The 2008 Climate Change Act set the challenging target that UK greenhouse gas emissions be reduced by 2050 by 80%, compared to 1990 levels
Achieving this will require a radical decarbonisation of our energy systems, encompassing electricity generation, transport and heat. At the same time, we must become much smarter about how we use energy in all of these areas.
The imperative to generate and use energy more sustainably, in the UK and internationally, sits alongside linked goals to ensure reliable and affordable supplies.
Science and innovation has a key contribution to make in addressing these challenges, to deliver secure, sustainable and competitive energy over the long term. A suite of energy solutions will be needed, many of which are with us today, others will require further research, development and demonstration to bring them to economic and technical readiness.
To help bring about this transformation the Government Chief Scientific Adviser joined with industry and research partners in 2006 to launch a new 'Energy Research Partnership' (ERP), a high-level forum of key organisations either funding or otherwise involved in energy research and innovation from across the public and private sectors. The ERP aims to enhance the scale, impact and cohesion of total UK investments, including by identifying and investigating key strategic issues. More information can be found on the ERP website. From January 2008, the Government’s co-chairmanship of the Partnership passed from the Government’s Chief Scientific Advisor (GCSA) to Willy Rickett, DG Energy Markets and Infrastructure at the Department of Energy and Climate Change. However GO-Science continues to play an active role in supporting the ERP and the GCSA remains a member.
One key success of the ERP has been to support the creation of the Energy Technologies Institute (ETI), a public-private initiative with up to £1.1bn potential funding over 10 years to identify the most promising technologies from research and accelerate their development. The GCSA, Professor John Beddington, sits on the ETI board to provide independent expert advice and to help ensure that ETI’s strategy is supported by a strong evidence base. The following link will take you to the ETI website: www.energytechnologies.co.uk
More generally, the GCSA works with departmental Chief Scientific Advisors to help ensure that Government policies and decision making in this important area is underpinned by robust scientific evidence.
The Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) leads overall within Government on energy policy. The following link will take you the DECC website: www.decc.gov.uk.
Further information on relevant science and technology issues and programmes is available from the following sources (non-exhaustive):
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
EPSRC is the UK Government's leading funding agency for research and training in engineering and the physical sciences
www.epsrc.ac.uk
UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC)
UKERC’s role is to promote cohesion within the overall UK energy research effort. It acts as a bridge between the UK energy research community and the wider world, including business, policymakers and the international energy research community and is the centrepiece of the Research Councils Energy Programme
www.ukerc.ac.uk
Royal Society
Through the work of its Energy Policy Advisory Group, the Royal Society delivers independent advice to policy makers on a range of energy and sustainability issues.
Carbon Trust
The Carbon Trust was set up by Government in 2001 as an independent company. Its mission is to accelerate the move to a low carbon economy by working with organisations to reduce carbon emissions and develop commercial low carbon technologies.
www.carbontrust.co.uk
TSB energy
The Technology Strategy Board is an executive non-departmental public body (NDPB), established by the Government in 2007 and sponsored by the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS). Its role is to stimulate technology-enabled innovation in the areas which offer the greatest scope for boosting UK growth and productivity.
http://www.innovateuk.org/ourstrategy/application-areas/energygenerationtransmissionandsupply.ashx
The Royal Academy of Engineering
The academy engages in the process of policy development on issues that have an engineering dimension. It does this at both national and international levels by formulating own-initiative policy statements and submitting expert response to parliamentary and government bodies.
http://www.raeng.org.uk/policy/reports/energy_policy.htm
