The International Energy Agency announced on
Tuesday that as part of a comprehensive overhaul of the statistics pages of its website, more
than 20 years of data for more than 140 countries and regions worldwide are now
available online for the first time. Not only do the enhancements give users
easy access to the IEA’s wealth of information on fuels, emissions, taxes,
prices and more going back to 1990, but they also allow for customisable,
interactive graphics that can easily tell the global energy story over several
decades.
“The
IEA is the world’s most authoritative source of energy data, and in a world in
which all nations face common energy challenges it is all the more important to
share information,” IEA Executive Director Maria van der Hoeven said. “Our enhanced website now gives citizens and
governments easy access to the same critical information needed for everyone to
work towards a secure and sustainable energy future.”
Until
now, only one year’s worth of data was available on the IEA’s website. But as
part of the revamped site, users anywhere in the world can view data from 1990
through 2011. Even more recent
statistics are available, including the very latest results from the IEA monthly
survey of OECD oil,
natural
gas, electricity
and prices.
And for those who would like more complete and detailed data, books and data services nicely
complement the web pages.
“Statistics
are critical to the IEA and to energy analysts worldwide, and more people visit
the IEA Statistics web pages than any other section of our website,” said
Jean-Yves Garnier, head of the IEA Energy Data Centre, the IEA’s statistics arm.
“To make sure users can get the data they need, our new web pages offer not just
our vast range of statistics but also graphics, charts, glossaries and links to
other statistical organisations and their data.”
The
website features seven tables of critical data for each country and region,
ranging from energy production trade and transformation to the final consumption
by sub-sector. One click also presents a country’s principal statistics in
graphic forms. Moreover many of the statistics are given as compound indicators,
like electricity consumption per capita or energy-related CO2
emissions divided by GDP.
Among
the most exciting features of the new statistics pages are the so-called Sankey diagrams, which help
users visualise energy transfers for the world, specific regions and individual
countries. Each element of energy production or consumption is represented by an
arrow that widens or narrows based on the amount of energy it represents. The
Sankey diagrams can be animated to show year-to-year changes dating back as far
as 1973.
The
new web pages were created jointly by the IEA Energy Data Centre and the
Communication and Information Office.
Statistics
collection has been a principal activity of the IEA since its founding in 1974,
providing the basis for IEA analysis and recommendations. The Energy Data
Centre’s nearly 30 statisticians work closely with both OECD and non-OECD
countries to collect and exchange data for the many categories tracked, from
production and consumption of all the major fuels to energy-related
CO2 emissions, and the results are verified using internal checks,
market intelligence and discussions with countries. To standardise and improve
data collection, the IEA publishes manuals and organises two one-week training
sessions each year as well as regional or country workshops worldwide.