Add to your energy information reporting toolbox with this data source; many of its charts are free to use

An IEA chart showing the world’s total energy supply from 1990 to 2020
by source. Many of IEA's charts are free to use. (IEA Chart via SEJ)

The International Energy Agency offers some of the best information for reporters wanting to develop a broader understanding of global energy with trustworthy data, reports Joseph A. Davis of the Society of Environmental Journalists. "What IEA offers is data about the global energy situation. But it's solid data, probably the best available."

Among IEA's 31 member countries, almost all are Western and European. "What nearly all of these countries have in common is that they are the major world players in energy markets, mostly as consumers but also as producers. Its members represent 75% of world energy demand," Davis writes. "It does not include China, India, Saudi Arabia or Russia."

While the Energy Information Administration is more of a "just-the-facts data supplier," Davis explains, "the IEA is not averse to taking positions. If it has a bias, it is pro-energy. . . . It is an enthusiastic chronicler of the energy transition (from fossil fuels to renewables), but it also cheers on nuclear energy. It supports gender equality in the energy industry (currently in an awful state, with IEA statistics to prove it)."

A lot of IEA's data is free, but more premium reports and data may require registration/payment. Some best practices for using IEA data:

• Remember that the data represents a subset of the global market. While some nonmember data is included, its not comprehensive.
• To get your feet wet, start with Energy Statistics Data Browser. Davis adds, "It also has browsers and trackers for energy efficiency, carbon capture, oil stocks (inventory), end-uses, hydrogen, climate pledges, critical minerals, electric vehicles and more."
• IEA's chart library contains many high-quality options that can be used under a Creative Commons license (but do check).
• While good data can bring new depth and understanding to stories, "We remind you that shoe-leather and in-person reporting is needed to round out the human side of the data," Davis writes. "Groundtruth everything you can."