This report provides the most current, comprehensive analysis of the costs and performance of renewable power generation technologies available today (2012).

This report provides a valuable resource for policy makers and researchers by collecting data on a range of quantitative innovation indicators on the costs and performance of renewable technologies, patents and standards.

IRENA's latest global cost study shows how the competitiveness of renewables continued amid the fossil fuel crisis and highlights cost trends for major renewable electricity sources.

This working paper is part of a set of five reports on hydropower, wind, biomass, concentrating solar power and solar pholtovoltaics that address the current costs of these key renewable power technology options. 

Methanol is essential for the chemical industry. Largely produced from fossil fuels, it can be made from sustainable, renewable-based energy sources.

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

The competitiveness of renewable power generation technologies continued improving in 2013 and 2014, reaching historic levels. Biomass for power, hydropower, geothermal and onshore wind can all provide electricity competitively against fossil fuel-fired power generation. Solar photovoltaic (PV) power has also become increasingly competitive, with its levelised cost of electricity (LCOE) at utility scale falling by half in four years.

Hybridising diesel mini-grids with photovoltaic generation can yield significant cost savings. This study compares the costs of diesel-only and hybridised mini-grids at seven sites – three in Africa, two in Asia and three in Latin America – and shows potential cost savings at all seven sites.

The cost of electricity from renewable energy technologies has fallen steadily, and in some cases dramatically, in recent years.

The report provides insights on the country’s potential to adopt solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind power.

As Japan moves away from nuclear power plants, it has turned to renewables to diversify its energy mix. Auctions have emerged as a key policy tool for the transition.

This study presents options to speed up the deployment of wind power, both onshore and offshore, until 2050. It builds on IRENA’s global roadmap to scale up renewables and meet climate goals.

The latest publication from IRENA and WTO draws on the development and implementation of a quality infrastructure for trade in renewable energy technologies.

The findings of the Renewable Energy Readiness Assessment (RRA) highlight major obstacles to the widespread deployment of renewable energy systems. They identify critical actions that could have a significant impact on increasing renewables in the short and medium term.

This report analyses the regional energy landscape, potential and costs, policy and investment needs, and expected socio-economic impact from a shift to renewables.

This working paper is part of a set of five reports on hydropower, wind, biomass, concentrating solar power and solar pholtovoltaics that address the current costs of these key renewable power technology options. 

Increasing economies of scale, more competitive supply chains and further technological improvements will continue reducing the costs of solar and wind power. The same factors will also boost the availability of these key renewable power sources at night and in varying weather conditions.

This report finds the region has a vast technical renewable energy potential of 739 gigawatts (GW) with wind energy being the most abundant resource, more than 4 times higher than that of solar PV. By 2030, additional cost-competitive potential for solar PV and wind is expected to reach 620 GW.

Renewables could meet more than one-third of energy demand across Central and South-Eastern Europe cost effectively by 2030 with key decisions taken now.

Bhutan prioritises sustainable development and environmental conservation alongside economic growth. As the country develops, a diversified mix of renewables can support growth and improve people’s livelihoods.

This working paper is part of a set of five reports on hydropower, wind, biomass, concentrating solar power and solar pholtovoltaics that address the current costs of these key renewable power technology options. 

This working paper is part of a set of five reports on hydropower, wind, biomass, concentrating solar power and solar pholtovoltaics that address the current costs of these key renewable power technology options. 

IRENA’s global renewable power generation costs study shows that the competitiveness of renewables continued to improve despite rising materials and equipment costs in 2022.

This summary provided key insights on cost trends for renewable power generation ahead of a ground-breaking series of comprehensive cost studies by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

Sustainable bioenergy could even out solar and wind variability and replace fossil fuels for industry, transport and buildings.