虽然在 1990 年代以后， IEA 的功能扩展到石油之外的其他更为广泛的能源政策上，以德国为首的一些国家政府觉得 IEA 不能在可再生能源上发挥作用，因而发起成立国际可再生能源署（ IRENA ） ， 欢迎世界上所有的国家加入。
Although the IEA’s mandate has expanded beyond oil since the early 1990’s to include broader energy policy, several of its own member governments, led by Germany, found its record on renewables so unsatisfactory that they recently established the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), whose membership is open to all.