Energy Technology Perspectives
Product brand
UnclaimedA long-term energy-technology outlook and scenario publication series produced by the International Energy Agency.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Energy Technology Perspectives (ETP) is a publication series of the International Energy Agency (IEA) that examines how energy technologies, infrastructure, industrial systems and public policy can support a secure, sustainable and lower-emissions global energy system. The series is principally designed for policymakers, energy specialists, business leaders, investors and other decision-makers who need to understand the technological and institutional changes associated with the energy transition. The series originated in the political context of the 2005 Gleneagles G8 summit. G8 leaders asked the IEA to contribute advice on alternative scenarios and strategies for a clean, competitive and secure energy future. The first Energy Technology Perspectives volume was published in 2006. From its beginning, the series has combined long-range energy-system modelling with analysis of technology deployment, innovation, infrastructure requirements, finance and policy. Its central analytical horizon has generally extended to 2050, while the 2012 edition also included scenario analysis reaching to 2075. ETP does not represent a single technology pathway. Instead, it compares different scenarios and evaluates the contribution of a broad portfolio of options across electricity generation, fuels, buildings, industry, transport and enabling infrastructure. The modelling framework has considered roughly 500 technology options. Topics covered across editions have included renewable electricity, electricity networks, energy storage, electrified transport, industrial decarbonisation, carbon capture and storage, energy efficiency, natural gas, hydrogen-related systems, materials and technology manufacturing. The reports also examine how regional circumstances affect the feasibility, cost and pace of transition. A recurring purpose of ETP is to translate technology analysis into practical guidance. Earlier editions placed strong emphasis on limiting long-term global temperature increases to 2°C, while later work has addressed the broader challenge of reaching net-zero emissions and ensuring that clean-energy deployment is compatible with energy security. The series has therefore evolved from a primarily climate-and-technology outlook into a wider assessment of transition risks, supply chains, critical minerals, manufacturing capacity and the role of governments in shaping industrial policy. The 2023 edition, published in January 2023, focused particularly on the security and resilience of clean-energy supply chains. Its analysis was framed by the disruption associated with the Covid-19 pandemic and heightened geopolitical tensions, including Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It examined vulnerabilities in mining and materials production, technology manufacturing and installation, enabling infrastructure, and the policy measures needed to reduce supply-chain risks. This emphasis reflected the increasing importance of industrial capacity and resource security in the deployment of low-carbon technologies. ETP is also an analytical foundation for related IEA work. Its scenarios have supported sectoral and regional publications such as Transition to Sustainable Buildings, Nordic Energy Technology Perspectives and Tracking Clean Energy Progress. The main reports are supplemented by online material, including data visualisations, downloadable figures and information about assumptions, modelling methods and results. As an IEA publication series rather than an independent corporation, ETP has no separate listed entity, commercial ownership structure or standalone management team.
History
Energy Technology Perspectives emerged from an international policy request made during the 2005 Gleneagles G8 summit. The G8 leaders asked the International Energy Agency to contribute analysis of alternative scenarios and strategies for a clean, competitive and secure energy future. The IEA responded with the first Energy Technology Perspectives publication in 2006, establishing a recurring series devoted to the relationship between technology development and long-term energy-system transformation. The early editions concentrated on the technology choices and policy frameworks required to reconcile economic development, energy security and climate protection. The 2008 edition expanded the series' technology-road-map approach across electricity generation, buildings, industry and transport. This sectoral structure helped position ETP as more than a general energy forecast: it was intended to show how specific technologies could be deployed, scaled and integrated within wider systems. The analytical framework uses long-term scenarios, regional detail and technology assessment. It has evaluated approximately 500 technology options across the global energy system. The main horizon has generally been 2050. In 2012, the series broadened its long-range perspective by adding scenario analysis to 2075 and detailed coverage of nine world regions. The same period also saw ETP scenarios used as a basis for more focused IEA work, including regional studies and sector reports. The 2013 companion publications illustrated this wider role. Nordic Energy Technology Perspectives applied the approach to the Nordic region and considered pathways to a carbon-neutral energy system by 2050. Transition to Sustainable Buildings examined how building-sector technologies and intelligent public policy could deliver deep energy and emissions reductions. Tracking Clean Energy Progress 2013 used the IEA's ETP-related pathways to assess the deployment of clean-energy technologies against interim targets and to provide recommendations for policymakers. ETP 2014 placed electricity at the centre of the transition, examining its potential to improve efficiency and reduce emissions over the long term. It considered decarbonised power supply, the future role of natural gas, electrified transport, storage, financing and the implications of rising energy demand in India. Subsequent editions increasingly emphasised innovation, deployment scale and governance. ETP 2015 addressed regulatory and cooperative frameworks for variable renewables, carbon capture and storage, energy-intensive industries and low-carbon innovation, with particular attention to emerging economies and China. ETP 2016 considered local governance and technologies relevant to the climate goals associated with the Paris Agreement. ETP 2017 focused on scaling clean-energy technologies, while ETP 2020 examined the technologies and system transformations associated with a future zero-emissions energy system, including long-distance transport and innovation. Published in January 2023, ETP 2023 reflected a changed geopolitical and economic environment. The Covid-19 pandemic and Russia's invasion of Ukraine had exposed vulnerabilities in energy and industrial supply chains. The edition therefore concentrated on the relationship between the transition and disruption, including clean-energy supply-chain vulnerabilities, mining and materials, technology manufacturing and installation, enabling infrastructure, and policy priorities for risk reduction. This represented an important broadening of the series: clean-energy technology was considered not only as a means of reducing emissions, but also as part of a strategic industrial and energy-security system. Throughout its development, ETP has remained an IEA publication series rather than a separately incorporated organization. Its reports are aimed at decision-makers and are complemented by online visualisations, downloadable data and methodological documentation. The series continues to provide a framework for understanding how technology portfolios, policy choices, investment, infrastructure and supply chains interact in long-term energy transitions.
- 2023
Supply-chain resilience becomes a central theme
[1]ETP 2023 examines clean-energy supply chains, critical materials, manufacturing, infrastructure and government responses to disruption.
- 2013
Regional and sector applications developed
[1]The ETP framework supports Nordic Energy Technology Perspectives, Transition to Sustainable Buildings and Tracking Clean Energy Progress 2013.
- 2012
Long-range and regional analysis expanded
[1]ETP 2012 adds analysis to 2075 and detailed scenarios for nine world regions.
- 2008
Technology road maps broadened
[1]The second edition expands coverage of technology road maps across electricity, buildings, industry and transport.
- 2006
First Energy Technology Perspectives published
[1]The IEA publishes the first edition of the Energy Technology Perspectives series.
- 2005
G8 requests IEA energy-technology analysis
[1]The Gleneagles G8 process asks the IEA to contribute scenarios and strategies for a clean, competitive and secure energy future.
Products and positioning
An authoritative, policy-oriented analytical publication series that connects energy technologies, long-term system modelling, climate objectives, energy security and industrial strategy.
Flagship energy technology outlook series · 2006
Energy Technology Perspectives
The core IEA publication series presents long-term global energy-system scenarios, usually to 2050, and assesses the technologies, infrastructure, policies and investments needed to support secure and sustainable energy transitions. It covers electricity, fuels, buildings, industry, transport and enabling systems, and combines modelling with discussion of innovation, deployment and regional differences.
Edition · 2023
Energy Technology Perspectives 2023
Published in January 2023, this edition focuses on the resilience of clean-energy supply chains in a period shaped by pandemic disruption and geopolitical conflict. It addresses mining and materials production, technology manufacturing and installation, enabling infrastructure, supply-chain vulnerabilities and policy priorities for strengthening energy security.
Edition · 2020
Energy Technology Perspectives 2020
This edition examines the technologies needed for a zero-emissions future, including the transformation of energy systems, the state of clean-energy technologies, long-distance transport requirements and innovation challenges.
Edition · 2014
Energy Technology Perspectives 2014
Subtitled Harnessing Electricity's Potential, the 2014 edition explores how electricity can improve efficiency and reduce emissions. It covers decarbonised supply, natural gas, transport electrification, storage, low-carbon finance and the implications of increasing energy demand in India.
Regional companion publication · 2013
Nordic Energy Technology Perspectives
The first regional edition applying the ETP approach, this study assesses how the Nordic region could achieve a carbon-neutral energy system by 2050.
Sector companion publication · 2013
Transition to Sustainable Buildings
This IEA sector study uses long-term scenarios and strategies to examine how best-available building technologies and public policy can deliver substantial energy and emissions reductions through 2050.
Technology deployment tracking publication · 2013
Tracking Clean Energy Progress 2013
This publication reviews progress in deploying major clean-energy technologies against interim targets associated with the IEA's long-term transition pathways and provides recommendations for policymakers.
Brand decisions
2023
Make clean-energy supply-chain resilience a central analytical priorityStrategyBackground
Pandemic-related disruption and Russia's invasion of Ukraine highlighted risks affecting energy security, critical materials and technology manufacturing.
Action taken
ETP 2023 prioritised analysis of mining, materials, manufacturing, installation, infrastructure and policy responses to supply-chain vulnerabilities.
Aftermath
The publication broadened the series' transition analysis to include industrial strategy and resilience alongside emissions reduction and technology deployment.
2012
Extend the scenario horizon to 2075Generation changeBackground
The series sought to provide a longer view of energy-system transformation alongside its established 2050 outlook.
Action taken
ETP 2012 added scenario analysis reaching to 2075 and expanded detailed regional coverage.
Aftermath
The change strengthened the series' role as a long-term scenario reference for policymakers and energy analysts.
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