1. Electricity network R&D - new IEA international collaboration planned
2. Sustainable transport systems – how to get there faster
3. Hydrogen from sunlight –an efficiency goal in sight
4. Optimising the dialogue between basic science and research

- CO2 capture and storage
- Monitoring injected CO2
- Hydrogen & fuel cells
- Energy policies of IEA countries
- Free pdf download of IEA publications
- Energy efficiency in transition economies

- International collaboration and climate change
- Energy conservation in buildings/communities
- "Demand pull" and distributed generation
- Automobile C02 reduction and fuel economy
- Energy efficiency standards and labelling
- Greenhouse gas control technologies
- Swedish-language IEA website

. CTI Industry Joint Seminar on Technology Diffusion of Energy Efficiency in Asian Countries, Beijing (China), 24-25 February 2005.

. Seminar Catching Up: Priorities for Augmented Renewable Energy R&D, IEA Headquarters, Paris (France), 3 March 2005.

. Workshop Managing Oil Demand in Transport, IEA Headquarters, Paris (France), 7-9 March 2005.

. Action on 1 Watt: A Meeting on Standby Power, Copenhagen (Denmark), 9-10 March 2005.

. Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles Workshop, Monte Carlo (Monaco), 3 April 2005.

. Workshop Advanced Thermal Energy Storage through Phase Change Materials and Chemical Reactions - Feasibility Studies and Demonstration Projects, Kizkalesi (Turkey), 18-19 April 2005.

. Second International Conference on Clean Coal Technologies for our Future, Castiadas, Sardinia (Italy), 10-12 May 2005.

. Global Advances in Heat Pump Technology Applications, and Markets - 8th IEA Heat Pump Conference, 2005, Las Vegas (United States), 30 May-2 June 2005.

. Workshop Policies for the Diffusion of Innovative and Sustainable Transport Technologies, Zurich (Switzerland), 1-3 June 2005.

. Power for Europe: Can We Shape the Future? EURELECTRIC Annual Convention and Conference, Vienna (Austria), 13-14 June 2005.

. Fourth International Symposium on Non-CO2 Greenhouse Gases (NCGG-4) Science, Control, Policy and Implementation, Utrecht (The Netherlands), 4-6 July 2005.

. 2005 International Conference on Coal Science and Technology (ICCS&T), Naha, Okinawa (Japan), 9-13 October 2005.

. Global Cooperation on 1 Watt: A Meeting on Standby Power, Seoul (Korea), 2-4 November 2005.

. 8th International Conference on Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies, Trondheim (Norway), 19-23 June 2006.

1. Electricity network R&D - new IEA international collaboration planned. Recurring blackouts and disruptions in power quality highlight reliability and security issues in electricity transmission and distribution networks. But managing these power systems and applying remedies are no simple matter in a context of steady growth in electricity trading, in network congestion and in use of distributed and intermittent power generation. IEA’s proposed new international collaboration would offer a forum for addressing widely encountered R&D and grid issues, for monitoring national and other programmes, and for circulating know-how. Participants would fix the work programme and priorities. Possible topics might include: architecture, technology and management of networks; status and impact of distributed power generation technology and systems; intermittency of energy sources together with mitigating options such as demand-side measures and storage; and hierarchies of trans-boundary control. See the Outline Proposal. Expressions of interest in this proposed international effort should reach Philip.Baker@dti.gsi.gov.uk by mid-March 2005. Countries would collaborate within the IEA’s Framework for international technology co-operation. For more on the issues, see the proceedings from IEA’s November 2004 Workshop on Electricity Transmission and Distribution Technology and R&D.

2. Sustainable transport systems – how to get there faster. Some important signposts are provided in a recently published free downloadable IEA Technology Brief. This up-to-the-minute handbook pinpoints the technologies that can contribute short-term to significantly reducing greenhouse gases in transport. It also indicates the most promising paths for the longer-term. The 40-page publication charts sequences for optimum transition to a near-zero-emissions scenario for the years to 2030, to 2050 and beyond mid-century. It explains why action is crucial very soon, whatever the time horizon. The first in a new series of publications, each featuring a different area of energy use, this IEA Technology Brief on sustainable transport offers both in-depth technology assessments and distilled policy conclusions. Topics for planned future IEA Technology Briefs include electricity transmission and distribution, science for energy, and efficiency of end-use energy technologies in the buildings sector and the industrial sector respectively. See IEA's website for more about the Agency's work in the transport field.

3. Hydrogen from sunlight – an efficiency goal in sight. Photoelectrolytic production of hydrogen is seen as one of the technology pillars in scenarios where the sun constitutes the main source of energy. A possible future energy triangle would combine solar energy, electricity and hydrogen through the technologies of photovoltaics, fuel cells and photoelectochemical (PEC) cells. The IEA Hydrogen Programme’s international teams have investigated direct solar-to-hydrogen production since 1979. The Programme’s “Annex 14” team has published some encouraging findings from its R&D work on photoelectrolytic technology. Its view is that stable sunlight-to-hydrogen conversion efficiency of 10% is in sight. Future efforts will address materials science and engineering issues common to photoelectrolytic water-splitting cells, fuel cells and photovoltaics. The Annex 14 Final Management Report report can be downloaded free of charge from the IEA Hydrogen Programme’s website. This programme is one of some 40 international collaborations within the IEA’s international Framework.

4. Optimising the dialogue between basic science and research. If energy technology is to meet both expanding energy needs and climate constraints, faster innovation is needed. And that pre-supposes more productive links between the science and research communities. The proceedings are now available from a recent international workshop on the computational approach to bridging the gap between mathematics and energy engineering. Planned jointly by the two German ministries responsible for research and energy technology, this workshop took place in Berlin (Germany) on 8-9 November 2005 within the framework of the IEA's Ad Hoc Group on Science and Energy Technologies (AHGSET). Focusing on the technical “pull” from engineers and the scientific “push” from applied mathematicians, it offered a forum for mathematicians and energy researchers to demonstrate the role that applied mathematics can play in energy science. Taking the examples of fusion-power, fuel cells, combustion, day-lighting and recovery of oil and gas, participants discussed opportunities and new paths for enhanced co-operation to reinforce links between mathematics and energy engineering. Click for the proceedings and related material. For further information, contact: s.semke@fz-juelich.de.

. Prospects for CO2 Capture and Storage. Carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) technologies can significantly reduce CO2 emissions. A tool to accelerate design of more effective, efficient energy and environmental policies through technology, this IEA study introduces a scenario analysis of the future role of CCS and presents the main uncertainties that surround a CCS policy strategy. To learn more and order, click here.

. Monitoring of under-sea injected CO2; a new international monitoring research network on geological CO2 storage - two among many related articles in the latest Greenhouse Issues from the IEA Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme, one of IEA's collaborative programmes.

. Hydrogen & Fuel Cells - Review of National R&D Programs. This IEA book maps IEA countries' current efforts to research, develop and deploy the interlocking elements that constitute a "hydrogen economy", including CO2 capture and storage when hydrogen is produced from fossil fuels. Click here to learn more and to order.

. Energy Policies of IEA Countries - 2004 Review. As well as a broad analysis of recent policy and market developments in IEA's 26 member countries, this 30-year anniversary edition of IEA's annual publication presents a detailed account of how energy markets and policies have evolved over the past three decades. It also offers a cross-country overview permitting comparisons between policies and identification of best practice. To learn more and order, click here. A free Energy Policies of IEA Countries issue on an individual country can be obtained with your order.

. Free pdf download of IEA publications. Two calendar years after their issue, pdf versions of many of IEA's publications can be downloaded free of charge. A new batch has just been released.

. Energy Efficiency in Economies in Transition (EITs): A Policy Priority. In this free downloadable paper, the IEA Secretariat takes a searching look at the urgency of the issues, suggesting policy orientations and describing the Agency's co-operation programme for EITs.

. International Energy Technology Collaboration and Climate Change Mitigation - Case Study 1: Concentrating Solar Power Technologies. Prepared by the OECD and IEA Secretariats, this free downloadable case study reviews past and current experience in international collaboration on concentrating solar technologies. It pinpoints lessons of possible relevance for more general climate-friendly technology collaboration.

. Energy efficiency in heating, ventilation and air conditioning is the opening topic in the latest ECBCS News, the newsletter of the IEA's collaborative Implementing Agreements on Energy Conservation in Buildings and Community Systems (ECBSC). Among other subjects covered: enhancing energy efficiency for better life cycle performance in buildings; energy-efficient lighting; and retrofits. ECBCS is an IEA collaborative programme.

. "Demand pull" to foster deployment of distributed energy in Europe is the focus of the cover article in the current Demand Response Dispatcher, the newsletter of the IEA Demand-Side Management Programme's (DSM) project on power sector demand response. Visit the project's website, and that of the IEA DSM Programme, which is one of IEA's collaborative programmes.

. Fueling the Future: Workshop on Automobile CO2 Reduction and Fuel Economy Improvement Policies, Shanghai (China), 13 October 2004. The presentations and a Workshop Report from this event, organised jointly by IEA and the United Nations Environment Programme, can be accessed here.

. Workshop Energy Efficiency Standards and Labelling, Bangalore (India), 13-14 October 2004. The presentations from this workshop, organised jointly by IEA and India's Bureau of Energy Efficiency, can be accessed here.

. Papers from the 7th International Conference on Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies, Vancouver (Canada), 5-9 September 2004. A co-organiseer was the IEA Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme (IEA GHG Programme), one of IEA's collaborative programmes.

. Calling all Swedish speakers! A new Swedish-language website now updates on IEA news, publications and events. It offers instant access to information about the Agency's network of international energy technology collaborative programmes, including contact details. Click to access. Local-language IEA websites also exist for Austrian and Finnish readers.

. CTI Industry Joint Seminar on Technology Diffusion of Energy Efficiency in Asian Countries, Beijing (China), 24-25 February 2005. Organised in co-operation with Tsinghua University of China, this Climate Technology Initiative (CTI) seminar is for experts, policy makers, technology transfer specialists, private sector companies, financial institutions and UNFCCC players. Focusing on technical and policy options for the transport, residential and industrial sectors, it will aim to promote discussion on possible climate-friendly technology transfer activities. See website of CTI, one of the IEA collaborative programmes. Contact Taiki Kuroda or CTI .

. Seminar Catching Up: Priorities for Augmented Renewable Energy R&D, IEA Headquarters, Paris (France), 3 March 2005.Following a period of declining funding for renewables energy technology RD&D, this seminar will provide a stepping stone in defining mid- to long-term priorities for renewable energy. It will work on the premise that renewables will become increasingly competitive due to constantly improving performance and cost, along with growing recognition of their environmental and economic benefits. The event will draw heavily on the expertise of the IEA renewable energy and hydrogen Implementing Agreements, with substantial input from the IEA Renewable Energy Working Party. Click here to learn more.

. Workshop Managing Oil Demand in Transport, IEA Headquarters, Paris (France), 7-9 March 2005. Reducing growth in transport-sector oil consumption is increasingly important to dampen oil prices and maintain market stability. This event, organised jointly with the European Conference of Ministers of Transport (ECMT), will deal with cost-effective measures to reduce oil demand in transport. One day will focus on very short-term demand restraint measures (suitable during a supply disruption); the second day will focus on oil demand management over the next 10 years. For more information, e-mail IEA and consult its website.

. Action on 1 Watt: A Meeting on Standby Power, Copenhagen (Denmark), 9-10 March 2005. This will focus on “where we are now": legislation, co-ordinating global procurement policies, accelerating progress on revision of test procedures, the future scenario beyond standby (e.g. dealing with low power modes and active-mode energy use). See IEA's website. For further information, contact Alan Meier at IEA.

. Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles Workshop, Monte Carlo (Monaco), 3 April 2005. Plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) combine grid electricity with conventional or alternative fuels. Co-sponsored by the IEA's Implementing Agreement on Hybrid and Electric Vehicles, this workshop will feature both expert presentations and participant interaction. For more information and to register, click here.

. Workshop Advanced Thermal Energy Storage through Phase Change Materials and Chemical Reactions - Feasibility Studies and Demonstration Projects, Kizkalesi (Turkey), 18-19 April 2005. Organised by Annex 17 of the IEA's international collaboration on Energy Conservation through Energy Storage, this workshop will review recent work and future projects. To learn more, consult the website and contact the Operating Agent.

. Second International Conference on Clean Coal Technologies for our Future, Castiadas, Sardinia (Italy), 10-12 May 2005. Co-organised by the IEA Clean Coal Centre, this event will review the current major issues against the backdrop of fast changing coal markets. Click to learn more.

. Global Advances in Heat Pump Technology, Applications, and Markets - 8th IEA Heat Pump Conference, Las Vegas (United States), 30 May-2 June 2005. Organised under the auspices of the IEA Heat Pump Programme, 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, latest information and online registration, click here. For the 2nd announcement, click here.

. Workshop Policies for the Diffusion of Innovative and Sustainable Transport Technologies, Zurich (Switzerland), 1-3 June 2005. Organised jointly by the IEA, its Working Party on Energy End-Use Technologies and the Swiss energy authorities, this workshop will seek to formulate recommended policies that can accelerate take-up of sustainable transport technologies. For more information, see IEA's website.

• Power for Europe: Can We Shape the Future? EURELECTRIC Annual Convention and Conference, Vienna (Austria), 13-14 June 2005. A high-level Executive Forum, “Will Technology Change the Electricity Business?”, opens this year’s event. The conference, supported by IEA, will address future corporate structures and markets, taking a comprehensive look at the challenges ahead and offering policy recommendations. Consult EURELECTRIC’s website.

. Fourth International Symposium on Non-CO2 Greenhouse Gases (NCGG-4) Science, Control, Policy and Implementation, Utrecht (The Netherlands), 4-6 July 2005. Organised in co-operation with the IEA Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme, this event will address the role of non-CO2 greenhouse gases in human-induced climate change.

. 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.

. Global Cooperation on 1 Watt: A Meeting on Standby Power, Seoul (Korea), 2-4 November 2005. Organised jointly by the IEA, the Korean authorities and the Australian Greenhouse Office, this event on reducing power consumption of equipment in standby mode will focus particularly on the eastern Asia and Pacific regions. It will examine testing, specifications and standards issues, also procurement policies. Click for more information.

. 8th International Conference on Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies, Trondheim (Norway), 19-23 June 2006. This latest event in the series organised by the IEA Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme will update on recent advances in greenhouse gas control technologies, particularly in industry, and notably on CO2 capture and storage. Visit the programme's website.