This brief quantifies air pollution and climate change externalities related to fossil fuels and the extent these can be reduced with higher uptake of renewables.

Increasing the share of renewable power from variable sources, namely solar and wind energy, requires technological developments to be accompanied by well-designed regulations for grid management and operation.

Substantial potential exists to expand both food and fuel supply in a sustainable fashion.

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) produces comprehensive renewable energy statistics on a range of topics. This publication presents renewable power generation capacity statistics for the last decade (2006-2015).

Doubling renewables in the global energy mix by 2030 is not only feasible, but cheaper than not doing so. Economic savings would far exceed the costs. It would create more jobs, boost economic growth and save millions of lives annually through reduced air pollution.

This brief examines the expected impact of China’s power sector on water and climate in 2030. Building on plans announced at COP21 in Paris and earlier analyses by China Water Risk and IRENA, it assesses the impact of different options for China’s power mix in 2030 on water use and carbon emissions.

This report from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) provides the first quantification of the macroeconomic impact of doubling the global share of renewables in the energy mix by 2030.

Many islands face shortages of fresh water. Desalination using renewable energy can meet their water needs at reduced costs, this report finds. Desalination methods such as reverse osmosis (RO) or multi-effect distillation (MED) can be combined with solar photovoltaic (PV) or concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies.

Emission reductions from renewables, coupled with energy efficiency improvements, must be at the heart of any effort to limit global temperature rise to two degrees Celsius, according to a report released by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

A transformation of power grids towards reliance on mainly renewable energy sources has begun. But the course of this transition is sure to vary depending on local conditions.