RT B: IRENA

With 75 percent of global energy consumption and only two percent of global land use, cities are both an opportunity and challenge for accelerating the deployment of renewables. Limited space means that renewables should be introduced in conjunction with energy efficiency measures and that options for renewables in the cities’ hinterland should be explored. The role of cities for the deployment of renewables will become only stronger in the foreseeable future. The urban population is projected to increase from 52% in 2010 to 60% in 2030, adding an additional 1.4 billion people to cities. This means that every year, an estimated 71 million people will be added to the urban population. For megacities (more than 10 million inhabitants), this means that energy infrastructures created need to be cost-effective and reliable. This will be particularly challenging for Asia which already hosts 23 out of the 36 megacities in the world.

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) identified seven priority areas for action to ensure that renewables are integrated into cities. These include:

• Integration of renewables in low-energy buildings
• Support for renewables for heating and cooling
• Creation of local power grids for renewables integration
• Support for electric mobility
• Assessment of local usage of cooking fuels and waste
• Integration of renewables into the cities’ sustainability agenda
• Creation of dedicated financing mechanisms for renewable energy projects in cities

The IRENA Roundtable will provide a platform for sharing best practices in each of these seven priority areas, and assess and discuss their relevance for Asia.

The roundtable will discuss the following questions:

• Which of the seven priority areas are particularly relevant for both megacities and smaller cities in Asia?
• How can national renewable energy policies support the deployment of renewables in cities?
• What can international organisations do to support the deployment of renewables in cities at a local level?

Read the full abstract here

Download presentation slides here.