A new organisation promoting the development and use of renewable energies was launched on January 26 in the former German capital, Bonn. The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) will advise industrialised and developing nations on ways of reducing their dependency on oil, coal and gas. Speaking at the opening event, German Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel said the potential for renewable energies is huge, and needs more help to achieve a global breakthrough. “IRENA will be the new mouthpiece for renewable energies,” he said.
IRENA is intended to provide a counterbalance to the International Energy Agency and the International Atomic Energy Agency, by becoming a driving force behind renewable technologies such as sun, wind, water and geothermal energy sources. The organisation aims to facilitate the transfer of renewable technologies to developing countries rich in renewable energy resources, such as sunshine.
Germany, one of the world’s leading developers in solar energy, stands to benefit not just from the environmental do-good factor, as IRENA could lead to lucrative partnerships with developing countries. German Foreign Ministry representative Gernot Erler was quoted by the press as saying that the development of renewable energies would offer economic opportunities, adding that “Germany in particular is well positioned with its outstanding environmental technology.”