11 July 2012: The International Energy Agency (IEA) has reported on a three-day meeting of energy experts from the Caspian region, which entailed a high-level energy policy dialogue, the regional launch of the IEA’s “Energy Technology Perspectives 2012” (ETP), training and capacity development, and a workshop on energy efficiency indicators.

The meeting, which took place in Astana, Kazakhstan, from 3-5 July 2012, brought together participants from six countries in the Caspian region, namely Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Topics discussed include: current and emerging national and regional energy technology initiatives, such as the Inter-Regional “Green Bridge” Partnership Programme, aimed at developing a roadmap for regional technology transfers; best practices in the areas of renewable energy and energy efficiency; knowledge sharing in the context of sustainable energy development goals; designing, implementing and evaluating energy efficiency policies; and state-of-the-art renewable energy technologies, such as solar hot water heaters, their cost-effectiveness and large-scale deployment potential. The IEA also presented its ETP 2012 publication, which outlines technology choices for a 2ºC global temperature rise scenario. [IEA Press Release] [IISD RS Story on IEA’s ETP 2012]