Activity, outputs and reflections Interdisciplinary Cluster on Energy Systems, Equity and Vulnerability (InCluESEV) Activity, outputs and reflections Karen Bickerstaff, Gordon Walker and Harriet Bulkeley

InCluESEV: Aims To foster interdisciplinary dialogue on equity, vulnerability and low carbon energy systems To develop improved understanding and new thinking on how equity and justice factor within energy systems To develop interconnections between, and enhancements of, existing energy and climate change research initiatives To establish the science challenges in this domain, build capacity to address them and develop future funding proposals To engage stakeholders in research and to formulate and disseminate policy relevant outputs

InCluESEV: Outline Programme

Theme 1: Energy vulnerability and resilience in the home WP 1 - Understanding and conceptualising energy vulnerabilities and resilience (Walker) WP 2 - Exploring the diversity of energy vulnerabilities (Day) WP 3 - Built environments and designing for energy resilience (Van de Horst and Gatterell) WP 4 - Scenarios of future energy vulnerability and resilience under climate change (Bulkeley)

Theme 2: Equity and low carbon energy systems WP5 - Conceptualising equity and justice in energy systems (Bickerstaff) WP 6 - Whole-system equity analysis of new nuclear generation capacity (Simmons and Butler) WP 7 - Whole-system equity analysis of carbon capture and storage (Bickerstaff and Walker) WP 8 - Whole-system equity analysis of microgeneration technologies (Taylor and Bell)

Expectations: Incluesev will have succeeded if… It generates novel collaborative projects that link research with practice Pilot projects are structured/begun It helps to build sustainable partnerships that generate subsequent funding opportunities Position papers are produced It re-frames energy/equity so as to have had a demonstrable impact on policy I can think about problems and solutions in a new way Maintains membership, people take ownership Results in greater awareness in ALL DISCIPLINES that energy research MUST be interdisciplinary

Indicators of interdisciplinary activity I can think about problems and solutions in a new way Maintains membership, people take ownership Results in greater awareness in ALL DISCIPLINES that energy research MUST be interdisciplinary

Indicators of interdisciplinary activity From 30 original to 159 current members 29 events 220 hours of presentations (approx!) 158 hours of discussion (approx!) .. (+ the informal) 712 participants at these events; contributing 1179 participating days From 20 disciplines From 15 countries From 32 different non-academic organisations

Examples of events Theme 1 WP 1 & 2 Transaltantic workshop on energy efficiency, energy poverty and fairness participants from 6 EU countries, US and Canada; site visits to low income housing and energy efficiency projects WP4 A socially just low carbon transition; workshop involved stakeholders and academics (from Jonathon Porritt to local community action groups); leading to mini research project (Fuller)

Example of events Theme 2 WP6: Nuclear Communities: Facilitating situated negotiation spaces (mini research project); to promote inclusive debate; speakers from Government, regulators, industry, NGOs, and the media WP8: A whole-system equity analysis of Microgen: three deliberative workshops have informed the development of an equity framework; being applied and tested through a mini project

Indicators of outputs It generates novel collaborative projects that link research with practice Pilot projects are structured/begun It helps to build sustainable partnerships that generate subsequent funding opportunities Position papers

Outputs (so far) Web site – event publicity / outputs Energy Justice – edited book (Zed) 3 other edited collections / monographs (proposals submitted or in preparation) Journal special issue – Local Environment 9 journal papers (published, in press, or submitted) 14 discussion papers

Outputs (so far) 13 mini research/scoping projects 12 are interdisciplinary; all bring together teams who have not previously worked together 4 explicitly involve policy actors and / or will produce outputs targeted at users. Anticipated outputs from projects 9 workshops 8 funding applications 8 academic publications 1 special issue 1 film

Fuller (Durham) Discourses of energy justice in the United States and Europe Bouzarovski (Birmingham) Building/household events and energy vulnerability: a European perspective Geiss (Alanus) A comparison between UK and German ‘Community Building‘ techniques Lemon (DMU) Retrofitting in a changing environment: developing an integrated strategy for social housing Cross (Edinburgh) The social and material politics of energy experiments Lowery (Northumbria) Collaborative development of a funding proposal for research focusing on young children, in the context of energy consumption, fuel poverty and equity.

Henfrey (Durham) Testing a methodology for whole systems analysis of microgeneration and equity Dorfman (Warwick) Nuclear Communities: Facilitating situated negotiation spaces Bracken (Durham) Sustainable energy futures and the negotiation of environmental and social justice: the case of micro-hydro power Hinton (KCL) Following renewable energy things: the case of solar photovoltaics Walker (Northumbria) Measures of resilience for the electricity sector Castán Broto (UCL) Perspectives on environmental pollution from a coal-fired power plant in Tuzla, Bosnia and Herzegovina: a film project Hall (Keele) New Approaches to Energy: Justice, Equity and Vulnerability - Writing Retreat and Special Journal Issue

Indicators of new knowledge Re-framed energy/equity so as to have had a demonstrable impact on policy I can think about problems and solutions in a new way

New ideas 2 submissions to inquiry/review processes Feeding into 15 research proposals 6+ new PhD studentships Summer School - capacity building >>Writing retreat + mini res projects Conference sessions >>AAG 2011: Geographies of Energy Vulnerability and Resilience >>RGS-IBG 2011: Energy Justice? Ethical Challenges for Sustainable Energy Futures

New networks Brussels and Durham NC international workshops: on energy poverty themes leading to >> New international ‘energy vulnerability network’ CCS workshops – first linked up with technical community; second international and policy networks North West fuel poverty workshop - researcher light, participants involved in on the ground action

Connecting up JRF climate change and social justice programme The King Baudouin Foundation climate change mitigation and social justice initiative RGS energy geographies working group ESRC Climate Change Leadership Fellowship (Urban Transitions) EPSRC Energy, People and Buildings programme Joint seminar with ARCC projects (BIOPICC and D2RHECC) on climate change, risk and resilience

Incluesev will not have succeeded if… It loses momentum between events and does not sustain dialogue Cluster fragments, loses coherence, loses members It sticks to the plan too rigidly We have left no trace on published academic literature or future projects We all stick to what and who we already know Don’t respect each other’s disciplines Failure to shape the UK RC research agenda No links to policy (no changes in policy) The work is confined to theoretical discussions without any practical application Its members don’t have any fun along the way

Reflections from ‘the management’ A difficult form of funding; enormous reliance on good will, voluntary commitment of time and enthusiasm Importance of seedcorn funding (mini projects) Difficulties of non-academic involvement and engagement in very dynamic context A growing relevance and recognition of core concerns International, comparative dimensions particularly productive Interdisciplinarity – more evidence across socio-technical than socio-environmental domains Our choices of WPs, other things we could have looked at e.g. biofuels, transport, non domestic consumption

Overarching learning Justice – relevance to energy; both social and environmental justice; increasing future policy relevance Dynamic relation between energy and climate agenda Whole systems – yes, but, what that means in practice, what barriers does thinking in this way overcome and create...? Knowledges and values – addressing energy justice requires recognition of alternative, sometimes incommensurable, knowledges Energy (in)justice always has a geography and history, not always recognised.

The conference 3 panel discussions: Low carbon transitions and socio-technical change Spatial and temporal complexity Participation and recognition Poster session Speakers from RCUK, NEA The InCluESEV ‘call’

http://incluesev.kcl.ac.uk/