According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), solar power could provide up to a quarter of the world's electricity needs by 2050, if countries put long-term policies in place to support early deployment and sustained technology innovation. On 11 May the IEA released technology roadmaps for solar photovoltaic and concentrating solar power technologies.

It estimates that these technologies have the potential to offer combined savings of nearly 60 billion tonnes of CO2 per year by 2050. The news follows the release of a report from the European Climate Foundation in April, which outlined a pathway to a 100 percent renewable energy system for the European Union and assessed how different renewable energy technologies can contribute to a fully sustainable energy supply in Europe by 2050.

ICLEI has a long record in working to promote renewable energies and recently launched the Local Renewables Web Portal, which serves local governments and their partners in reaching higher levels of generation and use of renewable energy, shares the knowledge of local governments from around the world, and provides guidance for local governments seeking to meet their renewable energy targets.

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