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Climate Change
…as climate change intensifies. Higher temperatures, as well as more frequent and severe extreme weather events, increasingly threaten the reliable supply of fuels, minerals and electricity, which can result in higher energy prices. Drought conditions, for example, can impede the operation of thermo-electric and nuclear power plants, which require water for cooling. Meanwhile, hurricanes, floods and other disasters can damage a wide range of energy infrastructure, leading to brownouts or blackouts. Global warming is also driving up energy usage around the world by increasing demand for space cooling during warmer months. Unless the transition to a more secure and...
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Artificial Intelligence
…improved computing power, a boom in data availability and breakthroughs in the design of AI models, leading to rapid adoption by both businesses and individuals. Though significant uncertainties remain, AI has the potential to transform the energy sector in the coming decade. It is set to drive a surge in electricity demand from data centres around the world while also unlocking significant opportunities to cut costs, enhance competitiveness and reduce emissions.To better understand the growing connections between energy and AI, the IEA launched a major new initiative in 2024: Energy for AI, and AI for Energy. As part of…
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Energy Security
…and the increasing frequency of extreme weather events. One of the IEA’s key tools is an oil stockholding system that requires member countries to hold stocks equivalent to at least 90 days of their net oil imports. IEA members are also obliged to maintain demand restraint programs to rapidly reduce oil consumption during disruptions.The IEA’s oil emergency response mechanisms have proven to be a key stabilising force in global oil markets. Since 1991, the IEA has coordinated six collective responses to major oil supply disruptions, bringing critical additional supplies to oil markets amid turbulence triggered by wars…
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Energy and Water
…almost every aspect of producing energy, from electricity generation to fossil fuel extraction to biofuels cultivation. In fact, the energy sector accounts for roughly 10% of all global freshwater withdrawals. Meanwhile, energy is crucial to maintaining global water supply. It is needed to extract water from lakes, rivers and oceans; lift groundwater from aquifers and pump it through pipes and canals; and treat water and deliver it to users.This interdependence is set to intensify in the coming years. Each resource faces rising demand and growing constraints in many regions because of economic and population growth, as well as climate change…
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Access and Affordability
…and forecast electricity demand at the building-level in developing economies. The tool leverages a machine learning model trained on geo-referenced data of electricity consumption sourced from utility meters in three pilot countries – Ghana, Senegal and Uganda. It can then predict electricity demand for buildings that lack meter data or have yet to be electrified with high resolution and high accuracy. The tool can be applied to satellite images of entire countries, and produce significantly improved estimates for planners, utilities, and off-grid solar companies to identify target customers and communities. New scenario shows pathway to universal electricity access…
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Russia's War on Ukraine
…businesses, and complicating efforts to improve access to electricity. Energy markets, faced with an unusually high degree of geopolitical uncertainty, remain on edge.In Ukraine, the energy sector is on the front line of the war for the second consecutive winter. As temperatures have dropped, Russia has resumed a broad military offensive targeting power plants and other key energy infrastructure across the country, which in 2022 and 2023 caused extensive damage and left many Ukrainians without reliable supplies of electricity or heat for long periods. Recent improvements to Ukraine’s air defence systems have helped safeguard power supply this winter, but…
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Critical Minerals
…are crucial to battery performance. Rare earth elements are essential indispensable to the permanent magnets used in wind turbines and electric vehicle motors. Electricity networks need a huge amount of aluminium and copper, the latter of which is the cornerstone of all electricity-related technologies. As demand for these materials grows strongly, their strategic importance has also increased – and policymakers have made ensuring secure and resilient mineral supply chains a major priority. Critical Minerals Security Programme The IEA Critical Minerals Security Programme is the Agency’s flagship framework designed to help countries strengthen mineral security. Building on the IEA’s…
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Energy and Gender
…roles, such as scientific research (45%) and the manufacturing of electrical equipment (27%). The share of women in senior leadership is growing but lags the economy-wide average The share of women in senior leadership positions has been rising faster than the economy-wide average since 2015. Renewables and nuclear have seen particularly strong progress, while there have only been marginal gains in oil and gas supply, and coal witnessed declines. Women’s share of leadership roles in the energy sector now stands at 18% – up from 13% in 2015, but still below the economy-wide average of 25%. Nearly…
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Investment
…How this spending is allocated has major consequences for energy security, affordability and transitions around the world.The IEA regularly tracks capital flows in the energy sector, identifying key trends and studying their impact. Analyses such as our flagship World Energy Investment report, published annually, explore how investors are assessing risks and opportunities across all areas of fuel and electricity supply, critical minerals, energy efficiency, research and development and energy finance.The Agency also supports governments and industry as they work to reduce barriers to investing in secure, affordable and clean energy. Our analysis is designed to enhance transparency around economic and…
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Saving Energy
Today's energy shortages and high prices makes it more important than ever to use energy wisely With today’s global energy crisis resulting in high prices and shortages that are hurting consumers, businesses and entire economies, it has never been more important to use energy more wisely. We can do this through simple changes in behaviour and habits to consume less energy in our daily activities. We can also save energy by investing in more energy efficient products that reduce both our energy bills and our environmental footprint. Energy saving tips 7 ways to save energy 1. Heating: turn…