-
Grid investments
Multiple benefits of Energy Efficiency 2025 Energy efficiency provides multiple benefits. This page explores grid investments. Why is energy efficiency important for grid investments? As we enter the Age of Electricity, global electricity demand is rising rapidly – and so is the demand for the expansion of electricity grids. Energy efficiency can help close the gap between supply and demand, but often at a lower cost, and more quickly, than new generation and grid expansion. Key facts On average, energy efficiency costs less than half the amount it would cost to build new generation capacity and grid infrastructure, per unit of…
-
Lithium
Outlook for key energy transition minerals This report provides an outlook for demand and supply for key energy minerals including copper, lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite and rare earth elements. Demand projections encompass both key energy technologies and other uses under different IEA Scenarios. Supply projections are based on a detailed review of all announced projects. They show how today's geographical concentration evolves over time, for both mining and refining and how expected supply compares with primary supply requirements.
-
Cost of Capital Observatory
Tracking the cost of capital for clean energy projects in emerging and developing economies 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.The Observatory is divided into three sections:A Dashboard that provides free data on the cost of capital for energy projects in emerging and developing economies, updated with 2023 and 2024 data in July and…
-
Demand and Supply Measures for the Steel and Cement Transition
The case for international co-ordination A massive scale-up of markets for transformative near-zero emissions steel and cement is needed to achieve internationally agreed net zero goals. Yet early movers on both the supply- and demand-side – that is, material producers and consumers – face substantial barriers related to high costs and risks, among other factors. This has led to relatively slow market growth for near-zero emissions materials, at a moment when reinvesting in long-lived high-emissions production could have repercussions for governments to achieve their stated climate goals. Policy makers have the opportunity to play a…
-
Outlook for Biogas and Biomethane
A global geospatial assessment Biogases play an important and growing role in energy systems. Produced locally using organic waste, biogas and biomethane can contribute to energy security, waste management, emissions reductions and agricultural development.In recent years, demand for biomethane – also known as “renewable natural gas” – has grown rapidly in many countries, supported by dozens of new policies. As a low-emissions substitute for natural gas, the use of biomethane has been targeted across a wide range of sectors, including power, industry, transport and buildings. This report presents a first-of-its-kind global geographical analysis of the untapped potential…
-
Prospects for Natural Gas Certification
This report offers an overview of the role of certification in natural gas supply chains, provides a broad mapping of existing initiatives, highlights selected regulatory and market developments, identifies areas where improvements may be needed, and presents recommendations to support the development of credible certification frameworks.Certified natural gas refers to gas whose environmental and social attributes – such as greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions performance, water use, local community impacts and worker safety – have been independently verified against defined criteria or benchmarks. In 2024, around 7.5% of global natural gas production was certified, with volumes primarily originating from North America…
-
Scaling Up Transition Finance
Scaling Up
Transition
Finance Actions by emissions-intensive sectors, companies and countries are crucial to placing the world on a sustainable pathway. Yet investments that could deliver meaningful reductions in their environmental footprint often do not receive sufficient financial support. Currently, finance is drawn heavily to certain “green” assets and activities. While vital, these investments alone cannot deliver all the changes needed to cut global emissions, especially in areas where clean technologies are not yet commercially available or cost-competitive. This is where transition finance comes in: it can help emissions-intensive countries, companies and sectors shift over time towards…
-
Ensuring a Strong Labour Dimension for Just and Inclusive Energy Transitions
IEA Clean Energy Labour Council Workers play a critical role in the global energy system, providing key services across many areas of the energy sector. To give a greater voice to the labour perspective in energy and climate policy discussions, the IEA Executive Director, Dr. Fatih Birol, convened the Clean Energy Labour Council in 2022. The Labour Council brings together representatives of the world’s most important national trade unions and trade union confederations, as well as prominent thinkers on the topic, to foster engagement between the IEA, energy policy makers, and the labour movement.The IEA Clean Energy Labour…
-
Gaining an Edge
The Role of Energy Efficiency in Enhancing Competitiveness Energy efficiency delivers more than energy savings and emission reductions – it can also improve the competitiveness of countries and firms. From increased profitability to job creation, energy efficiency helps firms compete amid high costs, growing demand, and rising trade pressures. In today’s global context, energy efficiency is not only a matter of energy policy, but also of economic policy.The report analyses historical progress in industrial energy efficiency and its role in enhancing industrial competitiveness. It includes comparisons of firm-level energy efficiency, identifying performance gaps and opportunities for further improvement. Drawing…
-
Policy Toolbox for Industrial Decarbonisation
The Policy Toolbox for Industrial Decarbonisation is a repository of policy instruments available to assist governments as they design, develop and implement their strategies for industrial decarbonisation. This work, undertaken as part of the Climate Club's Work Programme, builds on the policy toolbox outlined in IEA’s 2022 Achieving Net Zero Heavy Industry Sectors in G7 Members report, with the addition of further details on the instruments and considerations for implementation.A robust industrial decarbonisation policy strategy is likely to include multiple different instruments, as governments choose the instruments that are most suited to their individual circumstances and objectives…
