Perhaps there is just too much news about renewable energy diverting our attention away from the valuable work of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), or it could be that, in reality, the international agency really hasn’t been doing much since it came into being; however this is the first piece we have published on IRENA since April when its new Director-General was voted in.
Indeed, on accessing IRENA’s website today, I was surprised to find that apart from changing its image (out with the red and in with the blue – perhaps a favourite of the new Director-General or a sign of more serious times ahead) and logo (the infinity symbol surrounding a map of the world – suggesting infinite possibilities that IRENA could be tapping), the agency which celebrated its first assembly back in April has nothing much to report.
Since April, the only news it has posted on its website has been a couple of matter-of-fact pieces on the ratification of the agency’s statute and joining of new members, reference to the IPCC report on renewables published in May, and a meeting in Tonga between the Government of the Kingdom of Tonga, IRENA, and several development partners to discuss progress made and the way forward with the 2010-2020 Tonga Energy Road Map. The weather in Tonga this time of year is a very pleasant 24ºC and sunny most days.
First tangible action this year
In fact, this latest news that IRENA is hosting a meeting on renewable energy in Africa is the first real on-the-ground action we have seen for some time, apart from an IRENA-RETD workshop on recent energy sector developments and their impact on renewable energy prospects held in Bonn just this week.
The workshop on 29 June addressed the impact of six drivers on energy scenarios for the period 2015-2050 and its possible implications on renewable energy outlook and policy needs in the short term. Experts were invited to present their latest insights in this field, to assess their impact on renewable scenario outlook and to map new scenario and strategy needs. The outcomes from the workshop, IRENA says, will be published in due course.
Meanwhile, the High-Level Africa Consultative Forum on Renewable Energy in Abu Dhabi next week will, IRENA explains, “provide an opportunity for Ministers of Energy from Africa to engage with experts from Regional Economic Commissions, national entities, international partners, the UAE Government, the African Development Bank, African Union-United Nations Regional Consultative Mechanism, the European Union-Africa Energy partnership, key energy NGOs and others”. IRENA goes on to explain that it is convening the meeting to discuss specific implementation challenges facing Africa with respect to renewable energy technologies as well as practical approaches to generate the critical policy and technical information, advice and capacity that is required to support the extensive deployment of renewable energy in Africa.
More than 20 energy ministers to attend
Confirmed participants to the forum so far include energy ministers from an impressive list of nations: Angola, Burkina Faso, Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Gabon, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Seychelles, Swaziland, Tunisia, and Zimbabwe.
Also attending will be representatives from: the African Energy Policy Research Network (AFREPREN), the African Climate Policy Centre (ACPC), the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), ECOWAS Regional Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE), Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI), the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the Turkana Lake Wind Project (Kenya), and the Energy Research Institute – China.
What is clear from this list of participants is that when IRENA sets its mind to it, it is capable of putting together a strong event that traverses frontiers. Africa accounts for 5% of global primary energy use today, but it 2009, 657 million Africans relied on traditional biomass and 587 million people lacked access to electricity. The provision of energy is inextricably linked with many key challenges in developing countries, particularly in Africa, and by enabling energy ministers from around the continent to meet experts in renewable energy, IRENA can help facilitate a change in Africa’s energy mix and a move away from its dependence on imported fossil fuels.
Indeed IRENA itself recognises that “for the energy policies to fuel economic development, they would need to factor in the trends that are reflective of the change in the energy mix to modern fuels” and that “meeting energy needs and addressing the challenge of energy access and energy security is an issue of primary significance for the countries in Africa”.
The African union has strongly backed the development of renewable energy as part of the drive for universal access to energy. In March 2010, AU Heads of State and Government called on the international community to support the efforts of African least development, landlocked countries and small island developing states, in promoting the development, production and use of new and renewable sources of energy.
The Conference of Energy Ministers of Africa (CEMA), in November 2010, in the “Maptuo Declaration” made a strong commitment to: supporting measures for increased access to modern energy, energy security, promotion of renewable energies and energy efficiency both at the continental and sub-regional levels, through the Regional Economic Communities (RECs).
Let’s hope this consultative forum represents a change of gear for IRENA and that as its new Director-General settles in, the agency can arrange more events of this kind, on which Renewable Energy Magazine would be only too happy to report.
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