From Equity to Action: Ensuring a Just Transition to Net Zero in the UK Energy Sector
Amidst the climate emergency, all stakeholders in the UK including government bodies, corporations, educational entities, and citizens will need to embrace substantial shifts in governance, commerce, education, labour, and consumption to meet the national Net Zero goal by 2050. Despite a decline in CO2 emissions, the energy sector remains a significant emitter, with fossil fuels contributing the majority of emissions. Recognising the pivotal role of energy networks in this transition, the Supergen Energy Networks Hub is committed to conducting interdisciplinary research aimed at propelling these networks as catalysts for a swift, secure, and equitable journey to Net Zero. This dedication to equity has fostered collaboration with climate activists in Bristol, who have developed a Just Transition Declaration for the city. This research aims to democratise the declaration’s development by expanding outreach to disadvantaged communities and using their insights to inform recommendations for the Supergen Energy Networks Hub.
Last month, I had the pleasure of participating in the International Youth Conference on Energy (IYCE’24) held from 2 to 6 July 2024 in Colmar, France. I presented our paper, “Energy Efficiency and Optimal Operation of a Residential Microgrid Based on Demand Side Management Strategy”. This work presents a demand-side management approach based on load scheduling and peer-to-peer energy exchange. The strategy is applied to monthly energy data gathered from living labs installed in the Green & Smart Building Park (GSBP) in Benguerir, Morocco. Simulations conducted in the Matlab environment reveal a monthly energy savings of 59% and a 23% increase in the use of renewable energy resources.
The paper is co-authored with Oumaima MAHIR, Mohamed LAAMIM, Abdelilah ROCHD, Mohammed OUASSAID, and Hicham OUFETTOUL. It is performed under the INNO ESPAMAROC’s Green Grid project, funded by IRESEN (Research Institute for Solar Energy and New Energies). The paper is published in IEEE Xplore and is available at the following link: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/10634959.
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In collaboration with National Energy Action (NEA) and the University of Salford, Caitlin Robinson (SEN CO’I) and Ed Atkins (University of Bristol), discuss the role of DNO’s in supporting vulnerable end-users who are disproportionally affected in an energy crisis.
The recent Nature publication by SEN Research Associate, Laiz Souto analyses the occurrence of daily weather patterns and system failures in the UK to investigate the predictability of weather induced power outages.
High risk weather patterns and pattern transitions for all seasons were identified with winter weather patterns characterized by high wind speeds and high precipitation volumes.
Links between specific patterns and transitions can significantly improve the preparedness of the UK and broader European distribution network operators for adverse weather conditions.
For more details and to read the full article, visit our publications page.