New energy technologies for a sustainable energy future: IEA unveils "Energy Technology Perspectives 2010" report

The Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), Mr. Nobuo Tanaka, presented the IEA's new "Energy Technology Perspectives 2010" yesterday at the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology. The study provides answers to the question of how technological advances and innovation can accelerate the transition to a sustainable energy supply.

One of the study's central assertions is that the decarbonisation of electricity generation can be achieved only if all relevant technologies are put into action toward this aim - these include renewable energy sources as well as nuclear power and carbon capture and storage (CCS).

At the presentation, which was attended by representatives from government, business and science, Mr. Jochen Homann, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, highlighted the key role that the IEA plays in analysing and formulating political strategies to develop and implement new energy technologies. He emphasised that the Energy Technology Perspectives offer particularly important guidance in this respect: "The IEA's new study arrives at just the right time. Its findings will flow into the German government's ongoing work on our new Energy Research Programme. Most significant is the assessment that over half of the necessary CO₂ savings can be achieved through the use of new technologies by end users. Germany is a world leader in this area. Thus by exporting cutting-edge technologies, we can make an important contribution to global climate protection."

The German government's Energy Research Programme, which is led by the Federal Economics Ministry, is to be unveiled in 2011. The programme will focus primarily on the fields of energy efficiency, storage technology, smart grids and renewable energy.

The IEA's Energy Technology Perspectives are published every two years. In the newest edition for 2010, the IEA has adapted scenarios to current developments and, for the first time, has included detailed regional studies on the European OECD countries, the United States, China and India. Further information on the Energy Technology Perspectives is available at www.iea.org.