Renewable technology innovations in focus at IRENAs Innovation Day in Bangkok

Artificial intelligence and big data, the Internet of Things and batteries are innovative solutions that will enable massive solar and wind use and amplify the transformation of the power sector based on renewables. By 2050, over 60 percent of total power generation could come from wind and solar renewables globally, driven by the imperative to decarbonise and electrify, IRENA finds.

New “Innovation Briefs” on enabling technologies have now been released during the Agency’s Innovation Day in Bangkok which was co-hosted by the Energy Ministry of Thailand and took place jointly with 2019 ASEAN Energy Business Forum. The event was the second in a series of Innovation Days that IRENA is organizing around the world with the goal of connecting policymakers with innovators to inform and inspire the uptake of renewable energy. It showcased emerging innovations from across the ASEAN region and offered a series of session on solutions to decarbonise road transport, digital solutions for renewable power and solutions for energy storage.

Opening the Innovation Day, IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera underlined the importance of a systemic approach to innovation.

“An approach is required that combines technology with novel business models, supportive market design and efficient system operation to create solutions”, he said. “Those solutions must be implemented in a coherent way through careful planning and smart policy-making. Only the combination of innovations and actions across all these dimensions will bring real progress. The good news is that we already have many of the tools we need to decarbonise the economy.”

While IRENA’s recent report on the “Innovation Landscape for a Renewable Powered Future” provides a toolbox of solutions for policymakers, and guidance on how to apply them system-wide in a coherent and mutually-reinforcing way, the five new “Innovation Briefs” give an overview on how digital technologies increase flexibility in the system for a larger integration of renewables.

Original source: IRENA
Published on 04 September 2019