This set of briefs, prepared by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), highlights challenges and opportunities as the world seeks climate-safe energy solutions.

Energy transition investments in the wake of COVID-19 can pave the way for equitable, inclusive and resilient economies.

This report provides a comprehensive pathway for the development of a sustainable and cleaner regional energy system.

Mexico has a large and diverse renewable energy resource base. Given the right mix of policies, the country could attract large-scale investments to diversify its energy supply, with the potential to increase the share of modern renewables in total final energy consumption to 21% by 2030, up from 4.4% in 2010.

This report looks in detail at Palau's current power sector and provides a pathway for achieving a fully decarbonised, least-cost power system, with intermediate milestones.

With solar and wind installation breaking new records each year, countries with ambitious plans for these renewable power-generation technologies must consider the best ways to integrate variable renewables onto the grid. Electricity storage is a key option available to manage variability and ensure reliable, round-the-clock supply. Declining costs and improving capacities have made batteries and other storage technologies increasingly practical for upgrading existing power systems.

This study analyses the prospective impact of renewable energy deployment, along with recently mandated changes to power plant cooling systems, on water use in India’s electricity sector.   

This report details a comprehensive pathway for the development of a sustainable and cleaner regional energy system for ASEAN.

REmap 2030 provides a plan to double the share of renewable energy in the world’s energy mix between 2010 and 2030. It determines the realistic potential for the world to scale up renewables in order to ensure a sustainable energy future.

As the largest energy consumer in the world, China must play a pivotal role in the global transition to a sustainable energy future in an increasingly carbon-constrained world. The country is already a global leader in renewable energy, with massive potential to harness a diverse range of renewable sources and technologies, both for power generation and for end-use sectors.

Technological breakthroughs are needed to reduce carbon emissions in the energy sector. This working paper examines the basic conditions required to nurture innovation and produce new technologies for a low-carbon future.

This joint study looks at the potential for decarbonisation in the energy sector in G20 countries and around the world. Chapter 3, “Global Energy Transition Prospects and the Role of Renewables”, highlights findings from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

Germany’s Energiewende (“energy transition”) has made the country a world leader in renewable energy development

African countries need to meet fast-growing energy demand and extend modern energy services to more communities while also improving people’s health and ensuring long-term sustainability. The continent could meet nearly a quarter of its energy needs through the use of indigenous, clean, renewable energy by 2030, according to this report by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

The United States (US) has the potential to lead the global transition to renewable energy. It has some of the best wind, solar, geothermal, hydro, and biomass resources in the world. It also has a vibrant culture of innovation, plentiful financing opportunities, and a highly skilled workforce, alongside an agile and entrepreneurial business sector.

Poland can increase its share of renewable energy in power generation to nearly 38% by 2030 (compared to only 7% in 2010). REmap 2030: Renewable Energy Prospects for Poland...

A REmap country study highlights the potential to increase the share of renewable power generation in the Dominican Republic to as much as 44% by 2030.

REmap 2030 is a roadmap to double the share of renewable energy by 2030. It is the first global study to provide renewable energy options based on a bottom-up analysis of official national sources. The roadmap encompasses 26 countries representing three-quarters of current energy demand. In determining the potential to scale up renewables, the study not only focuses on technologies, but also on the availability of financing, political will, skills, and the role of planning.

This study examines the policy, regulatory, financial and capacity-related challenges to overcome in pursuing Lebanon's energy transition plans.

The study defines a trajectory to 2030 based on current government policies and plans and identifies the options for additional renewables deployment by energy-use sector and technology.

This working paper draws on engagement with a Transport Action Team of experts and expands on the transport-related findings published in IRENA’s report REmap: Roadmap for a Renewable Energy Future, 2016 Edition.

A FlexTool study on Thailand's power system suggests cost-efficient investment options and provides a sensitivity analysis to find ways to reach high shares of renewables.   

Indonesia is the largest country in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), accounting for around two fifths of the region’s energy consumption. Energy demand across the country’s more than 17,000 islands could increase by four fifths and electricity demand could triple between 2015 and 2030.

Cyprus, a European Union member state since 2004, is at the crossroads of determining how its energy sector, and particularly the power sector, should develop in the coming decades. The island country currently depends on imported oil to meet most of its growing energy needs. At the same time, cost reductions on renewable energy technologies, coupled with abundant renewable energy resources, provide the chance to reduce dependency on fossil fuels while complying with EU renewable energy targets for 2020 and fulfilling the country’s own targets for 2030.

This working paper provides a perspective on the changes needed for India to further accelerate the adoption of renewables, and achieve an affordable, secure, inclusive and environmentally friendly energy system that can address expanding energy demand and socio-economic needs.