recognise rapid decarbonisation will require a variety of policy shifts and investments, including intensifying renewable energy commitments.

Around a third of all new renewable capacity added in 2019 was from wind power and data from IRENA suggests wind power, together with solar, will dominate future capacity growth.

Francesco La Camera, Director General at IRENA said: “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.

“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.”

Among other areas, the co-operation between IRENA and GWEC will focus on strengthening wind energy project facilitation in the Climate Investment Platform, engaging the wind sector in industry-government dialogues, exploring open-source agreements and project templates for wind projects in emerging markets to mitigate legal risks and barriers.

Ben Backwell, CEO at GWEC added: “There is no question that we must urgently take action to reduce carbon emissions and act collectively to slow the impacts of climate change; accelerating the development of renewable energy is one of the most effective ways to achieve these objectives.

“Wind energy, as a scalable, clean and affordable technology, will be critical to supporting countries, companies and other parties on the road to net zero and a green recovery.”

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