UK Energy Research Centre UK ENERGY: THE ROLE OF RESEARCH National Home Energy Conference 2005 Marriott Hotel, Bournemouth, May 2005 Prof Jim Skea Research Director UK Energy Research Centre

UK ENERGY POLICY GOALS put ourselves on a path to cutting CO 2 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 Energy Research Centre UK CARBON EMISSIONS BY SECTOR

UK Energy Research Centre UK GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS AND TARGETS

UK Energy Research Centre GDP, ENERGY AND CARBON – ANNUAL CHANGES

UK Energy Research Centre THE ENERGY OPTIONS efficiency renewables nuclear fossil fuels with carbon capture and storage + Long-term: fusion; the hydrogen economy

UK Energy Research Centre 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

UK Energy Research Centre 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 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

UK Energy Research Centre THREE “VERTICAL” RESEARCH THEMES Demand Reduction –Environmental Change Institute, Oxford Future Sources of Energy –Edinburgh Infrastructure and Supply –Manchester

UK Energy Research Centre 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

UK Energy Research Centre THREE X-CUTTING THEMES Energy Systems and Modelling –Policy Studies Institute Environmental Sustainability –Lancaster Environment Centre Materials for advanced energy systems –Imperial College

UK Energy Research Centre 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

UK Energy Research Centre 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?

UK Energy Research Centre 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

UK Energy Research Centre 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 CO 2 cuts in the long-term “problem-solving” research (combustion etc) being picked up through responsive mode funding

UK Energy Research Centre