1. IEA leadership for clean energy technology
2. Financing sustainable energy projects
3. Energy storage for low-carbon power grids
4. Bioenergy's potential and challenges
5. Energy efficiency funding and the financial crisis
6. New IEA international R&D projects, new participants

• International Workshop National trends of innovative products and systems for energy-efficient buildings - Barriers and strategies for an accelerated market uptake, Amsterdam (the Netherlands), 3-4 March 2010.

• CTI PFAN Asia Forum for Clean Energy Financing, Bangkok (Thailand), 4 March 2010.

• Conference Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Bioenergy Systems: Impacts of Timing, Issues of Responsibility, Brussels (Belgium), 8-10 March 2010.

• Joint ENARD/IEA Workshop Electricity Grids - A key enabler in the delivery of a sustainable energy policy, Paris (France), 28 April 2010.

• 18th World Hydrogen Energy Conference, Essen (Germany), 16-21 May 2010.

• 10th International Conference on Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies, Amsterdam (the Netherlands), 19-23 September 2010.

• EUROSUN 2010 - International Conference on Solar Heating, Cooling and Buildings, Graz (Austria), 28 September - 1 October 2010.

• Third International Conference on Ocean Energy (ICOE 2010), Bilbao (Spain), 6-8 October, 2010.

• 31st Air Infiltration and Ventilation Centre Conference, Seoul (Korea), 26-28 October 2010.

• 8th International Conference on System Simulation in Buildings, Liege (Belgium), 13-15 December, 2010.

• 10th IEA Heat Pump Conference, Tokyo (Japan), 16–19 May, 2011.

1. IEA leadership for clean energy technology. Along with millions of stakeholders in the energy sector around the world, the IEA has been digesting the lessons from December’s high-profile United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. In the aftermath of Copenhagen, the OPEN Bulletin put some questions about IEA’s climate-related work to Bo Diczfalusy of Sweden. He took up his post as IEA’s Director for Sustainable Energy Policy and Technology early in December, shortly before the UNFCCC event. Bo Diczfalusy shared with us his thoughts on energy policy, on promoting clean energy technology and on today’s priorities for a cleaner, more sustainable energy sector. A long-standing senior figure in Sweden’s energy administrations before joining the IEA Secretariat, Bo Diczfalusy was a key member of the IEA’s delegation in Copenhagen. Download the interview here.

2. Financing sustainable energy projects.  If a real energy revolution is to halt the devastating march of climate-change and ensure adequate supplies of clean energy, more nations around the world will need faster access to much needed clean energy technology. A determined stand on helping more developing and transition economies obtain easier access to cleaner technology solutions was an encouraging outcome from last December’s UNFCCC Copenhagen Climate Conference, where steps were announced to facilitate technology development and transfer. Since 1995, the Climate Technology Initiative (CTI) has been working to facilitate wider dissemination of sustainable energy technology. The CTI's Private Financing Advisory Network (PFAN) is playing a steadily growing role in connecting sustainable energy projects with the necessary finance to get them up and running. Thanks to the PFAN, work is now under way on the largest biomass plant in the Philippines.  Elmer Holt, Chair of the CTI's Executive Committee provides details about this success story and about the work of the CTI and its PFAN's activities.  Access Elmer Holt’s article here.  The CTI is one of 42 IEA international energy technology collaborations.

3. Energy storage for low-carbon power grids. As a carrier of clean energy, electricity has admirable sustainability credentials. To achieve deep cuts in CO₂ emissions, however, the electricity generating process will need to draw much more heavily on alternatives to fossil fuels, especially renewables-based energy. Energy flows from variable renewable sources like wind or sun are subject to weather-induced fluctuations, so balancing supply and demand is a delicate job. One way to address power supply fluctuations is to store electricity in batteries or other devices. IEA's downloadable Working Paper Prospects for Large Scale Energy Storage in Decarbonized Power Grids describes development of a simplified algorithm to determine the amount of storage that compensates for short-term net variation of wind power supply. The 90-page study assesses the role of storage in an evolving power supply mix. Focusing on wind and photovoltaic power systems, the analysis is based on the IEA Energy Technology Perspectives 2008 BLUE Map scenarios for halving CO₂ emissions by 2050. Recommendations and an annex on the current technical potential of a number of energy storage systems are provided. Click to download.

4. Bioenergy's potential and challenges. The full report Bioenergy - a Sustainable and Reliable Energy Source. A review of status and prospects is now downloadable from the website of IEA Bioenergy. Designed for policy and investment decision takers, it provides 100 pages of authoritative information on just what could be achieved through greater use of bioenergy, but also the challenges associated with its increased deployment. Spanning the entire bioenergy sector, the authors discuss diverse aspects of resources, their management and the conversion steps and technologies for transforming raw biomass feedstock into a final energy product. They look into trade and market questions. Wide-ranging policy issues are examined and each chapter includes key messages for decision takers.  Click to download the study. Its Executive Summary, published earlier, can be downloaded here. IEA Bioenergy is one of the IEA’s 42 energy technology collaborative programmes.
Also downloadable from the IEA Bioenergy website is a 5-page position paper Better Use of Biomass for Energy. Produced jointly with the IEA Implementing Agreement for Renewable Energy Technology Deployment (RETD), this paper conveys the main messages on how bioenergy can contribute to greenhouse gas reduction and how  climate policies can contribute to bioenergy development.

5. Energy efficiency funding and the financial crisis. As the IEA has repeatedly observed, valuable energy-sector opportunities have been created by the economic and financial crisis of past months. Deferring investment in polluting technologies created pause for a re-think on technology choices to anticipate pending clean-energy government policies. Meanwhile, the need for government stimulus packages to help economies weather the storm also created timely opportunities to integrate measures that would boost energy efficiency. What has been the impact of the crisis on public-sector investment, on energy efficiency policy and on private-sector investments? Answers to this and related questions can be found in a new downloadable IEA Information Paper, Financial Crisis and Energy Efficiency. This 15-page study identifies trends created by the stimulus packages, illustrating these with national case studies. It lists the lessons learned and points to a number of challenges that still have to be faced if energy efficiency is really to take the lead in cleaning up the world's energy systems. Download from the IEA website.

6. New IEA international projects, new participants. The portfolios of IEA Implementing Agreement collaborations evolve constantly to meet new challenges. New participants join their teams.

• The IEA (International Energy Agency) Energy Conservation in Buildings and Community Systems (ECBCS) Programme has announced two new projects:

- Annex 54 on "Technical & Commercialisation Studies for Micro-generation Deployment in Buildings", which will undertake expansive analysis of micro-cogeneration and associated technologies. Visit the ECBCS website;

- Annex 55 on "Reliability of Energy Efficient Building Retrofitting - Probability Assessment of Performance & Cost", the objective of which is to develop and provide decision support data and tools for energy retrofitting measures. Visit the ECBCS website.

• Germany has become a Contracting Party to the Implementing Agreement for a Programme of Research and Demonstration on Advanced Motor Fuels (IEA-AMF).

• The Republic of Korea has become a Contracting Party to the Implementing Agreement for a Co-operative Programme on Ocean Energy Systems (IEA OES). 

• South Africa has become a Contracting Party to the Implementing Agreement for a Co-operative Programme on Ocean Energy Systems (IEA OES). 

• The Global CCS Institute has become a Sponsor in the Implementing Agreement for a Co-operative Programme on Technologies Relating to Greenhouse Gases Derived from Fossil Fuel Use (IEA GHG) and the Implementing Agreement for the IEA Clean Coal Centre.

• The Global R&D Portfolio - Strategies to accelerate technology development. This 44-page downloadable report surveys the panorama of global energy technology R&D efforts and identifies current strategies to accelerate R&D. It is the fruit of a workshop organised by the IEA Experts' Group on R&D Priority Setting and Evaluation and the IEA Secretariat, held in Paris in April 2009. Visit the workshop page on the IEA website. Download the report here.

• New IEA energy efficiency web pages. The IEA's new Energy Efficiency Home Page opens links to a wealth of rationally organised, comprehensive information, ranging from basics about energy efficiency to more detailed briefings and databases about energy efficiency opportunities, performance and policies. A special button extends an invitation to "Ask the Experts" on the IEA energy efficiency team, who are taking monthly turns on duty to answer questions e-mailed in.  Visit the Energy Efficiency Pages on the IEA Website.

• Updated IEA policy status databases.  Visit the IEA Website to consult the latest data on Energy Efficiency Policies and Measures; Global Renewable Energy Policies and Measures and Climate Change Policies and Measures.

• Energy Management Action Network (EMAK). This 68-page IEA Information Paper presents a proposal for a global network (EMAK) to provide practical suppport to energy managers for improving energy efficiency in business and industry. It assesses the potential for developing such a network and presents a model for implementation. Download from the IEA website.

• Free downloadable energy technology newsletters from IEA international collaborative R&D programmes:
-IEA Bioenergy News – Volume 21(2), December 2009 - from IEA Bioenergy.
-DSM Spotlight - Issue 35, December 2009 - from the IEA Demand-Side Management Programme (IEA DSM).
-ENARD Newsletter - No 7, January 2010 - from the IEA Implementing Agreement on Electricity Networks Analysis, Research and Development (ENARD).
-IETS Newsletter – No. 1, January 2010 – from the IEA Industrial Energy-Related Technologies and Systems  programme (IETS).
-PV Power - Issue 32, January 2010 - from the IEA Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme (IEA PVPS).

• Coal Mine Methane in Russia - Capturing the safety and environmental benefits. In 70 pages, this downloadable IEA Information Paper brings together generous information on coal mine methane emissions (CMM) in the Russian Federation and the potential for their productive utilisation. Specific opportunities for cost-effective CMM reductions at oil and natural gas facilities, coal mines and landfills are highlighted. Download from the IEA website, or access the Russian-language version here on the IEA's Russian-language page.

• Presentations from Joint IEA-MNRE Workshop on Renewable Energy and Renewable Technology, New Delhi: 22-23 October 2009.  Organised by the IEA and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy of India, this workshop brought together key government policy makers, researchers and industry to discuss challenges and opportunities in India relating to promoting renewables.  Visit the IEA website events pages.

• Energy Policies of IEA Countries – Italy - 2010 Review - the latest in the IEA's series of reviews of energy policies in individual IEA countries. Visit the IEA Online Bookshop, where a summary can be downloaded.

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• CTI PFAN Asia Forum for Clean Energy Financing, Bangkok (Thailand), 4 March 2010. Co-sponsored by the Climate Technology Initiative (CTI), one of IEA's collaborative technology programmes, this event will showcase high-quality clean energy projects from around the Asia region.  Access the programme here. Visit the CTI website. See article above.

• Conference Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Bioenergy Systems: Impacts of Timing, Issues of Responsibility, Brussels (Belgium), 8-10 March 2010. Organised jointly by IEA Bioenergy's Task 38 on Greenhouse Gas Balances of Biomass and Bioenergy Systems, this conference will share knowledge and understanding, with a view to producing a briefing paper for policy makers. Click for further information.  IEA Bioenergy is an IEA collaborative programme.

• Joint ENARD/IEA workshop Electricity Grids - a key enabler in the delivery of a sustainable energy policy, Paris (France), 28 April 2010. This workshop’s purpose is to provide high-level regional perspectives on the crucial importance of electricity networks and to present policy messages and highlights from the work of the IEA Implementing Agreement on Electricity Networks Analysis, Research and Development (ENARD) and the IEA Secretariat, in conjunction with the IEA Electricity Co-ordination Group (ECG). ENARD is one of the IEA international collaborative RD&D programmes.  Click to learn more about the workshop.

• 18th World Hydrogen Energy Conference, Essen (Germany), 16-21 May 2010. This event for decision takers in politics, industry, research and finance will cover wide-ranging scientific, technological, deployment and policy questions relating to the role of hydrogen and fuel cells in a sustainable energy economy. The conference, which builds on previous conferences dating back to 1976, will feature a training and information session on hydrogen and fuel cells.  The IEA Implementing Agreement on Advanced Fuel Cells is represented in the event’s organisation team.  Visit the conference website.

• 10th International Conference on Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies, Amsterdam (the Netherlands), 19-23 September 2010. This tenth conference in the series organised by the IEA Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme (IEA GHG) will provide a platform for discussion on finding opportunities to implement greenhouse gas mitigation technologies and overcome the barriers to applying these technologies. Visit the conference website.

• EUROSUN 2010 - International Conference on Solar Heating, Cooling and Buildings, Graz (Austria), 28 September - 1 October 2010. Organised by the IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme (SHC), ISES and other bodies, EuroSun 2010 will enable participants to exchange and discuss the latest R&D results and learn more about problems and their solution. Visit the conference website.

• Third International Conference on Ocean Energy (ICOE 2010), Bilbao (Spain), 6-8 October, 2010.  Hosted and organised by the Ente Vasco de la Energía-EVE and Tecnalia, in partnership with the European Ocean Energy Association and the International Energy Agency's Implementing Agreement on Ocean Energy Systems (OES IA), this event will be a meeting place for the world’s leading ocean energy industry firms and experts. Visit the conference website. 

• 31st Air Infiltration and Ventilation Centre Conference, Seoul (Korea), 26-28 October 2010. This 31st conference of the Air Infiltration and Ventilation Centre (AIVC) will enable participants to update on low-energy and sustainable ventilation technologies for green buildings. AIVC is part of the IEA Programme on Energy Conservation in Buildings & Community Systems (ECBCS).  Visit the conference website

• 8th International Conference on System Simulation in Buildings, Liege (Belgium), 13-15 December 2010.  Organised by the Thermodynamics Laboratory and the Department of Environmental Sciences and Management of the University of Liege in close co-operation with the IEA Energy Conservation in Buildings and Community Systems Programme (ECBCS), this event will enable researchers and specialists in buildings and in heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems simulation to present papers and discuss the latest developments. Visit the conference website.

• 10th IEA Heat Pump Conference, Tokyo (Japan), 16–19 May, 2011.  Taking as its theme “Heat Pumps - The Solution for a Low Carbon World”, this event will focus on heat pumps, air conditioning and refrigeration equipment and systems for residential, commercial and industrial applications. It is designed for those interested in technical, market, policy and standards information. Visit the conference website. The IEA Heat Pumps Programme is one of the IEA international energy technology collaborations.