Editing Renewable energy (section)

== Policy ==
[[File:Renewable energy.png|thumb|upright=1.6|Share of electricity production from renewables, 2023<ref>{{cite web |title=Share of electricity production from renewables |url=https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/share-electricity-renewables |website=Our World in Data |access-date=20 June 2024}}</ref>]]
[[File:2021 Death rates, by energy source.svg |upright=1.6|thumb|Deaths caused as a result of [[fossil fuel]] use (areas of rectangles in chart) greatly exceed those resulting from production of renewable energy (rectangles barely visible in chart).<ref name=OWID_SafestEnergy_2021>{{cite journal |last1=Ritchie |first1=Hannah |last2=Roser |first2=Max |title=What are the safest and cleanest sources of energy? |url=https://ourworldindata.org/safest-sources-of-energy |journal=Our World in Data |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240115112316/https://ourworldindata.org/safest-sources-of-energy |archive-date=15 January 2024 |date=2021 |url-status=live }} Data sources: Markandya & Wilkinson (2007); UNSCEAR (2008; 2018); Sovacool et al. (2016); IPCC AR5 (2014); Pehl et al. (2017); Ember Energy (2021).</ref>]]
Policies to support renewable energy have been vital in their expansion. Where Europe dominated in establishing [[energy policy]] in the early 2000s, most countries around the world now have some form of energy policy.<ref name="IEA-2019">{{Cite web |title=Policies |url=https://www.iea.org/topics/renewables/policies/ |website=www.iea.org|access-date=8 April 2019|archive-date=8 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190408094137/https://www.iea.org/topics/renewables/policies/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[International Renewable Energy Agency]] (IRENA) is an [[intergovernmental organization]] for promoting the adoption of renewable energy worldwide. It aims to provide concrete policy advice and facilitate [[capacity building]] and technology transfer. IRENA was formed in 2009, with 75&nbsp;countries signing the charter of IRENA.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.irena.org/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20101226062317/http://irena.org/downloads/Founconf/Signatory_States_20090126.pdf|title=IRENA – International Renewable Energy Agency|date=2 August 2023|archivedate=26 December 2010|website=www.irena.org}}</ref> As of April 2019, IRENA has 160&nbsp;member states.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.irena.org/irenamembership|title=IRENA Membership|website=/irenamembership|access-date=8 April 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190406075718/https://irena.org/irenamembership|archive-date=6 April 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> The then United Nations Secretary-General [[Ban Ki-moon]] has said that renewable energy can lift the poorest nations to new levels of prosperity,<ref name="renewableenergyworld1">{{cite web |last=Leone |first=Steve |date=25 August 2011 |title=U.N. Secretary-General: Renewables Can End Energy Poverty |url=http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2011/08/u-n-secretary-general-renewables-can-end-energy-poverty |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928135741/http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/article/2011/08/u-n-secretary-general-renewables-can-end-energy-poverty |archive-date=28 September 2013 |access-date=27 August 2011 |work=Renewable Energy World}}</ref> and in September 2011 he launched the UN [[Sustainable Energy for All]] initiative to improve energy access, efficiency and the deployment of renewable energy.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2011/nov/02/human-development-report-renewable-energy|title=UN calls for universal access to renewable energy|last=Tran|first=Mark|date=2 November 2011|work=[[The Guardian]]|location=London|access-date=13 December 2016|archive-date=8 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160408214820/http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2011/nov/02/human-development-report-renewable-energy|url-status=live}}</ref>

The 2015 [[Paris Agreement]] on climate change motivated many countries to develop or improve renewable energy policies.{{sfn|REN21 Renewables Global Futures Report|2017}} In 2017, a total of 121 countries adopted some form of renewable energy policy.<ref name="IEA-2019" /> National targets that year existed in 176 countries.{{sfn|REN21 Renewables Global Futures Report|2017}} In addition, there is also a wide range of policies at the state/provincial, and local levels.{{sfn|REN21 Renewables Global Status Report|2011|pp=13-14}} Some [[Public utility|public utilities]] help plan or install [[Home energy upgrades from public utilities|residential energy upgrades]].

Many national, state and local governments have created [[Green bank (financial institution)|green banks]]. A green bank is a quasi-public financial institution that uses public capital to leverage private investment in clean energy technologies.<ref>Ken Berlin, Reed Hundt, Marko Muro, and Devashree Saha. "State Clean Energy Banks: New Investment Facilities for Clean Energy Deployment"</ref> Green banks use a variety of financial tools to bridge market gaps that hinder the deployment of clean energy.

Global and national policies related to renewable energy can be divided based on sectors, such as agriculture, transport, buildings, industry:

''Climate neutrality'' ([[net zero emissions]]) by the year 2050 is the main goal of the [[European Green Deal]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Putin promises gas to a Europe struggling with soaring prices |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/russia-president-vladimir-putin-gas-price-europe/ |work=[[Politico]] |date=13 October 2021 |access-date=23 October 2021 |archive-date=23 October 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211023031033/https://www.politico.eu/article/russia-president-vladimir-putin-gas-price-europe/ |url-status=live }}</ref> For the European Union to reach their target of climate neutrality, one goal is to decarbonise its energy system by aiming to achieve "net-zero [[greenhouse gas emissions]] by 2050."<ref>{{Cite web|title=The EU releases its Green Deal. Here are the key points|url=https://www.climatechangenews.com/2019/12/12/eu-releases-green-deal-key-points/|last=Simon|first=Frédéric|date=12 December 2019|website=Climate Home News|access-date=23 October 2021|archive-date=23 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211023065758/https://www.climatechangenews.com/2019/12/12/eu-releases-green-deal-key-points/|url-status=live}}</ref>