REN21 NEWS
Round 1 Peer Review for GSR 2021 is now live!
Round 1 Peer Review for the 2021 edition of the Renewables Global Status Report has started and we want you input. Learn more here....
From climate ambition to renewables realization – are you hopeful for a better 2021?
Needless to say, 2020 will leave its mark on history. As the gloomy year finally comes to an end and people worldwide get ready to...
REN21 is Engaging and Supporting Young Professionals
In a new effort to engage young people in the push for a transition to a renewables-based energy system, REN21 hosted its first ever REN21...
Widespread benefits at hand with renewables in heating and cooling, but needed policies are missing in action
A systematic transition is urgently needed to unlock the widespread benefits offered by using renewable energy in heating and cooling. IRENA, IEA and REN21 have...
What Do You Know About Renewables in Cities?
Peer Review has started! REN21’s Renewables in Cities Global Status Report (REC) demonstrates trends and developments on policies, energy consumption and production, financing and investment...
Decarbonising the Transport Sector with Renewables Requires Urgent Action
The transport sector is far from being on track to meet global climate targets for 2030 and 2050. Despite gains in energy efficiency, particularly in...
Academy Knowledge Library
We’ve selected some resources that you might find useful in understanding each other’s perspectives if we want to change things....
2020 REN21 Academy: Out of Silos and Into Disruptive Discussions
The 2020 REN21 Academy was a dynamic virtual event, taking place from 23-25 November 2020. This year's theme is 'Renewables Now! From evolution to revolution'....
How Will You Contribute to the Renewables 2021 GSR?
Data collection for the GSR 2021 is ongoing! You too can shape the renewable energy discussion by contributing data and information. Join us....
One Surprising Way Citizens Can Ensure the Energy Transition
A greater demand for electricity requires both renewable sources and a stronger delivery system - the grid. How can civil society help with grid improvement?...
Workshop: Engaging Civil Society in the Energy Transition – the Role of Grids
Join our virtual event discussing the role of power grids in the transition to renewable energy and how civil society can drive this change....
Inspiring Action with New Narratives and Alliances: by Rana Adib
When I participate in panel discussions on the energy transition or green recovery, I find I am often faced with the question: “Looking at the...
Public Support in the Energy Transition
Last month, British oil and gas company BP announced their plan to reach 50 gigawatts of renewable energy in its portfolio by 2030. Their focus...
California Blackouts: A Call to Move even Faster to Renewables
Reports on rolling blackouts in California are fueling a debate on the reliability of renewables. The state has been a frontrunner in shifting to renewable...
US Power Systems Can Operate on 100% Renewables. Here’s How.
Arguments against renewable energy tend to revolve around the lack of flexibility that power systems have to support the variability of wind and solar power....
Australia has the perfect conditions for renewable energy. Here’s why.
Australia has the perfect conditions for renewable energy. Sven Teske of the Institute for Sustainable Futures at the University of Technology, Sydney, speaks about frustrations...
Energy Policy Tracker Shows G20 Have Committed $151 Billion to Fossil Fuels
Are we building back better? New Energy Policy Tracker shows that governments are supporting fossil fuels over clean energy in COVID-19 recovery....
Data collection for the Renewables in Cities Global Status Report has started!
We are pleased to announce that data collection for the second edition has begun! The Renewables in Cities Global Status Report (REC) is an annual...
Renewables in Asia: A Tough Race against Fossil Fuels
The COVID-19 pandemic has been an unprecedented shock to the global economy. It has also stifled the energy sector by bringing demand down at an...
Renewable Energy Set to Replace Coal in Spain
In May, the Spanish government announced plans for full decarbonisation. In July, half the country’s coal plants were retired. REN21 analyst Duncan Gibb explains why...
GSR2020 Launch: What Happened at ACEF?
We could not meet face-to-face for this years' ACEF to launch the Renewables 2020 Global Status Report (GSR2020). We put together a virtual event: “Public Support...
5 Questions on with Rana Adib on GSR2020
We talked to our Executive Director, Rana Adib, about the key points of the newly launched Renewables 2020 Global Status Report (GSR2020). This is what...
Just Launched Renewables 2020 Global Status Report
We are pleased to announce that the Renewables 2020 Global Status Report is available now!...
Join our Online GSR2020 Launch Events
Join us for REN21’s Renewables 2020 Global Status Report (GSR2020) on 16 June 2020. REN21 is hosting a series of virtual events - and, of...
Is Renewable Energy the Definition of Resilience?
How resilient is renewable energy under the threat of COVID-19? Katie Findlay spoke to REN21 Project Manager and Analyst Thomas André about what ‘resilience’ means...
What the Renewable Energy Community Thinks about the Green Recovery Plan
Eyes and ears across Europe have turned toward Europe’s Green Recovery Plan, released last week. The plan ignited mixed reactions, including from the REN21 community....
COVID-19 Renewables Hub
The REN21 community has been particularly active in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and its socio-economic impacts. Find here a collection of resources....
Oil collapse sparks new interest in geothermal energy
REN21’s Katie Findlay spoke to Marit Brommer about potential for the geothermal sector to benefit from lower upfront costs and new partnerships with the oil...
COVID-19 recovery and climate action: Interview with Energy Cities
As decision-makers worldwide decide exactly which changes to implement, we spoke to our member Alix Bolle of Energy Cities and ask what climate actions are...
Expert’s Pick: An economic doughnut for cities post-COVID-19
Amsterdam is reshaping its economic model for COVID-19 recovery. After the crisis, will cities lead the change to more sustainable economies?...
Remembering a Giant: REvolutionaries, the Steve Sawyer Memorial Award
On Earth Day 2020, GWEC launched a memorial award in honour of Steve Sawyer, stalwart of the renewable energy movement and founding member of REN21....
Earth Day 2020: Climate action post-COVID-19
From government action to an ‘Anatomy of Action’ for our everyday lives, members of the REN21 community tell us how we can minimise climate change...
The Water-Energy Nexus: In interview with CEEW & IHA
Water use and energy production are closely connected. Energy systems use water for manufacturing and maintaining infrastructure, as well as to generate electricity. Modern water...
REN21 & COVID-19: A message from the Director
Writing an article in times of COVID-19 is a strange experience. There are just too many topics I could write about......
Round 2 Peer Review for GSR 2020 is now live!
REN21’s annual Renewables Global Status Report (GSR) is the most referenced report on renewable energy market, industry and policy trends. What you may not know is that...
REN21 & COVID-19: Strengthening ‘business as usual’ with digital connections
Despite the global health crisis caused by COVID-19, we’re still working to drive the change to renewables. With forced physical isolation, getting together digitally is more...
Financing the Renewable Future with the IsDB
We spoke with Ahmed Al Qabany and Hussein Mogaibel of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) to discuss what they are doing to help the energy...
How does our team promote gender equality in renewables?
Around International Women´s Day we asked our team what can we do to combat gender inequality in the renewable energy sector. This is what they...
#EachforEqual in the Energy Sector: An interview with GWNET
Around International Women´s Day, we’ve been thinking about what #EachforEqual means for the energy sector....
In the battle against fossil fuels, will trees save us?
This week’s Expert’s Pick takes us to the village of Paruyr Sevak in southern Armenia, where the mayor is proud to report the planting of...
Expert’s Pick: A rebuttal to the promise of ‘green growth’
Our Project Manager & Analyst Hannah E. Murdock chose an article featured in Newsweek for this week’s expert’s pick. The article, How We Can Have...
Webinars you cannot miss
Last November we launched the Renewables in Cities Global Status Report. After several presentations around the world, such as COP25 in Madrid in December and...
Expert’s Pick: Reflecting on the past 10 years in energy
This week’s expert’s pick comes in the form of a podcast, chosen by our Global Status Report intern Fiona Corcoran. Fiona picked The Energy Gang...
Expert’s Pick: Smart Cities, Dumb Cities… What’s the future of cities?
55% of the world population lives in cities. We know that cities will play a key part in the change to renewable energy. But what...
Expert’s Pick: Why there is no competition in the nuclear vs. renewables debate
For this week’s Expert’s Pick, Outreach & Communications Manager Laura E. Williamson has chosen to focus on the article, Nuclear power ‘cannot rival renewable energy’,...
Our 2018-2019 Annual Report is out
We've just released our latest annual report. The past two years have been busy, exciting and a period of exceptional growth for REN21. We continued...
Expert’s Pick: Fukushima leading Japan’s energy transition
Fukushima, a prefecture in north-east Japan notorious for the terrible nuclear accident that occurred there in March 2011, is planning to power its electricity with...
Round 1 Peer Review for GSR2020 is live
REN21's annual Renewables Global Status Report (GSR) is the most referenced report on renewable energy market, industry and policy trends. What you may not know...
Expert’s Pick: Fossil fuel companies and climate action
It could seem naive to expect some of the greatest emitters – oil and gas companies – to act in the name of climate action....
2020 is Almost Here: Reflecting on COP25
REN21 Executive Secretary Rana Adib wrote an editorial for our latest newsletter, reflecting on COP25. Read below and access our full newsletter here....
Rundown of COP25: People at the center of change
After UN Climate Change Conference (COP25) was moved from Santiago to Madrid, we were not sure what to expect. But Spain pulled off an amazing...
REN21 at COP25
REN21 will be attending the UN Climate Change Conference (COP25) in Madrid, Spain from 2 to 13 December 2019. Our focus for this COP is...
Just Launched: Our Renewables in Cities 2019 Global Status Report
We are pleased to announce that the Renewables in Cities 2019 Global Status Report is now available! This latest REN21 report (REC-GSR) provides an overview of cities’...
What happened at KIREC Seoul 2019 ?
With over 2000 participants, 30 sessions and 22 of side events, the eighth edition of the International Renewable Energy Conference (IREC) was held last week...
KIREC Daily Bulletin: The Power of Cooperation
KIREC's third day of activities brought active and fruitful discussions among the world's energy players, as they shared their experiences of successes and challenges in...
KIREC Daily Bulletin: The Power of Discussion
Wednesday began with a full agenda. South Korea's Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Sung Yun-mo kicked off the day’s activities with a passionate speech about...
Partnering with the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Seoul Metropolitan Government to host KIREC Seoul 2019
While hosted in Seoul, Korea, KIREC Seoul 2019 has relevance for the region as a whole. Asia and the Pacific is the fastest growing region...
Planning the Future: What REN21 is doing to build the energy system of tomorrow
In order to reach goals set by the Paris Agreement in 2015, planning needs to happen now. This especially applies to electricity grids, whose long...
The Inconvenience of (Not) Speaking Up
Read the latest editorial from our Executive Secretary, Rana Adib. This editorial was featured in the October edition of our quarterly newsletter....
Review the Renewables in Cities 2019 Global Status Report
Peer Review for the full first edition of the Renewables in Cities 2019 Global Status Report (REC-GSR) is available and needs your expert input....
This is what happened at Asia Pacific Climate Week 2019
REN21 recently attended Asia-Pacific Climate Week (APCW) 2019 held in Bangkok. Fifty percent of the global population lives in Asia and the region is responsible...
Review the Asia-Pacific Renewable Energy Status Report
After the release of the Preliminary Findings of the Renewables in Cities – Global Status Report at the International Conference on Climate Action in Heidelberg,...
Expert’s pick; ‘Gas and oil firms reclassified under non-renewables on London Stock Exchange (LSE)’
Bad news for fossil fuels and a step forward for renewable energy. Oil and gas companies listed in the London Stock Exchange have been classified...
Heading to KIREC Seoul 2019: latest updates
KIREC Seoul 2019 is fast approaching and we still have many things to do. This is why part of the REN21 team went to Seoul...
What happened at ACEF 2019?
It’s now been two weeks since our team coordinated the “Renewable Energy Transition: Is Asia Leading?” Deep Dive Workshop (DDW) on the first day of...
EUSEW + GSR: What was the outcome?
Last week our Renewables 2019 Global Status Report (GSR) was launched globally. The EU Energy Sustainable Week was an opportunity to not only present the...
REN21 has a new logo!
Our new logo reflects REN21’s dynamic personality, its current and future relevance, its spirit of innovation. The lines symbolise the REN21 network; different colours represent...
Renewables in Cities workshop: what were the main outcomes?
After the release of the Preliminary Findings of the Renewables in Cities – Global Status Report at the International Conference on Climate Action in Heidelberg,...
Participate in the Asia and the Pacific Renewable Energy Status Report
Asia is the fastest growing region in the world, which requires increasing energy supplies to fuel its rapid pace of economic expansion. The considerable renewable...
Webinars, webinars, webinars
June is a month full of exciting news for REN21. We’ve launched the Renewables 2019 Global Status Report (GSR); now we have the chance to...
Find out where the Renewables 2019 Global Status Report is being launched
The new Renewables 2019 Global Status Report (GSR) was released this week and we have made a list of all the launch events, so you...