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Vehicle software and software-defined vehicles
…Manufacturers can also deploy new features, performance improvements and security updates more rapidly across a vehicle’s lifetime. When combined with the lower material requirements of zonal architectures compared with distributed designs, these benefits can reduce EV production costs, provided volumes are sufficient to spread development costs across enough vehicles.Lower vehicle production costs can translate into lower purchase prices for consumers, but an increasing number of features in base models and greater reliance on subscription‑based functions could also increase costs for users, albeit creating a new revenue stream for manufacturers. For example, “feature‑as‑a‑service” business models – through which users can…
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Global Hydrogen Review 2026
…across multiple applications and regions. It concludes with a special focus chapter exploring challenges and opportunities for the development of new supply chains for low-emissions hydrogen-based products in Africa.The report is published alongside updates to the Hydrogen Production and Infrastructure Projects Database and the online Hydrogen Tracker. These resources allow users to explore project-level information and data on announced and operational projects for the production of low-emissions hydrogen and for the development of hydrogen infrastructure. It also includes information on signed offtake agreements for low-emissions hydrogen and hydrogen derivatives, and details on more than…
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Gas Market Report, Q3-2025
…and relatively high prices, weighed on natural gas consumption, particularly in price-sensitive markets in Asia. Both China and India recorded demand declines in the first half of 2025 compared with the same period in 2024. Europe’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports are expected to reach an all-time high in 2025, supported by stronger storage injections, higher domestic demand and lower piped gas supplies from Russia. In contrast, China’s LNG imports are forecast to fall amid weaker natural gas demand and strong competition from Europe for flexible LNG cargoes. Geopolitical tensions have continued to fuel price volatility…
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Global Methane Tracker 2025
…accounts for more than 35% of methane emissions from human activity and has some of the best opportunities to cut these emissions. The annually updated Global Methane Tracker is an essential tool for raising awareness about methane emissions across the energy sector and the opportunities to bring them down.The Tracker presents our latest sector-wide emissions estimates – based on the most recent data from satellites and measurement campaigns – and discusses different abatement options along with their associated costs. This 2025 update adds several new elements, including: country-level historical emissions data; an interactive tool to explore international methane initiatives…
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Critical Mineral Traceability for Energy and Economic Security
Amid rising risks linked to the high concentration of critical mineral supply chains, the ability to track where minerals originate, how they move through supply chains, who has custody of them and how they are transformed is increasingly important for policymakers seeking to create diversified and responsible supply chains.This report provides insights from a first-of-its kind survey on traceability conducted by the IEA and OECD. More than 80 respondent companies active across supply chains of the six focus minerals (copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite and rare earth elements) provided results between October and December 2025. Drawing on…
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Demand- and Supply-Side Measures for the Industry Transition
Policy brief As governments look to scale up lead markets for near-zero and low-emissions steel and cement, targeted policy measures can help overcome commercialisation barriers, capture emerging market opportunities and support broader government objectives. This policy brief explores a variety of possible policy instruments to stimulate demand and supply of such industrial materials, providing options that governments could adopt and adapt as part of their industrial policy framework – tailored to their unique circumstances to enhance effectiveness – along with practical next steps towards implementation.
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China’s Official Energy Finance in Emerging and Developing Economies
Evolving institutions, instruments and implications for clean energy transitions Global energy investment exceeded USD 3.3 trillion in 2025, but capital flows remain uneven. Emerging market and developing economies (EMDE) outside China attracted just 27% of total energy investment and 18% of clean energy spending, despite accounting for nearly two-thirds of the global population and the bulk of future demand. Addressing this imbalance requires mobilising more capital from diverse sources into EMDE energy systems.China continues to play a central role in global energy investment flows because of its large domestic investments and its large external capital spending on energy. Since…
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Rare Earth Elements
Pathways to secure and diversified supply chains The critical role of rare earth elements in strategic applications, ranging from energy technologies and advanced electronics to aerospace and defence systems, combined with their highly concentrated supply chains, has elevated their importance in both energy and broader economic security discussions in recent years. This report assesses the current state of the rare earth elements market, examining demand and supply dynamics and key technological developments. It analyses the full value chain from mining to permanent magnet production, evaluates vulnerabilities across supply chains, and highlights the implications of potential supply disruptions. Based on these…
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Grid investments
…measures can also reduce grid congestion, a key factor in determining costs to manage the system. These congestion management costs tripled in Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States from 2019 to 2022, and can constrain industrial expansion. Implementing energy efficiency and demand response measures can decrease and shift peak demand to less congested periods when electricity prices are lower and there is less stress on grid infrastructure. Demand response has seen rising uptake around the world, but further electrification and demand decarbonisation are expected to significantly increase its importance. For instance, in Australia, where various mechanisms have been…
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Sheltering From Oil Shocks
…supply disruption in the history of the global oil market, due to the near halt in shipping traffic through the Strait of Hormuz. The loss of supply is having significant impacts in global markets, pushing up prices for crude oil above $100/barrel, and leading to much higher prices for some refined products – notably diesel, jet fuel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Concerns are growing about the impacts of higher prices on households, businesses and the broader economy.In this report, the IEA details 10 demand-side options open to households, businesses and governments to shelter themselves from today’s…
