1. Towards more energy-efficient industry - a new IEA programme
2. G8 Summit updated on IEA's clean, sustainable energy programme
3. New IEA study Optimising Russian Natural Gas
4. IEA helps China assess its power sector reforms
5. Spain pioneers grid-connected solar tower thermal power

- Low-energy industrial motors
- Evaluating Energy Efficiency Policy Measures and DSM Programmes
- New REN21 Renewables Global Status Report

-Technology newsletters: Bioenergy;
Clean coal; Demand-side management; Energy conservation in buildings
- Downloadable Key World Energy Statistics '06
- Worldwide energy indicators at a click

. Sixth Annual Workshop on Greenhouse Gas Emission Trading, Paris (France), 26-27 September 2006.

. World Forum on Energy Regulation III, Washington, DC (United States), 8-11 October 2006.

. Workshop Energy Efficiency and CO₂ Emission Reduction in the Pulp and Paper Industry: Focus on Technology Systems, Paris (France), 9 October 2006.

. Workshop on Sustainable Use, Supply and Production of Biomass in Africa, Nairobi (Kenya), 9-11 October 2006 (note changed dates).

. 2nd IEA Workshop on Legal Aspects of Storing CO₂ , Paris (France), 17 October 2006.

. CTI Capacity Building Seminar, Leipzig (Germany), 21-25 October 2006.

. Cooling Cars with Less Fuel - Workshop, Paris (France), 23-24 October 2006 (note changed dates).

. International Seminar on Energy and the Forest Products Industry, Rome (Italy), 30-31 October 2006.

. IEA/CIAB Workshop Coal-to-Liquids - an alternative oil supply?, IEA Headquarters, Paris (France), 2 November 2006.

. Standby Power Conference Time for Global Action, Canberra (Australia), 6-7 November 2006.

. 27th Annual Conference of the Air Infiltration and Ventilation Centre (AIVC), Lyon (France), 20-22 November 2006 (note changed dates).

. Third International Conference on Clean Coal Technologies for our Future, Cagliari, Sardinia (Italy), 15-17 May 2007.

. IEA/CSLF Assessment Workshop on Near-Term Opportunities for Carbon Capture and Storage, Oslo (Norway), 21-22 June 2007.

. Conference Building Low Energy Cooling and Advanced Ventilation Technologies in the 21st Century, Aghia Pelaghia, Crete (Greece), 27-29 September 2007.

1. Towards more energy-efficient industry - a new IEA programme. Industry accounts for roughly one-third of global energy use. Twenty percent of the world’s CO₂ emissions come from industrial sources. And yet there is vast scope for better technologies and systems that can cut industry’s energy bills and enhance its impact on energy security and climate.
Boosting efforts to develop and promote the necessary improved industrial approaches and techniques is the mission of the newly created IEA Implementing Agreement on Industrial Energy-Related Technologies and Systems (IETS). This programme is investigating ways to improve current industrial methods and fill RD&D gaps. It is analysing policies and diffusing information on how industry can contribute more meaningfully to a sustainable energy future. IETS brings together nine IEA member and non-member countries. It is one of some forty IEA international collaborative energy technology R&D programmes.
Thore Berntsson, IETS Executive Committee Chair, offers OPEN Bulletin readers some insight into the programme’s mission. Access the interview.
See also the policy findings that emerged from IEA's recent workshop on Industrial Electric Motor Systems, below.

2. G8 Summit updated on IEA's clean, sustainable energy programme. The July G8 Summit in St. Petersburg was the occasion for a progress report on IEA's package of energy policy guidance for governments and the private sector. This work in progress responds to G8 leaders' request at their July 2005 Summit that IEA take a major role in developing its Gleneagles Plan of Action on Climate Change, Clean Energy and Sustainable Development.
IEA output so far has included the studies Energy Technology Perspectives: Scenarios and Strategies to 2050 and Renewable Energy: RD&D Priorities; also IEA's outreach initiative Networks of Expertise in Energy Technology and an initial set of concrete measures to improve energy efficiency. Backed by G8 leaders in St. Petersburg, these measures use existing technologies, are available at low or negative cost and promise big reductions in energy demand and CO₂ emissions. Other products and projects are described in the downloadable brochure Toward a Clean, Clever & Competitive Energy Future prepared for the St. Petersburg summit. IEA’s G8 Update web pages provide more detailed information on IEA’s G8 Gleneagles Programme. Consult also the G8 leaders’ St. Petersburg statement on Global Energy Security.

3. New IEA study Optimising Russian Natural Gas. Back in Paris from the G8 St. Petersburg Summit, IEA Executive Director Claude Mandil launched the agency’s new study Optimising Russian Natural Gas – Reform and Climate Policy. It identifies opportunities for synergies between climate policy goals and the natural gas sector. See press release, also a free Russian-language Executive Summary. Visit IEA’s Online Bookshop.

4. IEA helps China assess its power sector reforms. Is China on the right track for its goal of doubling 2000 GDP by 2010 and cutting energy intensity by 20% in the next five years? Answers can be found in IEA's new study China's Power Sector Reforms: Where to Next? Drawing on extensive on-the-spot research in collaboration with numerous Chinese institutions, this publication delivers balanced analysis at a time when China is looking at both a new comprehensive energy law and revamped electricity legislation. IEA's experts review China's power sector reform to date and deliver some hard-hitting near-term messages about competitiveness in power markets and about clarifying regulatory and enforcement responsibilities. They advise on tackling pollution from coal - the dominant fuel for decades to come - through a regulatory framework that incorporates energy-efficiency and environmental goals. They warn that overriding sector requirements are transparency - notably to enhance understanding of supply and demand patterns - and strong mechanisms to ensure that power sector reform remains an ongoing process. Read the press release. Visit IEA's Online Bookshop.

5. Spain pioneers grid-connected solar-tower thermal power. Solar electricity will shortly start feeding into Spain’s grid from the Sanlúcar Solar PS10 central-tower plant in Andalucia. It will be Europe’s first commercial plant of its sort. This advance owes much to years of dedicated system testing and project development at the collaborative Plataforma Solar de Almería and the efforts of IEA’s SolarPACES programme. The significance of today’s major new strides ahead in the field of concentrating solar power is highlighted in an article by Thomas R. Mancini, SolarPACES Executive Committee Chair, and by Michael Geyer, the SolarPACES Executive Secretary. Click to access the article. SolarPACES one of some forty IEA international collaborative energy technology R&D programmes.

. Policy recommendations from IEA Industrial Electric Motor Systems Efficiency Workshop, Paris, 15-16 May 2006. Some 7% of global electricity demand could disappear if energy efficiency of industrial motors and related drive systems were cost-optimised around the world. Available data suggests that the efficiency of such systems could be improved by 20%-25%. But this potential is seldom realised because of major barriers like lack of awareness or incentive. As part of IEA's programme in support of the G8 Gleneagles Plan of Action on Climate Change, Clean Energy and Sustainable Development, the Agency's workshop provided an overview of efficiency status and policy efforts worldwide and of strategies to overcome barriers. It brought together representatives from academia, industry, professional groups, policy think-tanks and national and international institutions. Some clear policy recommendations emerged from their discussions. Download the workshop's proceedings, also the individual workshop presentations.

. Evaluating Energy Efficiency Policy Measures and DSM Programmes. Rebates, investment subsidies, free services … many incentives encourage end-use customers to choose energy-efficient equipment and construction designs. Climate goals demand their evaluation, but the proliferation of approaches has brought wide-ranging evaluation objectives. This two-volume guidebook from IEA’s Demand-Side Management Programme (DSM) provides pointers for the evaluation of a broad range of energy efficiency programmes currently offered by governments, energy companies and other sponsors. The study also suggests ways to ensure that research questions and methodological approaches match programme type and level of ambition. The second volume provides case studies from several countries. Download from DSM's website.

. New REN21 Renewables Global Status Report - 2006 Update. This new report from the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century (REN21) includes details on how 2005 was a record renewable energy investment year and how windpower was second only to large hydropower in the capacity growth table. The REN21 global policy network's 32-page update reviews industry trends and the government-policy landscape. The report can be downloaded from REN21's website. For more about REN21 and its partnership with IEA, see OPEN Bulletin No. 33.

. Technology newsletters from IEA's international collaborative programmes:
- IEA Bioenergy Newsletter Vol 18 No. 1
- IEA Clean Coal Centre Newsletter No. 50
- IEA Demand-Side Management Spotlight No. 27
- Energy Conservation In Buildings And Community Systems News No. 43

. Key World Energy Statistics - 2006 Edition. This updated free downloadable booklet contains timely, clearly-presented data on the supply, transformation and consumption of all major energy sources around the world. For the full range of IEA energy statistics publications, visit also the IEA's Online Bookshop.

. Worldwide energy indicators at a click - the IEA website's energy indicators maps offer instant access to a wealth of national energy statistics and economic data for countries all around the world: energy production; net imports; total primary energy supply, electricity consumption, and much more.  

Free publications from IEA
Subscribe to our e-mail alert service to receive IEA's selection of free on-line products. To choose your products and enter your email address click here.
Pdf versions of many of IEA’s other publications are downloadable free of charge. Pdf versions of all publications are free two calendar years after release.
IEA Implementing Agreement participants are entitled to a 30% discount on IEA publications (contact books@iea.org, with your request and identification).

IEA Online Bookshop
Register here for regular e-mail notification when new IEA publications are released.

New special rates for IEA publications
Developing countries: a 50% discount.
Universities, non-profit organisations: a 30% discount.
Readers can claim this discount by e-mail when ordering through the IEA Bookshop's on-line order system.    

. Sixth Annual Workshop on Greenhouse Gas Emission Trading, Paris (France), 26-27 September 2006. This event is organised jointly by the IEA, the International Emissions Trading Association and the Electric Power Research Institute. Visit IEA's website.

. World Forum on Energy Regulation III, Washington, DC (United States), 8-11 October, 2006. Co-promoted by the IEA, this event will discuss recent developments in the energy industry, new trends in energy regulation, and selected sectoral and regional issues. Visit the website.

. Workshop Energy Efficiency and CO₂ Emission Reduction in the Pulp and Paper Industry: Focus on Technology Systems, IEA Headquarters, Paris (France), 9 October 2006. Organised by IEA with the World Business Council on Sustainable Development and the IEA Implementing Agreement on Industrial Energy-related Technologies and Systems, this workshop will aim at better quantification of global potential for energy efficiency and CO₂ reductions in the pulp and paper sector. Participants will discuss approaches to overcome the barriers. Visit IEA's website.

. Workshop on Sustainable Use, Supply and Production of Biomass in Africa, Nairobi (Kenya), 9-11 October 2006 (note changed dates). Organised by IEA in co-operation with the African Development Bank FINESSE Africa Program and the United Nations Environment Programme, this workshop will help to identify potential for modern sustainable use of biomass in Africa. The workshop will bring together energy sector biomass stakeholders, including policy makers, technology experts, the private sector, and bilateral and multilateral organisations active in developing and developed countries. Visit IEA's website. Contact: Jan Tronningsdal.

. 2nd IEA Workshop on Legal Aspects of Storing CO₂, Paris (France), 17 October 2006. This workshop will address: intellectual property; legal and regulatory frameworks; international environmental protection instruments; level playing fields for carbon capture and storage projects; and public awareness. The draft agenda is now on IEA's website.

. CTI Capacity Building Seminar, Leipzig (Germany), 21-25 October 2006. This Climate Technology Initiative (CTI) seminar is the 7th event in a series sponsored by the German Federal Environment Agency. The seminar will focus on concrete policies and projects to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and on facilitating the sharing of experiences and ideas among experts from central and eastern Europe, the former Soviet Union, Mongolia and selected OECD countries. It will bring together participants from politics, business, non-governmental organisations, research institutes and think tanks. CTI is one of some forty IEA international collaborative energy technology programmes. To learn more, visit CTI's website.

• Cooling Cars with Less Fuel - IEA Workshop, Paris (France), 23-24 October 2006 (note changed dates). The goal of this workshop is to identify technologies that will lead to less fuel consumption for cooling motor vehicles. It will place special emphasis on improvements offering benefits that do not appear in conventional fuel economy tests. Visit IEA's website.

• International Seminar on Energy and the Forest Products Industry, Rome (Italy), 30-31 October 2006. Organised jointly by IEA, WCBSD, ICFPA, FAO, UNECE and ITTO, this seminar will focus on energy and the forest products industry, identifying current challenges and the impact of new energy policies. It will aim at better insight into the place of forestry products in evolving energy scenarios and how stakeholders can co-operate so that policies better integrate them in a sustainable manner, at national, regional and global levels. Visit IEA's website.

• IEA/CIAB Workshop Coal-to-Liquids - an alternative oil supply? IEA Headquarters, Paris (France), 2 November 2006. Oil supply security and price concerns have led to a renewed interest in coal as an alternative feedstock for the production of transport fuels and chemicals. Through coal-conversion technologies such as coal-to-liquids (CTL), the world’s vast coal resources could become an important alternative to crude oil. Organised by the IEA Coal Industry Advisory Board (CIAB), this workshop will examine the possible impact on supply security for coal itself and on its price. CO₂ emissions issues and policy responses will be addressed. More information and invitations to this event can be requested from Brian Ricketts at IEA. See IEA's website.

• Standby Power Conference Time for Global Action, Canberra (Australia), 6-7 November 2006. With support from the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation and the International Energy Agency, the Australian Greenhouse Office will host this conference. Its objective will be to develop an internationally consistent model to address excessive standby power consumption. The conference will be followed by an Australasian-focus event, Equipment Energy Efficiency (E3) Standby Power Conference on 7-8 November, featuring a proposal to regulate standby power in all home entertainment products. Pioneering mandatory plans will be announced by Australia and New Zealand. See IEA's website for information on both events.

• 27th Annual Conference of the Air Infiltration and Ventilation Centre (AIVC), Lyon (France), 20-22 November 2006 (note changed dates). This conference is organised by the AIVC, which is part of the IEA Programme on Energy Conservation in Buildings & Community Systems (ECBCS). The event is taking place within the framework of the 4th European Conference on Energy Performance and Indoor Climate in Buildings (EPIC), which will also feature a stream on other ECBCS research projects. The EPIC gathering will target manufacturers, engineers, designers, architects, researchers, real estate managers, policy-makers and standardisation specialists. Click to learn more.

. Third International Conference on Clean Coal Technologies for our Future, Cagliari, Sardinia (Italy), 15-17 May 2007. The move towards zero-emissions coal-fired power plants is gathering momentum. Co-organised by the IEA Clean Coal Centre, this Clean Coal Technologies event will build on the success of its previous May 2005 conference in Cagliari, taking further the debate underlying important decisions the coal industry must take for our future.

. IEA/CSLF Assessment Workshop on Near-Term Opportunities for Carbon Capture and Storage, Oslo (Norway), 21-22 June 2007. This workshop is the second in a three-workshop series responding to a G8 request and organised by IEA and the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum. It will assess the issues raised at the August 2006 San Francisco workshop Near-Term Opportunities for CO2 Capture and Storage in the Fossil Fuel Sector. A third workshop, to be announced, will focus on recommendations to help accelerate development and commercialisation of carbon capture and storage. To learn more about these workshops, contact Jacek Podkanski at IEA.

. Conference Building Low Energy Cooling and Advanced Ventilation Technologies in the 21st Century, Aghia Pelaghia, Crete (Greece), 27-29 September 2007. Co-organised by IEA's Air Infiltration and Ventilation Centre (AIVC) as its 28th conference, this event aims to cover all aspects of technology and building design dealing with ventilation and passive cooling techniques. AIVC, is part of the IEA Programme on Energy Conservation in Buildings & Community Systems (ECBCS). Consult the conference website.