Seventy-five countries become IRENA members
January 12, 2009
BY Anna Austin
Web exclusive posted Jan. 29, 2009, at 12:49 p.m. CST
More than 100 countries attended the founding meeting of the International Renewable Energy Agency in Bonn, Germany, on Jan. 26. Seventy-five countries signed the founding document of IRENA, an organization formed to become a driving force in promoting a rapid transition towards the widespread and sustainable use of renewable energy on a global scale.
Representatives from the American Council On Renewable Energy attended IRENA's meeting as an invited observer. ACORE is a non-profit group which represents more than 550 international members from various associations, education centers and other entities from all renewable energy sectors, including biofuels and biomass.
In the past, the U.S. President George W. Bush administration had declined invites for the U.S. to become a member of IRENA. John Geesman, co-chairman of ACORE board of directors, said ACORE is hopeful and confident that the decision will be reversed by the current President Barack Obama's administration. "We urge Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to take this up as a matter of symbolic urgency that aligns the U.S. with the rest of the world," he said.
Obama's energy plan includes generating 10 percent of U.S. electricity from renewable sources by 2012, and 25 percent by 2025.
Other notable speakers at IRENA's meeting included Andris Piebalgs, energy commissioner for the European Commission, and Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, federal minister for the German Economic Cooperation and Development.
IRENA's main initiatives include the provision of concrete policy advice for developed and developing countries to help them improve their regulatory frameworks, the promotion of technology transfer and provision of advice on financing, and the facilitation of access to all relevant information including reliable data on the potential of renewable energy, best practices, effective financial mechanisms and state-of-the-art technological expertise.
IRENA will begin operating as soon as possible, beginning with the selection of the interim director-general, the committee for the selection of the interim headquarters and an administrative committee.
More than 100 countries attended the founding meeting of the International Renewable Energy Agency in Bonn, Germany, on Jan. 26. Seventy-five countries signed the founding document of IRENA, an organization formed to become a driving force in promoting a rapid transition towards the widespread and sustainable use of renewable energy on a global scale.
Representatives from the American Council On Renewable Energy attended IRENA's meeting as an invited observer. ACORE is a non-profit group which represents more than 550 international members from various associations, education centers and other entities from all renewable energy sectors, including biofuels and biomass.
In the past, the U.S. President George W. Bush administration had declined invites for the U.S. to become a member of IRENA. John Geesman, co-chairman of ACORE board of directors, said ACORE is hopeful and confident that the decision will be reversed by the current President Barack Obama's administration. "We urge Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to take this up as a matter of symbolic urgency that aligns the U.S. with the rest of the world," he said.
Obama's energy plan includes generating 10 percent of U.S. electricity from renewable sources by 2012, and 25 percent by 2025.
Other notable speakers at IRENA's meeting included Andris Piebalgs, energy commissioner for the European Commission, and Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, federal minister for the German Economic Cooperation and Development.
IRENA's main initiatives include the provision of concrete policy advice for developed and developing countries to help them improve their regulatory frameworks, the promotion of technology transfer and provision of advice on financing, and the facilitation of access to all relevant information including reliable data on the potential of renewable energy, best practices, effective financial mechanisms and state-of-the-art technological expertise.
IRENA will begin operating as soon as possible, beginning with the selection of the interim director-general, the committee for the selection of the interim headquarters and an administrative committee.
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