10th meeting of the IRENA Council
With committee meetings on 22 November 2015
The focus of the 10th Council meeting was the consideration of the progress in the implementation of the 2014-2015 Work Programme, and the d raft Work Programme and Budget for 2016-2017. The Council meeting was preceded by the meetings of its two subsidiary organs, the Administration and Finance Committee (AFC) and the Programme and Strategy Committee (PSC), which took place on 22 November 2015. On the sidelines of the Council meeting, a number of thematic events were held, providing a platform for participants to have focused discussions on particular aspects of IRENA’s work. These included:
- Global Geothermal Alliance (GGA)
The Geothermal Global Alliance (GGA) is an initiative of over 30 member countries and 20 partner institutions to promote geothermal energy deployment in geothermal recourse-rich countries, notably developing countries. IRENA has facilitated the establishment of the Alliance. The GGA offers a global platform that supports dialogue, cooperation and coordinated action among the key stakeholders, which is essential to overcome hurdles for accelerated geothermal development. The IRENA 10th Council offered an opportunity for gathering Members to review the concept of the alliance and plan for its official launch at COP21 in Paris. Contact: Fatma Ben Fadhl - IRENA/ADFD Project Facility's Opening of the 4th Funding Cycle
Two of seven project cycles have been successfully implemented with USD 98 million allocated and USD 146 million leveraged from other sources for 11 renewable energy projects. Projects selected in the third cycle are expected to be announced in January 2016. The fourth cycle opened to receive applications from 11 November 2015 to 15 February 2016. This event was an opportunity for delegations representing countries of potential project applicants to receive detailed information on the evaluation criteria and the selection process for the fourth cycle, and the link with the Sustainable Energy Marketplace (SEM). The event also provided participants with an overview of the progress and developments of the IRENA/ADFD project facility in the previous cycles. Contact: Seleha Lockwood - REmap – Transport and Bioenergy
This event had a dual focus: to address the role of renewables in the transport sector and inform countries about the most recent findings from IRENA’s expanded bioenergy work. During the event, the latest draft of the REmap transport sector roadmap was presented, which included updated results of the transport sector analysis of 40 REmap countries. The roadmap also provides the most up-to-date analysis of emerging trends in technology, costs, and markets for transport sector technologies that have been collected through periodic webinars organised with the REmap transport sector expert network. Contacts: Deger Saygin; Nicholas Wagner - Measuring Renewable Energy Benefits
This year, IRENA has carried out a study estimating the impacts of renewable energy on broader macro-economic variables, including GDP, total employment, trade and welfare. In this context, IRENA has also conducted a second study analysing the activities required to create a domestic renewable energy sector that can unfold new opportunities in solar and wind. The discussion during this thematic event revolved around the findings of the forthcoming studies Measuring the Economics of Renewable Energy Deployment and Unfolding New Opportunities for Domestic Value Creation. The purpose of the event was to gather feedback from participants on the approach and preliminary findings of these two studies. Contact: Rabia Ferroukhi - Sustainable Energy Marketplace
This meeting presented IRENA’s Sustainable Energy M arketplace platform and provided an opportunity to discuss ways for cooperation among Members and for IRENA to receive guidance on countries’ priorities. The Sustainable Energy Marketplace brings together project owners and developers, financiers and investors, and service and technology providers in a virtual marketplace. The core of the marketplace is an actively operated and facilitated online tool, which makes projects and all relevant stakeholders visi ble, easily identifiable and approachable through efficient search functions, enhancing the transparency and liquidity of the market. IRENA aims to actively facilitate project initiation and development, and to bring bankable renewable energy projects to f inancial closure by facilitating access to financial and risk mitigation instruments, advisory services, and public finance from support programmes. Contact: Aleksi Lumijarvi