International Renewable Energy Agency facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
International Renewable Energy Agency

(Green) Countries which have ratified the IRENA      (Light-blue) Countries which have signed, but not yet ratified the IRENA
Formation	26 January 2009; 16 years ago (2009-01-26)
Type	International organization
Legal status	Treaty organization
Purpose	Promotion of renewable energy
Headquarters	Masdar City, United Arab Emirates
Location	Abu Dhabi
Membership	168 states and the European Union (2024)
Director-General	Francesco La Camera
Main organ	Assembly
Budget	$33 million (2020)

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) is a special group of countries that work together. Their main goal is to help the world use more renewable energy. Renewable energy comes from natural sources that don't run out, like sunlight, wind, and water. IRENA helps countries share ideas, learn new things, and use these clean energy sources.

It's the first international group focused only on renewable energy. It helps both industrial (developed) and developing countries. IRENA started in 2009, and its rules became official on July 8, 2010. Its main office is in Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates. The current leader of IRENA is Francesco La Camera from Italy. IRENA also works closely with the United Nations.

How IRENA Started

People started talking about an international group for renewable energy way back in the 1980s. Groups like Eurosolar and the World Wind Energy Association pushed for IRENA for many years. In 1990, Austria even suggested the idea to the United Nations. A German politician named Hermann Scheer was a big supporter of this idea.

In 2010, the World Wind Energy Association gave an award to the countries that founded IRENA. They said that creating IRENA was "the most important decision ever taken" for renewable energy. They believed it sent a strong message that clean energy would be key for the future.

Early Meetings and Founding

Many meetings happened since 1981 to discuss forming IRENA. A big meeting, called the Preparatory Conference, took place on April 10-11, 2008. Representatives from 54 countries attended. They talked about what IRENA would do, how it would be organized, and how it would be paid for. Everyone agreed that the world needed to quickly switch to clean, sustainable energy with help from an international group.

The official Founding Conference for IRENA was held in Bonn, Germany, on January 26, 2009. At this meeting, 75 countries signed the agreement to create the agency. The agreement became official on July 8, 2010. This happened 30 days after 25 countries officially approved the agreement.

Choosing Leaders and Headquarters

After the founding, the countries met again in Bonn on January 27, 2009. They decided how to choose IRENA's first temporary leader and its temporary main office. They also set up a committee to help plan IRENA's first projects and budget.

The second meeting of the Preparatory Commission was in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on June 29-30, 2009. Here, they chose Hélène Pelosse as the temporary Director-General. They also decided that the temporary main office would be in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. This was a big moment because the UAE became the first developing country to host a major international organization.

Later, in October 2010, Adnan Amin from Kenya became the Deputy Interim Director-General. He took over as temporary leader after Hélène Pelosse resigned. On April 4, 2011, Adnan Amin officially became IRENA's first Director-General.

Important Reports and Events

IRENA has held many events where member countries can discuss how to promote renewable energy. They also do important research to find solutions for the future. On September 8, 2014, IRENA released a big report called REthinking energy. This report encouraged countries to use renewable energy technologies faster. It said this was the best way to lower carbon emissions and avoid serious climate change.

Adnan Amin explained that global energy systems are changing. He warned that if we keep using old ways of thinking, we won't avoid the worst effects of climate change.

International Day of Clean Energy

On August 25, 2023, the United Nations General Assembly made an important decision. They declared January 26 as the International Day of Clean Energy. This date was chosen because it's the anniversary of IRENA's founding in 2009.

What IRENA Aims to Do

IRENA wants to be the main group leading the world towards using more renewable energy. It aims to:

• Be the global voice for renewable energies.
• Give helpful advice and support to both developed and developing countries.
• Help countries improve their rules and systems for renewable energy.
• Make it easier to get information about renewable energy. This includes data on how much renewable energy is possible, good practices, ways to pay for it, and the newest technology.

IRENA also gives advice to governments on policies for renewable energy. It helps with building skills and sharing technology. IRENA also works with other groups that focus on renewable energy, like REN21.

Countries that are Members

To join IRENA, a country must be a member of the United Nations. It must also agree to follow IRENA's rules. On January 9, 2019, Canada became IRENA's 160th member. As of July 2022, 168 countries and the European Union are members of IRENA. Another 17 countries are in the process of joining.

How IRENA is Organized

IRENA has a clear structure to help it work effectively.

The Assembly

The Assembly is IRENA's main governing body. It includes one representative from each member country. The Assembly meets once a year. During these meetings, they discuss all of IRENA's management topics. This includes the budget, new membership requests, and yearly goals. The 9th Assembly was in January 2019, and the 10th Assembly was scheduled for January 11-12 in Abu Dhabi.

The Council

The IRENA Council has 21 elected officials from different member countries. Each official serves for two years and reports to the Assembly. Council members rotate to make sure that countries of different sizes, locations, and development levels are fairly represented. The Council directly handles IRENA's budget and annual reports.

The Secretariat

The Secretariat is like the executive team of IRENA. It includes the Director-General and their staff. The Secretariat helps the Council and Assembly and provides them with technical support. The current Director-General of IRENA is Francesco La Camera from Italy. He started his role on April 4, 2019.

IRENA's first Director-General was Adnan Z. Amin from Kenya. He was elected in April 2011 and served two terms until April 2019. After his time as Director-General, he was given the special title of Director-General Emeritus. During his leadership, IRENA helped with important global agreements like the Paris Agreement. IRENA's membership also grew to include almost all countries worldwide.

Working with the United Nations

Many UN organizations work on renewable energy. However, IRENA is the only one focused on promoting 100% renewable energy around the world. IRENA and the UN work together to speed up the change in how the world gets its energy.

Hélène Pelosse, a former temporary Director-General of IRENA, met with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in 2009. They discussed how IRENA and various UN groups could work together in the future. IRENA also wants to cooperate with the UN and related organizations. This includes groups like the World Bank and UNEP. They want to work together on education, training, funding, and access to energy.

Renewable Energy Facts and Figures

IRENA collects and shares information about how much electricity is made from renewable energy sources. They gather this data from 2013 to 2023. They get their information from their own surveys, official country statistics, industry reports, and news.

In March 2024, IRENA released a report showing a big increase in global renewable electricity. In 2023, renewable energy capacity grew by 473 gigawatts (GW). This means that 86% of all new power plants built that year used renewable energy. China was the biggest contributor to this growth. The report also showed that solar energy capacity grew a lot, reaching 1.42 terawatts (TW). This means solar energy now produces more power than hydropower. Wind power also reached a big milestone, going over 1 TW of capacity.

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