Issue No. 18 - 10 May 2004

1. Reducing Oil Consumption in Transport: Combining Three Approaches
2. Lessons from energy-use analysis - Oil Crises and Climate Challenges: 30 Years of Energy Use in IEA Countries
3. Fusion Power: a new Website, a new report on materials testing facilities
4. The dynamics of creating an IEA international energy technology collaborative effort

5. More Publications, Proceedings and websites

Solar heating and cooling – Russian-language version of IEA’s Renewables in Russia - Zero emissions technologies for fossil fuels - District heating in Transition Economies – Distributed generation and the grid - Transmission network reliability – Heat pumps.

6. Upcoming Events

• Future Challenges for Waste Combustion and Co-combustion in Fluidized Bed Conversion - 48th Workshop organised by the IEA Implementing Agreement on Fluidized Bed Conversion, Vienna (Austria), 24 May 2004.
• International Workshop on Saving Energy in Set-Top Boxes, IEA Headquarters, Paris (France), 27-28 May 2004.
• 6th International Conference on Emission Monitoring (CEM), Milan (Italy), 9-11 June 2004.
• Energy Liberalisation: Where Do We Go From Here? Eurelectric Annual Convention and Conference, Lyon (France), 14-15 June 2004.
• The Windsor Workshop, Transportation Technology and Fuels Forum - an international event on emerging transportation technologies, fuels, systems and policies - Westin Harbour Castle, Toronto, Ontario (Canada), 14-17 June 2004.
• Cooling Buildings in a Warming Climate – A Future Buildings Forum, Sophia Antipolis (France), 21-22 June 2004.
• IEA/CSLF Joint Workshop on Legal Aspects of Storing Carbon Dioxide, IEA Headquarters, Paris (France), 12-13 July 2004.
• 7th International Conference on Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies, Vancouver (Canada), 5-9 September 2004.
• 25th Conference of the Air Infiltration and Ventilation Centre (AIVC), Prague (Czech Republic), 15-17 September 2004.
• Global Advances in Heat Pump Technology, Applications, and Markets - 8th IEA Heat Pump Conference, 2005, Las Vegas (United States), 30 May-2 June 2005.
• 2005 International Conference on Coal Science and Technology (ICCS&T), Naha, Okinawa (Japan), 9-13 October 2005.

7. Awards - ABN-AMRO and World Coal Institue Awards for IEA’s World Energy Investment Outlook team.

2. Lessons from energy-use analysis - Oil Crises and Climate Challenges: 30 Years of Energy Use in IEA Countries. Both good news and bad are to be found in this analysis of how use of energy has evolved in IEA countries over three decades. Compared with performance in 1973, for example, it now takes one-third less energy to produce one unit of gross domestic product (GDP). Without the savings achieved since 1973, IEA-country energy use would have been 50% greater at the end of the 1990s than it actually was. On the other hand, energy savings across all sectors have almost universally slowed in IEA countries since the late 1980s, and so has the decline in CO2 emissions per unit of GDP. Illustrated with plentiful graphics, this new IEA publication takes a detailed and thoughtful look at how energy efficiency and factors such as economic structure, income, lifestyle, climate prices and fuel mix have shaped developments in energy use and CO2 emissions in IEA countries since the Agency’s inception. Visit the IEA’s Bookshop to consult excerpts and to order.

3. Fusion Power: a new Website, a new report on materials testing facilities. IEA's new Fusion Power Website is designed for both layman and expert. Answering basic questions about the nature, purpose and future prospects of fusion power, it describes international efforts under way to develop this form of energy, which produces no troublesome emissions, can be operated safely, creates no long-lived waste and runs on fuel readily available. The site presents the work of the IEA Fusion Power Co-ordinating Committee and the various international collaborative programmes dealing with fusion power. One of these, the Implementing Agreement on Fusion Materials, has been acting as a technology incubator for the International Fusion Material Irradiation Facility (IFMIF) project, destined to become the largest international facility for testing fusion materials. Its recently published report, the IFMIF Comprehensive Design Report, outlines conceptual work over recent years on designing the facility and developing the necessary components and technologies. The proposed next R&D stages are described. Alongside efforts on the ITER experimental reactor, IFMIF will constitute another major step in developing the concept of fusion power. The report can be downloaded free (in two parts) from the new IEA Fusion Power Website.

4. The dynamics of creating an IEA international energy technology collaborative effort.
Why are such projects created? How do IEA’s programmes contribute to fostering energy security, environmental protection and economic growth? What are users’ perceptions of how they can benefit from IEA’s framework for international collaboration? The IEA's Demand-Side Management (DSM) Programme has recently created a new project dealing with electric-power “Demand Response Resources” (DRR). The OPEN Energy Technology Bulletin questioned Hans Nilsson, Chair of the Executive Committee of IEA’s DSM Programme, and Ross Malme, Operating Agent for the Programme's recently created DRR project. IEA's DSM Programme is one of some forty IEA international energy technology collaborative programmes bringing together participants from different countries to address common challenges and share the fruit of their work. Click here to access the interview.

5. More Publications, Proceedings and websites

• Solar Heating Worldwide – The IEA Solar Heating and Cooling Programme has just published its latest annual compilation of data on installation of solar thermal collectors. Covering 26 countries representing 50% of the world’s population, it is a rich source of information on market development and on this technology’s contribution to the energy supply and to reduction of CO2 emissions. Click to access. See also the Programme’s latest newsletter, Solar Update. Free-of-charge publications can be downloaded. See also the Programme’s Website.

• The Russian-language version of the IEA’s book Renewables in Russia: from Opportunity to Reality can now be downloaded free-of-charge from the IEA Website. Click here to access this Russian version, and here for more information about the publication.

• Forum on District Heating Policy in Transistion Economies, Prague (Czech Republic), 23–24 February 2004. How can district heating issues be best addressed in national and local policy? To discuss this and many other questions, IEA hosted a two-day, high-level forum focusing on the crucial importance of well designed district heating policies. Click here to access the programme and presentations.

• Distributed Generation: Key Issues, Challenges, Roles for its Integration into Main Energy Systems, IEA Workshop, 1 March 2004. This one-day seminar examined issues and ideas to bring forward a more robust work plan on distributed generation at the International Energy Agency. Click for the programme and presentations.

• Transmission Network Reliability in Competitive Electricity Markets, IEA Workshop, Paris (France), 29-30 March 2004. Hosted by the IEA, this workshop provided an opportunity for key stakeholders -- including representatives of governments, regulators, transmission system operators, transmission owners, and market participants -- to consider the key policy issues arising from recent experiences and their implications for electricity market reform. Click here to access the programme and presentations.

• IEA Heat Pump Centre’s new Website – Newly unveiled by the IEA’s international collaborative heat pumps programme, this site provides a wealth of information on heat pumping technologies, applications and markets. It presents the programme’s latest project: Ground-Source Heat Pumps - Overcoming Market and Technical Barriers. The IEA Heat Pump Centre’s latest newsletter can be accessed.

Reminder: two calendar years after publication, pdf versions of many of IEA’s publications are downloadable free of charge.

6. Upcoming Events

• Future Challenges for Waste Combustion and Co-combustion in Fluidized Bed Conversion - 48th Workshop organised by the IEA Implementing Agreement on Fluidized Bed Conversion, Vienna (Austria), 24 May 2004. For a preliminary announcement, consult the Implementing Agreement Website (Upcoming Events).

• International Workshop on Saving Energy in Set-Top Boxes, IEA Headquarters, Paris (France), 27-28 May 2004. Design improvements in TV-connected and other set-top boxes, including converters and decoders, could generate large energy savings. Bringing together manufacturers, service providers and representatives from government energy offices, this event will seek to establish an informal agreement among the various players to ensure effective and consistent efficiency programmes. For more information, see the IEA Website, or contact alan.meier@iea.org.

• 6th International Conference on Emission Monitoring (CEM), Milan (Italy), 9-11 June 2004. A major event for people dealing and operating with air emissions assessment and measurement, this conference is organised by the Italian Centre for Electricity Technology Research (CESI), the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre, the IEA Clean Coal Centre and the Source Testing Association. To access the official Website, click here. (E-mail: cem2004@cesi.it.)

• Energy Liberalisation: Where Do We Go From Here? Eurelectric Annual Convention and Conference, Lyon (France), 14-15 June 2004. Full liberalisation of Europe’s electricity and gas markets is a step closer to reality. Organised with the participation of the IEA, this event will assess the current state of play and single out the remaining challenges for a truly pan-European energy market. See IEA Website.

• The Windsor Workshop, Transportation Technology and Fuels Forum - an international event on emerging transportation technologies, fuels, systems and policies - Westin Harbour Castle, Toronto, Ontario (Canada), 14-17 June 2004. International experts from public and private sectors will gather to focus on all fields of research, policy, fuel supply and vehicle manufacturing. The workshop is sponsored by Natural Resources Canada and the United States Department of Energy, in co-operation with Environment Canada, Transport Canada and the IEA. Click to learn more.

• Cooling Buildings in a Warming Climate – A Future Buildings Forum - Sophia Antipolis (France), 21-22 June 2004. A gradually warming climate and more extreme weather conditions appear likely. This event will examine the implications for building design, energy technologies and systems, and the energy policies needed to ensure optimum energy use and comfort. It will be co-hosted by the French Agency for Environment and Energy Management (ADEME) and the IEA. Click here for a first draft of the Programme and here for further information. See also the presentations made at IEA’s workshop Global Warming – a Challenge for Buildings, an associated expert event at IEA headquarters on 2 December 2003.

• IEA/CSLF Joint Workshop on Legal Aspects of Storing Carbon Dioxide, IEA Headquarters, Paris (France), 12-13 July 2004. Much of the work to date on carbon capture and storage (CCS) has focussed on technical issues. Organised by the IEA Working Party on Fossil Fuels and the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum, this workshop will examine legal issues surrounding CCS in both domestic and international law. Participants will share experience in addressing these questions and seeking ways forward.

• 7th International Conference on Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies, Vancouver (Canada), 5-9 September 2004. Organised by the University of Regina and Natural Resources Canada, in co-operation with the IEA Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme (IEA GHG Programme), this conference will provide a forum for discussion of the latest advances in the field of Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies, including capture, storage and utilisation of carbon dioxide. Consult the GHG Programme’s Website.

• 25th Conference of the Air Infiltration and Ventilation Centre (AIVC), Prague (Czech Republic), 15-17 September 2004. The theme of this Silver Jubilee event will be “Ventilation and Retrofitting”. AIVC is one of the entities within the IEA Energy Conservation in Buildings & Community Systems Programme (ECBCS). For the call for abstracts and conference details, click here.

• Global Advances in Heat Pump Technology, Applications, and Markets - 8th IEA Heat Pump Conference, 2005 - Las Vegas (United States), 30 May-2 June 2005. Organised under the auspices of the International Energy Agency (IEA) Heat Pump Program, this conference will focus on: heat pump technologies, air conditioning and refrigeration equipment, and systems for residential, commercial, industrial and district heating/cooling applications. On the agenda will be current technology and market status, progress and trends. For the call for papers and further information, click here.

• 2005 International Conference on Coal Science and Technology (ICCS&T), Naha, Okinawa (Japan), 9-13 October 2005. For more information, contact Dr. O Yamada of Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), the sponsor organisation for the conference. The IEA Clean Coal Centre will also play an organisational role.

7. Awards

The IEA team which produced the IEA’s 2003 World Energy Investment Outlook (WEIO) has recently received two more awards. An Award of Excellence from global banking group ABN-AMRO was presented in Amsterdam, with congratulations for the WEIO's “…unprecedented and authoritative contribution to the understanding of investment challenges in the energy sector …. “. Click to learn more.

For its part, the World Coal Institute recently presented its own Award of Excellence in Beijing, noting how the WEIO's content assisted the coal industry's planning process. Click to learn more.