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New Thinking: Depoliticising energy policy

February 16, 2016

Depoliticising energy policy: transformative ideas won’t happen when technocrats are in charge Caroline Kuzemko, IGov Team, 16th February, 2016 The depoliticisation of policymaking is, of course, not confined to the UK (as Firat Cengiz recently argued concerning the European Union’s democratic deficit). However, a recent UK example is offered by the National Infrastructure Committee (NIC) set up in October last year by HM Treasury. The NIC is independent of government, but ‘works with’ the Treasury. Indeed the NIC is so ‘independent’ that the first CEO has already been informed, by the Chancellor no less, of what the UK’s

Presentation: Innovation and Energy Governance

February 5, 2016

Innovation and Energy Governance – lessons to be learned from New York State? From: Catherine Mitchell To: SPRU Friday Seminar, University of Sussex, 5th February 2016 Outline Introduction to IGov What is the energy governance problem? New York REV as an interesting example Lessons to be learned for NY REV for GB Download presentation: SPRU slides 5-02-16

Paper: Momentum is increasing towards a flexible electricity system based on renewables

February 2, 2016

Momentum is increasing towards a flexible electricity system based on renewables By: Catherine Mitchell Published in: Nature Energy 1, Article number: 15030 (2016), doi:10.1038/nenergy.2015.30 Available online: 1st February 2016 Abstract Total global energy use is rising, and remains based on fossil fuels. Yet, the challenge of climate change requires a deep decarbonization of our energy system. Here I argue that the global energy policy discourse is moving rapidly towards one of renewable, energy-efficient and flexible electricity systems. This is primarily because of a rapid take-up within a few countries of variable renewable electricity sources over the past

Landmark US Supreme Court Decision in Favour of Demand Response

January 26, 2016

Landmark US Supreme Court Decision in Favour of Demand Response Catherine Mitchell, IGov Team, 26th January 2016 The US Supreme Court has just found that demand response (DR) is sold into wholesale markets, and therefore falls within the authority of the US Federal Electricity Regulatory Commission (FERC), which has authority over regional wholesale markets. In effect, this means that the multitude of demand response products and markets which have developed over the last 15 years or so, in various US States, are legal. The Electric Power Supply Association (EPSA) claimed that FERC did not

New Thinking: Spreading the opportunities of sustainable energy in Germany

January 22, 2016

Spreading the opportunities of sustainable energy in Germany Catherine Mitchell, IGov Team, 22nd January 2016 A recent presentation by the BDI (the Voice of German Industry) put forward a simple, but powerful, message in support of the German Energiewende. It argues that German industry has managed to improve its energy intensity (total primary energy supply divided by units of GDP, slide 2); described the energiewende targets from 2010-2050 (slide 3); set out what it thinks the global market potential is for products necessary to meet the energiewende’s targets, and what percentage of that global market

Submission: National Infrastructure Commission call for Evidence

January 21, 2016

National Infrastructure Commission call for Evidence Catherine Mitchell, Energy Policy Group, University of Exeter Summary We, the Energy Policy Group of the University of Exeter, welcome the NIC’s investigation. We argue that the fundamental problem for GB energy infrastructure and the balancing of supply and demand within markets is that the current GB governance system is not fit for purpose. IGov, a project within the EPG, has put forward an alternative governance framework (as shown in Figure 1, 2 and 3). We believe if this governance framework were put in place, competition between the

New Thinking: Energy Distribution Service Providers

January 8, 2016

Energy Distribution Service Providers – another piece of the governance puzzle Catherine Mitchell, IGov Team, 8th January 2016 IGov is exploring the link between innovation and energy governance, where governance is taken to be policies, institutions, rules and incentives. We are interested not only in these policies, institutions and rules and incentives – but how they develop – the politics behind their creation and implementation. IGov is putting together a framework for energy governance suitable for the 21st Century. This includes arguments for the restructuring, or creation, of institutions and the altering of rules and

Paper: Governing for sustainable energy system change

January 4, 2016

Governing for sustainable energy system change: Politics, contexts and contingency By: Caroline Kuzemko, Matthew Lockwood, Catherine Mitchell and Richard Hoggett Published in: Energy Research & Social Science, Vol 12, Feb 2016, pp: 96–105 doi:10.1016/j.erss.2015.12.022 Available online: 31 December 2015 Abstract This paper offers a new, interdisciplinary framework for the analysis of governing for sustainable energy system change by drawing together insights from, and offering critiques of, socio-technical transitions and new institutionalist concepts of change. Institutions of all kinds, including rules and norms within political and energy systems, tend to have path-dependent qualities that make them difficult to change, whereas

New Thinking: the man at the bar

December 18, 2015

The man at the bar Catherine Mitchell, IGov Team, 18th December 2015 DECC has just announced that it is cutting financial support to solar. This follows on from Amber Rudd’s ‘reset’ speech; the Chancellor’s Spending Review ; the 2nd capacity auction which continues to primarily support existing fossil fuels; and this week’s vote by MPs to allow fracking under national parks. Together this has left British energy policy based on nuclear power and gas – neither of which will come through under current, extremely expensive policies. Two brilliant blogs: one by Damian Carrington and the

Working Paper: Innovation and energy industry codes in Great Britain

December 14, 2015

Innovation and energy industry codes in Great Britain Matthew Lockwood, Catherine Mitchell, Richard Hoggett and Caroline Kuzemko EPG Working Paper: 1508 Abstract: This paper examines the role of industry codes in the governance of the energy system in Great Britain, focusing especially on how codes and code governance affect attempts to transform the system to a more sustainable future. We lay out the nature of codes and why they are important for achieving policy change. We then describe the way in which codes are governed, including reforms in the late 2000s and two more recent