End Use Energy Demand Research Champion

在经历了一个世纪相对缓慢的能源系统技术变革之后，现在很明显，缓解气候变化将需要在几十年内进行系统性的能源转型。一些高度分布式的技术正在取得快速进展，尤其是那些部署在终端使用点的技术。这就提出了这样一种前景：在能源系统中，多样化的分布式技术和参与者将发挥比以前在现代能源系统中更大的作用。反过来，这又为能源最终用途研究在技术、商业模式、社会变革和治理方面产生了许多研究问题。因此，终端能源需求（EUED）研究需要做出回应。在实现能源三难困境的短期目标方面，增量效率提高和需求减少的旧挑战仍然很重要。学术研究可以促进它们的实现，但前提是要对政策和商业决策产生影响。然而，如果要实现具有挑战性的碳减排目标，就需要更根本的需求侧变革。EUED的研究需要更多地关注变革性创新，例如，颠覆性需求侧技术和商业模式在平衡不灵活和间歇性供应方面的作用；纳米技术和其他新材料改变能源需求的潜力，以及数字经济的影响，通过增加信息通信技术的能源使用，其用于提高效率的应用以及随之而来的能源使用实践的变化。因此，该项目对英国的EUED研究有双重愿景：在能源转型的新背景下，为EUED提供令人兴奋的研究议程；并确保EUED研究在解决紧急能源系统挑战方面产生更大的影响。该项目旨在通过在2017年7月至2018年3月的9个月期间开发一个单一的EUED中心，为英国的EUED研究发展这一愿景。这项工作将分四个阶段进行。首先会有一个咨询阶段。该程序将在EPSRC授予拨款后立即开始。根据上述愿景，将与研究理事会进行讨论，然后与研究界以及商业和政策利益相关者进行磋商。这将导致确定中心的主题结构。其次，将有一个中心设计阶段。该中心的每个主题都将公开征集领导力意向书。随后将与申请人进行讨论，选出主题负责人作为中心的管理团队。第三，将拟订中心的建议。将在管理团队内部进行详细咨询，并与主要利益相关者就新出现的建议进行磋商。这将导致一个讲习班来设计中心和主题工作计划，包括2-3个交叉挑战和中心协调节点的工作。最后是中心发展阶段。通过评估现有的欧盟环境评估中心的产出，将与投标发展同时开始。投标后的一段时间将用于了解现有环境评估中心的综合结果；讨论中心咨询委员会的候选人；通过利益相关者讨论和EUED社区的挑战研讨会，为投标中的其他挑战制定建议；并开始对英国热量脱碳的第一个挑战。

After a century of relatively slow technical change in energy systems, it is now clear that mitigating climate change will require a systemic energy transformation in a few decades. And rapid progress is being made with some highly-distributed technologies, most notably those deployed at the point of end use. This raises the prospect of energy systems in which diverse, distributed technologies and actors play a much larger role than they have previously in modern energy systems. In turn, this generates many research questions for energy end use research in technology, business models, social change and governance. End use energy demand (EUED) research therefore needs to respond. Older challenges of incremental efficiency improvement and demand reduction remain important in meeting the short term goals of the energy trilemma. Academic research can contribute to their delivery, but only if makes an impact on policy and business decisions. However, if challenging goals for carbon emissions reduction are to be met, more fundamental demand side changes are needed. EUED research needs to focus much more on transformative innovations, for example the role of disruptive demand side technologies and business models in balancing inflexible and intermittent supply; the potential of nano-technology and other new materials to change energy demand, and the impacts of the digital economy, through increased energy use in ICT, its application to improve efficiency and accompanying changes in energy using practices.The project therefore has a twofold vision for EUED research in the UK is twofold: to deliver an exciting research agenda for EUED in the new context of the energy transition; and to secure much greater impact for EUED research in addressing urgent energy system challenges.This project seeks to develop that vision for EUED research in the UK through the development of a single EUED Centre in the 9 month period July 2017 to March 2018. The work will be undertaken in four phases.First there will be a consultation phase. The process will commence immediately following the award of the grant by EPSRC. There will be discussions with the Research Councils, followed by consultation with the research community and with business and policy stakeholders, based on the vision set out above. This will lead to definition of a thematic structure for the Centre.Secondly, there will be a Centre design phase. There will be an open call for Expressions of Interest in leadership for each theme of the Centre. This will be followed by discussions with applicants, leading to selection of the theme leaders as a management team for the Centre.Thirdly, the Centre proposal will be developed. There will detailed consultation within the management team and on the emerging proposals with key stakeholders. This will lead to a workshop to design the Centre and theme work plans, including 2-3 cross-cutting challenges and the work of the coordination node of the Centre.Finally there will a Centre development phase. The will begin in parallel with the bid development, by assessing the outputs of the existing EUED Centres. The period after bid submission will be used to develop an understanding of the integrated findings of the existing EUED Centres; to have discussions about candidates for the Centre Advisory Board; to develop proposals for additional challenges to those in the bid, via stakeholder discussions and a challenges workshop for the EUED community; and to start the prospective first challenge on the decarbonisation of heat in the UK.