IRENA

July 11, 2021
IRENA report highlights falling solar heat project costs

The Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2020 report illustrates how the competitiveness of solar and wind power improved dramatically in the decade 2010 to 2020. Written by Michael Taylor and his team at the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), it shows how even existing coal...
April 8, 2021
“Develop a business case for thermal energy storage”

Thermal energy storage will undoubtedly play a key role in linking the electricity with the heat sector and in decarbonising buildings and industry. It should come as no surprise then that thermal energy storage (TES) technologies are the focus of the latest Innovation Outlook report...
February 10, 2021
Industrial solar heat: status quo and costs

IRENA and Solar Heat Europe have both announced webinars that will highlight measures for decarbonising Europe’s industrial sector. On Thursday, 25 February, the IRENA Coalition for Action will present the white paper titled Companies in Transition towards 100 % renewables: Focus on...
December 30, 2020
Global thermal storage capacity to triple by 2030

There is a broad consensus that solar thermal storage has the potential to be an important driver of decarbonising energy systems around the world. Thermal energy storage, or TES for short, denotes technologies that make it possible to decouple energy generation from demand or move demand...
December 29, 2020
Five pathways for decarbonising heating and cooling

“If we intend to take the Paris Agreement seriously, we will have to accelerate the deployment of renewable technologies in heating and cooling.” This statement by REN21 Executive Director Rana Adib during a webinar in late November explains why the organisation has just published another...
December 3, 2020
IRENA identifies solar heat potential in central and south eastern Europe

The 18 countries participating in the Central and South Eastern Europe Energy Connectivity Initiative (CESEC) could use renewables to meet 34 % of their energy demand by 2030, with solar thermal installed in buildings being the cheapest replacement option for fossil fuel equipment. These...
August 24, 2020
Solar heat to be part of IRENA Cost Report 2021

The latest edition of the Renewable Power Generation Costs Report from the International Renewable Energy Agency IRENA always creates a great deal of interest, worldwide. More than 2,000 stakeholders registered for the webinar on 9 June in which Michael Taylor from IRENA explained the key...
June 4, 2020
Global perspective on solar heating and cooling

Solar thermal is increasingly used to provide district heat around the world. In 2019, the market grew by about 170 % in Denmark but also expanded in other countries, such as China and Germany, mainly because the technology became more cost-competitive. Another factor driving growth was...
June 13, 2019
Megawatt installations on the rise

The solar heating and cooling markets show a reversing trend. The majority of the largest markets outside of China saw demand increase for the first time since 2015. This trend change is due to several factors – improved cost-competitiveness of solar thermal systems, rising interest among...
March 20, 2019
In Russia, world’s largest DH sector needs upgrading

The solar district heating market is still in its infancy in Russia. Despite huge potential, few SDH pilot plants run in the exact same country that is home to the world’s largest district heating sector. Only a handful of systems had been put up so far - six with a...
February 19, 2019
District heating in smart cities drives market

A new report published in December 2018 expects the global district heating market to grow by over USD 43.2 billion between 2018 and 2022, at an average rate of around 4 % a year, with the key driver being the implementation of district heating projects in smart cities. Consequently,...
June 27, 2018
Daniel Mugnier Is New IEA SHC Chairman

The new chair of the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme, also known as IEA SHC, will be Daniel Mugnier, a leading expert in solar cooling. Mugnier, who heads the R&D department at French-based Tecsol, was elected during an executive committee meeting in Stockholm on 21 June and...