Publications

Further information on publications and books that we produce and contribute to are available here.

  • Book: Decentralised Energy

    January 15, 2020

    Book: Decentralised Energy

    Decentralised Energy – A Global Game Changer Christoph Burger, Antony Froggatt, Catherine Mitchell, Jens Weinmann (eds.) The energy system is undergoing a fundamental transformation – from fossil to renewable energy, from central power plants to distributed, decentralised generation facilities such as rooftop solar panels or wind parks, from utilities to private residents as producers of energy, and from analogue to digital. This book looks at the energy transformation from two complementary angles: governance and business model innovation. On the one side, governance is a decisive factor for the success of the transformation because it can act as an accelerator,

    Read More »
  • Book Chapter: Energy Governance in the United Kingdom

    November 22, 2019

    Book Chapter: Energy Governance in the United Kingdom

    Energy Governance in the United Kingdom Lockwood M., Mitchell C., Hoggett R. (2019) In: Knodt M., Kemmerzell J. (eds) Handbook of Energy Governance in Europe. Springer, Cham Abstract The UK’s energy transition path has been shaped by a legacy of fossil fuel use across electricity generation, transport and heat, but also by the institutions and ideas that make up the governance of energy. Some important elements, such as a market-led policy paradigm and the delegation of regulation to arm’s-length bodies, are the result of privatization in the 1980s. Others, such as a heavily centralized, supply-led

    Read More »
  • Submission: NIC ‘The Future of Regulation Study’ Call for Evidence

    October 22, 2019

    Submission: NIC ‘The Future of Regulation Study’ Call for Evidence

    National Infrastructure Commission: ‘The Future of Regulation Study’ Call for Evidence Submission from the Energy Policy Group, University of Exeter Catherine Mitchell, Rebecca Willis, Richard Hoggett, Iain Soutar, Helen Poulter, Bridget Woodman, Emily Judson and Jess Britton Section 1: Introduction We, the Energy Policy Group (EPG), welcome the NIC’s Call for Evidence on the Future of Regulation. We are an energy group, and as such our comments are likely to be most relevant to energy regulation. Ultimately, we argue that it is Government which has to take responsibility for GB energy policy, and the way

    Read More »
  • Submission: Environmental Audit Committee Inquiry into Net Zero Government

    October 17, 2019

    Submission: Environmental Audit Committee Inquiry into Net Zero Government

    Environmental Audit Committee Inquiry into Net Zero Government Energy Policy Group, University of Exeter Supplementary note from Dr Rebecca Willis, Research Fellow   1. Overall government framework for net-zero Accountability and responsibility for net-zero: As we discussed, the UK’s Climate Change Act is world-leading, in setting a long-term target – now net-zero – and interim five-yearly budgets, overseen by the Committee on Climate Change. However, beyond the top-level responsibility held by BEIS, it is not clear who is responsible for delivering these targets. Many Departments and Agencies of government make reference to decarbonisation, but this

    Read More »
  • Submission: BEIS / Ofgem Consultation on Flexible & Responsive Energy Retail Markets

    September 17, 2019

    Submission: BEIS / Ofgem Consultation on Flexible & Responsive Energy Retail Markets

    Submission to BEIS / Ofgem Consultation on Flexible and Responsive Energy Retail Markets Exeter Energy Policy Group, University of Exeter Catherine Mitchell, Richard Hoggett and Rebecca Willis Section 1: Introduction We, the Energy Policy Group (EPG) of the University of Exeter, welcome this opportunity to make comments on the Flexible and Responsible Energy Retail Markets (FRERM) consultation document Consultation. EPG members have been working on this issue for several years. One of the EPG projects in particular, Innovation and Governance for a Future Energy System (IGov), has been focusing on this issue since 2012. The

    Read More »
  • Submission: BEIS / Ofgem Consultation on Reforming the Energy Industry Codes

    September 17, 2019

    Submission: BEIS / Ofgem Consultation on Reforming the Energy Industry Codes

    Submission to the BEIS / Ofgem Consultation on Reforming the Energy Industry Codes Submission from the Energy Policy Group, University of Exeter Catherine Mitchell, Rebecca Willis and Richard Hoggett   Section 1: Introduction We, the Energy Policy Group, of the University of Exeter welcome this consultation, and its parallel Impact Assessment. We find the consultation document to be a thorough and honest review of the long standing discussions about the need to reform Codes. However, before commenting on the specifics of this consultation, it is important to state that the effectiveness of specific measures like

    Read More »
  • Paper: Unpacking ‘regime resistance’ in low-carbon transitions

    September 13, 2019

    Paper: Unpacking ‘regime resistance’ in low-carbon transitions

    Unpacking ‘regime resistance’ in low-carbon transitions: The case of the British Capacity Market By: Matthew Lockwood, Catherine Mitchell and Richard Hoggett Published in: Energy Research & Social Science (online September 2019) Highlights Provides a critique of concept of ‘regime resistance’ in analysis of sustainable energy transformations. Provides in-depth analysis of energy company lobbying on formation of Capacity Market policy in Britain. Shows evidence of incumbent influence and structural power over government. Demonstrates incumbent power was contingent on interests, institutional context and ideas deployed   Abstract The ability of powerful incumbent actors to resist technological or

    Read More »
  • Shortcut to Key IGov Findings

    August 1, 2019

    Shortcut to Key IGov Findings

    Shortcut to key IGov findings 1st August 2019 This blog wraps up some of the key IGov ideas and arguments, providing a ‘quick’ read and introduction. The IGov website has over 600 pieces of work on it and is the place to go for full details. The IGov project is coming to an end in the autumn (2019) and the next few months are going to be spent disseminating our arguments for the governance reform we think is needed if we are to accelerate and more cost effectively enable the transformation to a sustainable, equitable,

    Read More »
  • Getting energy governance right: Lessons from IGov

    August 1, 2019

    Getting energy governance right: Lessons from IGov

    Getting energy governance right: Lessons from IGov IGov Team, 12th September 2019* 1. Executive Summary The UK has committed to net-zero emissions within the next thirty years. Reaching this goal will require a major transformation of the energy system. This briefing looks at the crucial role of governance in achieving that transformation. It summarises the findings of seven years of work by a team of researchers, based at the University of Exeter’s IGov project, analysing energy governance within Great Britain (GB) and elsewhere. 1.1 The current position: Outdated governance The fundamentals of GB energy governance

    Read More »
  • Building gender balance in the energy research portfolio

    June 17, 2019

    Building gender balance in the energy research portfolio

    How to build gender balance in the energy research portfolio – we need a Power Shift Basia Cieszewska, Jess Britton, Julie Smith, 17th June 2016 The challenge of rapidly decarbonising our energy system can’t be addressed if only half of the population is involved. Unfortunately it’s old news that women are significantly underrepresented in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects, with the UK having the lowest proportion of female engineers in the EU[1]. Across all academic disciplines women account for 58% of Postgraduate students but only 25% of Professors[2]. Chris Skidmore, Minister of State

    Read More »
Scroll to top