As part of European Utility Week 2017, IRENA co-hosted a session on innovations for the power sector transformation that are emerging in Europe and changing the role of utilities.

Following a successful IRENA Innovation Week 2018 in Bonn, Germany that brought together a diverse group to explore and share insights into the many common challenges and opportunities of innovation solutions for renewable power integration, together with the great interest from many regional players, a series of regional Innovation Days will be organized across the globe.

Following the success of the previous two sessions of International Forum on Energy Transitions, the National Energy Administration of China (NEA), the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and Jiangsu Provincial People’s Government of China once again cooperated to co-host the third International Forum on Energy Transitions, 18 – 19 October 2018 in Suzhou, China.

An action-focused gathering of around 250 leading companies, innovators and policy makers from across IRENA’s diverse global membership, convened to explore how innovations in enabling technologies, business models, system operations and sector coupling can accelerate the renewable power transition.

Regions, states and cities can play a key role in the global energy transformation. Some have made considerable progress during the past years, others have established ambitious plans. In the context of multi-level governance, many regions, states and cities, faced with local realities, are already deploying cutting-edge technology innovations, setting some of the most ambitious renewable energy targets, and investing in clean tech infrastructure and start-ups, thereby spurring local and regional development and market growth, and accelerating the transition to a low carbon economy.

IRENA Innovation Day took place on 16-17 July 2019 in Uruguay and focused on innovative solutions for the reliable integration of variable renewable energy in power systems, and showcased innovations in areas such as the role of digital technologies (blockchain, artificial intelligence, etc.), the electrification of transport & heat, the role of energy storage and the potential of hydrogen, amongst others.

The third Innovation Day took place on 27 November 2019 in Ankara and focused on Türkiye and neighbouring countries.

As part of the Global Science, Technology and Innovation Conference (G-STIC), IRENA held a session on consumer-led innovations in the global power sector. The session provided first-hand information on leading innovations that support the power sector’s transformation towards a more decentralised and renewable based system, with consumers are at the center.