The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the Energy research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU). By collaborating, both parties will strengthen their activities through increased efficiency and higher quality, with the ultimate aim of enhancing sustainable development and renewable energy globally.
The cooperation is, among other areas, focused on commercialization of renewable energy technology, policy, systems analysis and technological innovation systems for renewable energy.
“Despite the economic crisis, renewable energy is still growing strongly,” said Paul Korting, CEO of ECN. “Therefore I welcome the strategic partnership with IRENA. ECN has much experience advising government on energy policy issues and working with the private sector in developed and developing countries for commercializing renewable energy technology. Our cooperation with IRENA will help both organizations to become more successful.”
“Renewable energy actors play an indispensable role in the development and deployment of renewable energy worldwide,” said IRENA Director-General Adnan Z. Amin. “One of IRENA’s roles is to be the global hub for these actors and their activities; to create an inclusive platform that will facilitate global cooperation in renewable energy knowledge and technology. For IRENA, forging a partnership with ECN is a natural step towards achieving this.”
IRENA is an intergovernmental organization dedicated to renewable energy. In accordance with its statute, IRENA’s objective is to “promote the widespread and increased adoption and the sustainable use of all forms of renewable energy.” This concerns all forms of energy produced from renewable sources in a sustainable manner, which include bioenergy, geothermal energy, hydropower, ocean, solar and wind energy. IRENA was founded January 2009 in Bonn, Germany, by 75 states which signed its statute. As of this January, the membership of IRENA comprises 155 states and the EU, out of which 86 states and the EU have ratified the statute.
ECN is the largest research institute in the Netherlands in the field of energy. It holds a strong international position in the fields of solar energy, wind energy, policy and strategy studies, biomass, energy efficiency and environmental research. ECN develops knowledge and technology, with and for the market, to enable a transition to a sustainable energy system. With its energy research, ECN focuses on a sustainable energy system: safe, reliable and environment-friendly. ECN also conducts research on future opportunities and economic backgrounds in the field of energy. ECN has offices in Petten, Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Wieringermeer, Brussels and China.
Source: Biodiesel Magazine