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Covid-19 impact on electricity
…a recovery of electricity demand, now above 2019 levels after weather adjustment. Electricity demand dropped to Sunday levels under lockdown, with dramatic reductions in services and industry only partially offset by higher residential use. When confinement was eased in Italy and Germany in April, electricity demand showed the first signs of recovering. This trend was confirmed in May, as more countries (India, France, Spain, Great Britain) softened lockdown measures. In June and July, the electricity demands, weather corrected, stayed 10% and 5% respectively below the 2019 level of the same month, in most countries except India, where the recovery was…
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Paving the way to recovery with utility-funded energy efficiency
…utility business models and incentives to enable them to fully value and pay for energy efficiency as a cost-effective resource to the energy system. The most prevalent type of utility-funded programmes are energy efficiency obligations – referred to in North America as “energy efficiency resource standards”. These programmes place a binding target on energy utilities (often distributors or suppliers), most often to meet a defined level of energy savings over a specified period of time. They include programmes with tradable “white certificates” such as those in Australia, France and Italy.Several other jurisdictions have competitive tendering schemes or auc...
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Renewables 2020
Analysis and forecast to 2025 In May 2020, the IEA market update on renewable energy provided an analysis that looked at the impact of Covid-19 on renewable energy deployment in 2020 and 2021. This early assessment showed that the Covid-19 crisis is hurting – but not halting – global renewable energy growth. Half a year later, the pandemic continues to affect the global economy and daily life. However, renewable markets, especially electricity-generating technologies, have already shown their resilience to the crisis. Renewables 2020 provides detailed analysis and forecasts through 2025 of the impact of Covid-19 on renewables in…
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Railway Handbook 2016
Produced in collaboration with the Union Internationale des Chemins de Fer The production of the Railway Handbook 2016 has been an important opportunity to strengthen the collaboration between the IEA and the UIC. This relationship has served to enrich and improve the knowledge of activity, energy and emissions data associated with the railway sector. Part I of this year’s Handbook is dedicated to presenting the most significant data and trends concerning energy consumption and CO2 emissions from the rail sector, focusing on the most important Regions in terms of rail activity, namely EU 28, USA, Japan, Russia, India and…
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Railway Handbook 2015
Produced in collaboration with the Union Internationale des Chemins de Fer The collaboration of the IEA and the UIC in collecting, elaborating, and presenting activity, energy, and CO2 emissions data was carried out for the fourth time through the release of the Railway Handbook 2015. For this edition, significant methodological improvements were implemented leading to better consistency between the different indicators presented in this Handbook, in addition to updates of the global data, as well as regional breakdowns for those regions that we consider the most relevant from the point of view of transport activity: European Union, USA, Japan, Russia…
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Clean energy transitions: Accelerating innovation beyond 2020
Focus on India In recent years, governments have increasingly focused on innovation as a means to accelerate clean energy transitions and meet climate targets under the Paris Agreement. Despite efforts, illustrated by Mission Innovation country pledges to double public research and development spending in clean energy over a five-year period, much remains to be done. This brief Discussion Paper provides an overview of IEA work on innovation as part of clean energy transitions, tapping into India’s experiences and success stories. It also considers aspects relevant to multilateral innovation partnerships including Mission Innovation, and suggests ways forward for policy…
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Turning a Liability into an Asset: Landfill Methane Recovery in India
Landfill Methane Recovery in India Turning a Liability into an Asset Solid waste disposal sites are not often seen as opportunities for energy solutions. The waste that is disposed in open dumps and landfills generates methane and other gases as it decomposes, causing concerns about explosions, odours, and, increasingly, about the contribution of methane to global climate change. However, the liability of landfill gas (LFG) can be turned into an asset. Many countries regularly capture LFG as a strategy to improve landfill safety, generate electricity, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and to earn carbon emission reduction credits (e.g. 40% for…
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A Vision for Clean Cooking Access for All
World Energy Outlook Special Report Nearly one in three people, the vast majority of them in the poorest regions of the world, still lack access to clean cooking facilities, with major ramifications for public health, local environments and socio-economic development. Inhaling hazardous smoke from traditional stoves and open fires causes millions of premature deaths annually, disproportionately affecting women and children. The arduous task of collecting firewood also hinders educational and employment opportunities and strains natural resources – compounding costs for vulnerable populations.The International Energy Agency (IEA) and the African Development Bank Group have joined forces to address this critical…
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India Case Study
Cost of Capital Observatory Case Study The Cost of Capital Observatory is an initiative from the IEA, the World Economic Forum, ETH Zurich and Imperial College London. The aim of the Observatory is to increase transparency in the energy sector and inspire investor confidence, especially in emerging and developing countries where data on financing costs is scarcer.Case Studies include lessons learnt of how policymakers, together with the private sector, development finance institutions and other entities managed to mitigate risks and mobilise capital for clean energy sectors across the emerging and developing world.
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The Future of Rail
Opportunities for energy and the environment Global demand for transport is growing fast. Given present trends, passenger and freight activity will more than double by 2050. Such growth is a token of social and economic progress, but it carries with it greater energy demand and increased CO2 emissions and atmospheric pollutants. A greater reliance on rail has the potential to cut that growth. In a world becoming ever more urbanised, rail travel is well matched to urban needs. High-speed rail can serve as an alternative to short-distance air travel, and conventional and freight rail can complement other transport…