Strategic directions for decarbonising heat in the UK: An Energy System Architecture perspective

About this event

In the next five years, the UK will need to make strategic decisions about its energy system infrastructure and technologies to achieve net zero in 2050. Decarbonising heat is the key to this transition.

For the past three years, the CREDS Decarbonisation of heat team have explored different options for decarbonising heat through available evidence and the concept of energy system architecture (Scamman et al. 2020, Chiu & Lowe, 2019, Lowe & Chiu, 2020, Lowe et al., 2020). The Team has used two models, UKTM and ESTIMO, to investigate the landscape of energy infrastructure options, energy mix at least cost, evolvability and resilience to shocks. We have also systematically considered the implications of choices of technologies and potential trade-offs with policymakers and energy system stakeholders.

This Webinar aims not only to share our research insights with you, but to stimulate new conversations that may change the strategic direction of future energy policy, investment and deployment and research. We sincerely hope you will be part of these conversation.

Draft Programme:

10:30 Introductions and strategic setting

10:35 Presentations from Work Packages:

Expert views on decarbonising UK heat

Insights from UKTM on solution-sensitivity and evolvability of options for heat

Insights from ESTIMO on cost & storage impacts of options for heat

11:30 Q&A and discussion

11.45 New perspectives for strategic decision-making: the way forward

12.00 Close

Published Papers

Chiu & Lowe, 2019, Ecology of heat pump performance: A socio-technical analysis, in Sustainability in Energy and Buildings, Littlewood J., Howlett R., Capozzoli A., Jain L. (eds). pp 711-721, KES Smart Innovation systems and Technologies series, vol 163. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-32-9868-2_60.

Lowe & Chiu, 2020, Innovation in deep housing retrofit in the United Kingdom: The role of situated creativity in transforming practice, Energy Research & Social Science, 63 101391. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.erss.2019.101391 and https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10088058/ .

Lowe et al., 2020, Lost generation: system resilience and flexibility, Keynote Paper ID APEN-MIT-2020_187, Applied Energy Symposium: MIT A+B. August, 2020, Cambridge, USA. http://www.energy-proceedings.org/lost-generation-system-resilience-and-flexibility/ and https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10097443/ .

Scamman et al., 2020, Heat decarbonisation modelling approaches in the UK: an Energy System Architecture perspective, Energies, 13 (8) 1869. https://doi.org/10.3390/en13081869