IRENA Innovation Week 2023: Why data matters

Policy makers often face the challenge of access to comprehensive data to make evidence-based decisions. Making this information puzzle a bit more complete holds much potential for better policymaking and better communication. How can we bring together these bits and pieces, and which data is needed at all?

This is one of the many questions featured at the IRENA Innovation Week 2023 taking place from 25 to 28 September in Bonn, Germany, giving the stage to industry leaders, innovators and policymakers, all focused on shaping a more sustainable energy future. Experts will convene four days under the theme of “solutions to decarbonise end-use sectors” and discuss amongst the twelve sessions of the conference also the shipping and aviation, chemicals, steel & iron, residential heating and cooling, green hydrogen, and demand side management and storage.

Spotlight on a Session: The Energy Innovation Metrics Hub

Let’s cast a spotlight on how Mission Innovation is contributing to the IRENA Innovation Week: As part of the INSIGHTS module, MI plans to showcase the Energy Innovation Metrics Hub to enhance our comprehension of the innovation life cycle in 2024. Its mission is twofold: to foster a deeper understanding of how innovation evolves and how better data can inform effective decision-making in clean energy innovation ecosystem.

The Energy Innovation Metrics Hub aims to provide applicable insights, drawing on the expertise of knowledge partners: IRENA, IEA and the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre. This cooperative endeavour is creating an online repository that consolidates data and metrics from diverse sources, a valuable resource for countries, researchers, and citizens alike. To track the progress of innovation, various indicators along the innovation process (Figure 1) are used including public and private financial resources, scientific publications, patents, technical standards, increases in demonstration projects or costs reductions and technology improvements. While technology innovation lies at its core, it cannot thrive in isolation. “Systemic innovation” in business models, market design, financing, and technology is equally crucial for driving the energy transition.

The aim of the Hub is to make data on different aspects of the energy transition systematically and comprehensively available in one place, drawing on various sources while applying a stringent methodology. The key aim of this workshop is to find out what data is relevant and how it can be presented in applicable way. The workshop will therefore be interactive and engage the energy innovation community present in the audience.

Figure 1: The innovation life cycle, comprising stages ranging from basic research to commercial diffusion, unveils the intricate evolution of technologies shaping our energy landscape (IRENA (2021), Tracking the impacts of innovation: Offshore wind as a case study, International Renewable Energy Agency, Abu Dhabi).

Four days at Germany’s heart of International Organisations to drive innovation

With more than 300 representatives from over 70 countries coming to Bonn, IRENA Innovation Week transcends borders, bringing together corporate leaders, government officials, and innovation frontrunners to unlock the true potential of renewable applications in energy-intensive sectors and beyond. Engaging conversations will revolve around electrification technologies, disruptive practices, and policies propelling the energy transition forward.

European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson, African Union Energy Commissioner Amani Abou-Zeid, Kaleb Udui, Minister of Finance of the Republic of Palau, and other high-level speakers will open the event. Monique Ntumngia of the Green Girls Organisation will underscore the synergies between innovation and empowerment. Moreover, the IRENA Innovation Week benefits from extensive collaboration with a diverse range of session partners.

More information about the IRENA Innovation Week 2023 is available here, and you can still request an invitation here. Should you have any questions, you are welcome to contact IRENA’s Ms. Ann-Kathrin Lipponer.