A clear highlight of REN21’s 2017 calendar was MEXIREC in Mexico City, 11-13 September which gathered over 1,600 participants from Latin America and all around the world to debate how renewables deployment can be scaled-up. At MEXIREC, REN21 launched the report Renewable Energy Tenders and Community [Em]power[ment]: Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).
 
In 2018, REN21 will continue to advance its work with all key players of the global energy architecture, strengthen synergies and convey coordinated key messages to foster global renewable energy uptake.
 
Let me take the upcoming holiday season to thank all members and partners of REN21 as well as my team at REN21 for their excellent collaboration.  I hope that you will all have the time to relax in order to start 2018 fully recharged and eager to move onward to new adventures!

Best regards,
Christine Lins
Executive Secretary of REN21

COP23 provided an excellent opportunity for REN21 to reach out to sectors other than renewable energy. REN21 held three side events with its members World Wildlife Fund (WWF), World Future Council (WFC) and Climate Action Network–International (CAN-I), looking at how renewables and energy efficiency can contribute to meeting the 1.5C target. REN21 was also invited to present at four events on the role of renewables in the transport sector and on renewables and land sustainability at a UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) hosted event. Additional activities included writing an article for the ECOWAS NDC Spotlight Magazine and being interviewed by Climate Action Study.  REN21 also had a booth were we showed a short presentation tilted "Renewables Rising: Understanding what the data means for everyday life".  For a full list of events and presentations, click here.

ALER with the support from the Africa-EU Renewable Energy Cooperation Programme (RECP), recently presented the 2nd edition of the Renewables in Mozambique – National Status Report at its conference Renewables in the Electrification of Mozambique. This is the most comprehensive and updated report on the status of renewable energy in Mozambique, presenting an overview of current and future developments of the sector.

Another development include a contract agreement with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) for the development of a project titled Promoting Investments in Small- to Medium-scale Renewable Energy Technologies in the Electricity Sector of Guinea-Bissau. As part of this project a report on renewable energy and energy efficiency in Guinea-Bissau will be produced. A call for proposals has been launched. Interested consultants should check the Terms of Reference (available in PT only) and submit a proposal by 17 December, 2017. The report will be presented at an investment workshop dedicated to Guinea-Bissau that will be organized as a side event of the Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) Forum 2018 and afterwards on a conference foreseen for December 2018 in Guinea-Bissau.

The International Hydropower Association (IHA) announced a new partnership during the COP23 climate conference in Bonn to help governments prioritise hydropower project sites according to their sustainability. IHA signed a partnership agreement with SEforALL to consult on the concept of a Hydropower Preparation Facility which would help to select and prepare projects before putting them out to tender. The model could see hydropower preparation facilities established around the world. Each facility would create a project "blueprint", guided by international industry good practice, which would then be auctioned off. The successful developer would repay preparation costs once the project is commissioned, reducing the costs and risks to prospective developers.

The IHA has been engaging with governments, financial institutions and NGOs to bring forward the concept, following the strong support it received from stakeholders at the 2017 World Hydropower Congress. “The aim is to accelerate sustainable hydropower that fits well with local, national and regional strategies – contributing to cleaner energy systems, responsible freshwater management and climate-change solutions,” said Richard Taylor, Chief Executive of IHA. During COP23, IHA also announced the next World Hydropower Congress will be held in Paris, 14-16 May, 2019. You can find out more here.

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) released a series of papers during COP23, offering analysis of both the opportunity for increased action on renewables and the socio-economic benefits of transitioning to a low-carbon energy system. The works provide a detailed assessment of energy transition against a number of measures, including its role in climate mitigation, its impact in economic growth and the degree to which renewable energy is shaping energy access and social mobility around the world.

Encouraging nations to go further with renewable energy under climate commitments, Untapped Potential for Climate Action: Renewable energy in Nationally Determined Contributions identifies that current Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) would bring online significantly less renewable energy capacity globally each year than the average pace of current deployment – suggesting that NDCs can better reflect the global energy transition. The report encourages nations to strengthen ambition in the next round of climate negotiations as part of the facilitative dialogue. Transitioning to a climate-safe future also brings with it numerous socioeconomic benefits. The Agency’s Turning to Renewables series, includes four briefs that underscore the degree to which renewable energy supports growth and opportunity, whilst improving air quality and promoting social mobility and equity.

23-24 November, 2017 the World Bioenergy Association (WBA) organised a study trip for a delegate from the Renewable Energy Institute, Japan, to understand the successful development of biomass energy in Sweden. The participants of the study mission trip included WBA, the Renewable Energy Institute, Söderenergi, Svebio, Skogsindustrierna and E.ON. The trip included visits to the Igelstaverket CHP plant in Södertalje, to Skogsindustrierna – Swedish Forest Industries Association and a visit to the E.ON Heating Plant in Täby. A full summary of the study visits is available for members. More information available here.

The use of geothermal energy is gaining momentum and experiencing growth on all continents. At its fall Board Meeting in Santiago, Chile, the International Geothermal Association (IGA) confirmed its forward-looking commitment: To create a highly visible and focused organisation that will ensure that geothermal energy plays an important role in the global energy transition. “In 2018 the IGA will strengthen its international role by focusing on the value we provide to our members, partners and stakeholders” said Alexander Richter, President of the IGA, after two days of intensive Board discussions on the newly launched strategy. IGA's Executive Director, Marit Brommer, is keen to start working on the newly formulated strategy and to raise the flag of geothermal energy both online through social media and with face-to-face meetings, conferences and workshops. IGA will also focus on assembling robust data, collecting information on geothermal power and heat supply, the direct uses of geothermal, and on heat pumps. Other activities include: creating initiatives to standardise geothermal resource and reserve assessments; working to effectively communicate the value that geothermal energy provides through geothermal heating and cooling technologies; and emphasising that geothermal is a hot, affordable, and clean resource.

Ever since the oil shocks of the 1970s, there has been speculation about what it would take to completely wean ourselves from fossil fuels. Not even the most enthusiastic advocates of renewables back then could have imagined the spectacular growth of wind and solar we see today. The opposition is getting shriller and weaker with each passing encounter, as the future for both nuclear and Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) gets bleaker by the day. 100% renewable energy is inevitable, simply because everything else is not (renewable). The relevant question is whether we can do it quickly enough to save the climate. A large portion of the energy establishment believes it is "not possible" to go to 100% renewable energy, and continues to argue for nuclear, CCS and/or gas. While gas needs to play a role in the transition in the next few decades, gas is fundamentally incompatible with a 2°C world. Nuclear and CCS are dying in the marketplace. But therein lies the challenge: to show not only the energy establishment, but policymakers and the general public not only that a 100% renewable energy future is possible, but that it is the quickest, cheapest and cleanest way to achieve our climate goals and ensure a liveable planet for future generations. To read the full article, click here.

Meet Mama Imade – a young, energetic, and industrious mother who recently moved to Lagos with her husband and two children to start a better life. Juggling the demands of city living, growing her small business, and caring for her family and home is a constant struggle. To cook her family’s meals, she uses wood and kerosene for fuel, though she is starting to realise she could make a change to “smarter, better and faster” cooking methods like gas while still keeping her cultural values –and flavours– intact. But there are obstacles standing in her way. Can she convince her husband to support her decision? Can they afford it? How will the food taste? Will her mother-in-law approve? Can she overcome these obstacles and successfully make the “upgrade to gas”? Mama Imade is the fictional star of the new Alliance-supported Nollywood style web series called The Adventures of Mama Imade. The series was developed by McCann Global Health in collaboration with Africare, who are jointly implementing a behavior change communication (BCC) intervention in Nigeria to motivate women to switch to Liquid petroleum gas (LPG) for cooking. By watching Mama Imade’s journey from more traditional Nigerian cookstoves and fuels to a gas stove, women facing similar issues can gain inspiration and confidence to make the transition to cleaner cooking.

Through the launch of the Improving Energy Access and Livelihoods through Mini-grids project, the newly formed SADC Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (SACREEE) is supporting efforts to apply the nexus approach for enhancing regional development and cooperation. The project aims to promote an integrated energy-water-food nexus approach to energy access through renewable energy powered mini-grids. During the pilot phase, remote agricultural-based communities without access to energy and perennial water will be identified in Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Next, appropriate renewable energy solutions to power mini-grids and irrigation systems will be determined.

The activities within the project target four key areas, namely the integration of renewable energy and water supply technologies, the creation of sustainable management structures, the creation of sustainable  value chains of agricultural produce to markets, and finally the institutionalisation of cross-sectoral decision-making and planning at the Southern African Development Community (SADC) level.

SACREEE  is a member of the Global Network of Sustainable Energy Centres (GN-SEC) and was established to support the development towards increased access to modern energy services and improved energy security across the SADC region, especially through the use of renewable energy systems (RES) and energy efficiency (EE) technologies and services.  The Global Forum on Sustainable Energy (GFSE), a neutral multi-stakeholder platform, provides information about interesting projects and initiatives on energy for sustainable development in developing countries.

Countries representing half the global population, and 37% of the global economy, agreed during UNFCC COP23 to scale-up the global uptake of carbon bioenergy and develop collective targets. The decision is set out in a declaration released 16 November, 2017 by the Biofuture Platform member countries. The declaration, Scaling Up the Low Carbon Bioeconomy, is a major breakthrough for sustainable biofuels and the broader bioeconomy; it will now become a key component of the global solution to climate change. The declaration is the result of nine months of negotiations and marks the first time countries and non-state actors have formally agreed to develop targets for biofuels and the bioeconomy, and construct an action plan to achieve them. The targets are based on modelling by the International Energy Agency (IEA)  and  the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), both partners of the Biofuture Platform.  Their work concluded that the 2030 temperature goals adopted in the Paris Agreement cannot be reached without a major increase in the production and use of sustainable biofuels and bioproducts. The declaration was adopted by Argentina, Brazil, Canada, China, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Morocco, Mozambique, the Netherlands, Paraguay, the Philippines, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Uruguay. Brazil and India are also a part of the REN21 Steering Committee.

Until recently the concept of 100% renewable energy (100%RE) was absent from the energy and climate discourse in post-Soviet countries. Climate Action Network (CAN) members have been actively campaigning in the region and this year saw their consistent and hard work come to fruition. In August, during the Climate Summit of Cities in Moscow, CAN was able to actively mainstream 100% RE in the Russian public discourse for the first time.. "100%RE Vision of Cities and Businesses" hosted a range of high-level speakers, including representatives from the biggest aluminum company, RUSAL, and Moscow’s Environment Authority. In Ukraine, the reaction to 100%RE has also thawed with policymakers coming out more boldly to reveal their ambitious climate goals. In addition, the Heinrich Boell Foundation is supporting Ukraine and Belarus with implementing research and modelling to demonstrate the technical and economic feasibility of transitioning to renewable energy by 2050. Transition of Ukraine to Renewable Energy by 2050 and the Energy Revolution: a Sustainable Belarus Energy Outlook scenarios were presented at the recent climate talks (COP23) in Bonn, Germany. The reports clearly show that Ukraine and Belarus have the necessary technical potential and economic reasoning to implement the transition and increase the share of renewables in the final energy supply to 91% and 81% respectively by 2050.

The rapid fall in cost of solar and wind power technologies opens a new range of possibilities to decarbonise the global economy and cut carbon emissions from industry. In addition to direct renewable heat and electrification, hydrogen-rich chemicals that are easy to store and transport could serve as feedstock, process agents and fuels. They could be produced economically in areas with abundant and cheap resources, and shipped to consuming centres, opening prospects to a new kind of international energy trade. This Insight publication, Renewable Energy for Industry, published by the IEA and written by Cédric Philibert, examines emerging industrial technology options, and reviews national and international policies that could foster their development and their deployment. The paper suggests new terawatt-scale market opportunities for solar and wind power, in an effort to help decarbonise the industry sector, which is usually seen as the most difficult because of both high-temperature heat needs and process-related CO₂ emissions. Moreover, hydrogen-rich chemicals, without carbon, or with carbon atoms recycled from captured CO₂ fluxes, could also serve as long-term storage and long-range transport of renewable energies, be used to balance power plants, as well as building and transportation sectors. You can download the paper here.