[Title] Voluntary Action Plan for Promoting Renewable Energy to Accelerate Universal Energy Access (G20 Energy Transitions Ministers' Meeting Outcome Document and Chair's Summary, Annex D)

Voluntary Action Plan for Promoting Renewable Energy to Accelerate Universal Energy Access

At the onset, the significant role of renewables in the energy mix, among other zero and low emission energy technologies, in ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all, with a particular focus on developing countries, is acknowledged. The past Presidencies' efforts to promote renewable energy, energy access, and clean cooking to further SDG 7 should be taken forward. Considering the urgent need to achieve universal energy access and to accelerate the adoption of renewable energy, in accordance with SDG 7, interested countries should aim to accelerate energy access by fostering all renewable energy sources, in line with national circumstances, for net zero/ carbon-neutral goals.

To this end, the following voluntary actions for promoting renewable energy to accelerate Universal Energy Access may be adopted by interested countries

1. Achieve the target of Universal Energy Access by 2030 under SDG7 by promoting renewable energy at an accelerated pace.

2. Enhance local manufacturing of renewable energy technologies based on local resources of respective countries while promoting sustainable value chains for manufacturing.

3. Promote renewable energy technologies for productive use to improve the well-being of communities in remote areas.

4. Support enabling policies and regulations that promote sustainable business models for attracting private sector investments in renewable energy and associated manufacturing supply chains.

5. Enhance public and private, finance to promote large-scale adoption of renewable energy technologies for energy access and to support the implementation of off-grid solutions.

6. Initiate and promote financing including measures to mitigate investment risks to attract private investors for renewable energy initiatives.

7. Enhance the skill sets of all financial institutions including multilateral development banks to local banks to assess and create financial solutions to support the renewable sector's funding needs.

8. Encourage capacity-building programmes to create and develop necessary skills among local human resources to install, operate, and maintain renewable energy technologies, through sharing of knowledge and best practices.

9. Enable incubation and implementation of renewable energy technology projects by promoting startups.

10. Implement renewable energy programmes for rapid deployment of energy access projects resulting in socio-economic benefits, including empowerment of women and children, job creation, reduction in air pollution, education, health services, and income generation.

11. Harness renewable energy technologies by promoting them in combination with hydrogen, battery storage, and other options to reduce intermittency, and enhance round-the-clock power.

12. Promote renewable energy technologies for energy access through quality research, outreach, and awareness generation with the support of international and regional institutions including ISA, IRENA, CEM, MI, IEA and others.

The importance of fostering renewable energy technologies including, solar energy, which is affordable, and cost-effective with a well-developed value chain allowing for accelerated adoption, is recognized, especially in countries with such potential and accordingly suitable necessary efforts towards addressing energy access challenges need to be made.