Sian Crampsie
Energy ministers from the G20 countries have endorsed an 11-point communiqué promoting the importance of renewable energy, clean energy innovation, energy security and market transparency.
At the first-ever G20 Energy Ministers Meeting, held in Istanbul, Turkey, in early October, the energy ministers and heads of international organizations issued the communiqué, which places a strong emphasis on renewable energy deployment and which includes the adoption of a renewable energy "toolkit".
"The G20 countries hold 75 per cent of total global deployment potential and 70 per cent of total global investment potential for renewable energy between now and 2030," said Adnan Z. Amin, Director-General of the international Renewable Energy Agency (Irena). "With this tremendous market opportunity before them, concerted and coordinated action undertaken by G20 countries to advance renewable energy can really move the needle on global deployment as we transition to a clean energy future.
"This serious and thorough engagement with renewable energy by the G20 sends a strong signal to the international community, particularly as governments march towards the pivotal climate talks in Paris taking place later this year."
The toolkit is designed to help countries customize their policy frameworks to align national sustainable development priorities with their domestic context. It focuses on five key areas: driving down technology costs; exchanging good practices on enabling policy frameworks and power system integration; mobilizing finance through risk mitigation; technology potentials and roadmaps, and; accelerating the deployment of modern bioenergy.
"Renewable energy has made incredible progress in recent years and there is no doubt of its potential for long-term growth and ability to contribute to a path of sustainable development," said H.E. Ali Riza Alaboyun, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources of Turkey. "We welcome the adoption of the renewable energy toolkit as it is in line with the Turkish G20 Presidency's 'three I' priorities of Inclusiveness, Investment for growth and Implementation."
The renewable energy toolkit and the supporting analysis were prepared by Irena in close cooperation with other international organizations including the International Energy Agency, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and the World Bank.
The energy ministers have requested Irena to coordinate the future toolkit work under the direction of the G20 Energy Sustainability Working Group, which will reconvene in 2016 under the guidance of the next G20 presidency, China.
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