On 25 April, 2012, the International Energy Agency (IEA) launched its 2012 Tracking Clean Energy Progress report (PDF) at the third Clean Energy Ministerial in London.

The report is an early excerpt of the forthcoming Energy Technology Perspectives 2012 (will be released 11 June 2012). It provides a comprehensive tracking of progress in the development and deployment of clean energy and energy efficiency technologies in the power generation, industry, buildings, and transport sectors. Progress is compared against rates required to achieve a 2°C limit in global temperature rise. Three main areas are evaluated:

• Technology progress, using data on technology performance, technology cost, and public spending on research, development & demonstration (RD&D)
• Market creation, using data on government policies and targets, and private investment
• Technology penetration, using data on technology deployment rates, share in the overall energy mix and global distribution of technologies

The report finds that while some progress has been made, most clean energy technologies are not on track to make their required contribution to reducing carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions and thereby provide a more secure energy system. It highlights that getting back on track is possible, if timely and significant policy action is taken.