InSupportoftheG8PlanofActionEmpoweringEmpoweringVariableRenewablesRenewablesOptionsforFlexibleElectricitySystemsINTERNATIONALENERGYAGENCYINTERNATIONALENERGYAGENCYTheInternationalEnergyAgency(IEA)isanautonomousbodywhichwasestablishedinNovember1974withintheframeworkoftheOrganisationforEconomicCo-operationandDevelopment(OECD)toimplementaninternationalenergyprogramme.Itcarriesoutacomprehensiveprogrammeofenergyco-operationamongtwenty-sevenoftheOECDthirtymembercountries.ThebasicaimsoftheIEAare:Tomaintainandimprovesystemsforcopingwithoilsupplydisruptions.Topromoterationalenergypoliciesinaglobalcontextthroughco-operativerelationswithnon-membercountries,industryandinternationalorganisations.Tooperateapermanentinformationsystemontheinternationaloilmarket.Toimprovetheworld’senergysupplyanddemandstructurebydevelopingalternativeenergysourcesandincreasingtheefficiencyofenergyuse.Topromoteinternationalcollaborationonenergytechnology.Toassistintheintegrationofenvironmentalandenergypolicies.TheIEAmembercountriesare:Australia,Austria,Belgium,Canada,CzechRepublic,Denmark,Finland,France,Germany,Greece,Hungary,Ireland,Italy,Japan,RepublicofKorea,Luxembourg,Netherlands,NewZealand,Norway,Portugal,SlovakRepublic,Spain,Sweden,Switzerland,Turkey,UnitedKingdomandUnitedStates.Polandisexpectedtobecomeamemberin2008.TheEuropeanCommissionalsoparticipatesintheworkoftheIEA.ORGANISATIONFORECONOMICCO-OPERATIONANDDEVELOPMENTTheOECDisauniqueforumwherethegovernmentsofthirtydemocraciesworktogethertoaddresstheeconomic,socialandenvironmentalchallengesofglobalisation.TheOECDisalsoattheforefrontofeffortstounderstandandtohelpgovernmentsrespondtonewdevelopmentsandconcerns,suchascorporategovernance,theinformationeconomyandthechallengesofanageingpopulation.TheOrganisationprovidesasettingwheregovernmentscancomparepolicyexperiences,seekanswerstocommonproblems,identifygoodpracticeandworktoco-ordinatedomesticandinternationalpolicies.TheOECDmembercountriesare:Australia,Austria,Belgium,Canada,CzechRepublic,Denmark,Finland,France,Germany,Greece,Hungary,Iceland,Ireland,Italy,Japan,RepublicofKorea,Luxembourg,Mexico,Netherlands,NewZealand,Norway,Poland,Portugal,SlovakRepublic,Spain,Sweden,Switzerland,Turkey,UnitedKingdomandUnitedStates.TheEuropeanCommissiontakespartintheworkoftheOECD.©OECD/IEA,2008InternationalEnergyAgency(IEA),HeadofCommunicationandInformationOffice,9ruedelaFédération,75739ParisCedex15,France.Pleasenotethatthispublicationissubjecttospecificrestrictionsthatlimititsuseanddistribution.Thetermsandconditionsareavailableonlineat(IEA)Secretariat.TheIEAgratefullyacknowledgesthecontributionoftheGermanMinistryfortheEnvironment,NatureConservationandNuclearSafetyinitsreport“MarketIntroductionPerspectivesofInnovativeTechnologiesSupportingIntegrationofRES-E”,preparedbyCornelEnsslinandothersofEcofys.HanneleHolttinenandothersofVTTTechnicalResearchCentreofFinlandprovidedcrucialsupporttotheprojectandvaluableinputwasprovidedbymembersoftheRenewableEnergyandInternationalLawProject(REIL),IPAEnergyandWaterEconomics,andtheIEARenewableEnergyTechnologyDeploymentImplementingAgreement.GuidanceinthepublicationwasprovidedbyNeilHirst,AntonioPflüger,andPaoloFrankloftheIEASecretariat.Manythanksalsofortheinputsreceivedfromworkshopspeakersandparticipants,andreviewers,inparticular:ChadAbbey,HansAbildgaard,DanielArgyropoulos,JohnBaker,PhilBaker,JensBömer,GouriBouyan,HelfriedBrunner,StanBull,GeorgeCaralis,LewisDale,JacquesDeuse,GuyDeutscher,MartinDevine,AnaEstanqueiro,NatasciaFalcucci,LarsAudunFodstad,PaulGardner,StigGoethe,SylvainHercberg,RobertHowse,DebraJustus,BrendanKirby,XavierLemaire,BettinaLemström,HansHenrikLindboe,KieranMcNamara,GillesMercier,GerardoMontanino,SatoshiMorozumi,PoulErikMorthorst,ToshiyaNanahara,StefanNowak,CarloObersteiner,JunichiOgasawara,HughOuthred,LeslieParker,StineLethRasmussen,MassimoRebolini,KaiSchlegelmilch,JürgenSchmid,JohnScott,CharlieSmith,PaulSmith,LennartSöder,GoranStrbac,UlrikStridbaek,GarethSwales,JohnOlavTande,RichardTaylor,AlbrechtTiedeman,OsamiTsukamoto,BartUmmels,FransVanHulle,andWilhelmWinter.ManythanksalsotoIEAcolleaguesintheCommunicationandInformationOfficeandInformationSystemsDivision,fortheirprofessionalandflexibleattitude,andinparticularMurielCustodio,RebeccaGaghen,BertrandSadin,SophieSchlondorff,SylvieStephan,andJimMurphy.Questionsandcommentsshouldbesentto:HugoChandlerInternationalEnergyAgency9,ruedelaFédération75739ParisCedex15Email:hugo.chandler@iea.orgThisreportisavailableasafreedownloadfrom●Introduction.......................................................72●Variablerenewableelectricitytechnologies..............................9Factorswithasmoothingeffectonvariability.........................