Tripling renewable power capacity by 2030 is vital to keep the 1.5°C goal within reach - IEA

Renewable power technologies, such as solar and wind have a critical role to play in limiting the rise in the global temperatures to 1.5°C, said the Paris-headquartered agency.

PHOTO: A wind farm near the town of Albany, Western Australia. Getty Images.

Ahead of the COP28 Climate Change Conference, the International Energy Agency (IEA) has called upon governments around the world to commit to “tripling global renewable capacity by 2030.”

“In parallel with doubling progress on energy efficiency, massively scaling up a wide range of clean energy technologies this decade is necessary to drive down demand for fossil fuels and reach net zero quickly enough,” said IEA.

The IEA commented that the oil and gas industry must show notable commitment to delivering a major reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from all operations, including shipping.

“Progress on efficiency, nuclear power, hydrogen, oil and gas emissions, and all the other areas will be insufficient if the world does not triple renewable capacity by 2030,” IEA noted. It also added that the availability and use of low-emission generators such as hydrogen and ammonia in power generation would “help reduce emissions from coal and gas-fired power plants”.

The IEA further argued that expanding renewable capacity would avoid about 7 billion mt of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions globally between 2023 and 2030. “That would be comparable to eliminating all the current CO2 emissions from China’s power sector,” the agency added.

By Aparupa Mazumder 

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