The transition to renewables cuts across the entire urban energy landscape, from buildings to transport, to industry and power. Renewables can bring tremendous benefits to cities, including cleaner air, modern services and improved living spaces.

The number of people without access to electricity is estimated at more than a billion, while almost 2.9 billion still rely on traditional, unsustainable biomass sources such as firewood for cooking and heating. About 80% of those lacking modern energy access live in rural areas, which also host more than 70% of the world’s poor.

Africa has abundant renewable energy resources. Traditionally reliant on hydropower, the continent is turning to solar photovoltaics (PV) to bolster energy security and support rapid economic growth in a sustainable manner.

Access to electricity is vital for socio-economic development. But power cannot be extended to everyone solely through national electricity grids. Off-grid renewable energy solutions are crucial to achieve universal access to electricity.

Energy use in transport accounts for around one-third of global final energy consumption, and demand is growing rapidly, at about 1% annually. Transport has the lowest renewable energy share of any sector, making progress in this area crucial for the global transition to a sustainable energy system.

The Group of Twenty (G20) has a leading role in technology development and innovation that can help to accelerate renewable energy deployment. The financing institutions within the G20 represent the bulk of the global financing system.

Scaling up renewable energy calls for mobilising a massive investment increase. Renewables bring far reaching benefits in terms of human health, energy access, environmental protection and the response to climate change, along with the potential to create new jobs around the world.

Solar photovoltaic (PV) power generation is poised to revolutionise the electrical system in countries around the world. From around 2% in 2016, the share of global electricity generated from solar PV to grow to as much as 13% by 2030, according to this report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

Increasing economies of scale, more competitive supply chains and further technological improvements will continue reducing the costs of solar and wind power. The same factors will also boost the availability of these key renewable power sources at night and in varying weather conditions.