Back in December, we reported on a new organization representing the global renewable industry, The International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).
The goal of IRENA is to assist member countries in creating the appropriate infrastructure, building capacity, gaining financing and the transfer of technology and know-how for renewable energy.
Federal Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel, representing the German Government at the first conference held a few days ago, stated in his address “the market is still distorted by subsidies for conventional energies, technological know-how is inadequate, information is not always correct…IRENA gives renewables an international voice and political impetus”
Delegates from more than 100 countries attended the first meeting of the Agency in Bonn, Germany and 75 countries signed the founding document of IRENA.
Australia was not one of them.
Along with a minority of attending countries including major industrialised nations such as the United States, United Kingdom, Japan and China, the Australian Government only had observer status at the conference.
Australia’s failure to sign the IRENA founding treaty attracted criticism from many industry commentators and the Australian Greens. In a statement from the Greens the party said that while many countries “are making great strides towards renewably powered economies, the Australian Government and much of the Australian industry appear content for renewable energy to remain a marginal business.”
Australian Greens Senator Christine Milne also challenged the Australian renewable industry to “take inspiration from the establishment of IRENA and start to speak up for itself instead of accepting scraps from the table”. Senator Milne has been a very vocal supporter for renewable energy in Australia and in May of 2008, introduced a Private Member’s Bill in the Senate to establish a comprehensive gross feed in tariff.
