Milestones

2004

• Proposal for UKERC research programme accepted; John Loughhead and Jim Skea appointed

2005

• G8 Clean Energy Workshop. UKERC was invited by DEFRA and the DTI to host this international Workshop, attended by 120 people from the G8 countries plus Brazil, South Africa, Mexico, China and India
• First four studentships awarded
• First Annual Assembly and Summer School

2006

• First Technology and Policy Assessment (TPA) report published on ‘The Costs and Impacts of Intermittency’?
• UKERC launches the Energy Research Atlas, the first tool to show the live status of energy R&D in the UK
• UKERC awards nine new studentships
• Jim Skea joins a new Government Commission on Environmental Markets and Economic Performance, jointly chaired by Alistair Darling and David Miliband
• The Energy 2050 Project, an ambitious undertaking, bringing together researchers from across the Centre, is underway

2007

• Second and third TPA reports on ‘Investing in Electricity Generation’ ? and ‘The Rebound Effect’  launched
• UKERC hosts second Japan/UK Low-Carbon Society Project  workshop 
• Seven new studentships announced
• The UKERC Sparks? Network is formed - a brand new network for all PhD students, early post-docs and research assistants working on the energy sector
• The Energy Research Partnership invites UKERC to host its analysis team
• NERN (National Energy Research Network) officially launched

2008

• Jim Skea becomes a member of the Committee on Climate Change
• UKERC and Oxford University launch a new free online tool called imeasure that provides accurate information on energy use to householders
• John Loughhead is elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering
• Jim Skea is elected Vice-Chair of Working Group III of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
• Seven new studentships awarded
• UKERC selected to represent the UK as the lead energy research body in the recently launched European Energy Research Alliance (EERA)
• UKERC and NESTA (National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts) launch Carbon Crucible, a series of workshops bringing researchers together
• The Summer School doubles in size and goes international
• John Loughhead is elected member of the European Advisory Group on Energy

2009

• UKERC’s Meeting Place  launches a series of evening webinars offering young scientists the chance to explore career and training opportunities
• UKERC researchers play an important role at the Copenhagen Climate Change Congress.  Jim Skea chairs a session on the potential of Renewable Energies
• Evolution of UKERC for a second phase  agreed with the Supervisory Board
• UKERC becomes a founding member of the Low Carbon Society Research Network established under the Italian G8 Presidency
• UKERC launches the ambitious Energy 2050 report  over two days in London presenting its findings to an impressive audience of over 220 academics, business people and policy-makers

2010

• UKERC launches £1.6 million New Energy Research Projects through its new Research Fund
• Five UKERC scientists selected as lead authors of 5th IPPC Climate Change Assessment Report
• UK publishes first systematic analysis of smart grids potential, downloaded over 200 times from website and referenced by the Department for Environment and Climate Change, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, UK Trade and Investment and Technology Strategy Board
• Marine energy sector roadmap developed by UKERC and Energy Technologies Institute
• UKERC hosts international energy talks at annual Summer School in Warwick
• Critical success factors for bioenergy development identified in joint research by UKERC and BBSRC Sustainable Bioenergy Centre
• UKERC report identifies cost drivers and likely future evolutions of offshore wind
• UKERC and Oxford Society for Females in Engineering, Science and Technology launch series of podcasts celebrating women’s contribution to critical energy and climate change challenges
• UKERC works with Science Museum to develop a Carbon Minister game in the new Atmosphere Gallery

2011

• UKERC launches third round of Research Fund projects, bringing number of UKERC members to almost 200
• John Loughhead, Executive Director of UKERC, receives OBE in Queen’s Birthday Honours, and is
• elected Foreign Fellow of Australian Academy of Engineering
• UKERC researcher Dr Carol Turley awarded OBE for services to science in New Year’s Honours
• UKERC represents UK at first annual congress of European Energy Research Alliance (EERA) in Brussels
• UKERC coordinates and supports strong UK presence in 7 EERA projects, involving some 100 researchers
• UKERC sets up Pan-European EERA Joint Programme in Marine Renewable Energy
• UKERC and Oxford University’s Environmental Change Institute host joint Energy and People conference exploring relationships between society and Energy
• UKERC updates UK Energy 2050 Scenarios to include data updates, already implemented and additional policies, low-carbon scenarios and latest version of hurdle rates
• Online, fully searchable version of Research Atlas is launched
• Energy Insights briefings series launches – providing a short introduction to important or controversial areas of current policy research.
• Professor Nick Pidgeon gives evidence to the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee Inquiry into nuclear research and development capabilities
• UKERC plays key role in presenting independent research community’s views on Government’s White Paper on Electricity Market Reform
• Launch of report: Energy from biomass: the size of the global resource – saying biomass could meet a fifth of world’s energy needs without any impact on food production
• Environmental Change Institute launches first spin-out company – Pilio Limited – marketing new online software, based on UKERC research, which can cut small businesses’ energy bills by 40%

• John Loughhead invited to join Steering Committee for launch of new French Government scheme to establish new Centres of Energy Excellence, funded with 1 billion Euros over 10 years