The establishment of the global policy network REN21 was embraced in the Political Declaration of the International Conference for Renewable Energies, renewables 2004, that took place in Bonn, Germany, from 1 to 4 June 2004.

After the renewables 2004 conference, a very extensive consultation process among some 70 stakeholders confirmed the need for the network and provided many helpful ideas.

Building on this, some 40 participants gathered for a preparatory workshop in Berlin, Germany in October 2004, and developed a provisional work plan. The German government was asked to take the lead in establishing an Interim Steering Committee that should guide the evolution of the network's composition as well as its substantive focus and work.

In February 2005, the Interim Steering Committee held its first meeting in Casablanca, Morocco. In order to provide for an open exchange by all relevant parties, the Committee commissioned this website to be launched, enabling stakeholders to communicate, share experiences and coordinate their activities according to their wishes.

In June 2005, the extended and consolidated Steering Committee met for the second time in Copenhagen, Denmark. Celebrating the official launch of the network precisely one year after the Bonn renewables conference, the governance and structure of REN21 were elaborated and SC members looked ahead on individual and concerted actions planned for the coming years.

In November 2005 – prior to the Beijing International Renewable Energy Conference (BIREC) – the Steering Committee convened in the Chinese capital Beijing. Recognising the special opportunities for the promotion of renewable energies in the CSD context and others, the meeting participants defined the central tasks to be undertaken by REN21 in the upcoming years.

In May 2006, the Steering Committee Members met in New York during the 14th Session of the UN-Commission on Sustainable Development. They discussed the follow-up of the International Action Programme and the Global Status Report.

In January/February 2007, against the background of the alarming Fourth IPCC Assessment Report and the positive spirit of the European Renewable Energy Policy Conference, REN21 held its fifth Steering Committee meeting in Brussels.

In September 2007 – almost three years after the preparatory workshop – the Steering Committee returned to Berlin, where it convened in connection with the Gleneagles Dialogue Ministerial Meeting. The Network resolved to highlight the paramount importance of renewable energy technologies in the climate change debate as the only viable long-term option.

In March 2008, the Steering Committee met for a one day meeting preceding the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference (WIREC) 2008. The discussions focused on the future strategy of the Network in pursuing its mission as a catalyst for renewable energy policy.