Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are countries' self-determined climate commitments under the Paris Agreement, with 2025 marking crucial NDC 3.0 submissions ahead of COP30. In this episode, Toyo Kawabata, Programme Officer, NDC Implementation at IRENA, explores why renewable energy targets in NDCs are essential in helping countries to transition away from fossil fuels. He also discusses the barriers to stronger commitments and pathways for transforming pledges into actionable plans.

Offshore wind is emerging as a critical technology for the energy transition. With only 83GW of installed capacity today, it has vast untapped potential. In this episode, Simon Benmarraze, Head, Energy Planning and Modelling at IRENA, and Rikke Povlsen from the Global Offshore Wind Alliance (GOWA) explore the technical and commercial viability of GOWA's ambitious target of 2,000 gigawatts of offshore wind by 2050. They discuss falling costs, innovations in floating offshore wind and the role of public-private partnerships in accelerating the deployment of offshore wind.

Battery energy storage is essential for maximising the potential of renewables, and with costs falling 93% since 2010, it has shifted from a costly barrier to a key enabler of the energy transition. In this episode, Deborah Ayres, Renewable Energy Costs team at IRENA explores the drivers behind the cost reductions, policies needed to accelerate deployment and why affordable battery storage is essential for modernising grids, integrating more renewables and achieving the goal of tripling renewable capacity by 2030.