Newsroom

The exposure of infrastructure such as wind turbines, solar panels, electricity grids and other renewable energy generators to the increasing occurrence of extreme weather events driven by climate change, highlights the urgent need to make renewables-based power systems more climate resilient.

In a coastal fishing community in Kwale County, Kenya, solar power is providing reliable electricity for cold storage. This helps local fishermen preserve their catch, reduces dependence on a fluctuating grid, supports livelihoods through fairer prices, and secures a sustainable solar-powered future for the community.

As of 1st December, Dr Mike Enskat assumes the role of Director of the International Renewable Energy Agencies’ Innovation and Technology Centre (IITC) in Bonn.

As global energy transition investment reached a record USD 2.4 trillion in 2024, significant gaps remain in funding for key technologies and regions, underscoring the need for impact-driven finance and stronger public sector leadership to ensure all countries can meet the 2030 target of tripling renewable power capacity.

At COP30 in Belém, the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) launched progress-tracking reports, provided climate support to countries, and identified five priority areas including implementation, grids, finance, supply chains, and workforce to accelerate the energy transition toward 1.5°C goals.

Global investments in the energy transition reached a new record of USD 2.4 trillion in 2024 – a 20% increase from the average annual levels of 2022/23.

Global utilities today unveiled upgraded annual investment plans that will see energy transition spend rise to US $148 billion per year, up from previously stated ambitions of US $117 billion. The plans revealed by members of the Utilities for Net Zero Alliance (UNEZA) today at COP30, will see a group of the world’s leading utilities mobilise more than USD 1 trillion in energy transition investments to 2030 since establishment at COP28.

As the renewable energy sector races to create over 100 million jobs by 2030, there is an opportunity to ensure people worldwide, particularly youth, women, and underrepresented groups, have the skills and training needed to deliver the energy transition and benefit from its opportunities.

As only 72 countries have submitted NDC 3.0 targeting 6.9 TW of renewable capacity by 2030, falling short of the 11.2 TW tripling goal, there is an urgent opportunity through increased climate finance to bridge the gap, particularly for LDCs, SIDS, and Sub-Saharan Africa requiring USD 117 billion in external funding.