IRENA report optimistic overall

The IRENA report estimates that renewable energy targets are insufficient to meet the 1.5°C target by 2050.

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The IRENA believes that renewable energy targets are insufficient to meet the 1.5°C target by 2050. The report is entitled Renewable Energy Targets in 2022: A Guide to Design.

Limiting the rise in temperatures

The IRENA report (International Renewable Energy Agency) is taking part in COP27. This report assesses the level of ambition for renewable energies in national climate commitments. IRENA examines the targets in relation to the global climate objective of limiting temperature rise to 1.5°C.

According to the study, renewable energies are at the heart of the energy transition. Gold sollowing the Paris Agreement, only 12 countries are committed to meeting their targets. These targets represent a percentage of renewable energies in their overall energy mix.

IRENA estimates that half of the energy consumed in 2050 will come from electricity. According to the report, 90% of decarbonization will be achieved through the transition to renewable energies. This means providing low-cost electricity, improving energy efficiency, electrification, sustainable bioenergy and renewable hydrogen.

An attainable goal

Despite the Glasgow Pact aimed at improving the 2030 targets in national commitments, measures remain insufficient. Thus, according to this report, achieving the targets set for 2050 depends on the implementation of measures applied in 2030. However, the new IRENA analysis reveals that by 2030, countries are aiming to reach 5.4TW of installed renewable capacity.

This represents only half of the 10.8TW needed according to IRENA’s 1.5°C scenario. So, to reach zero emissions, the targets for 2030 would have to double. However, the IRENA Report considers this target to be entirely achievable.

To meet the current target, countries need to deploy 259GW per year. over the next nine years. However, the Covid19 crisis led to supply chain disruptions. However, the target is achievable as countries deploy an additional 261GW worldwide every year.

Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, and Peru significantly increase renewable electricity production, reaching nearly 70% of the regional electricity mix, according to a recent Wood Mackenzie study on Latin America's energy sector.
The Canadian government announces an investment of more than $40mn to fund 13 energy projects led by Indigenous communities across the country, aiming to improve energy efficiency and increase local renewable energy use.
The German Ministry of Economy plans to significantly expand aid aimed at reducing industrial electricity costs, increasing eligible companies from 350 to 2,200, at an estimated cost of €4bn ($4.7bn).
A major electricity blackout paralyzed large parts of the Czech Republic, interrupting transport and essential networks, raising immediate economic concerns, and highlighting the vulnerability of energy infrastructures to unforeseen technical incidents.
French greenhouse gas emissions are expected to rise by 0.2% in the first quarter of 2025, indicating a global slowdown in reductions forecast for the full year, according to Citepa, an independent organisation responsible for national monitoring.
The Republican budget bill passed by the U.S. Senate accelerates the phase-out of tax credits for renewable energies, favoring fossil fuels and raising economic concerns among solar and wind industry professionals.
Rapid growth in solar and wind capacities will lead to a significant rise in electricity curtailment in Brazil, as existing transmission infrastructure remains inadequate to handle this massive influx of energy, according to a recent study by consulting firm Wood Mackenzie.
In April 2025, fossil fuels represented 49.5% of South Korea's electricity mix, dropping below the symbolic threshold of 50% for the first time, primarily due to a historic decline in coal-generated electricity production.
The US Senate Finance Committee modifies the '45Z' tax credit to standardize the tax treatment of renewable fuels, thereby encouraging advanced biofuel production starting October 2025.
According to the 2025 report on global energy access, despite notable progress in renewable energy, insufficient targeted financing continues to hinder electricity and clean cooking access, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.
While advanced economies maintain global energy leadership, China and the United States have significantly progressed in the security and sustainability of their energy systems, according to the World Economic Forum's annual report.
On the sidelines of the US–Africa summit in Luanda, Algiers and Luanda consolidate their energy collaboration to better exploit their oil, gas, and mining potential, targeting a common strategy in regional and international markets.
The UK's Climate Change Committee is urging the government to quickly reduce electricity costs to facilitate the adoption of heat pumps and electric vehicles, judged too slow to achieve the set climate targets.
The European Commission will extend until the end of 2030 an expanded state-aid framework, allowing capitals to fund low-carbon technologies and nuclear power to preserve competitiveness against China and the United States.
Japan's grid operator forecasts an energy shortfall of up to 89 GW by 2050 due to rising demand from semiconductor manufacturing, electric vehicles, and artificial intelligence technologies.
Energy-intensive European industries will be eligible for temporary state aid to mitigate high electricity prices, according to a new regulatory framework proposed by the European Commission under the "Clean Industrial Deal."
Mauritius seeks international investors to swiftly build a floating power plant of around 100 MW, aiming to secure the national energy supply by January 2026 and address current production shortfalls.
Madrid announces immediate energy storage measures while Lisbon secures its electrical grid, responding to the historic outage that affected the entire Iberian Peninsula in late April.
Indonesia has unveiled its new national energy plan, projecting an increase of 69.5 GW in electricity capacity over ten years, largely funded by independent producers, to address rapidly rising domestic demand.
French Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher condemns the parliamentary moratorium on new renewable energy installations, warning of the potential loss of 150,000 industrial jobs and increased energy dependence on foreign countries.