The European Commission has agreed to partner with the International Energy Agency to work with global partners on cleaner and more sustainable cities and on improving how energy from renewable sources is stored and used.
The collaboration would focus on practical approaches that affect daily life, including cleaner air in cities and more reliable “green energy” — a term commonly used for energy produced from renewable sources such as wind and solar, the Commission revealed on Wednesday.
One part of the work will run through the International Energy Agency’s Cities Technology Collaboration Programme, which is designed to help cities reduce emissions by linking existing urban programmes with the needs of cities in different world regions.
The Commission said its participation would sit alongside its international cooperation under the Urban Transitions Mission and connect with the EU Mission on Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities and the Driving Urban Transitions European Partnership.
Energy storage work
A second strand will go through the International Energy Agency’s Energy Storage Technology Collaboration Programme, which supports research and deployment of energy storage technologies — including electrical, thermal and chemical storage.
The Commission said the cooperation on storage would align with EU research and innovation priorities under Horizon Europe, the EU’s main research funding programme.
The Technology Collaboration Programme is a global network set up in 1975 that brings together governments, industry and experts on energy research and innovation, and it has involved thousands of experts from more than 300 public and private organisations across 55 countries.
