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

2. 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

3. InCluESEV: Outline Programme

4. 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)

5. 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)

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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 participating days
From 20 disciplines
From 15 countries
From 32 different non-academic organisations

9. 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)

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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.

15. 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

16. 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

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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.

23. 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’