UN Climate Change News, 18 June 2025 - A new guidebook launched during the June UN Climate Meetings in Bonn this week is set to strengthen countries' efforts to advance climate action through renewable energy technologies.
Developed by the UNFCCC Technology Executive Committee (TEC), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), and the UNEP Copenhagen Climate Centre (UNEP-CCC), the guidebook offers a practical, up-to-date resource to support developing countries in identifying, prioritizing and implementing renewable energy technologies in alignment with their climate and development plans.
"The Technology Needs Assessment Guidebook on renewable energy is a valuable resource for developing country Parties to inform Paris-aligned energy system transformations," said Sophie De Coninck, Director of Means of Implementation at UN Climate Change.
The energy sector is the largest source of global greenhouse gas emissions. Accelerating the deployment of zero- and low-emission energy technologies is critical to achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement. The outcomes of the first global stocktake under the Agreement reaffirmed the vital role of renewable energy in delivering deep, rapid and sustained emissions reductions.
This new guidebook strengthens the available guidance on Technology Needs Assessment (TNA) - one of the longest-standing processes under the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement to support technology development and transfer. "Countries are increasingly demanding practical tools to accelerate renewable energy deployment," said Sara Traerup, Global TNA Project Coordinator at UNEP-CCC. "This guidebook comes at exactly the right time - supporting national TNA teams with targeted, accessible knowledge to prioritize technologies that not only reduce emissions but also drive sustainable development."
TNAs assist developing countries in identifying climate technology priorities for both mitigation and adaptation, and in formulating Technology Action Plans (TAPs) to move from planning to implementation. Many countries are now using TAPs to attract financing from the private sector, public donors and financial institutions to advance national climate technology priorities.
Meeting countries' energy transition goals
With energy consistently emerging as the highest-priority sector for mitigation in TNAs, the new guidebook provides targeted guidance for national TNA teams and other stakeholders working on energy transitions. It offers an overview of a broad range of renewable energy technologies that countries can consider - individually or in combination - based on their national circumstances and development priorities.
Each chapter explores key aspects of deploying renewable energy technologies, including:
- Economic feasibility and affordability
- Mitigation potential and net-zero alignment
- Barriers to deployment
- Climate resilience considerations
- Just transition aspects
"Through this guidebook, we aim to support countries in transforming their renewable energy ambitions into concrete technology action plans that are technically robust, investment-ready, and tailored to local contexts - ultimately contributing to a just, inclusive, and sustainable transformation of energy systems," said Dietram Oppelt, Chair of the TEC.
The guidebook was officially launched during a June UN Climate Meeting side event organized by UN Climate Change in collaboration with the TEC, UNIDO and UNEP-CCC. It brought together speakers from countries that have undertaken TNAs in the energy sector, such as Liberia and Brazil, and representatives from the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) and UNIDO, who shared insights from their respective work in support of renewable energy planning and deployment in developing countries.
Discussions emphasized integrated support needed to implement energy sector TAPs, including through finance, capacity-building and innovation.
"As the global community moves toward a just and resilient energy transition, this guidebook offers countries not only a clear roadmap for prioritising and deploying renewable energy technologies, but also a practical tool for embedding social equity, climate resilience, and local empowerment into national energy strategies," said Eleonora Gatti, Head of Climate Technology Innovation at UNIDO.
The launch of this guidebook coincides with the start of Phase V of the global TNA project, which began in April 2025 and includes 17 participating countries. Many of these countries have already completed the earlier TNA phase and are now focused on implementation. The project is implemented by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and UNEP-CCC, with funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
