Tripling renewable capacity by 2030 may not be enough, IRENA chief says
Zawya · Staff Writer ·
IRENA chief says faster-than-expected energy demand growth could require renewable capacity to expand beyond the 2030 tripling target
ABU DHABI: Francesco La Camera, Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), has said that recent geopolitical crises have shown the value of investing in renewables. “The countries that invested more in renewables in the past have been the countries that suffered less from what happened,” he said.
In statements to the Emirates News Agency (WAM) on the sidelines of ADIPEC 2026, being held in Abu Dhabi from 2nd to 5th November, La Camera said: “I think the world has accepted the idea that a system that is decentralised and based on renewables gives more guarantees when we talk about energy security.”
At the same time, energy demand “is increasing more than expected and will continue to increase”, he said, which has implications for the 2030 target of tripling renewable capacity. “We are getting close, very close to it,” he said of the target. But with demand growing faster, he added, “the tripling could be not sufficient, and we have to go beyond it.”