UCL-Energy staff awarded grants for Whole Energy Systems scoping studies

EPSRC Energy Theme and the Energy Systems Catapult recently put out a call for proposals for collaborative scoping studies based on whole energy systems modelling. Two proposals that will be investigated by UCL-Energy Institute staff have been awarded grants to complete their studies over the course of this year.

Professor Neil Strachan, Deputy Director of UCL Energy Institute, will be Principal Investigator on ‘Modelling the Political, Societal and Regulatory Implementation of the UK Energy System Decarbonisation Transition’. Dr Francis Li, Senior Research Associate at the UCL Energy Institute, will be investigating alongside Professor Strachan. The primary goals of this study are firstly, to apply formal socio-technical energy transitions (STET) to large-scale low carbon technology deployment within an energy systems framework and, secondly, to embed this process within an interactive and bidirectional stakeholder engagement to ensure STET modelling meets the requirements of diverse UK energy decision makers.  This inherently interdisciplinary scoping project will better define the ‘real world’ feasibility of large-scale decarbonisation technology from a range of economic, political, institutional, regulatory, and societal perspective. It will hence lay the groundwork for a full project of linking STET modelling with UK energy decision maker’s needs.

UCL-Energy Lecturer Will McDowall will be Investigator on collaborative study between several UK institutions titled ‘The use of Whole Energy System Analysis in Decision-making across scales’. This study will analyse how whole energy system analysis is currently used in decision-making processes across scales, and identify ways in which the research - policy - decision-making relationship could be improved in the future. Fundamentally, they will challenge the assumption that there is a ‘model deficit’ rather, they anticipate to find a complex interplay between the modelling, supporting research and decision-making processes.

For more information on the papers, please visit ‘Modelling the Political, Societal and Regulatory Implementation of the UK Energy System Decarbonisation Transition’ and, ‘The use of Whole Energy System Analysis in Decision-making across scales’.