The founding conference for the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) took place today in Germany. It marked the beginning of the first international organization that specifically promotes renewable energy.

Among IRENA’s responsibilities is the provision of advice and help for countries seeking to exploit clean and renewable energies like wind power and solar energy. They will assist in establishing regulatory frameworks while providing access to any necessary or relevant data, best practices, technological expertise and proven financial mechanisms.

Fifty-five governments have agreed to make a full membership commitment to Irena today, while 116 have agreed to participate in a lesser role.

While the United States has not joined it is expected that now under Barack Obama’s administration it will. Britain is also among the countries which have not committed to participation and are content to observe the agency’s activities for now.

IRENA describes itself as an “institutional counterbalance to the International Energy Agency” which in the past has been the subject of criticism for not promoting renewable and clean energies like solar power as much as they should.

The president of the World Council and German member of parliament, Hermann Scheer, is one of the founders of IRENA. He said in a statement to the Guardian that, “Irena is the single-most important step for a speedy global introduction of renewable energies. It will give an enormous push to the use of renewables around the globe.”