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Policy report
Jun 2026
Energy Efficiency Policy Toolkit Clean Efficient Cooking
Clean Efficient Cooking
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Flagship report
Apr 2025
Energy and AI AI and climate change
The emergence of AI has both raised concerns that AI-fuelled data centre growth might fuel climate change and also raised expectations that AI applications in the energy sector could help reduce emissions by unlocking new optimisations and efficiencies. As over 100 countries – and the European Union – have targets to reach net zero emissions between 2030 and 2070, it is pertinent to explore what AI’s impact on emissions could potentially be. Global fuel combustion CO2 emissions are estimated to reach 35 000 million tonnes (Mt) in 2024. Data centres account for around 180 Mt of indirect CO2 emissions today from the consumption…
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Contributor
Dave Turk
Former USA Deputy Secretary of Energy. Dave Turk joined the IEA in September 2016 and is currently the Acting Deputy Executive Director and Head of the Strategic Initiatives Office. He formerly served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Climate and Technology at the U.S. Department of Energy, where he coordinated the Department’s international clean energy efforts. He also previously served as Deputy Special Envoy for Climate Change at the U.S. Department of State, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Congressional Affairs at the U.S. National Security Council, and in various capacities in the U.S. Congress.
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Flagship report
Apr 2025
Energy and AI Energy demand from AI
What is a data centre? Artificial intelligence (AI) model training and deployment occur mainly in data centres. Understanding the role of data centres as actors in the energy system first requires an understanding of their component parts. Data centres are facilities used to house servers, storage systems, networking equipment and associated components that are installed in racks and organised into rows. This IT equipment, and a range of auxiliary equipment required to keep it in working order, comprise the following:Servers are computers that process and store data. They can be equipped with central processing units (CPUs) and specialised accelerators…
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Fuel report
Nov 2025
Pledges to Progress 2025 Recommendations
The case for robust operational emissions reduction – backed by public disclosure to foster progress, transparency and accountability – has never been stronger. The increased regulatory and policy focus on reducing methane and flaring emissions from oil and gas production, the degree of cost-effectiveness in pursuing reductions, and the uptake among industry, investors and others suggest that all stakeholders are well aware of the opportunity for climate mitigation and operational efficiency.In many cases, large improvements in company scores could be achieved with better reporting and increased transparency, especially since companies are likely to be doing more than they are disclosing…
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Flagship report
Apr 2025
Energy and AI Understanding the energy-AI nexus
Artificial intelligence (AI) has a long history, dating back to at least the 1950s. Over time, it has seen a series of alternating periods of optimism and pessimism (so-called “AI winters”). In recent years, however, AI has been dramatically boosted by several developments and breakthroughs in techniques, costs and technology that have led to the rise of AI in its modern form that we are familiar with today, in particular generative AI. These developments include the massive increase in computing power and decline in cost due to exponential improvements in computing hardware performance; the exponential increase in the availability…
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Policy report
Jun 2026
Multiple Benefits of Energy Efficiency for Business The business value of energy efficiency
Energy efficiency is often described as the “first fuel” because the cheapest and most secure energy is the energy that is not used. For businesses, this begins with a straightforward benefit: lower energy bills. In many cases, efficiency investments can pay back quickly through reduced energy costs alone, improving margins and reducing exposure to price volatility.However, the value of energy efficiency extends beyond energy savings. By improving how equipment, buildings and processes operate, efficiency measures deliver wide-ranging benefits that strengthen business competitiveness across several dimensions: Operational benefits Efficient and electrified equipment operates more reliably and with less stress…
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Contributor
Jose M Bermudez
Energy Technology Analyst. Jose M Bermudez is an Energy Technology Analyst at the International Energy Agency (IEA), where he coordinates the analytical work of the IEA in hydrogen technologies. He is also the coordinator of the Clean Energy Ministerial Hydrogen Initiative. Jose has more than 15 years of professional experience, working in research, innovation and energy policy in the areas of hydrogen, bioenergy and alternative fuels.
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Flagship report
Apr 2025
Energy and AI AI and energy security
The nexus between energy and AI has implications for energy security. There are at least two broad dimensions to this relationship. The first arises from the impact of AI on energy security. AI can be – and indeed already is being – applied to address specific challenges relating to energy security concerns. At the same time, greater digitalisation and connectivity in the energy sector – which enable the use of AI – can create new energy security challenges. The second dimension arises from the need to mitigate energy sector-related supply chain risks, which have implications for the scaling up of data centres to meet…
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