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Programme Description and Context Setting Ed Brown, LCEDN National Co-Coordinator

Low Carbon Energy for Development: Past Experiences and Future Challenges Holywell Park, Loughborough University, 4 th and 5 th April 2012. Programme Description and Context Setting Ed Brown, LCEDN National Co-Coordinator

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Programme Description and Context Setting Ed Brown, LCEDN National Co-Coordinator

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  1. Low Carbon Energy for Development: Past Experiences and Future Challenges Holywell Park, Loughborough University, 4th and 5th April 2012 Programme Description and Context Setting Ed Brown, LCEDN National Co-Coordinator Associate Director, Sustainability Research School, Loughborough University Image courtesy of Practical Action

  2. Welcome Conference Organizers: • Midlands Energy Consortium • Durham Energy Institute • Other members of the LCEDN management committee. • Colleagues at Loughborough University • (Enterprize Office, E-Learning Team) Financial Support: • DECC • EPSRC • Midlands Energy Consortium • Durham Energy Institute

  3. Background Up until a few years ago: • UK energy scientists generally not much interested in energy issues outside the UK • UK ‘international development’ experts not much interested in energy. • Energy also not necessarily a major theme within the UK international aid programme and UK government foreign policy pronouncements. Recent spark in interest: • Climate change negotiations • Price of oil/questions of energy security • Key work of organizations like Practical Action in putting energy access issues back on the international stage.

  4. The Current Growth in Interest • Over the past year, the UK Research Councils (RCUK), theUK Department for International Development (DFiD) and the UK Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) have identified low carbon transitions and international development as a critical area for developing UK research capacity. This is a result of 2 main drivers. • First,the rapidly increasing volumes of finance which the UK government (+ the rest of the international community) are making available for the low carbon transition and enhancing energy access in developing countries. • How to ensure that this money is spent effectively and achieves the intentions of the funders?

  5. The Current Growth in Interest • Second, acknowledgement that there is significant UK academic expertise in energy research but this has yet to engage substantially with questions of development. • The recent review of the RCUK Energy Programme highlighted this as a significant weakness of UK research - that ‘energy technologies and development’ was an area of weak performance and high interest. • Looking to generate interest in these issues from UK academics, increase the number and quality of research proposals etc.

  6. Responses • In May 2011, DECC and the Energy Futures Lab at Imperial co-convened a meeting to bring together the various UK academic and policy communities working in this field. • DEI hosted a 2nd meeting in July 2011 which was attended by a broader range of academic colleagues as well as representatives from RCUK, DECC and DFiD. • Good level of discussion in both the workshops

  7. Responses • Gave rise to the idea of the formation of a National UK Network to • support the expanded UK government interest in this area • bring together the UK ‘energy’ and ‘development’ academic communities and • strengthen the relationship between UK academia and the international research community working on these issues (particularly in the Global South) • First steps: £20,000 funding from Durham Energy Institute and £10,000 from Midlands Energy Consortium to kick-start the process. • Bid formulated to DECC – approved in late 2011

  8. The LCEDN is managed by the Midlands Energy Consortium (Loughborough, Birmingham and Nottingham Universities) and Durham Energy Institute in partnership with the Energy Futures Lab of Imperial College, the Science and Technology Policy Research Unit (SPRU) at the University of Sussex and the UK Energy Research Centre. Funded by DECC, It brings together researchers, policy makers and practitioners from across the world to: Better understand the complex and dynamic energy needs of the communities of the Global South Highlight research areas in need of development Identify where UK expertise is best deployed Promote international research collaborations Image courtesy of Practical Action

  9. What are we going to do? • Provision of a detailed searchable directory of UK research expertise in low carbon energy and development for the policy-making and practitioner communities as well as potential academic collaboration. • Development of the LCEDN website as an interactive virtual space for discussion, debate, networking and the development of collaborative interdisciplinary projects. • Regular news updates summarising the latest network activities, available research funding and UK/international collaboration opportunities. • Running of workshops, conferences and seminar series exploring low carbon, ‘climate resilient’ growth in the global South – this is the first of three planned for this year. • ‘State of the field’ reviews of the existing evidence base and current energy/development research in the UK including suggestions of strengths, weaknesses and gaps. • ‘Rapid evidence reviews’ of specific technologies, particular regions or emerging themes where there is a current policy and research need.

  10. http://www.lcedn.com

  11. CONFERENCE Low Carbon Energy for Development: Past Experiences and Future Challenges April 4th - 5th, 2012 Holywell Park Conference Centre, Loughborough Hosted by Lougborough University on behalf of the Midlands Energy Consortium. For further details please see: www.lcedn.com Funded by DECC and the EPSRC Image courtesy of Practical Action

  12. Conference Objectives 1. To revitalize the discussion of low carbon energy issues within international development debates through re-visiting past projects and initiatives to understand what works and what doesn’t; 2. To enhance North-South understanding within and between the UK energy policy, energy technology and development communities; 3. To introduce the DECC-funded Low Carbon Energy for Development Network as an innovative conduit and meeting place serving different energy interest groups and disciplinary approaches working towards human development goals; 4. To strengthen inter-disciplinary collaboration amongst academic participants and their collaboration with government, international institutions, NGOs and the private sector 5. To enrich UK and international policy-making regarding energy and development

  13. Day One 10.00: Programme Description and Context Setting 10.15: Speaker Session One: The Wider Policy Context: Energy Access, the MDGs and the Low Carbon Agenda 11.15: Refreshments 11.35: Discussion Session One: Key Conference Themes and Discussion Points 12.20: Discussion Session Report back 12.45: Lunch

  14. Day One 13.45: Speaker Session Two: Historical Experiences of Solar Energy Projects in the Global South 15.15: Refreshments 15.45: Speaker Session Three: Historical Experiences of Bio-Energy Projects in the Global South 17.00: Short Break 17.10: Invited Keynote Speaker via Video-Link: Masami Kojima (Lead Energy Specialist World Bank) 17.45: Exhibition/Poster Presentations 20.00: Conference Dinner at the Link Hotel

  15. Day Two 9.15: Welcome 9.20: Speaker Session Four: Looking Forward by Looking Back: Setting Future Priorities from Past Experiences 11.05: Refreshments 11.20: Discussion Session Two: Meeting the UN 2030 Targets. 12.15: Speaker Session Five: The Role of New Technologies

  16. Day Two 13.15: Lunch (inc LCEDN MC Meeting) 14.15: Speaker Session Six: Demand Management, Energy Efficiency and the Low Carbon Transition 15.30: Refreshments 15.45: Discussion Session Three: World Cafe. 17.00: Feedback from the World Café 17.30: Next Steps and Closing Remarks 17.35: Drinks Reception for those staying 18.30: Buffet

  17. What we want from you…. • You are not just here to listen (or just to talk!)! • This event has been purposely structured to provide as much interaction, conversation and dialogue as possible in two days. The knowledge, insight, wisdom gathered in this room is substantial and our aim is to have you exploring ideas, interests and collaborations as we go forward. • Three formal participation/discussion sessions • Key Conference Themes, • The UN 2030 Targets • World Cafe • This evening’s Poster Presentations session • The Ideas Wall • Electronic Participation

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