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About the SolarPACES TCP with the IEA

How IEA TCPs Work

SolarPACES.org is organised under the auspices of the International Energy Agency (IEA) but is functionally and legally autonomous. Views, findings and publications of SolarPACES do not necessarily represent the views or policies of the IEA Secretariat or its individual member countries.

The Technology Collaboration Programme (TCP) is a multilateral mechanism established by the International Energy Agency that was created with a belief that the future of energy security and sustainability starts with global collaboration. The programme is made up of thousands of experts across government, academia and industry in 55 countries dedicated to advancing common research and the application of specific energy technologies.

Currently there are 38 individual technology collaborations working across several technology or sector categories: energy efficiency end-use technologies (buildings, transport, industry and electricity), renewable energy and hydrogen, fossil energies, fusion power, and cross-cutting issues. These technology collaborations are a critical, member-driven part of the IEA family, but they are functionally and legally autonomous from the IEA Secretariat. The breadth of the analytical expertise in the Technology Collaboration Programme is a unique asset in the global transition to a cleaner energy future.

The Technology Collaboration Programmes (TCP) function within a framework created by the IEA. The TCP mechanism is a flexible and effective means for IEA member and non-member countries, businesses, industries, international organisations and non-government organisations to research breakthrough technologies, to fill existing research gaps, to build pilot plants, to carry out deployment or demonstration programmes – in short to encourage technology-related activities that support energy security, economic growth and environmental protection.

The CERT is supported by four expert Working Parties (end-use, fossil fuels, fusion and renewables) which oversee the activities of the TCP and evaluate their outcomes at the end of each term.

The Working Parties provide leadership by guiding the TCP to shape work programmes that address current energy issues productively, by regularly reviewing their accomplishments, and suggesting reinforced efforts where needed.

The Technology Collaboration Programme for Solar Power and Chemical Energy Systems (SolarPACES) reports to the Working Party on Renewable Energy Technologies (REWP).

    • Cross-Cutting Activities (information exchange, modeling, technology transfer)
    • End-Use (buildings, electricity, industry, transport)
    • Fossil Fuels (greenhouse-gas mitigation, supply, transformation)
    • Fusion Power (international experiments)
    • Renewable Energies and Hydrogen (technologies and deployment)

The TCPs are at the core of a network of senior experts consisting of the Committee on Energy Research and Technology (CERT), four working parties and three expert groups – the IEA Energy Technology Network. More than 6,000 specialists carry out a vast body of research through these various initiatives (more than 1,400 projects to date).
http://www.iea.org/techinitiatives”>www.iea.org/techinitiatives

About the IEA

The International Energy Agency (IEA) is an autonomous agency established in 1974. The IEA carries out a comprehensive programme of energy co-operation among 29 advanced economies, each of which is obliged to hold oil stocks equivalent to 90 days of its net imports.

The aims of the IEA are to:

    • Secure member countries’ access to reliable and ample supplies of all forms of energy; in particular, through maintaining effective emergency response capabilities in case of oil supply disruptions.
    • Promote sustainable energy policies that spur economic growth and environmental protection in a global context – particularly in terms of reducing greenhouse-gas emissions that contribute to climate change.
    • Improve transparency of international markets through collection and analysis of energy data.
    • Support global collaboration on energy technology to secure future energy supplies and mitigate their environmental impact, including through improved energy efficiency and development and deployment of low-carbon technologies.
    • Find solutions to global energy challenges through engagement and dialogue with non-member countries, industry, international organisations and other stakeholders.

To attain these goals, increased co-operation between industries, businesses and government energy technology research is indispensable. The public and private sectors must work together, share burdens and resources, while at the same time multiplying results and outcomes.