6th Annual ESRI-MaREI-UCC Seminar on Energy Policy Research

6th Annual ESRI-MaREI-UCC Seminar on Energy Policy Research

There is little dissent that greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions need to be reduced globally to combat climate change and that the decarbonisation of the energy sector is a basic prerequisite in this context. The European Union (EU) has put in place ambitious targets for emission reduction and for an increased use of energy from renewable sources. Ireland has mandatory targets for 2020 to reduce GHG emissions (outside of the Emissions Trading Sectors) to 20% below 2005 levels and to increase the share of energy from renewable sources to 16%. Ireland also has a target to increase energy efficiency to 20% by 2020. Moreover, the EU has proposed a target for Ireland to further reduce GHG emissions by 2030 to 30% below 2005 levels.

In this context, the Economic and Social Research Institute and the SFI MaREI Centre at University College Cork will co-host a half-day multidisciplinary energy research seminar. Presentations by researchers from the ESRI and MaREI-UCC will cover engineering and economic perspectives at an Irish and European/International level, and topics will range from aspects of energy policy, climate change mitigation and residential energy efficiency over energy markets to implications for the economy.

Programme:

When:             May 23rd 8.45 – 13:30

08.45  Registration & Coffee

09.15  Welcome Address

09.30  Session 1: Residential energy efficiency and heat supply – Short-term perspective

  1. John Curtis: Advertising and investment spillovers in the diffusion of residential energy efficiency renovations: a revealed preference approach esri_ucc_session1_presentation1_curtis
  2. Matthew Collins: Identification of the information gap in residential energy efficiency: How information asymmetry can be mitigated to induce energy efficiency renovations esri_ucc_session1_presentation2_collins
  3. Donna Gartland: The future of heat supply – a focus on Dublin esri_ucc_session1_presentation3_gartland
  4. Seán Lyons: The effects of home energy retrofits for social housing esri_ucc_session1_presentation4_lyons

10.50  Tea/Coffee

11.10  Session 2: The role of electrification and of communities – Medium-term perspective

  1. Emma Hanley: Electrification of heat and transport – is there an optimal level? esri_ucc_session2_presentation1_hanley
  2. Valentin Bertsch: The role of community compensation mechanisms in reducing resistance to energy infrastructure development esri_ucc_session2_presentation2_bertsch
  3. Joe Curtin: Financial incentives to promote citizen investment in distributed renewable energy esri_ucc_session2_presentation3_curtin

12.10  Session 3: Implications of the Paris Agreement – Long-term perspective

  1. James Glynn: Deep decarbonisation pathways for Ireland esri_ucc_session3_presentation1_glynn
  2. Fionn Rogan Economic opportunities for Ireland from the Low Carbon Energy Transition esri_ucc_session3_presentation2_rogan
  3. Paul Deane: The role of Carbon Capture and Storage and the consequences of no-CCS esri_ucc_session3_presentation3_deane
  4. Kelly de Bruin: Modelling climate change impacts and adaptation for Africa (the AD-AFRICA model) and modelling climate policy impacts in Ireland esri_ucc_session3_presentation4_debruin

13.30  Closing & Lunch