Environment and human behaviour news
PSI hosts ESRC Energy Research Conference
Date: 26/03/2003
The UK is currently facing the most important sets of decisions relating to energy since it was decided in the 1950’s to establish a nuclear power programme as set out in the recent DTI’s Energy White Paper. PSI is hosting a conference on 31 March on energy research, funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). The outputs will make an important contribution to the formulation of the socio-economic research agenda for the new £28 million Towards a Sustainable Energy Economy Programme recently announced by three of the UK’s research councils: ESRC, NERC and EPSRC.
The subject of the conference will be the key social and economic issues that need to be addressed and resolved in respect of step-changes in energy efficiency, renewable energies and nuclear power and in the energy system as a whole. It is clear that without step-changes in some or all of these areas, the Energy White Paper ambition of a 60% reduction in greenhouse gases emissions cannot be effectively addressed.
It is known that energy efficiency technologies that can deliver step-changes already exist. The problem is with their diffusion through society. Similarly with renewables technologies like wind power: the UK resource is known to be very large and the technology now exists to exploit it in an increasingly cost effective way, but actual construction of wind turbines remains very slow. Similarly with nuclear power: it is likely that, with enough investment, a new generation of nuclear power stations could maintain the current proportion of nuclear generation as present stations close over the next 20 years. But winning social acceptance for such a programme, and funding it, would be far from straight forward. Paul Ekins, Head of the Environment Group at PSI and co-chair of the conference, says:
‘The experts who we are gathering together in one room will play a crucial role in scoping out the issues in energy research to lay the foundation for a social science research programme that can generate answers to the pressing questions on how much energy we use and where we want to get it from.’
Four review papers will be presented to this conference with two discussants for each paper, Conference discussion will then explore in depth the issues raised. The aim of the sessions will be to shed light on what still needs to be known, and what research could help to generate the required knowledge.
Editors Notes
1. The Conference takes place on 31 March, at PSI, 100 Park Village East, London NW1 3SR and is open by invitation only. If you would like to attend, contact Robin Vanner, PSI on 020 7468 0468 or vannerr@psi.org.uk .
The conference speakers are:
The Energy System Professor Dennis Anderson, Imperial College
Discussants: Dr Dieter Helm, New College, Oxford, Jerry Ravetz, freelance
Energy Efficiency Professor John Chesshire, SPRU
Discussants: Jeremy Eppel, DEFRA, Dr Elizabeth Shove, University of Lancaster
Renewables Dr Catherine Mitchell, University of Warwick
Discussants: Nick Hartley, OXERA Consulting Ltd. Professor Michael Laughton, Imperial College
Nuclear Power Malcolm Grimston, Royal Institute of International Affairs
Discussants: Gordon MacKerron, NERA, Professor Jacquie Burgess, University College London
The European and International Dimensions Professor Eberhard Jochem, Fraunhofer Institute, Professor Aviel Verbruggen, University of Antwerp
2. The ESRC is the UK's largest funding agency for research and postgraduate training relating to social and economic issues. It provides independent, high-quality, relevant research to business, the public sector and Government. The ESRC invests more than £76 million every year in social science and at any time is supporting some 2,000 researchers in academic institutions and research policy institutes. It also funds postgraduate training within the social sciences to nurture the researchers of tomorrow. More at http://www.esrc.ac.uk
3. The Towards a Sustainable
Energy Economy Programmewill use inter-disciplinary approaches to the
challenges of supplying energy in a secure and affordable way, while minimising
carbon dioxide emissions and contributing to sustainable development.
The Research Councils participating in the Programme are:
• Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
• Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)
• Natural Environment Research Council, (NERC)
(Also with participation from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences
Research Council and the Central Laboratory for the Research Councils)
http://www.nerc.ac.uk/funding/programmes/sustenergy/
The Programme will receive £28 million over three years from 2003 allocated to the three Council’s following the 2002 Spending review. A significant part of the funding (about £8-12 million over five years) will be used to establish a new UK Energy Research Centre. The centre will act as a hub for a proposed National Energy Research network involving all the UK players in energy research. A call for bids to operate the centre was issued earlier this month. This Conference will feed into a wider consultation exercise led by Dr Frans Berkhout at Sussex University which will inform future calls for proposals under the Programme.
http://www.sussex.ac.uk/spru/environment/energyconsultation/
4.
Paul Ekins is Head of PSI’s
Environment Group and Professor of Sustainable Development at the
University of Westminster. He is also head of the ESRC’s environment
and human behaviour research programme and a Member of the Royal Commission
on Environmental Pollution.
5. PSI is a registered charity and has no
association with any political party, pressure group or commercial interest.
Policy Studies Institute (PSI) is one of Britain's leading independent
research institutes, conducting research to promote economic well-being
and improve quality of life. PSI enjoys a reputation for the rigorous
and impartial evaluation of policy in the UK and Europe, and the publication
and dissemination of research findings is central to our ethos. www.psi.org.uk
6. Energy White Paper
Our energy future – creating a low carbon economy defines a long-term
strategic vision for energy policy combining our environmental, security
of supply, competitiveness and social goals. It builds on the Performance
and Innovation Unit's Energy Review, published in February 2002, and on
other reports which have looked at major areas of energy policy.
http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/whitepaper/index.shtml
7. The Energy Review A Performance and Innovation
Unit Report - February 2002
http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/innovation/2002/energy/report/index.htm
