Reply #3: You beat me...

[kristopher]

I was going to post this:

The IPCC 4th Assessment Report (AR4) covered the full range of mitigation options, which necessarily limited its treatment of renewable energy (RE) sources. Within the constraints of time and space, the AR4 showed that RE has the potential to contribute to the mitigation of climate change via the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in the energy sector.

Following the AR4, many governments as well as important actors in civil society and the private sector asked for more substantial information and broader coverage of all questions pertaining to the use of RE. As expressed by the interventions of many governments at the 25th Plenary Session of the IPCC at Mauritius – at which the scoping of an IPCC Special Report on Renewable Energies was approved - this is particularly true of certain countries and regions where specific information is lacking. Following the scoping meeting in Luebeck Germany in January, 2008, the outline of the IPCC WG III’s Special Report on Renewable Energy Sources and Climate Change Mitigation (SRREN) was approved at the IPCC Plenary in Budapest in April, 2008.

Due to the dynamic development of markets and investment and the experience gained from enabling policy frameworks, substantial additional evidence has emerged since the AR4. Significant new information and analysis has been reported in the literature on technological development and deployment, regional assessments, environmental and socio-economic impacts, cost reductions as well as mounting practical experience with implementation.

The IPCC WG III SRREN is expected to provide a better understanding of:

resources by region and impacts of climate change on these resources;

the mitigation potential of RE sources;

the linkages between RE growth and co-benefits in achieving sustainable development by region;

the impacts on global, regional and national energy security;

the technology and market status, future developments and projected rates of deployment;
the options and constraints for integration into the energy supply system and other markets, including energy storage options;
the economic and environmental costs, benefits, risks and impacts of deployment;
capacity building, technology transfer and financing in different regions;
policy options, outcomes and conditions for effectiveness; and
the accelerated deployment that could be achieved in a sustainable manner.

More at:
http://www.ipcc-wg3.de/publications/special-reports/srren/special-report-renewable-energy-sources