Critical issue: Energy

Sussex hosts a cutting-edge body of work on low carbon innovation in developing countries - much of which has been conducted in support of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change negotiations.

The Sussex Energy Group, based at SPRU, has been leading the way on academically rigorous, inter-disciplinary research that engages with policy-makers and practitioners. The Group seeks to identify ways of achieving the transition to sustainable, low carbon energy systems whilst addressing other important policy objectives such as energy security.

 The emphasis of much of this research is on understanding the real world experience of low carbon innovation in developing countries through country and technology specific case studies, focused on China, India and Kenya. The aim is to better inform the negotiations on the role of technology and innovation in climate change mitigation.

Another strong research theme is on the barriers to access to modern energy services within developping countries, and on approaches to overcome those barriers. Work also explores opportunities for a ‘just transition’ to low carbon and sustainable energy systems while research on the governance of energy finance has found that there remains a substantial imbalance towards governance for energy finance over governance of energy finance.

Across Sussex, we are currently engaged in a range of energy and climate change research projects, including supporting ‘clean energy’ through carbon markets and improving low carbon energy access and development benefits in Least Developed Countries.

In the Engineering Department, Naser Sayma, is leading ground-breaking research into efficient distributed energy systems, which could help reduce energy wastage by recycling wasted heat into energy. Domestic-scale combined heat and power systems and waste heat recovery units require the development of novel technologies in micro-scale rotating machinery. Funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, with support from industry, research on waste heat recovery is making a significant contribution to maximising energy efficiency globally.

Experts

• Rob Byrne, STEPS Centre energy and climate change convenor, SPRU Research Fellow
• Peter Newell, Professor of International Relations,  School of Global Studies
• David Ockwell, Sussex University Senior Lecturer in Geography, SPRU Senior Fellow (Sussex Energy Group)
• Hubert Schmitz, IDS Research Fellow
• Jim Watson, SPRU Professor of Energy Policy
• Naser Sayma, Professor in Computational Fluid Dynamics, School of Engineering and Design
• Adrian Smith, Senior Lecturer, SPRU
• Andrew Stirling STEPS Centre co-director, SPRU Professor of Science & Technology Policy

Resources

Pro-poor, low carbon development project

Publications

• Byrne, R., Smith, A., Watson, J. and Ockwell, D. (2011) Energy Pathways in Low-Carbon Development: From Technology Transfer to Socio-Technical Transformation, STEPS Working Paper 46, Brighton: STEPS Centre
• Denton, F. (ed) (2011) ‘Should Africa take the renewable energy path?’, Joto Afrika 8, Arid Lands Information Network and IDS: Kenya and Brighton
• Lema, R., Berger, A., Schmitz, H. and Song, H. (2011) Competition and Cooperation between Europe and China in the Wind Power Sector, IDS Working Paper 377, Brighton: IDS.
• Leach, M., Fairhead, J., Fraser, J. and Lehner, E. (2010) Biocharred Pathways to Sustainability? Triple Wins, Livelihoods and the Politics of Technological Promise, STEPS Working Paper 41, Brighton: STEPS Centre
• Newell, P. (2011) Pursuing Clean Energy Equitably, Human Development Research Paper 2011/03
•  Newell, P. (2011) The Governance of Energy Finance: The Public, the Private and the Hybrid Global Policy, vol. 2, issue supplement s1, pp94-105.
• Newell, P. Governance of Clean Development ESRC project ()
• Ockwell, D. G. (2010) Enhancing developing country access to eco-innovtion. The case of technology transfer and climate change in a post-2012 policy framework OECD Environment Working Papers, No. 12, OECD Publishing.
•  Ockwell, D., Ely, A., Mallett, A., Johnson, O. and Watson J. (2009) Low Carbon Development: The Role of Local Innovative Capabilities, STEPS Working Paper 31, Brighton: STEPS Centre and Sussex Energy Group, SPRU, University of Sussex.
• Ockwell, D and Mallett, A. (Eds) (2012) Low carbon technology transfer: from rhetoric to reality. Routledge, Abingdon
• Ockwell, D. Mallett, A., Haum, R. and Watson, J. (2010) Intellectual property rights and low carbon technology transfer: the two polarities of diffusion and development, Global Environmental Change 20: 729-738
• Ockwell, D., Watson, J., MacKerron, G., Pal, P. and Yamin, F. (2008) Key policy considerations for facilitating low carbon technology transfer to developing countries, Energy Policy 36 (11): 4104-4115
• Ockwell, D.G., Watson, J., Verbeken, A.M., Mallett, A.and MacKerron, G. (2009) A blueprint for post-2012 technology transfer to developing countries Sussex Energy Group Policy Briefing Note
• Watson, J., R. Byrne, M. Morgan Jones, F. Tsang, J. Opazo, C. Fry and S. Castle-Clarke (2012). What are the major barriers to increased use of modern energy services among the world’s poorest people and are interventions to overcome these effective? Draft systematic review commissioned by DFID and Ausaid. Collaboration for Environmental Evidence.               
• Watson, J., R. Byrne, et al. (2011). UK-China Collaborative Study on Low Carbon Technology Transfer: Final Report. Brighton, SPRU, University of Sussex.
• Watson, J. and Johnson, O. (2010) Renewable Energy Technologies for Rural Development. UNCTAD current studies on science, technology and innovation. Geneva, UNCTAD
• Watson, J., MacKerron, G., Ockwell, D., and Wang, T. (2007) Technology and carbon mitigation in developing countries: Are cleaner coal technologies a viable option? Background paper for the 2007 United Nations Human Development Report
• Willenbockel, D. (2009) Global Energy and Environmental Scenarios: Implications for Development Policy, Discussion Paper 8, Bonn: German Development Institute.