11 August 2015: Combining energy efficiency and renewable energy can reduce global primary energy demand by 25% by 2030, compared to business as usual, according to a working paper published by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and the Copenhagen Centre on Energy Efficiency (C2E2). According to the study, energy efficiency measures would account for 50-75% of these savings.

The working paper, titled ‘Synergies between Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency,’ examines the synergies and tradeoffs between the renewable energy and energy efficiency objectives of the Sustainable Energy for All (SE4All) initiative, namely doubling the share of renewables in the global energy mix and doubling the global rate of energy efficiency improvement by 2030.

Based on quantitative data from eight countries (China, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Italy, the UK and the US), which together account for half of global energy consumption, the study seeks to quantify synergies that can be achieved from combining the potential for energy efficiency improvements and deployment of renewable energy technologies.

The study concludes that achieving the SE4All renewables objective depends on achieving the energy efficiency objective, and that “increasing the share of renewables results in faster improvement of energy efficiency improvement rate.”

It finds that deploying renewable energy technologies in line with the SE4All objective would reduce countries’ energy intensity by 5-10% compared to a business-as-usual scenario through the implementation of electrification technologies and more efficient cook stoves.

Accelerating the implementation of energy efficiency measures, in turn, translates to lower overall energy demand, which increases the share of renewable energy in the energy mix in a business-as-usual renewables growth scenario. However, reduced energy demand could also lead to a lower demand for renewable energy capacity.

IRENA and C2E2 jointly form IRENA’s ‘REmap Action Team’ on synergies between renewable energy and energy efficiency. A total of three REmap Action Teams, comprised of interested countries and stakeholders, work under IRENA’s REmap 2030 umbrella to support a transformative impact on the deployment of renewable energy. IRENA and C2E2 also serve as the thematic hubs for the renewable energy and energy efficiency objectives of the SE4All initiative, respectively. [IRENA Press Release] [IRENA Publication Webpage] [Publication: Synergies between Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency]