uk energy research centre uk energy: the role of research national home energy conference 2005...

UK Energy Research Centre

UK ENERGY: THE ROLE OF RESEARCH

National Home Energy Conference 2005Marriott Hotel, Bournemouth, 10-11 May 2005

Prof Jim SkeaResearch DirectorUK Energy Research Centre


UK ENERGY POLICY GOALS

• put ourselves on a path to cutting CO2 emissions by 60% by 2050

• maintain reliability of energy supplies

• ensure that every home is adequately and affordably heated

• raise the rate of sustainable economic growth and improve our productivity, through competitive markets


UK CARBON EMISSIONS BY SECTOR

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

180

200

1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020

m t

on

ne

s c

arb

on

eq

uiv

ale

nt

Power Stations Industry Services Residential Transport


UK GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS AND TARGETS

0

50

100

150

200

250

1990 1995 2000 2005 2010

m t

on

nes c

arb

on

eq

uiv

ale

nt

All GHGs Kyoto commitment Carbon dioxide Domestic target Series2


GDP, ENERGY AND CARBON – ANNUAL CHANGES

-2.0%

-1.0%

0.0%

1.0%

2.0%

3.0%

4.0%

1957-73 1973-83 1983-91 1991-2000 2000-03 RCEP 2050

GDP Energy CO2


THE ENERGY OPTIONS

efficiency

renewables

nuclear

fossil fuels with carbon capture and storage

+ Long-term: fusion; the hydrogen economy


WHY A UK ENERGY RESEARCH CENTRE?

• energy (re-)emerging as a strategic policy arena• innovation needed to support long-term goals• decline in volume of energy research (public and

private) in the UK in the 1990s– privatisation of the utilities– national research facilities (BRE, AEA Technology etc)

required to operate in commercial mode– no focused Research Council programmes

• fragmentation of energy research effort


KING REVIEW OF ENERGY

RESEARCH 2002

• a UK Energy Research Centre should:– be a “networking” centre to co-ordinate UK research,

facilitate collaboration with industry and UK participation in international projects

– bring together stakeholders from government, industry and academia

• Research Priorities– energy efficiency

– wave and tidal power

– solar PV

– carbon capture and storage

– hydrogen production and storage

– nuclear fission and fusion


UK ENERGY RESEARCH CENTRE: OVERVIEW

• established late 2004

• ramping up of activity almost complete

• a “distributed” Centre

• thematic areas managed at universities and institutes where there are significant clusters of expertise

• HQ at Imperial College London

• networking hub at Oxford

• ˜45 staff in the various locations


THREE “VERTICAL” RESEARCH THEMES

• Demand Reduction – Environmental Change Institute, Oxford

• Future Sources of Energy– Edinburgh

• Infrastructure and Supply – Manchester


UKERC DEMAND REDUCTION TOPICS

• data and models

• market transformation and product policy

• distributional issues and personal carbon allowances

• transport and aviation

• energy use in industry


THREE X-CUTTING THEMES

• Energy Systems and Modelling– Policy Studies Institute

• Environmental Sustainability – Lancaster Environment Centre

• Materials for advanced energy systems – Imperial College


BEYOND RESEARCH: OTHER UKERC ACTIVITIES

• Website and communications

• Networking and collaborative working – the Meeting Place

• “Research Atlas”

– Understanding and mapping current activities

– Planning and prioritising research – “roadmapping”

• Feeding into policy - Technology and Policy Assessment, e.g.

– The cost of intermittent renewable generation

– Energy efficiency – the “rebound effect”

• Training– interdisciplinary studentships and summer school


THE WIDER RESEARCH CONTEXT

• UKERC within the Towards a Sustainable Energy Economy Programme– Managing uncertainties– Keeping the nuclear option open – Renewables– Carbon management

• sits alongside:– SUPERGEN (Sustainable Power Generation and Supply), EPSRC– Carbon Vision Partnership (buildings, industry)– EPSRC fusion programme– Tyndall Centre on Climate Change (de-carbonisation theme)

• annual Research Council energy spend to rise from £40m now, to £70m in 2007/08 – how much for energy demand?


ENERGY EFFICIENCY INNOVATION REVIEW

• joint DEFRA and HM Treasury• how can innovation best contribute to a

longer-term step-change in energy efficiency?• innovation in many forms:

– technological– policy– financial– organisational

• many players– Government– business – consumers


THE RESEARCH LANDSCAPE: KEY MESSAGES FOR ENERGY DEMAND

• energy demand research is particularly fragmented – funding agencies and providers

• strong policy focus reflecting low cost demand reduction opportunities.

• little targeted research on energy demand technologies needed for deep CO2 cuts in the long-term

• “problem-solving” research (combustion etc) being picked up through responsive mode funding



www.ukerc.ac.uk

uk energy research centre uk energy: the role of research national home energy conference 2005...

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