Energy innovation is critical to the global energy system, delivering advancements that shape how we produce, consume and distribute energy. From the creation of the first steam engine in the 17th century to the development of the wide array of modern energy technologies we use today, energy innovation has been a vital catalyst for progress – and underpins efforts to build a more secure, affordable and sustainable energy future.
For five decades, the IEA has facilitated exchanges on energy technology developments among decision makers and international experts. Through our Energy Innovation Forum, our Technology Collaboration Programmes and more, the Agency enables important dialogues and information sharing to propel energy innovation forward. Our extensive data and analyses on energy innovation also provide crucial insights that equip the huge range of stakeholders in this space to make effective decisions and pursue ambitious goals – from academics and researchers to start-ups, established companies, investors, philanthropic organisations, policy makers and regulatory bodies.
In April 2025, the IEA launched a new report, The State of Energy Innovation, which provides a comprehensive, data-driven assessment of recent progress and emerging challenges in energy technology innovation.
Key findings
Public and corporate energy R&D spending has been on the rise globally
Not every funded project will give rise to a radical new technology, but the impacts of this trend promise to be far-reaching. Public R&D investments in response to energy crises in the 1970s, reaching 0.1% of GDP, drove the expansion of nuclear power and reduced many countries’ reliance on imported fuels. Today, IEA Member countries spend just over 0.04% of GDP on energy R&D, with nearly 60% in three areas – energy efficiency, nuclear and renewables.
IEA Member country public spending on energy R&D as a share of GDP, 1975-2023
OpenAmbitious policies have attracted private capital, but headwinds are mounting
This influx of private capital supported around 1,800 energy start-ups. Even if only a fraction of these firms succeed, they could have a significant impact on global energy systems by the 2030s. However, in 2023 and 2024, VC funding went into decline, dropping by more than 20% amid tighter financial conditions. This is of particular concern for firms with demonstration-scale or larger projects that are costlier to run.
Energy venture capital funding by technology area, 2010-2024
OpenThe global energy innovation landscape is changing
Globally, between 2000 and 2022, patenting for low-emissions technologies was four-and-a-half times the level for technologies associated with fossil energy sources.
Energy patenting of the five countries with the most applications, 2015-2022
OpenData explorers
The IEA maintains an extensive collection of data explorers related to energy innovation. These include our ETP Clean Energy Technology Guide, which contains information for over 600 individual technologies across the energy system that contribute to countries’ policy goals, and our new Races to First in Energy Innovation database, which highlights progress towards 18 key energy technology milestones that should be achievable by 2030.
Explore more data
IEA initiatives
The IEA has focused on innovation in energy technologies since its launch, when the Agency’s founders looked to innovation to address the energy security challenges of the 1970s. Today, energy innovation is back in the spotlight for policy makers, playing a key role in national energy and industrial strategies given its potential to deliver major economic and security benefits.
CERT co-ordinates and promotes the development, demonstration and deployment of clean energy technologies. The CERT has established five working parties: the Working Party on Fossil Energy; the Working Party on Renewable Energy Technologies; the Working Party on Energy End-Use Technologies; the Fusion Power Co-ordinating Committee and the Working Party of Industrial Decarbonisation. The CERT has also established an Experts' Group on R&D Priority-Setting and Evaluation (EGRD) to advise on R&D priority-setting, linkages to governmental policy objectives and methods in the evaluation of R&D activities, and an understanding of emerging R&D topics.
The IEA Technology Collaboration Programmes (TCP) are independent, international groups of experts that enable governments and industries from around the world to lead programmes and projects on a wide range of energy technologies and related issues. The experts in these collaborations work to advance the research, development and commercialisation of specific energy technologies. There are currently 39 TCPs focused on topics across many sectors, including buildings, transport, industry, renewable energy, fossil energy and fusion power.
The Technology and Innovation Advisory Board strengthens the IEA’s work by providing a forum for engagement with innovation practitioners with hands-on experience developing and scaling up innovative energy technologies – including stakeholders from academia and research, large energy companies, small and medium-sized technology developers, investors, and other players in the innovation system, such as philanthropic funders, representatives from innovation incubators and independent experts. The inaugural meeting was held in March 2025.
IEA Energy Innovation Forums convene entrepreneurs, business leaders, investors and policy makers from around the world to discuss key technology issues facing energy systems and highlight the work of innovators and their scale-up challenges. The first IEA Energy Innovation Forum was held in 2024 and emphasised the establishment of new markets, healthy competition and investment risk mitigation to spur both incremental and radical innovation.
The IEA tracks policies related to energy innovation around the world. This work aims to support decision-makers and analysts in identifying examples of policies that could be translated to new country contexts and provides a basis for international exchange and cooperation.
Details can be found in Tracking Clean Energy Policies.
Through data and analysis, the IEA supports the work of Mission Innovation, an international initiative to accelerate energy innovation globally. The Agency also works closely with the G7 and G20 processes, such as the G20 Research and Innovation Working Group. To improve the availability of data on global energy patent trends, the IEA collaborates with the European Patent Office, producing reports on electricity grids, hydrogen, batteries, low-emissions and fossil fuel technologies.