The IEA is more than just fossil fuels: It is thoroughly involved in the pursuit of new energy technologies, perhaps none more than renewable energy. IEA experts, especially from the renewable energy division led by Paolo Frankl, contribute to the development of analysis and policy recommendations to foster low-carbon alternatives. Many forms of renewables are ever more viable in various parts of the world, Frankl emphasises in these interview excerpts, and they are not just a means to mitigate climate change: They also promote energy security, the original and main mission of the agency.

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This article appears in the second issue of IEA Energy, which covers a broad range of today’s energy issues, from technology to market developments, and highlights the energy challenges of tomorrow.

The electrification of the vehicle fleet is entering what can be called the third age of electric vehicles (EVs).The first age was in the early 20th century, when EVs were relatively popular until the internal combustion engine displaced them. The second age was in the 1990s, with interest rekindled in France through the French Agency for Environment and Energy Management (ADEME) and in California with the state’s Zero Emissions Vehicle (ZEV) mandate, which spurred sales of some Evs but fell short of its billing (though it has recently been revised and enhanced).

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This article appears in the second issue of IEA Energy, which covers a broad range of today’s energy issues, from technology to market developments, and highlights the energy challenges of tomorrow.

Forget about straight-line forecasts for natural gas demand and supply. The patterns can suddenly diverge from the conventional view in the most unexpected way.

The most obvious example is how the United States, thought on track as recently as 2005 to becoming one of the top importers of liquefied natural gas (LNG) by 2010, is now viewed as a future exporter. Similarly, who would have expected three years ago that Australia could become the largest LNG exporter as soon as 2017? Or that Israel, “the one spot in the Middle East that has no oil”, as former Prime Minister Golda Meir put it, would find so much gas offshore that it is now considering exporting it?

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This article appears in the second issue of IEA Energy, which covers a broad range of today’s energy issues, from technology to market developments, and highlights the energy challenges of tomorrow.

The single most important driver behind wind power’s impressive growth in the last ten years has been the significant reduction in costs. Another important factor has been the expanding flexibility of implementing wind energy in large scale into the power supply.

Especially taking into account conventional power sources’ many indirect costs to society, such as environmental and health-related costs, wind energy offers citizens and political decision-makers a very competitive value proposition.

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This article appears in the second issue of IEA Energy, which covers a broad range of today’s energy issues, from technology to market developments, and highlights the energy challenges of tomorrow.

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Countering the economic threat from high energy prices requires cutting oil (and gas) import dependence – IEA Chief Economist

Over the past few weeks, the IEA has released slides which assess how current crude prices are contributing to economic malaise.

This final set of slides concludes that further price rises could plunge the world economy back into recession and that improving energy efficiency and boosting low-carbon energy would enhance energy security throughout the world.

Slides (part 3): Impact of high oil prices on the economy

• OPEC revenues on track to reach another record high
• Households are being hit hard
• Oil-import intensity is the key factor
• Concluding remarks

Part 1
Part 2

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