This year, for the first time since its initial 2005 edition, the REN21 Renewables 2011 Global Status Report was officially launched in ten countries around the world. The series began with a GSR2011 launch event in Fiji, followed by events in Germany, Ghana, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Singapore, the United States, Morocco, South Africa and Australia. The series of outreach events enabled people from the renewable energy community all around the world to participate at live presentations of GSR2011 key findings and engage in discussions about facts and figures presented in the report and the state of renewable energy in general.
The second GSR2011 Outreach Event was held by REN21 in advance of the IRENA Innovation and Technology Centre (IITC) Opening, on 7 October, in Bonn/Germany. The event was hosted by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment (BMU) and brought together speakers Janet L. Sawin – lead author of the GSR, Jürgen Becker – State Secretary of the BMU, Mohamed El Ashry – Chairman of REN21, Rainer Hinrichs-Rahlwes – Member of the Board of BEE and Karsten Sach – Deputy Director-General for International Cooperation, BMU. The event was moderated by Christine Lins, Executive Secretary of REN21. Presentation on the key facts and figures from the GSR2011, given by Janet L. Sawin, and other event details are now available here.
In Accra/Ghana, the launch event was organized back to back with the ECREEE Regional Workshop on Renewable Energy and Energy Access. Western Africa is a region where renewable energy data is scarce, the GSR launch amplified awareness of the fact that collecting, producing, and providing data on renewable energy is crucial for exploring the renewable energy potential in a strategic way. ECREE and REN21 will continue to work together for filling the existing data gaps in the region.
On the 1st of November, REN21 and IRENA jointly launched the REN21 Renewables 2011 Global Status Report in Abu Dhabi/UAE. IRENA Director General Adnan Amin opened the event and REN21 Chair Mohammad El Ashry presented the key trends and facts from the GSR2011. The launch was held at the 17th Annual Energy Conference “Global Energy Markets: Changes in the Strategic Landscape” at the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research (ECSSR).
In Cairo/Egypt, at the opening of 10th World Wind Energy Conference & Renewable Energy Exhibition dedicated to the theme “Greening Energy: Converting deserts into Powerhouses, the GSR2011 was launched in the first opening session entitled “Towards 100% Renewables,” moderated by Mr Hans-Josef Fell, Member of the German Parliament. The GSR2011 was met with great enthusiasm particularly in the context of the huge potentials of renewable energies for economic growth, sustainable energy supply and the creation of green jobs in the MENA region.
In Singapore, where the clean energy industry is expected to contribute S$1.7 billion (US$ 1,4 billion) to the GDP and create 7,000 jobs by 2015, the launch of the GSR2011 presented decision makers with a solid background on rapid renewable energy growth throughout the world and contributed to orient future energy policy decisions in the region towards renewable energy. The event was organized in cooperation with the Asian Development Bank at the Clean Energy Expo Asia, one of the flagship events of Singapore International Energy Week.
On the 15th of November, the GSR2011 launch took place in Washington DC, where the Worldwatch Institute joined Representative Rush Holt (D-NJ), Representative Edward Markey (D-MA), REN21, and a panel of energy experts. |Read more…
During the last week of November the REN21 Renewables Global Status Report was presented in Casablanca/Morocco as well as at an IRENA/NREL workshop in Denver/Colorado. The Casablanca launch event was held together with a REN21 Renewables Global Futures Report Roundtable. The event was organized by REN21, World Future Council and the African Renewables Energy Alliance in order to gain a representative overview of future renewable energy development in Africa.
In Durban/South Africa. REN21 and the World Watch Institute held a COP17 press briefing on the Global Status Report followed by a Q & A session , under the title “How Long Until We Power the Globe with Renewables? – Insights from REN21’s Renewables 2011 Global Status Report”. Watch the event video.
This year’s series of Outreach events was closed by a GSR2011 launch in Melbourne/Australia, an event held on the margins of the “7th Australian Wind Energy Conference”, that took place on the 12th and 13th of December.
The launch of the REN21 Global Status Report triggered extensive press coverage; preparations for the 2012 edition of the REN21 Global Status Report have started, its launch is planned for June 2012.
Here I sit, continuing to relish the quiet time in the office that summer affords. I know it won’t last long so I’ve been taking advantage of the calm to do some overdue research, catch-up on reading and delve a little deeper into a few renewable energy issues that have piqued my interest over the past months. This got me to thinking about the Internet, how we use it and ultimately the energy that is needed to search through billions of pieces of information and neatly line-up the results for one’s reading pleasure.
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