Supporting actions for achieving Universal Access to Sustainable Energy.

This policy brief presents an overview of current developments in the renewable ammonia and methanol sectors at the global level as well the renewable hydrogen sector in North Africa. It describes ongoing cooperation agreements between the European Union and North African countries, hydrogen strategies, the current status of renewable electricity generation and projects under development. It also presents needs for green skills in the renewable hydrogen sector.

Global warming is one of our planet's greatest challenges. Data science has developed a powerful tool to combat global warming. It uses various methods to analyse the details and understand the most difficult components of climate change, such as machine learning and data visualisation. Data science helps people understand how climate change is affecting our world in different ways because of its enormous amount of information about the climate. For example, data science methods are used to study how climate change affects marine life, land use, food supply and the spread of disease.

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Since 2000, the number of people worldwide with access to electricity has increased from 75% to 90% by 2020, a significant improvement. Despite access, electricity often does not work, is unreliable and/or too expensive to use.  For too many people, access to electricity has not brought significant benefits to their daily lives. At least 1.18 billion people live in energy poverty and are unable to use electricity - 60% more than the 733 million people who lacked access to electricity in 2020. According to the World Bank, there are 447 million people who do not have access to electricity, even though they are officially electrified. Some people cannot use electricity, because they do not have access to services or appliances, or they cannot afford their bills.

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This policy brief provides a general overview of green skills in the energy sector, and further addresses green skills in the solar PV sector, in the sustainable building sector and the inclusion of women and importance of gender equality in the energy transition based on theoretical analysis, policy measures and best practice examples. It is crucial to take measures to mitigate the risk of skills shortages, support the new skill development, re- and upskill existing workforce and match market requirements with the skills qualifications.

The Chaillot Declaration is an internationally endorsed roadmap consisting of methods and goals for decarbonising the building sector. The Declaration was drafted within the Buildings and Climate Global Forum held in France from 7^th to 8^th March 2024.

GFSE event Green Skills in the Sustainable Building Sector took place on Thursday, 2 May 2024, at the Flemings Hotel Wien-Stadthalle in Vienna. In collaboration with the University of Applied Sciences – Campus Vienna, this event aimed to address current critical challenges in the field of sustainable buildings. The uploaded presentations can be found  here.

IVECF Solution Event "High wellbeing with low energy demand towards modern net-zero cities" took place on the 3rd November 2023 in Rittersaal Hofburg, Vienna. The aim of the session was to identify pathways to a just net-zero society through solutions for urban transformation, decarbonization and reducing energy demand in the building sector.

The conference for renewable heating and cooling in integrated urban and industrial energy systems will take place on the 10th and 11th April 2024 in Messecongress Graz, Austria.

In March 2023, the renewable energy trade associations and representatives of installers of clean technologies set up a large-scale renewable energy skills partnership. The partnership receives support of the European Commission.

UN-Energy aims to achieve a double goal: to eliminate energy poverty and to address climate change through renewable and sustainable energy for all - this represents the SDG7. The 2021 High-Level Energy Dialogue emphasized the urgency of accelerating the energy transition.

International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) in the cooperation with International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and SELCO Foundation have published a report about findings and recommendations on the use of decentralised solar photovoltaic (PV) solutions for selected food value chains in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region.

In the renewable energy sector still remains a significant gender gap in access and consumption, as well as in the workforce. Women are underrepresented in the energy sector compared to the global labour force (48%). The numbers are slightly higher in the renewable industry (32%) compared to the conventional energy sector (28%). Most women work in office-related corporate functions such as human resources, finance, and customer service. The numbers in higher positions that could influence decision-making remain especially low. Also, the number of women in technical careers is still very low.

On Tuesday, 20.09. 2022, a virtual GFSE event "Young Women and Green Skills" took place. The event was introduced by GFSE President and former Ambassador MMag. Dr. Irene Giner-Reichl. She sketched a first picture and the contents of the event and emphasized that increasing the involvement of young women in the clean energy sector is very important to advance the energy transition quickly. Women are still highly underrepresented in the energy sector.

Europe needs to reduce consumption of Russian natural gas by diversifying its suppliers, reducing gas consumption and switching to other energy carriers, including renewable energy. This policy brief presents an overview of current developments in the natural gas and the renewable hydrogen sectors in Africa. It provides some suggestions for possible cooperation between the European Union and the African continent on LNG and green hydrogen markets.

Regarding energy in North Africa, all countries have two things in common: growing demand for power and a high potential for renewables, especially wind and solar. While having seemingly similar prospects and needs, their paths and motivations for investing in renewables vary.

Tunisia has significant potential for renewable energy, particularly wind and solar power. However, the country is still heavily dependent on fossil gas for electricity generation and is currently facing an energy crisis. The Tunisian Solar Plan foresees a share of renewable electricity of 35% and an installed capacity of 4GW by 2030.

The GIZ in cooperation with the Tunisian Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy (MIME) has launched the project “Green hydrogen for sustainable growth and a low-carbon economy in Tunisia” (H2Vert.TUN) in June 2022. The project aims at supporting the Tunisian Ministry of Industry, Mines and Energy (MIME), which coordinates the development of renewable hydrogen and PtX in Tunisia, with the development of a hydrogen market.

Morocco has a large potential for renewable energy and has made some progress with the development of renewable electricity. In 2021, Morocco had installed 3,522 MW of renewable electricity capacity. This accounted for about 32% of the total installed capacity in the country.

Egypt has a significant potential for renewable energy. The Integrated Sustainable Energy Strategy has set the target to generate 42% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2035. Egypt has also plans to develop electricity interconnectors with several African countries. In 2021, the renewable electricity installed capacity was about 6,226 MW, which amounted to about 10.55% of the total installed capacity (approx. 59 GW).

The Global Guidance document provides an overview of Education on Green Jobs. It contains connections to many resources and includes key actions for educators preparing students to participate in the just transition to a green and more inclusive economy. It is targeted at the higher education community, educators, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), governments, employers, and youth organizations. The document's purpose is to support strategic planning and collaborative efforts with higher education and each other.

Europe needs to reduce consumption of Russian natural gas by diversifying its suppliers, reducing gas consumption and switching to other energy carriers, including renewable energy. This policy brief presents an overview of current developments in the natural gas and the renewable hydrogen sectors in Africa. It provides some suggestions for possible cooperation between the European Union and the African continent on LNG and green hydrogen markets.

Concerning the occupational gender gap, the energy sector lags behind compared to the global workforce average in occupation types, hierarchical positioning, and entrepreneurship. Global goals related to empowering women in renewable energy can be found in several SDG's, and an example is given for the effect policy can have on job accessibility for women. This Policy Brief shows best practice examples by sector, giving insight into programs supporting women in wind energy, photovoltaics, and geothermal energy.

UPSHIFT is a collaborative effort, with UNICEF to fight youth unemployment by fostering social entrepreneurship. By design, UPSHIFT explicitly seeks to engage disadvantaged communities, including girls, young people with disabilities, refugees, and ethnic minority communities and has been implemented in 38 countries.

The Global Guidance document provides an overview of Education on Green Jobs. It contains connections to many resources and includes key actions for educators preparing students to participate in the just transition to a green and more inclusive economy.

During the 2022 IRENA Youth Forum "Global Youth Gather to Spur Action on Energy Transition", over 400 young energy leaders gathered to call on organizations, governments, the private sector, academia, and civil society to take action.

RES4Africa published a " Youth Agenda " containing recommendations of youth representatives from two youth events they held.

This Policy Brief argues that a successful energy transition must be driven by a workforce with skills and knowledge in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and sustainability, as it will be accompanied by a period in which new jobs will be created, certain jobs will be eliminated, and a number of jobs will be transformed. Education and training systems need to be redesigned to align with national and international priorities to minimize negative impacts on employment and create opportunities for decent jobs that ensure social and gender equity.

On Wednesday, the 1st of December, the Global Forum for Sustainable Energy (GFSE) hosted a virtual event entitled "Youth and Green Skills." Issues of climate change and energy transition concern all generations. This workshop aimed to discuss possibilities for youth engagement in climate and energy policy. With experienced speakers, we were able to learn and debate local, international and global approaches.

GN-SEC side event: “Accelerating the energy transition through integrated and inclusive regional renewable energy and energy efficiency product and service markets within the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)”

Registration link: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_TSBwge1xQZKihJ9oSKTQ7A

In the framework of the 9th Ministerial Conference of Least Developed Countries (LDCs), taking place in Vienna, Austria, from 25 to 26 November, UNIDO is organizing a side event entitled "Accelerating the energy transition through integrated and inclusive regional markets for renewable energy and energy efficiency products and services within the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)." Experts from the African Union, regional sustainable energy centers, and the private sector will be attending the conference.

UNIDO, SIDS DOCK (Small Island Sustainable Energy and Climate Resilience Organization) and ACRE (Stimson Alliance for a Climate Resilient Earth) are organizing the COP26 Side Event: Call To Action! for the Establishment of the Global Ocean Energy Alliance (GOEA) on Thursday, 11 November 2021.

The young generation has great potential to contribute to the energy transition in a variety of ways, for example by participating in decision-making processes at local and international level and as a skilled workforce supporting the development of value chains in renewable energy, energy efficiency and clean mobility. The objective of this workshop is to discuss possibilities and identify measures for the engagement of the youth in the energy transition in developing countries. This virtual Workshop will be held in German Language on 1st December 2021.

Today Secretary-General António Guterres issued the Global Roadmap for Accelerated SDG 7 Action in Support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

The most recent Policy Brief was published on the GFSE homepage and deals with the topic of youth and the energy transition. The GFSE Policy Brief #12 looks at key elements of youh engagement and green skills for the youth and highlights examples of relevant initiatives. 

Ms. Giner-Reichl, president of GFSE received the 2021 ISES Global Leadership Award in Advancing Solar Energy Policy 

IRENA  has published its Annual Review on global renewable energy employment. It contains not only the findings on the employment situation in 2020 but also models scenarios of the impact of the energy transition on employment up to 2050.

The Global Commission for People-Centred Clean Energy Transitions  has presented 12 recommendations from national leaders, ministers and civil society representatives address issues of jobs, worker protection, equality, social inclusion and fairness. They also emphasise the vital importance of protecting workers and communities that might be negatively affected by clean energy transitions. The recommendations also include advice on how to ensure all policies have equity and social inclusion at the heart of their design, and how to engage all citizens as active participants in transitions.

“Ocean energy development is critical to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for Small Island Developing States (SIDS). It is the foundation for the blue economy that will help make us more resilient, and increase our ability to build back better, but we need assistance from our development partners.”

Call for Abstracts is open now!

Let’s shape the global energy agenda at the 2nd International Sustainable Energy Conference – ISEC 2022, taking place from 5 – 7 April 2022 in Graz, Austria.


 

The Renewables 2021 Global Status Report (GSR.) provides an overview of the renewable energy markets, investments and policies around the world.

The first ever YouthforVEF took place on 5th July 2021 as part of the Vienna Energy Forum.

This event brought together representatives from the renewable energy sector to discuss challenges and bottlenecks, and exchange experiences on green skills that are needed to scale up renewables.

The High Level Dialogue on Energy 2021 represents the first inclusive global gathering on energy under the auspices of the General Assembly since the UN Conference on New and Renewable Sources of Energy held in Nairobi in 1981.

The Vienna Energy Forum 2021 will facilitate a multi-sectoral, multi-stakeholder and interdisciplinary dialogue on sustainable energy for inclusive development and productive capacities.

On 18 May 2021, the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21) is hosting and co-hosting two events.

The Global Forum on Sustainable Energy regularly published a number of short reports, called Policy Briefs, on various topics related to sustainable development, energy, climate change adaptation and mitigation as well as international cooperation. They serve as tools to aid the interaction and knowledge exchange between stakeholders, policy makers and technical experts.

Realizing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) comes with several challenges and despite many efforts taken by the industry, companies, investors and citizens.

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and CARICOM Development Fund (CDF) signed a Memorandum of Understanding to facilitate the transition of Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS) from fossil-fuel dependency to a more resilient and sustainable low greenhouse gas emissions economic development model.

A recent survey conducted by IRENA on renewable energy workforce demonstrates that the energy sector is still lagging behind in terms of a gender-balanced workforce and that only 32% of the employees are women.

The COVID-19 crisis caused an unforeseeable economic shock that forced national governments to look at new, innovative incentives and comprehensives to stimulate growth and recovery. At the same time, the crisis brings with it unique opportunities to advance gender equality in the energy system transformation and to create an inclusive economic response.

Citizen engagement is the core element of the energy transition. The REN21 2020 Global Status Report (GSR) reveals there is a growing public demand to shift away from fossil fuels.

Energising Development (EnDev) has recently published a paper on “Linking Off-Grid Solar Energy Companies to a Credit Reference System”. The Pay As You Go (PAYG) business model played a significant role in the uptake of off grid solar solutions (OGS).

The East African Community (EAC) and Southern African Development Community (SADC) regions are taking important steps towards the adoption of Energy Efficient Lighting and Appliances (EELA).

The VEF virtual series is an online discussion platform established under the umbrella of the Vienna Energy Forum to build momentum in the lead-up to the main event, which will be taking place on the 6th and 7th of July 2021 at the Hofburg Imperial Palace in Vienna, Austria.

In support of the critically important discussions at this year’s High-Level Political Forum (HLPF), the third compilation of SDG 7 Policy Briefs was published to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goal 7 (ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all).

The REN21 Renewables 2020 Global Status Report, which was published on the 16th of June 2020, provides an overview of the latest developments on the renewable energy transition through the end of 2019.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) published its new Global Energy Review on 30th of April 2020.

Due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, international organizations and political leaders have to tackle comprehensive challenges and address the social and economic impacts of the crisis, while taking into account the long-term implications.

The Global Women’s Network for the Energy Transition (GWNET) recently launched the study on “Women for Sustainable Energy: Strategies to Foster Women’s Talent for Transformational Change” in order to exploit opportunities for women and facilitate a more inclusive energy transition.

Despite the lack of energy access, energy demand is very high due to the economic activities and rapid population growth in Burkina Faso.

Acacia Innovations is one of the winners of the 2020 Energy Access Booster Award, which by its briquettes and cooking stoves contributes to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

To help Bangladesh cope with one of the largest forced exoduses, the Word Bank granted financing for three projects, which will help the country address the needs of the host communities and the displaced Rohingya in Cox’s Bazar district.

Against the background of the COVID-19 crisis, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has recently published a number of articles on the importance of a green and inclusive recovery. Such a recovery would not only provide jobs and boost the economy, but would also put broader goals related to well-being at the centre by focusing on building resilience and integrating climate action into economic decisions.

Due to the outbreak of COVID-19, the international event calendar had to undergo several changes. This preventive measure has been taken to safeguard the health of all participants, partners and staff.

The Barefoot College, founded in 1972 in the rural outpost of Tilonia, India, believes in the potential of the rural poor. It manages a network with women at heart with the ultimate aim to facilitate sustainable development in communities where poverty exists.

In the light of the global pandemic, the United Nations published a document titled ‘Shared responsibility, global solidarity’ elaborating on the potential long-term effects of COVID-19 on the global economy.

The Network of Africa Women Environmentalists (NAWE) recently launched a new initiative called the Earth Science Cafes. Each café event will have a specific theme with the overall goal of bringing science and society together.

In the light of the global pandemic, the United Nations published a document titled ‘Shared responsibility, global solidarity’ elaborating on the potential long-term effects of COVID-19 on the global economy.

The Global Women’s Network for the Energy Transition (GWNET) recently launched the study on “Women for Sustainable Energy: Strategies to Foster Women’s Talent for Transformational Change” in order to exploit opportunities for women and facilitate a more inclusive energy transition.

REN21 recently published its first Renewables in Cities: Global Status Report (REC-GSR), which provides a comprehensive overview of the current trends and developments of renewable energy in cities.

In order to mobilize low-carbon, climate-resilient investments, a new global public platform launched by the Green Climate Fund, IRENA, SEforAll and UNDP, will increase the flow of capital in developing countries to meet climate ambitions.

The 3rd International Conference on Small Island Developing States resulted in the adoption of the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA Pathway), which established a unique intergovernmental SIDS Partnership Framework.

The ECOWAS Centre for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency (ECREEE) recently hosted the 3rd Edition of the ECOWAS Sustainable Energy Forum (ESEF 2019) at the Kempinski Hotel Gold Coast City in Accra, Ghana from 22nd – 24th of October 2019. The ESEF provides the perfect platform to improve the policy and regulatory landscape for private sector investment within the ECOWAS region.

Traditional cooking fuels, such as firewood and dung cakes, that are commonly used in developing countries contribute to increased household air pollution, a phenomenon attributed to 1.6 million deaths in 2017.

The IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate was approved on 24 September 2019 by the 195 IPCC member governments. It highlights the urgency of taking immediate action to address unprecedented and enduring changes in the ocean and cryosphere, so that the ecosystems and the livelihoods that depend on them endure.

The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) launched a new Beyond the Grid Fund (BGFZ)  for Africa at the beginning of 2019 in order to replicate the BGFZ approach in Burkina Faso, Liberia and Mozambique.

The ECOWGEN project aims to promote the participation of women in the energy sector (renewable energy, energy efficiency). It is funded by the African Development Bank (AfDB) via the New Partnership for Africa’s Development Infrastructure Project Preparation Facility Special Fund (NEPAD-IPPF Special Fund).

The Global Women's Network for the Energy Transition (GWNET) together with the Clean Energy Solutions Center recently launched a new series of webinars  on Gender Equality for a More Rapid and Inclusive Energy Transition.

The lack of gender equality forces women to bear the consequences and negative impacts of global warming in a greater extent.

The Renewable Transformation Challenge 2019, which was created by Elsevier and launched in 2017, honors outstanding work that actively supports the transformation to a renewable energy driven world as well as products that have the potential to scale-up access to energy especially in developing countries.

The REN21 Renewables 2019 Global Status Report, which was recently published on 18th June 2019, provides an overview of the latest developments on the renewable energy transition through the end of 2018.

In cooperation with nine research teams, ENERGIA released a new research program called Gender and Energy Research Program, which aims to generate and analyze empirical evidence and the related benefits that a gender approach has for energy access.

The Global Forum on Sustainable Energy (GFSE) is organizing an Expert Workshop on “Sustainable Cities in Developing Countries”. This workshop will take place in the afternoon of 29th May 2019, from 14:00 – 16:30 (K°LP!NGHAUS WIEN-ZENTRAL, Gumpendorfer Straße 39, 1060 Vienna, Austria). 

The International Renewable Energy Agency has released a report titled, ‘Renewable Capacity Statistics 2019,’ on 2 April 2019.

The Global Women’s Network for the Energy Transition (GWNET) is an international non-profit organisation, which aims at advancing the global energy transition by connecting and empowering women working in sustainable energy in both developed and emerging/developing countries.

In honour of International Women’s Month, SEforAll interviewed a number of People-Centered Accelerator partners about their work to address gender implications in the energy sector.

The twenty-fourth session of the Conference of the Parties (COP24), which convened under the Presidency of Poland, was held from the 2nd to the14th of December 2018 in Katowice.

The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), with support from GWNET and REN21, is undertaking a global Gender and Renewable Energy survey.

On the second day of the 2018 High-Level Political Forum (HLPF 2018) titled “Transformation towards Sustainable and Resilient Societies”, which took place between 9 - 18 July 2018 in New York, thematic reviews were held and the sessions continued to focus on the progress made toward the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In the afternoon, the review of SDG 7 (affordable and clean energy) took place.

The REN21 Renewables 2018 Global Status Report, which provides an overview about the latest developments on the renewable energy transition through the end of 2017, was recently published on 7th June 2018.

The 7th International Renewable Energy Conference was co-organized by Mexican Secretariat of Energy (SENER), REN21, and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy (BMWi), and was held in Mexico City from 11-13 September 2017, with attendees from 69 countries.

The global initiative on Sustainable Energy for All aims to mobilize action from all sectors of society in support of three interlinked objectives to be achieved by 2030: