The International Renewable Energy Agency or IRENA was established January 26th, 2009. On June 29th the 136 panel of member-states (22 of which signed up that day) voted in Egypt, and IRENA will now be at home in Abu Dhabi’s crowning achievement, Masdar City. Masdar City is the world’s first carbon-neutral, zero waste city powered entirely by renewables. The Masdar Inititiave is directly in line with the initiatives of IRENA. The United Arab Emirates is a politically neutral, socially advanced nation and a model for pioneering renewable technology; this ‘crossroads of the world’ is perfectly suited for IRENA’s center of operations.
IRENA was created to collect important data about renewable energy around the globe and then help develop it for a more sustainable future for everyone. They have a deep pool of resources in the energy industry, academia, renewable organizations and the general public. The IRENA headquarters in Masdar City will be bringing together the world’s leading scientists and state of the art renewable technology to move us all into the future.
IRENA also announced it’s new Interm-Director General, Ms. Hélène Pelosse. She will lead the new agency to its new location in Abu Dhabi. The city fought hard for the chance to host IRENA, they had stiff competition from Germany and Austria but eventually the city’s proposal of sustainable Masdar Initiatives and the world’s first Positive Energy Mixed-use Building won the members over. The building will host IRENA’s HQ and will produce more energy than it consumes. In addition to the headquarters in Masdar City, there will be a technology and innovation center in Bonn, Germany and a field office in Vienna, Austria for UN contacts.
This is an exciting step toward the future of renewable energy and technology, and a giant sustainable leap for humankind.
International Renewable Energy Agency – IRENA
- IRENA facilitates access to all relevant information including reliable data on the potential of renewable energy, best practices, effective financial mechanisms and state-of-the-art technological expertise.
- Organization Type: Profit
- Website: irena.org
- Founded: January 26, 2009
- Location:Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- See complete company list here
Sources: irena.org; irenauae.com
Contributor Profile: Justine
Justine is passionate about curing social injustice and global environmental issues. She has traveled extensively in Central America and the Caribbean, and is especially interested in the emergence of the Ecotourism industry.
Twitter: @justine72
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