The power sector lies at the heart of the global energy transition, which will rely on increased electrification of end uses and the adoption of variable renewable energy (VRE) such as wind and solar PV as the main sources of electricity; however, today’s power systems embody an era in which generation depended on large centralised and dispatcha

Renewable electricity capacity additions broke another record in 2021 and biofuels demand almost recovered to pre-Covid levels, despite the continuation of logistical challenges and increasing prices.

The global wind industry had its second-best year in 2021, with almost 94 GW of capacity added globally, trailing behind the 2020’s record growth by only 1.8%.

This report contains the latest developments and good practices to develop grid connection codes for power systems with high shares of variable renewable energy – solar photovoltaic and wind. The analysis is an update of the 2016 IRENA report Scaling up variable renewable power: The role of grid codes.

The Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC) has published Capturing Green Recovery Opportunities from Wind Power in Developing Economies.

India can potentially create about 3.4 million jobs (short and long term) by installing 238 GW solar and 101 GW new wind capacity to achieve the 500 GW non-fossil electricity generation capacity by 2030 goal. These jobs represent those created in the wind and on-grid solar energy sectors.

The Indian utility-scale RE sector was characterised by contrasting fortunes in 2020 and the first half (H1) of 2021. Interest to invest remained robust even amid the COVID-19 disruption with solar PV and hybrid solar-wind capacity awarded rising 35% year-over-year to 21 GW in 2020.

This analysis looks at how project risks and risk perception for wind and solar have evolved from 2011 to 2020 to understand the impact of policies on the RE sector. It tracks the credit ratings of wind and solar projects and maps them against significant RE policies on a timeline.

How can the ocean contribute renewable energy to the African ‘Blue Economy’, bringing opportunities to millions of Africans and reducing or replacing carbon emissions, and which strategic actions can help it reach this potential?