DEI responses to Government and Policy Consultations

• Sustainable Cooling POSTnote.(April 2021) This Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology (POST) briefing was contributed to by DEI Fellow Dr Huashan Bao, who is a Durham expert in thermochemical technology for heating, cooling, energy storage and power generation. Dr Bao fed-in insights from past projects and the current Durham-led projects for which Dr Boa is an investigator including the Networking for Decarbonising Heating and Cooling and Advanced hybrid thermochemical-compression seasonal solar energy storage and heat pump system (Solar S&HP).

• Durham experts support POST identify 30 areas of change to help the UK Parliament prepare for the future.

  Durham’s Professor Karen Johnson and DEI Associate Fellow Dr Antti Silvast are expert contributors to Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology (POST) Research Horizon scan to support decision-makers to acknowledge and preparing for possible opportunities and challenges. The POST Research for Parliament 2021 series identifies 30 areas of change to help the UK Parliament prepare for the future with a horizon scan developed for each. Dr Antti Silvast was asked to contribute and peer-review the Horizon Scan on Differing approaches to reaching Net Zero based on his own report for UKERC whole systems research landscape report (Antti Silvast, 2020). Professor Karen Johnson was approached to contribute to the Horizon scan on Soil as an essential national asset based on her work on soil health and evidence to the Environmental Audit Committee Agency. These research summaries will inform the future work programme for UK Parliament.

• Response to Energy White paper Durham Energy Institute (Dec 2020) DEI welcomes the Energy White paper released by the UK government on 14th December 2020 and its focus on clean energy, green jobs and affordable energy. It is a significant step forward in providing a clear national ambition and strategy for achieving a low carbon and resilient energy sector for the UK.  This paper gives our overview responses to the plans laid-out in the White Paper drawing on the insights from our research and partnership working.

• REsponse to UK Government 10 point plan for a green industrial revolution - Durham Energy Institute (Nov 2020)

• BEIS Committee inquiry on 'Decarbonising heat in homes' - DEI response (Sept 2020) 
• Heat networks POSTnote (Sept 2020) This Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology (POST) briefing was contributed to by DEI Fellow Dr Charlotte Adams.

• BEIS Committee inquiry on Post-pandemic economic recovery - DEI response (Oct 2020) and Durham Heat Hub response (Oct 2020)

• DEI response to Environmental Audit Committee inquiry on Possible Future Inquiries (April 2020). This response was submitted with Durham County Council and Northumberland County Council. The response highlights that poor land management and not putting carbon back into soils are two key reasons for significant soil degradation all over the world (Lal, 2003). Understanding and exploiting the potential of returning carbon to soil to mitigate climate change is a critical but missing part of net zero plans. Read the DEI response.

• Developments in Wind Power POSTnote (May 2019) This POSTnote includes contributions from Professor Simon Hogg who leads wind energy research at Durham University and Benj Sykes from Ørsted who is on the DEI Advisory Board and are startegic partners for the University.
• Sustaining the Soil Microbiome POSTnote (May 2019) This POSTnote includes contributions from Dr Lynsay Blake, Durham University, gives an overview of the benefits provided by the soil microbiome, ways of assessing the soil microbiome, and measures to improve its condition.

• DEI Response to The Science and Technology Committee inquiry into Technologies for meeting Clean Growth emissions reduction targets (Submission published19/12/2018)

• DEI response to BEIS Committee inquiry on Carbon Capture Usage and Storage (Published on 3/9/2018)

• The Offshore Renewable Energy Science and Innovation Audit (SIA) a government-commissioned science and innovation audit designed to help regional industry identify strengths and fulfil their potential. Conducted across the north of England and Scotland, and led by the University of Newcastle, it included input from DEI, Hull University, University of Liverpool, Humber LEP, Liverpool City Region, North-East LEP and Tees Valley Combined Authority, Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult, and Scottish Enterprise.

• DEI response to EU Energy and Environment Sub-Committee inquiry into implications of Brexit for energy security in the UK (Sept 2017) Find out more about the Brexit Energy Secuirty inquiry. See also the DEI Policy briefing on the Implications of Brexit for UK Energy Security.

• Key Actions of the European Strategic EnergyTechnology (SET) Plan Input papers to the EuropeanCommission’s consultation (Nov 2015 to 2016). Submissions represents all European Universities undertaking work in Energy. Durham University has contributed the most of any institution in Europe to these input papers as well as coordinating two of these submissions.

  • Photovoltaics (Coordinated by Dr Douglas Halliday)
  • CCS/CCU (Coordinated by Prof Jon Gluyas)
  • Deep Geothermal Energy (Contributions from Prof Jon Gluyas and Dr Charlotte Adams)
  • Offshore wind (Contributions from Prof Simon Hogg

• DEI Investor confidence in UK energy sector submission to Energy and Climate Change Select Committee inquiry (Nov 2015) . Find out more about the inquiry.