| Post: | Senior Fellow |
| Location: | Freeman Centre |
| Email: | S.R.Sorrell@sussex.ac.uk |
| Telephone numbers | |
| Internal: | 7067 or 8166 |
| UK: | (01273) 877067 or (01273) 678166 |
| International: | +44 1273 877067 or +44 1273 678166 |
Biography
Steve trained as an electrical engineer and spent four years developing signal processing systemes in industrial R&D laboratories before gaining a MSc in Science & Technology Policy in 1990. Since joining SPRU he has undertaken a range of research on energy and environmental policy, with particular focus on energy modelling, energy efficiency and emissions trading. Steve is currently deputy director of the ESRC-funded Sussex Energy Group (SEG) and co-manager of the Technology and Policy Assessment function of the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC).
Role
Senior Fellow, SPRU
Deputy Director, Sussex Energy Group
Research
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, twelve book chapters and more than one hundred research reports. He has acted as consultant to the European Commission, DEFRA, DTI/BERR, the Environment Agency, the Sustainable Development Commission, private sector organisations and NGOs. His current research projects include energy use and sustainability in UK freight transport (SEG), the impact of feedback systems on household energy behaviour (EdF) and global oil depletion (UKERC).
Teaching
Steve contributes lectures on energy and climate policy to undergraduate and postgraduate courses at Sussex and Imperial College. He regularly supervises MSc dissertations.
Publications
Sorrell, S., M. Lehtonen, L.M. Stapleton, J. Pujol and T. Champion (2009), ‘Decomposing road freight energy use in the United Kingdom', Energy Policy, accepted for publication
Herring, H. and S. Sorrell (eds) (2008), Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Consumption: Dealing with the Rebound Effect, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke
Sorrell, S. (2009), ‘Jevons revisited: the events for backfire from improved energy efficiency', Energy Policy, 37, 1456-1569
Sorrell, S., J. Dimitriopolous and M. Sommerville (2009), ‘Empirical estimates of direct rebound effects: a review', Energy Policy, 37, 1356-1371
Sorrell, S., D. Harrison, D. Radov, P. Klevnas and A. Foss (2008), ‘White certificate schemes: economic analysis and interactions with the EU ETS', Energy Policy, 37(1), 29-42
Sorrell, S. and J. Dimitriopolous (2007), ‘The rebound effect: microeconomic definitions, limitations and extensions, Ecological Economics, 65(3), 636-649
Sorrell, S. (2006), ‘The economics of energy service contracts', Energy Policy, 35(1), 507-521
Sorrell, S., E. O'Malley, J. Schleich and S. Scott (2004), The Economics of Energy Efficiency: Barriers to Cost Effective Investment, Edward Elgar, Cheltenham.
Sorrell, S. and J. Sijm (2003), 'Carbon trading in the policy mix', Oxford Review of Economic Policy, 19(3), 420-437.
Sorrell, S. (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), 677-703.
Sorrell, S., C. Boemare and P. Quirion '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, S. (2003), 'Making The Link: climate policy and the reform of the UK construction industry', Energy Policy, 31(9), 865-878.
Sorrell, S. (2002), 'The Meaning of BATNEEC', Journal of Environmental Policy and Planning, 4, 23-40.