Charlie Wilson participated in an online conference hosted by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) as part of the Clean Energy Ministerial process launched alongside the Paris Climate Agreement. Due to take place in Berlin from March 25-27, the ‘International Forum on Long-Term Energy Scenarios’ was hastily converted to a virtual format – one of many […]
Post written by Emilie Vrain A recent UK study by the SILCI team investigated the role of social networks and communication behaviours in the diffusion process of smart home technologies. An online survey with over 700 participants (adopters and non-adopters of smart heating, lighting and appliances) revealed potential social barriers to mass market adoption (shown in the image above). Results highlight the need to focus strategies on increasing non-adopters’ exposure to […]
Post written by Emilie Vrain. To reach net zero, rapid changes across society will be needed. A report published by UKERC provides insights into the level of disruption that could be required by various sectors. Extremely relevant to our SILCI project, the report highlights how heat, electricity, transport and construction may need to change to remain competitive and meet future carbon targets i.e. change their business models and operating practices or phase out core assets.
Charlie Wilson co-authored a chapter in the latest UNEP report on where we are likely to be in the future compared to where we need to be in order to meet Paris Agreement targets. These authoritative assessments of what has become known as the ’emissions gap’ are an annual report card issued to the international community. This latest one […]
Image Attribution: Bloomberg New Energy Finance Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) is the leading market intelligence and advisory service for the energy industry. Held on Oct 19-20th in the glitz of a Hyde Park hotel, the summit agenda included keynote talks from Claire Perry (former Minister for Climate Change) and Kwasi Kwarteng (current Minister of State in BEIS), as well as a host of […]
Post written by Emilie Vrain With smart lighting being among the most purchased smart home devices, researchers from Germany and Algeria have teamed up to investigate the economic, social and environmental impacts of their adoption. Using simulation models their results find that the payback period of such technologies is only a few years, and that […]
A new ‘Exponential Carbon Roadmap 1.5‘ provides 36 solutions for cutting global greenhouse gas emissions by 50% over the next decade, and each successive decade thereafter. Timed to stimulate debate and action at the UN Climate Action Summit in New York, the roadmap sets out a comprehensive, challenging but achievable programme of action for staying on track […]
Amory Lovins has been arguing the case for efficiency-led system transformation for over 40 years. His landmark paper back in 1976 challenged the orthodoxy of ever-rising energy demand, and is summarised in Wikipedia thus: “Amory Lovins coined the term ‘soft energy path’ to describe an alternative future where energy efficiency and appropriate renewable energy sources steadily replace […]
The Levitt ring model is a long established framework distinguishing between different types of product and service attributes. It is heavily used and cited in marketing literature. It distinguishes between core, primary attributes that meet consumers’ most basic needs, and non-core, secondary and tertiary attributes that offer consumers additional sources of added value. In her work on the appealing attributes of low carbon […]
Charlie Wilson travelled to Potsdam outside sunny Berlin for a symposium on how to achieve the 1.5°C climate target. The symposium brought together IPCC lead authors, scenario modelling experts, and policy stakeholders to identify integral elements of 1.5°C decarbonisation pathways and how climate policy ‘entry points’ can drive transformative change. Together with Felix Creutzig at […]