Bonn/Freiburg/London/Reykjavik/Stockholm – The International Renewable Energy Alliance (REN Alliance) calls for renewables to be at the forefront of the post-2012 climate action regime. The REN Alliance COP 15 Policy Statement insists that the Kyoto mechanisms become more straightforward for project development and the programmatic approaches are centred on progressing renewable energy systems.

The press conference can be watched on the UNFCCC website.

At their press conference, REN Alliance partners are delivering key messages of the Policy Statement:

• The President of the World Bioenergy Association, Mr Kent Nyström, said that “Renewables are the least cost energy solution for climate change mitigation”.
• Dr Dave Renne, Vice President of the International Solar Energy Society, said that “the CDM must be targeted towards renewable energy projects”.
• The Executive Director of the International Hydropower Association, Richard M. Taylor, said that “strategic actions must deliver the transition to a renewable economy”.
• To deliver the above, Mr Stefan Gsänger, Secretary General of the World Wind Energy Association, explained that the REN Alliance calls for a Global Fund for Renewable Energy Investment that mobilizes investment in an effective and efficient way.

The policy statement demands that significant reform is required to make the Kyoto Mechanisms, especially the Clean Development Mechanism, more effective by removing unnecessary complexity and improving the consistency of the process, especially for projects the developing countries.

The programmatic approaches, especially the proposed National Appropriate Mitigation Actions, require the Global Fund to drive feed-in tariffs, recognize storage services and promote the strategic development of renewable energy systems for power, heat and transport.

The REN Alliance partners strongly believe that it is only by bridging the gap between technology and policy that a truly pragmatic and successful outcome will be achieved. Consequently, the partners stand ready to inform policy makers on the science and practice that they represent; only through this direct dialogue are the realities of a renewable future going to be understood and implemented.

The policy paper “Scaling-Up for a Renewable Future; Reforming Existing Mechanisms and Shaping New Approaches Post-2012”, marks an important step in the REN Alliance contributing to a climate action regime that can deliver results to both mitigate and help adapt to the changing climate and the needs of mankind.

REN-Alliance Policy Paper "Scaling-Up for a Renewable Future" at_COP15 

WWEA has published a background paper on Wind Energy and CDM

(Annex: Overview of CDM wind projects by country)

(Deutsche Bank Research has presented a proposal for a GET FIT programme which is based on the basic principles of a Global FIT programme and has been generally supported by WWEA and the REN Alliance.)

About the REN Alliance

The REN Alliance was formed during the international conference, Renewables 2004, Bonn. It is a partnership of the major international organisations that represent the bioenergy, geothermal, solar, water and wind technologies:

International Geothermal Association (IGA);
International Hydropower Association (IHA);
International Solar Energy Society (ISES);
World Bioenergy Association, (WBA);
World Wind Energy Association (WWEA).

The REN Alliance provides a unified cross-sectoral voice on renewable energy in international renewable energy and climate change fora and media.

For more information please contact:

Arni Ragnasson, IGA Tel: +354 588 4437 | Email: | www.iga.igg.cnr.it

Richard Taylor, IHA Tel: +44 20 8652 5290 | Email: | www.hydropower.org

Christine Hornstein, ISES Tel: +49 761 45906-91 | Email: | www.ises.org

Stefan Gsänger, WWEA Tel: +49 228 36940-80 | Email: | www.wwindea.org

Kent Nyström, WBA Tel: +46 706768538 | Email: | www.worldbioenergy.org