Energy Technology Perspectives 2012

ETP 2012 cover photo of a dandelion

About this report

Energy Technology Perspectives (ETP) is the IEA’s most ambitious publication on new developments in energy technology. It demonstrates how technologies – from electric vehicles to smart grids – can make a decisive difference in achieving the objective of limiting the global temperature rise to 2°C and enhancing energy security. ETP 2012 presents detailed scenarios for nine world regions and strategies to 2050 with the aim of guiding decision makers on energy trends and what needs to be done to build a clean, secure and competitive energy future. ETP 2012 addresses current progress on clean energy deployment; how energy security and low carbon energy are linked; How energy systems will become more complex in the future; how demand for heating and cooling will evolve dramatically; why flexible electricity systems are increasingly important, and how a system with smarter grids, energy storage and flexible generation can work; why hydrogen could play a big role in the energy system of the future; why the of fossil fuels will change but not disappear; what is needed to realise the potential of carbon capture and storage; and whether available technologies can allow the world to have zero energy-related emissions by 2075 – which seems a necessary condition for the world to meet the 2°C target.