The National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) has announced that it is hosting an international workshop on advancing renewable energy.
The workshop, titled “Advancing Renewable Energy: A Global Workshop on Weather, Water, and Climate Services,” is the latest in a series of meetings exploring key topics related to energy and meteorology.
Organised by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), with support from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), the workshop will gather experts to discuss a global mechanism to enhance the capacities of national meteorological and hydrological services (NMHSs) in providing specialised information to the renewable energy sector.
Commenting on this, Dr Abdulla Al Mandous, Director-General of NCM and President of the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) said: “A global mechanism, potentially in the form of a WMO Global Centre, is essential for the provision of comprehensive weather, water, and climate services to the energy sector.”
According to organisers, the workshop will place a special focus on the role that advanced weather, water, and climate science and services play in underpinning the energy transition and mitigating climate change.
“While the main focus is on climate mitigation and the transition to renewables, there is a strong need to strengthen the resilience of energy systems, including renewable power plants, against more frequent and intense extreme events driven by climate change,” Dr Johan Stander, Director of the WMO Services Department, explained.
The proposed mechanism is reportedly designed to synergise with ongoing and planned initiatives of the WMO Technical Commissions, supporting WMO members in facilitating national net zero energy transitions, managing energy demand, enhancing energy system resilience, providing early warnings, ensuring energy security, and improving energy efficiency.
The workshop will also consider how this mechanism could support countries in achieving the UNFCCC Paris Agreement goals, the COP28 Global Renewables and Energy Efficiency Pledge, and the UN SDG7 goals, it was shared.
Renewable energy capacity grew 14 per cent last year, however, the world is still falling short. According to IRENA, an annual growth rate of 16.4 per cent is now required to reach the 2030 tripling renewables target set at COP28.
Indeed, earlier this month, the organisation’s Director-General, Francesco La Camera, said while renewable energy has been “increasingly outperforming fossil fuels,” it is not the time to be complacent.
“Renewables must grow at higher speed and scale,” said La Camera.
Adding: “Consolidated global figures conceal ongoing patterns of concentration in geography. These patterns threaten to exacerbate the decarbonisation divide and pose a significant barrier to achieving the tripling target.”