The energy transition is a global challenge. Meeting the increasing demand for access to safe, clean and affordable energy, while simultaneously curbing emissions from global energy production and use will require a broad range of solutions.
As the world moves towards a low-carbon economy, alternative energy technologies are becoming an ever more important part of the energy mix. Over the last few decades, oil and gas companies have been increasingly using, investing in and producing energy through alternative technologies such as wind and solar.
Advancing environmental and social performance across the energy transition
The scale up of alternative energies, necessary if we are to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement, need to take into account climate, environmental and social risks associated with their development and use.
Ipieca is committed to advancing environmental and social performance across the energy transition. With its broad scope and knowledge base across climate, environmental, social and sustainability and a membership that includes companies making significant investments in alternative energy technologies, Ipieca is uniquely positioned to support the sustainable scale up of alternative energies.
Developing and sharing good practice across oil, gas and renewables
Ipieca’s core role is to develop and share knowledge and good practice. Our Environmental and social good practice for the energy transition: A compendium of Ipieca good practices highlights Ipieca guidance and tools which can help alternative energy developers advance the environmental and social performance of their operations. In line with Ipieca’s vision and strategy, all Ipieca guidance and tools are developed to support oil, gas and alternative energy projects. We engage proactively with a range of stakeholders to explore collaborative opportunities to advance climate action, environmental responsibility and social performance across oil, gas and renewables activities.
In 2023, Ipieca published a literature review of existing Good practices in supply chain management and carbon footprint of wind and solar energy technologies. Gaps in existing knowledge and work were then identified, helping define where Ipieca could add value to support the scale up of alternative energies.
This has led to work on:
- Raw materials for the energy transition. In 2024, Ipieca held a 3-part webinar series on the environmental and social challenges and solutions to the increased demand for the raw materials required for the energy transition, covering topics such as embedding circularity and creating sustainable supply chains.
- Co-use opportunities for wind and solar energy. In collaboration with IUCN, we are developing a compendium to raise awareness, provide guidance and examples of co-use. The purpose of co-use is to optimise the overall productivity of areas supporting wind and solar developments, thereby helping to improve environmental conditions, increase biodiversity, and benefit landowners, local communities and other stakeholders.
- Creating sustainable supply chains. In collaboration with the Energy Institute, we are developing a report of good practice opportunities to enhance offshore wind sustainability that supports developers in effective decision making and collaboration with suppliers. The report focuses on three key areas for creating a sustainable supply chain: carbon footprint, circularity and ecological impacts.
