IEA

The first-ever global renewable energy organization -- the International Renewable Energy Agency, or IRENA -- was launched today in Bonn, Germany. Over 50 nations are expected to sign the founding treaty.

If members get their way, IRENA will evolve into the world's "new mouthpiece for renewable energies" and be the driving force to advance clean energy adoption. Here's how, in the agency's words:

IRENA will provide practical advice and support for both industrialised and developing countries, help them improve their regulatory frameworks and build capacity. The agency will facilitate access to all relevant information including reliable data on the potential of renewable energy, best practices, effective financial mechanisms and state-of-the-art technological expertise.

Maybe it will knock the International Energy Agency (IEA) off its perch as the world's top energy forecaster while it's at it. At least that's the hope of some IRENA founders.

You may recall that the 28-member, Paris-based IEA has been bashed as of late for underestimating the potential of clean energy sources. Critics contend that the misleading data it has supplied to policymakers is a result of the IEA's long-held ties to Big Oil -- ties that have obstructed the switch to a renewable world.