Trinity term colloquia

Trinity term colloquia will commence on 25 April 2017

Brent Cheshire

CEO Dong Energy, UK

DONG Energy – from coal and oil to competitive offshore wind: the story of a global leader’s transformation

see Oxford Energy Events

Mainsteam event

Over 50 energy enthusiasts from across the University met with Mainstream RP – a leader in the delivery of wind and solar installations worldwide, includingSouth Africa, Chile and Vietnam. In an afternoon of simulating lectures they learned about the entire chain from planning, to construction and operation.

Colloquia slides

The slides from our exciting series of speakers is now available for download. Speakers covered many of the future technologies, from PV to tidal, as well as major policy issues (such as how to get the ear of No 10).

2016/17 New Energy Systems Thinkers programme announced

This term the Energy Network is running a series of introductory lectures on energy issues at the Oxford Martin School. The talks are aimed at postgraduate students but they are open to the wider University community. Topics covered include: energy and development, the carbon problem, energy economics, wind and tidal power and storage. For more information on the talks visit the New Energy Systems Thinkers (NEST) website. Register to attend the talks here.

Michaelmas talks announced

The Michaelmas Energy Colloquia series commences on 11 October with a talk by Lord Oxburgh on CCS. This term the talks cover some of the key topics in the energy field, including: tidal power; redox flow batteries; nuclear energy; the built environment and storage. More more information on the talks visit the events page.

All talks take place on Tuesdays at 5pm during term time in the School of Geography and the Environment.

Oxford Energy Newsletter – winter 2015

Read more about the University of Oxford’s current energy research.

Oxford Energy Conference 5th October: Integrating Renewables

For more information and to register, please visit our website.

Registration is now open for the fourth annual Oxford Energy Conference. This year the theme is ‘Integrating Renewables’.

The costs of renewables are falling rapidly. In many countries their growing contributions have begun to have profound impacts on the wider system. Conventional generators, markets and network and system operators are all affected.

This one-day conference will address the opportunities and challenges of integrating renewables. Leading thinkers from Oxford, the UK and abroad will share their knowledge and discuss measures that will be needed to meet the challenges, including storage, smart grids and demand-side measures, and the re-design of markets that will be needed to deliver an effective solution.

Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

Monday 5th October, 9:30 – 18:00
The Mathematics Institute, Oxford
 www.energy.ox.ac.uk/conference

Smart Metering Early Learning Project

Smart electricity and gas meters with the offer of an in-home display are due to be rolled out to all households in Great Britain by the end of 2020. DECC commissioned this synthesis research as part of its work to support a successful smart metering implementation programme (the Programme), to offer an initial analysis of progress to date and to learn how householders can best be engaged in order to benefit from the roll-out, in particular by saving energy. This report summarises and analyses evidence from a range of sources, including three new DECC research projects into how GB householders engage with smart metering, GB and international evidence on smart metering and energy feedback, and evidence from public health behaviour change programmes.

Read the report.

New FRS: Henry Snaith and Ben Davis

1 May 2015

Congratulations to two of our outstanding energy researchers: Henry Snaith and Ben Davis were elected to the Fellowship and Foreign Membership of the Royal Society.

Professor Henry Snaith has pioneered the development of hybrid materials for energy and photovoltaics through an interdisciplinary combination of materials synthesis, device development, advanced optoelectronic characterisations and theoretical studies. He has created new materials with advanced functionality and enhanced understanding of fundamental mechanisms. His recent discovery of extremely efficient thin-film solar cells manufactured from organic-inorganic metal halide perovskites has reset aspirations within the photovoltaics community. His work has started a new filed of research, attracting both academic and industrial following, propelled by the prospect of delivering a higher efficiency photovoltaic technology at a much lower cost than existing silicon PV.

Professor Ben Davis is noted for his chemical interrogation and manipulation of biological systems, particularly those that hinge on carbohydrates and proteins. He has developed selective and benign bond forming strategies that have been applied to biology, allowing the construction of synthetic biomolecules and bioconjugates; the creation of synthetic cells and viruses; and in vivo chemistry. These have enabled associated mechanistic details of protein and sugar biology to be elucidated and exploited for biotechnological applications.

The Future of Nuclear Power in the UK

Sixty leading experts from industry, academia and politics met in London in March 2015 on the invitation of the Director of Energy Research at the University of Oxford, Professor Sir Chris Llewellyn Smith, to debate the future of nuclear power in the UK. In the light of cross-party consensus on the need for nuclear, the discussion focussed on how a nuclear programme could be delivered successfully and at acceptable cost.

Read a summary report

View introductory slides by Professor Sir Chris Llewellyn Smith.

Grid and Supergrid – designing an electrical future

10 March, 5pm

Eddie O’Connor

Eddie is co-founder and chief executive of Mainstream Renewable Power and founder of Airtricity. He is an Honorary Director of the European Wind Energy Association and is widely know as the ‘father of the super grid’. Hear his inspirational talk, read his transcript and view the slides.

More about energy colloquia.

Can electrochemical energy storage save renewables?

3 March, 5pm

View the Slides

Climate change: what science and the IPCC report has to say

5 February 2015

Energy and Green Growth

Future Nuclear – do we need Generation IV or Fusion?

Shale Gas – Game changer or Sideshow?

OIES named ‘top Energy and Resource Think Tank in the world’ (again)

23 January 2015

The Oxford Institute for Energy Studies has for the second year running been named the top Energy and Resource Think Tank in the world by the University of Pennsylvania’s annual think tank report.

Top Energy and Resource Policy Think Tanks
Table 17

1. Oxford Institute for Energy Studies (OIES) (United Kingdom)

2. World Resource Institute (WRI) (United States)
3. Institute of Energy Economics (IEEJ) (Japan)
4. James A Baker III Institute for Public Policy (United States)
5. RAND Corporation (United States)
6. Center for Science of Environment, Resources, and Energy (Japan)
7. TERI: The Energy and Resources Institute (India)
8. Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research (CEEPR) (United States)
9. Resoucres for the Future (RFF) (United States)
10. Energy Studies Institute (ESI) (Singapore)

View the full report

Maria van der Hoeven: “Opportunity to act: making smart decisions in a time of low oil prices”

Opportunity to act: making smart decisions in a time of low oil prices

Maria van der HoevenExecutive Director, International Energy Agency

See slides, transcript or hear an audio recording.

Maria van der Hoeven took over as Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA) on 1 September 2011. Ms. Van der Hoeven has steered the IEA during a period of exceptional change in the global energy landscape. While the original IEA mandate of energy security remains at the core of the agency’s mission, the IEA has been challenged by rapidly shifting supply/demand balances for oil as well as other major fuels, affecting its members’ interests and also those within the wider global energy economy.

Ms. Van der Hoeven is taking the initiative to address the challenges of global energy governance in the face of changing worldwide requirements. She is determined to strengthen the Agency’s role, enabling it to take the lead in the transition to a secure and sustainable energy future. One of her overarching priorities is implementing a new global engagement strategy to further build and formalise co-operation with the major emerging energy players of the 21st century. Another is expanding modern energy services to the 1.3 billion people worldwide who currently lack them. In recognition of the IEA’s efforts to address the crisis of energy poverty, Ms. Van der Hoeven has been invited to serve on the Advisory Board to the UN Sustainable Energy for All initiative.

Previously, Ms. Van der Hoeven served as Minister of Economic Affairs of the Netherlands from February 2007 to October 2010, during which time she demonstrated leadership on energy policy at the national, regional and global levels.

2 new nuclear case studies

7 Jan 2015

Improving nuclear efficiency and safety through fundamental chemistry

Structural materials in nuclear reactors

All energy case studies

Carbon Capture and Storage

25 Nov 2014

Linking the IPCC and the UNFCC: carbon capture and storage

Professor Stuart Haszeldine: SCCS and UKCCSRC, University of Edinburgh

Slides available here: 

Short Biography:

Stuart Haszeldine is the world’s first Professor of carbon capture and storage, based at the University of Edinburgh. He trained as a geologist, and has over 35 years research and industry experience in hydrocarbons, energy, and environment. He is now working on carbon management techniques to reduce global (climate) change. He has been, and is, adviser to both UK and Scottish Governments. He is Director of Scottish Carbon Capture and Storage – the UK’s largest university research grouping examining CCS . He is also geological storage leader for the UK CCS Research Centre. He was elected FRSE in 2002, awarded the Geological Society William Smith Medal in 2011, and in 2012 was appointed OBE for services to climate change technologies.

Carbon Capture and Storage

25 Nov 2014

Linking the IPCC and the UNFCC: carbon capture and storage

Professor Stuart Haszeldine: SCCS and UKCCSRC, University of Edinburgh

Slides available here: 

Short Biography:

Stuart Haszeldine is the world’s first Professor of carbon capture and storage, based at the University of Edinburgh. He trained as a geologist, and has over 35 years research and industry experience in hydrocarbons, energy, and environment. He is now working on carbon management techniques to reduce global (climate) change. He has been, and is, adviser to both UK and Scottish Governments. He is Director of Scottish Carbon Capture and Storage – the UK’s largest university research grouping examining CCS . He is also geological storage leader for the UK CCS Research Centre. He was elected FRSE in 2002, awarded the Geological Society William Smith Medal in 2011, and in 2012 was appointed OBE for services to climate change technologies.

Over 10,000 users

November 2014
In less than one year since its creation, energy.ox.ac.uk has attracted over 10,000 unique users and 46,000 page views. Thank you for using this site.

Reasons for optimism: ‘Grid Parity’ for renewable energy sources

28 Oct 2014: Energy Colloquium

Speaker: Chris Goodall

Slides:

Synopsis

Progress at decarbonisation will speed up. New or improved technologies now offer us cost-competitive routes to low carbon electricity, heat and transport fuel. Solar PV in sunny countries, onshore wind on coasts, biofuels from bacteria, heat from hot rocks and electricity from tidal lagoons are all capable of reducing our dependence on fossil fuels without increasing consumer bills. The critical remaining problem – storing excess energy – will be solved by turning power into methane or hydrogen, thus linking the electricity and gas grids.

The process of reducing fossil fuel use will continue to be difficult – and probably cannot be accomplished without nationalisation of energy distribution. But it can be done, and done quickly, by states that commit themselves to the process of abolishing the existing oligopolistic energy suppliers and replacing them with decentralised power generators offered guaranteed prices. More effort will need to be put into demand management, efficiency improvements and – utterly crucially – reduction in the cost of capital. The rewards for countries that do this early, gaining experience and skills, are likely to be substantial.

This talk will principally cover three topics.

1. what grounds are there for optimism about the progress of technologies
for cheap decarbonisation?
2. how do we solve the storage problem?
3. and how do we build an energy system that is acceptable to electorates in
democratic countries?

Chris Goodall

Chris Goodall is a writer, investor and consultant in low carbon technologies. His four books on energy and climate have won awards and been widely translated. ‘Ten Technologies to Fix Energy and Climate’ was one of the FT’s books of the year. He writes for publication such as the Guardian and the Ecologist and publishes a widely quoted blog at Carbon Commentary.

He helped set up the UK’s first employee-owned solar cooperative, is a seed investor in a new wind turbine company and several other new ventures. He has consulted recently to companies entering the community energy, electric
vehicle charging and tyre recycling businesses. Chris Goodall is a frequent broadcaster and speaker and recently converted a house to Passiv standards.

He has degrees from Cambridge, the University of Michigan and Harvard Business School, where he was a teaching fellow in economics.

Outlook for Nuclear

21 Oct 2014

Tony Roulstone,

Department of Engineering, University of Cambridge.

Though it has taken more than eight years from the first indications that new nuclear build in the UK would be welcomed, the prospects for nuclear within a broad energy strategy now look very promising. The talk discusses these plans and the uncertainties for nuclear both in the UK and in other countries around the world, based on common needs to: address climate change, have stable costs and secure energy supplies.

New nuclear development is also stimulating different reactor designs to: burn nuclear waste and reduce costs using smaller simpler reactors.

Slides available here: 

Short Biography:

Tony Roulstone established and teaches on the Nuclear Energy masters programme at the University of Cambridge. He has research interests in the economics and the safety of nuclear power. He is also a visiting Professor of Nuclear Engineering at City University in Hong Kong.

He received his engineering degree from the University of Cambridge and has spent much of his career in the nuclear and aerospace industries, starting with UKAEA working on fast reactor systems and including 20 years at Rolls-Royce, where he became Managing Director of the Nuclear Group. Earlier he was the nuclear engineering director when the Vanguard nuclear submarines were being designed and delivered. Also, he has held senior engineering and corporate transformation roles in Rolls-Royce plc.

He provides consultancy widely in the engineering, technology and services sectors and has completed several policy studies on stimulating enterprise and on large scale procurement.

He is a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, and a Member of both the Nuclear Institute and the Institution of Engineering and Technology.

Can Future Energy Needs be Met Sustainably?

14 October 2014
The introductory lecture to the Energy Colloquium, Michealmas term 2014, was given by Professor Sir Chris Llewellyn Smith, Director of Energy Research at the University of Oxford.

Slides are available for download here.

Abstract

In order to allow everyone on the planet to lead decent lives, global energy use will have to increase substantially. The need can be met with fossil fuels for the foreseeable future, but this is not sustainable. Decarbonisation is vital to mitigate climate change and reduce air pollution (estimated to cause 10% of all deaths), and because in the (very) long run fossil fuels will become increasingly scarce and expensive. Lower carbon pathways and realistic energy projections are diverging, and it has become clear that major decarbonisation is not possible with existing technologies at a price society would be prepared to pay. I will review the current situation, and the steps that need to be taken to increase the chance that future energy needs can be met sustainably. They include driving down the cost of low carbon technologies (CCS, nuclear, solar, bioenergy,…), managing demand and improving efficiency (big potential gains are not being realised), and putting a price on carbon.

Speaker Biography

Chris Llewellyn Smith is Director of Energy Research, Oxford University, and President of the Council of SESAME (Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East).  He has chaired the Council of ITER, directed the UK’s fusion programme, and served as Provost and President of University College London and Director General of CERN (1994-1998, when the Large Hadron Collider was approved and construction started).  He has written and spoken widely on science funding, international scientific collaboration and energy issues, and served on numerous advisory bodies including the UK Prime Minister’s Advisory Council on Science and Technology. His scientific contributions to theoretical high energy physics and leadership have been recognised by awards and honours world-wide.

Horizon 2020 Energy – slides available

1 Oct 14

Who should decide the evolution of the energy mix in a central buyer model?

Will the future energy mix be decided by government or markets? Leading representatives from government, regulators, industry and academia debated the future of electricity markets as part of an Oxford Energy event at the House of Lords. An introduction by Professor Cameron Hepburn was followed by an open discussion under the Chatham House Rule.

A summary of the meeting is available for downloaded.

• Cameron Hepburn’s introduction: “Who should decide the evolution of the energy mix in a central buyer model?” (slides)
• Meeting summary

Rocket science leads to 40% more efficient pans

July 2014
Oxford research into high-efficiency cooling systems for next-generation jet-engines has led to a new design of cooking pan that uses 40% less energy.

Read more and see Thomas Povey talk about his invention.

Transformative Change conference slides

The 3rd annual Oxford Energy Conference attracted over 200 participants and heard from leading thinkers about Transformative Change in Energy. Slides are now available here.

Oxford MBA graduates secure $20m funding to light up a million homes in Kenya

A team of Oxford MBA graduates have secured $20m in follow-on funding for their social venture M-KOPA Solar, whose solar home systems are sold to off-grid households in Kenya on an affordable 12-month mobile money payment plan.

Read more

OIES named top Energy and Resource Policy Think Tank in the world

6 Feb 14
Oxford Institute for Energy Studies has been named the top Energy and Resource Policy Think Tank in the world by the University of Pennsylvania’s annual think tank report. gotothinktank.com/rankings/

George Osborne visits Oxford Photovoltaics

January 2014
Chancellor George Osborne has announced £30m of Government funding as part of a total investment of £67m in four innovation centres across Oxfordshire.
Read more here.

Solar pioneer Henry Snaith among top 10 scientists of 2013

Oxford’s Solar PV researcher Henry Snaith is among the top 10 of Nature’s 2013 Most Important People of the Year.

Energy Minister gets the first Oxford Energy Newsletter

Greg Barker MP receives the first Oxford Energy Newsletter when visiting the Environmental Change Institute.

120 environmental science studentships

Oxford University is set to benefit from a £10 million investment in a new environmental science training programme, leading one of 15 Doctoral Training Partnerships (DTPs) across the country.

Over the next five years, the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) will fund 120 full studentships at Oxford University.

Read more