China faces the dynamic of rapid economic development that drives ever increasing energy use, primarily electricity, and consequently increasing CO2 emissions. It has taken a pledge to curb its emissions intensity, and is exploring various policy approaches to fulfil that aim, including...

Taxes, loans and grants, trading schemes and white certificates, public procurement and investment in R&D or infrastructure: known collectively as “economic instruments”, these tools can be powerful means of mobilising the finances needed to achieve policy goals by implementing energy...

Transport is the sector with the highest final energy consumption and, without any significant policy changes, is forecast to remain so. In 2008, the IEA published 25 energy efficiency recommendations, among which four are for the transport sector. The recommendations focus on road transport and...

The production of heat is responsible for a large share of final energy demand. In 2009, heat accounted for 47% of total energy used worldwide. Expanding the use of modern biomass, geothermal energy, solar energy and ambient energy to produce heat could contribute substantially to meeting energy...

In 2009, the term “21st Century Coal” was jointly coined by the governments of China and the United States to describe the importance of strategic international partnerships to advance development of near-zero emissions (NZE) technology enabling clean energy solutions from coal (OPS, 2009)....

Energy providers will play a pivotal role over the coming decades in managing energy demand growth and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The IEA projects that the power sector will deliver up to two-thirds of cumulative emissions reductions under the climate-stabilizing 450 ppm scenario,...

Concerns about energy security, climate change and rising energy costs make it imperative for all countries to significantly improve their energy efficiency. To assist them in doing so, the IEA has proposed 25 energy efficiency policy recommendations. These recommendations could, if implemented...

Russia is in the process of one of the most ambitious electricity sector reforms ever undertaken, reflecting the importance of an efficient and reliable electricity sector for promoting economic activity, growth and community prosperity. However, the outcome remains uncertain at this stage....

At the October 2011 Governing Board Meeting at Ministerial Level, IEA member countries endorsed the IEA Electricity Security Action Plan (ESAP). The proposed electricity security work program reflects the challenge of maintaining electricity security while also seeking to rapidly reduce carbon...

Electricity generation from coal is still growing rapidly and energy scenarios from the IEA expect a possible increase from today's 1 600 GW of coal-fired power plants to over 2 600 GW until 2035. This trend will increase the lock-in of carbon intensive electricity sources, while IEA assessments...