2015 Press Releases
Great buzz at energy policy workshop
UCC researchers have presented new findings on energy and climate research at the 4th annual ESRI-UCC energy research workshop.
The research results focused primarily on informing Ireland’s forthcoming White Paper on Energy Policy. Also presented were global modelling results on a novel approach to determining equitable climate change targets that will feed into the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) discussions on climate change in Paris later this year.
The ten research papers included a diverse range of topics, such as:
- How to address energy poverty
- The difficult choices facing Ireland relating to infrastructure (wind turbines and pylons)
- The role of behaviour in how we respond to the climate change issue
- Exploring specific policy measures to reduce emissions in car transport
The focus of UCC’s research is on the engineering aspects, complementing the results of economics research presented by the ESRI (The Economic and Social Research Institute).
The event builds on the ongoing collaborations between UCC and ESRI on energy policy research and was opened by the Minister for Communication, Energy and Natural Resources, Mr Alex White T.D.
It was oversubscribed and the 90 attendees were largely drawn from the energy industry (including ESB, Ervia, EirGrid and Gas Networks Ireland) in addition to Government Departments. They engaged in active discussion after each presentation and expressed strong praise with the depth and breadth of the research presented.
Minister White praised the importance of the research:
"I applaud your ongoing work analysing energy policy development in Ireland …The work done by Brian O Gallachóir and his team in UCC, particularly in recent months, has proved invaluable to Government. It has helped to provide a sound evidence base to inform discussions at EU level on climate change and energy framework targets for 2030 and beyond."
The 4th annual joint ESRI-UCC workshop unearthed innovative and timely research that is informing policy decisions nationally and demonstrated internationally the key role Ireland can play.
The strong representation of the energy industry emphasised the value placed on the energy policy and modelling research being undertaken at UCC.