Vision
The JRI vision is to be world-leading in Marine and Renewable Energy research, and to be at least nationally pre-eminent in all other areas of energy research.
Rationale and Aim
Reducing the drivers of further climate change, while maintaining the security and affordability of energy supply, is higher on world geopolitical and national agendas than ever before. Ambitious targets have been set, ultimately to reduce CO2 production by 60% by 2050 and to increase renewable energy to meet respectively 20 and 40% of UK and Scottish demand for electricity, by 2020. In these timescales there will be a transformation of hydrocarbon fuel production and its end use, electricity generation and its end-use, and in the environmental management of the whole energy system. Ongoing political change could continue to be significant for the next four or five years. There has been an Energy Review, Stern has reported and there has been a Comprehensive Spending Review. The new Energy Technologies Institute and Environment Transformation Fund has been established. However, energy and climate change research will remain central in planned research spend. The JRI in Energy combines research activities that:
- Map all the way down the renewable energy supply chain from wind, hydro, marine and solar energy sources, through their conversion to electricity, to their power systems delivery and end-use, with those that
- Characterise and better manage hydrocarbon resources, develop cleaner coal and gas technologies, and reduce and store energy by-products in environmentally better ways.
The aim is to engage the relevant disciplines in these areas and create new technologies or improve those existing to assist society to meet its energy needs in an environmentally, financially and socially affordable manner without reduction in security of supply.
Organisation
The key research areas in the JRI are:
- Marine Energy and Coastal Defence
- Renewable Energy and Climate
- Energy Conversion and Network Delivery
- Photovoltaics and Solar Energy
- Fuel Cells and Energy Storage
- Urban Energy Demand and Supply