Highly efficient, electricity-driven heat pumps have a crucial role to play in decarbonising space and water heating in buildings.

Smart grid technologies support the creation of an increasingly flexible electricity grid, enabling the integration of variable renewable energy. They work by incorporating information and communications technology at all stages of power generation, delivery and consumption, improving reliability and service to end-users.

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.

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.

The new report shows 162 gigawatts (GW) or 62% of total renewable power generation added last year had lower costs than the cheapest new fossil fuel option.

IRENA’s latest global cost study shows solar and wind power reaching new price lows. The report highlights cost trends for all major renewable electricity sources.

The report discusses challenges in policy making and proposes a co-ordinated effort to collect data on the installed costs of solar PV in Africa, across all market segments to improve the efficiency of policy support and accelerate deployment.

This report provides an overview of heat pump technologies and their applications, discusses building stock and the implications for the use of heat pumps in both new and old buildings and examines recent market developments.