LoLo and 12 other Energy CDTs at CDT Network Conference in Manchester

LoLo and 12 other Energy CDTs at CDT Network Conference in Manchester
4th December 2012 Alison Parker

“These are exciting times for energy research.”

Jim Skea, RCUK Energy Program, key note at the Energy CDT Conference, 29.11.2012

Energy CDT conference 2012

And indeed, it were exciting times last week for LoLo’s students attending the first Energy CDT Network conference in Manchester as one of 13 centres within the network. This may only partly be attributed to topics of energy research, but key note and panel discussions including speakers from DECC, uSwitch.com, SSE and Forum of the Future did not fail to catch our interest. Nor did the posters of the other CDTs, which often enriched by conversations with their designers, shows us other aspects of energy research.

If anything, it is this aspect of talking to each other the conference puts the emphasis on. Large breaks and plenty of interactive sessions allow for opportunities to ‘network the network’. In this context, I cannot help but note how much work is done on the supply side with LoLo standing as one of few centres looking at energy demand. This of course fits with the bigger picture Jim Skea presents us: while the role of energy efficiency is increasingly acknowledged in achieving the UK’s ambitious carbon targets, research funding is still predominantly allocated on the supply side.

Dan_speaking The_whole_lot