Dr Steven Sorrell

Biography

Steve trained as an electrical engineer and spent four years developing signal processing systemes in industrial R&D laboratories before gaining a MSc inScience & Technology Policy in 1991.  Since joining SPRU he has undertaken a range of academic and consultancy research in the area of energy and climate policy. Steve is currently co-director of the Sussex Energy Group (SEG) at SPRU, co-manager of the Technology and Policy Assessment function of the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) and Honorary Senior Fellow at the Centre for Environmental Policy, Imperial College.

Role

Senior Lecturer, SPRU

Co-Director, Sussex Energy Group

Steve's early work at SPRU included the development of engineering-economic models of UK passenger transport, electricity generation and industrial and commercial CHP. His subsequent research in energy and climate policy has focussed in particular upon energy efficiency and emissions trading. This work is primarily informed by economics and has included case studies, statistical analysis and modelling. Steve has published three books, twenty papers in refereed journals, twenty-five conference papers and more than one hundred research reports for a wide range of clients. He acted as consultant to the European Commission, several UK government departments and agencies (e.g. DEFRA, DECC, Environment Agency, Sustainable Development Commission, National Audit Office), energy companies (e.g. EdF, Scottish Power) and NGOs (e.g. FoE. WWF). His work has received wide coverage in the technical and popular press. Steve is currently researching the employment impacts of climate policy, rebound effects for households and the scope for encouraging behavioural change through improved ‘feedback’ on energy consumption and costs.

Steve has extensive experience in MSc and undergraduate teaching at Sussex and other institutions. He convenes the SPRU MSc in Energy Policy for Sustainability and teaches on other postgraduate courses, including the Sussex MSc's in  Climate Change and Policy and Climate Change and Development. He also supervises both PhD MSc dissertations.

Sorrell, Steven, Lehtonen, Markku, Stapleton, Lee, Pujol, Javier and Champion, Toby (2012) Decoupling of road freight energy use from economic growth in the United Kingdom. Energy Policy, 41. pp. 84-97. ISSN 0301-4215

Druckman, Angela, Chitnis, Mona, Sorrell, Steve and Jackson, Tim (2011) Missing carbon reductions? Exploring rebound and backfire effects in UK households. Energy Policy, 39 (6). pp. 3575-3581.

Sorrell, Steve, Speirs, Jamie, Bentley, Roger, Brandt, Adam and Miller, Richard (2010) Global oil depletion: A review of the evidence. Energy Policy, 38 (9). pp. 5290-5295. ISSN 0301-4215

Sorrell, Steve and Speirs, Jamie (2010) Hubbert's legacy: A review of curve-fitting methods to estimate ultimately recoverable resources. Natural Resources Research, 19 (3). pp. 209-230. ISSN 1520-7439

Sorrell, Steve, Miller, Richard, Bentley, Roger and Speirs, Jamie (2010) Oil futures: A comparison of global supply forecasts. Energy Policy, 38 (9). pp. 4990-5003.

Sorrell, Steven (2010) Energy, economic growth and environmental sustainability: five propositions. Sustainability, 2 (6). pp. 1784-1809. ISSN 2071-1050

Sorrell, Steven (2010) An upstream alternative to personal carbon trading. Climate Policy, 10 (4). pp. 481-486. ISSN 1469-3062

Sorrell, Steve, Lehtonen, Markku, Stapleton, Lee, Pujol, Javier and Champion, Toby (2009) Decomposing road freight energy use in the United Kingdom. Energy Policy, 37 (8). pp. 3115-3129.

Sorrell, Steve, Dimitropoulos, John and Sommerville, Matt (2009) Empirical estimates of the direct rebound effect: A review. Energy Policy, 37 (4). pp. 1356-1371. ISSN 0301-4215

Sorrell, Steven, Speirs, Jamie, Bentley, Roger, Brandt, Adam and Miller, Richard (2009) Global oil depletion: A review of the evidence. UK Energy Research Centre.

Sorrell, Steven (2009) Jevons' paradox revisited: the evidence for backfire from improved energy efficiency. Energy Policy, 37 (4). pp. 1456-1569. ISSN 0301-4215

Sorrell, Steve, Harrison, David, Radov, Daniel, Klevnas, Per and Foss, Andrew (2009) White certificate schemes: Economic analysis and interactions with the EU ETS. Energy Policy, 37 (1). pp. 9-42. ISSN 0301-4215

Sorrell, Steve and Dimitropoulos, John (2008) The rebound effect: Microeconomic definitions, limitations and extensions. Ecological Economics, 65 (3). pp. 636-649. ISSN 0921-8009

Sorrell, Steven (2007) Improving the evidence base for energy policy: the role of systematic reviews. Energy Policy, 35 (3). pp. 1858-1871. ISSN 0301-4215

Sorrell, Steven (2007) The economics of energy service contracts. Energy Policy, 35 (10). pp. 507-521. ISSN 0301-4215

Sorrell, Steven (2007) The rebound effect: an assessment of the evidence for economy-wide energy savings from improved energy efficiency. Project Report. UK Energy Research Centre.

O'Malley, Eoin, Schleich, Joachim and Scott, Sue (2004) The Economics of Energy Efficiency: Barriers to Cost-Effective Invetment. Edward Elgar. ISBN 1-84064-8899

Sorrell, Steven, Boemare, C and Quirion, P (2003) The evolution of emissions trading in the EU: tensions between national trading schemes and the proposed EU Directive. Climate Policy, 3 (2). S105-S124. ISSN 1469-3062

Sorrell, Steven and Sijm, Jos (2003) Carbon trading in the policy mix. Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 19 (3). pp. 420-436. ISSN 0266-903X

Sorrell, Steven (2003) Making the link: climate policy and the reform of the UK construction industry. Energy Policy, 31 (9). pp. 865-878. ISSN 0301-4215

Sorrell, Steven and Boemare; P. Quiron, C (2003) Tensions between national trading schemes in Europe and the proposed EU Directive ¿ a comparison between the UK and France. Climate Policy, 3 (S2). S105-S124.

Sorrell, Steven (2003) Who owns the carbon? Interactions between the EU emissions trading scheme and the UK renewables obligation and energy efficiency commitment. Energy and Environment, 14 (5). pp. 677-703. ISSN 0958-305X

Sorrell, Steven (2002) The meaning of BATNEEC: interpreting excessive costs in UK industrial pollution regulation. Journal of Environmental Policy and Planning, 4 (1). pp. 23-40. ISSN 1523-908X