skip to content

Energy

Interdisciplinary Research Centre
 
  • 07May

    Climate change and sustainability are social issues, to a large extent perpetuated by social, political, and economic systems that shape and govern our access to resources, livelihood possibilities, and capacity to change, as well as to utilise old and new technologies and livelihood practices in order to mitigate and adapt to new realities. Furthermore, the way we talk about and frame these issues also shapes how we conceive of solutions and our abilities as individuals and communities to act.

    Cambridge Zero and the Centre for Research in the Arts, Social Sciences, and Humanities (CRASSH) invite you to the Symposium 'Climate change is a social issue! taking place at the Alison Richard Building on the 7th May 2024.The symposium will bring into focus the impact and contributions the social sciences, arts, and humanities have had on climate and sustainability-related discussions, ranging from engaging communities and practitioners to instigate climate action; (re-)framing climate and environmental narratives, solutions, and technologies; allaying emotions of anxieties, grief and loss; contextualising the ‘place’, geographies, and politics of green transitions and climate-related negotiations; to creating usable and applied histories and archaeologies. Changing our understanding of climate change and sustainability issues, how they arose, and how they can exacerbate unjust transitions is a huge endeavour that is hard to quantify and hardly recognised, but has potentially huge social impacts.

    The symposium will feature a number of keynote presentations from senior Cambridge academics, and we are inviting submissions from Early Career Researchers (Cambridge Postdocs, PhD and Masters students) to present their research. The symposium aims is to highlight the necessity of social science, humanities, and arts research around climate change as well as to strengthen collaboration cross-disciplinary collaboration including with STEM disciplines, business, and others, in order to make social, policy, economic, and technological advances more impactful at local and national scales.

     

    Keynotes:

    We invite researchers to speak on (but not limited to):

    • Changing and re-framing climate narratives among communities, authorities, and policy makers
    • New frameworks that help communities, businesses, and authorities to adapt to new climate realities and increase access to resources
    • The impact of climate policies, systems, and technologies on politics, economics, and societies
    • The use, re-use, and (re-)invention of old and new social practices, livelihood strategies, infrastructure, and technologies to adapt and mitigate new climate realities
    • Localisation of climate and environmental change
    • Climate communication that makes the effects of climate and sustainability more tangible, relatable and experiential
    • Shaping perspectives on health through climate and vice versa
    • Barriers and solutions to sustainable and just net-zero transitions
    • Religious thought and practice as motivator, resistor and/or guide for climate engagement

    Cambridge Early Career Researchers can submit their abstract here!

  • 10May

    Speaker: Dr emke Nijsse, University of Exeter

    Abstract:

    Solar power has seen massive and unexpected growth over the last decade. It developed from a niche technology used by ambitious citizens to a utility-scale resource used all over the world. Net-zero plans across the globe aim for 2050 or 2060. Solar energy is the most widely available energy resource on Earth, and its economic attractiveness is improving fast in a cycle of increasing investments.

    During my talk, I will discuss a data-driven technology and economic forecasting model to establish which zero carbon power sources could become dominant worldwide. The simulation models seeks to explore likely future scenarios, based on historical trends, rather than exploring “least-cost” configurations of a future clean energy system, as is usually done in energy modelling.

    We find that, due to technological trajectories set in motion by past policy, a global irreversible solar tipping point may have passed where solar energy comes to dominate global electricity markets, without any additional policies directly supporting solar. Uncertainties arise, however, over grid stability in a renewables-dominated power system, the availability of sufficient finance in poorer economies and the capacity of supply chains. Policies resolving these barriers may be more effective than price instruments to accelerate the transition to clean energy.

    Bio:

    Dr. Femke Nijsse specializes in modelling climate, energy systems, and the economy. With a background in climate physics, they earned a Ph.D. in mathematics, focusing on multi-model comparisons and statistical techniques related to decadal variability, historical warming, and climate sensitivity. In energy research, Dr. Nijsse contributed to the Economics of Energy Innovation and System Transition project, informing energy policies in China, Brazil, India, the UK, and the EU. They improved the E3ME -FTT model’s power sector representation, using evolutionary economics for technology diffusion. Currently, they’re working on cascading tipping points across sectors and a stronger implementation of hourly supply and demand in E3ME -FTT.

  • 22May

    Following on from the success of last year’s seminar series, we are pleased to announce that the NanoDTC will be running a free half-day (hybrid) session on Life Cycle Assessment

     

    This workshop will introduce the technique of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to Physical Sciences researchers who are keen to evaluate the use of this technique for their work. With the increasing emphasis on sustainability from all fronts, researchers are now expected to reflect on the sustainability impact of their work and understand the choices that might be available to them. This half day workshop will introduce the use of EcoInvent software for conducting these LCA analyses.

     

    The workshop will be led by NanoDTC alumnus Dr Taylor Uekert, who is currently at the Circular Economy for Energy Materials Team at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Colorado. 

     

    If you would like to attend, please register here:

     

    In Person: University of Cambridge training - Physics: LifeCycle Assessment (In Person Face To Face) - Wed 22 May 2024

    Online: University of Cambridge training - Physics: LifeCycle Assessment (Live Online Using Zoom) - Wed 22 May 2024

     

    Contact: Helen Llewelyn nanodtc.admin@phy.cam.ac.uk

  • 18Jun

    The 2024 Armourers and Brasiers' Cambridge Forum will be held on Tuesday 18th June 2024. The afternoon programme includes talks, the award of the Armourers & Brasiers’ Materials Science Venture Prize, displays of current research, and the 25th Kelly Lecture.

     

    Promoting Materials Science to Industry and Academia

    The Armourers and Brasiers' Cambridge Forum is held annually at the Department of Materials Science & Metallurgy in Cambridge with the aim of raising the profile of materials science in the UK academic and industrial communities, while being international in scope. The Forum attracts high-level involvement from industry, research councils and other influential bodies. It incorporates the Kelly Lecture and the Gordon Seminars, inaugurated in 1999 to mark the opening of the Gordon Laboratory in the Department. It is generously supported by the Armourers and Brasiers' Livery Company and a number of other sponsors.

  • 18Jun

    Our Annual Conference brings together an audience of policy professionals, academic experts and business leaders for a day of talks and presentations, and to share and discuss issues and ideas on a range of topics from innovation and economic growth to climate and sustainability. Speakers from government, academia, and industry will present examples of how we are working together to address new and emerging policy challenges.

    Networking sessions

    In addition to keynote talks and panel discussions, this year our conference will provide a forum for attendees to participate in small group discussions on topics of particular interest led by academics and policy professionals in our network. Sessions will also provide an opportunity for tech companies and university researchers to showcase their work and its benefits to public policy.

    Register: https://www.csap.cam.ac.uk/events/2024-csap-annual-conference


    Agenda

    Morning sessions (10am-1pm)
    • Innovation and economic growth
    • Future of quantum
    • Net zero
    • Built environment
    Afternoon sessions (1pm-6pm)
    • Networking with demos and themed discussions
    • AI in health
    • Biodiversity
    • Future of science and technology in the UK

    Followed by drinks reception.