Past events

Even in the face of catastrophic climate and health damage, why is it so hard for us to break our energy consumption habits? To better understand why it is so hard to reduce energy consumption, this talk explores how the demand for energy services has grown and changed over time. Charting the transitions in energy consumption to meet our needs [...]

Economists tend to see the establishment of marketing – whether for water, pollution emissions, or the right to harvest fish or other resources – as unambiguously superior to other forms ofregulation. Some non-economists see marketing as inherently objectionable.Both views are simplistic. They overlook the legal, political and social factors that – together with economic considerations – determine how well something [...]

This talk examines lessons that can be learnt from nature in the development of catalytic processes for some of the key challenges in energy chemistry. Microorganisms have developed specialised metal-containing enzymes for oxidation of hydrogen, production of hydrogen as a fuel, fixing carbon dioxide into useful chemical building blocks, and converting nitrogen into ammonia under ambient conditions. Nature’s catalysts are [...]

It is now widely accepted that renewable energy is, and will continue to be a major contributor to delivering the huge reductions in emissions needed to achieve a NetZero world. The costs of wind and solar have fallen significantly, and are now cheaper than fossil fuels, and there is widespread support forthese technologies from the public. But challenges remain in [...]

Nick Eyre is Professor of Energy and Climate Policy in the Environmental Change Institute (ECI) at the University of Oxford, and Director of the Centre for Research into Energy Demand Solutions (CREDS). Nick isDirector of Energy Research for the University of Oxford, and a Co-Director of the Oxford Martin Programme on Integrating Renewable Energy. Previously, he was leader of the Lower [...]

We cannot end poverty without ending energy poverty. Ever since the world’s first power plants whirred to life in 1882, we have seen how electricity is the lynchpin for development in all of its forms. Manufacturing and industrial productivity, agriculture and food security, nutrition, hygiene, water, public health, education, even community engagement, in other words, daily life in a modern economy, [...]

The 8th Oxford Energy day 2019 will focus on the key issue of ‘Energy Storage’. It is a topic that is high on the energy agenda for researchers, industry and policymakers. The conference will address the technical, economic, social and policy issues associated with ensuring adequate storage for a decarbonised energy system. Different sessions will address “The role of storage in [...]

This two-day conference spread over three days (half-day/full day/half-day) starting after lunch on Monday 9th September and concluding before lunch on Wednesday 11th September. The conference programme is inspired by the format of the Talanoa Dialogue. Plenary sessions to be held in the Holywell Music Room. Parallel sessions to be held in Holywell Music Room and Oxford Martin School Lecture Theatre. Each [...]

Anyone who believes bumper sticker solutions can reconcile today’s global energy and environmental challenges shouldbe humbled after hearing this talk. Based on her forthcoming book with Scott Valentine and Benjamin Sovacool, Dr. Brown will offer a sobering analysis of the complicated challenges, tradeoffs, and opportunities involved in transitioning globally to a renewable energy future. The U.S., in particular, is finding [...]

Summary:  Energy Superhub Oxford (ESO) is one of four smart energy systems demonstrator projects recently funded by InnovateUK. These demonstrators will show how businesses can develop local energy approaches at scale that will create better outcomes for consumers and promote economic growth for the UK. By the early 2020s, the demonstrator programme aims to prove that smarter local energy systems [...]