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Technology Agreements - Renewable Energy Technologies

Bioenergy
Bioenergy resources such as forestry and agriculture crops, biomass residues and wastes already provide about 14% of the world's primary energy supplies. Bioenergy offers cost-effective and sustainable opportunities with the potential to meet 50% of world energy demands during the next century and at the same time meet the requirement of reducing carbon emissions from fossil fuels.

Geothermal
The Implementing Agreement on Geothermal Energy commenced in March 1997.It has the objectives of exchange of information, common development of new technologies, and disseminating information on the environmental advantages of geothermal energy. Work underway includes identification of, and the development of means to avoid or minimise, adverse environmental impacts that can arise from the use of geothermal energy; development of hot dry rocks and other technologies for commercial heat extraction; and the commercial development of deep geothermal resources.

Hydrogen
Hydrogen could well become the major component of clean sustainable energy systems in the longer term. It is relevant to all of the energy sectors - transportation, buildings, utilities, and industry. Hydrogen can provide storage options for intermittent renewable technologies such as solar and wind, and, when combined with emerging decarbonisation technologies, can reduce greenhouse gas emissions from continued fossil fuel utilisation. The vision of the IEA Implementing Agreement on Hydrogen Production and Utilisation is one of clean sustainable energy supply of global proportions that plays a key role in all sectors of the economy.

Hydropower
The IEA Hydropower Agreement is a working group of governments and industry which intends to provide objective, balanced information about the advantages and disadvantages of hydropower.

Ocean Energy Systems
The Implementing Agreement on Ocean Energy Systems commenced in October 2001. The Agreement's mission is to enhance international collaboration to make ocean energy technologies a significant energy option in the mid-term future. Through the promotion of research, development, demonstration and information exchange and dissemination, the Agreement's objective is to lead to the deployment and commercialization of Ocean Energy Technologies. Current priorities are ocean waves and marine current systems.

Photovoltaic Power Systems
The Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme is a collaborative R&D Agreement conducting projects on the application of solar photovoltaic electricity.IEA - PVPS operates worldwide via a network of national teams in member countries. The mission of the PVPS programme is “To enhance the international collaboration efforts through which photovoltaic solar energy becomes a significant renewable energy source in the near future.”

Renewable Energy Technology Deployment
The Implementing Agreement for Renewable Energy Technology Deployment (RETD) engages in collaborative activities seeking to advance renewable energy technology improvement and cost reduction for all renewable energy technologies by facilitating international deployment efforts.

Solar Heating and Cooling
The Solar Heating and Cooling Implementing Agreement was one of the first collaborative R&D programmes to be established within the IEA, and, since 1977, its participants have been conducting a variety of joint projects in advance active solar, passive solar and photovoltaic technologies and their apprication in buildings and other areas, such as agriculuture and industry. The overall Programme is monitored by an Executive Committee consisting of one representative from each of the 18 member countries and the European Commission.

SolarPACES
Concentrated Solar Power (CPS) technologies use large, sun-tracking mirrors to concentrate solar radiation. However, the final steps of generating electricity using CSP systems is similar to conventional electricity generation - the ultimate energy conversion process depends on the use of steam or gas to rotate turbines, or move a piston in a Stirling engine. In a CSP system, however, steam or hot gas is produced by the concentrated solar radiation. CSP technologies have been constructed in various sizes, from small multi-kW systems, to large power stations of several MW. These power stations have provided the cheapest electricity to be generated using solar power.

Wind Energy Systems
The mission of the Wind Energy Systems isto stimulate co-operation on wind energy research and development and to provide high quality information and analysis to member governments and commercial sector leaders: addressing technology development and deployment and its benefits, markets and policy instruments. The Wind Energy Systems Implementing Agreement vision and mission aim to directly contribute to those of the IEA Committee on Energy Research and Technology (CERT), by enabling deployment through reducing costs and overcoming barriers to encourage a diverse, secure and sustainable energy supply.