Durham Centre for Renewable Energy

Durham Centre for Renewable Energy is our all-inclusive Centre for low carbon research work. We are a group of multi-disciplinary scientists working collaboratively towards achieving clean power generation and the efficient use of energy.

We recognise that the challenges are not only technical ones: While it is true that technology will drive the possibility for change in energy, political, resource and economic factors are equally important. Despite the landscape being a complex one, there is greater consensus about energy policy then ever before:

• The UK has set a target to reduce CO₂ emissions to 80% by 2050.
• The Stern Review of the Economic Consequences of Climate Change (2006) indicates very clearly that delay in reducing carbon emissions will be dangerous and will cost significantly more.
• UKERC's Energy 2050 review (scenario study) indicates that demand and supply side reduction should be progressed in parallel. The former requires social change, while the latter is technically driven. There are multiple technical routes to supply side solutions, and there is no magic bullet for future success.
• The Energy Technology Institute (ETI) has announced its Energy System Model (ESM), a predictive tool that may be used to investigate the impact of energy scenarios on CO₂ emission in 2050. The emphasis shall be on identifying technologies that have significant impact on CO₂ emission with the lowest technical and financial risk.

At DCRE we believe that it is the role of the Universities to bring new ideas and technologies to the climate change issue. We work closely with industry in order to ensure that our research has practical value, and to increase the chance of it making an impact in society.

Most of our funding comes from research councils and industry - we believe this reflects well on our ability to deliver the best in pure applied energy research. We also believe that energy is not simply a technological issue: the make up of the society that uses energy is equally important in planning future energy provision.

DCRE has about 25 members, most of them research group leaders -  you can find out more about them in the Directory of Expertise. All of our members welcome contact from anyone with a genuine interest in renewable energy research, including fellow researchers and industrialists.

DCRE is a virtual institute spread over five complimentary academic departments in the university. This adds a fresh interdisciplinary approach to energy research at Durham, where all of the key departments are located within a 200m radius of one-another and collaboration is easy.

DCRE is one of the four centres and institutes that make up the Durham Energy Institute (DEI) formed in 2009. DEI includes DCRE, The Institute for Plant and Microbial Sciences, the Centre for Earth Energy Systems (CeREES), and the institute of Hazard and Risk Research.

Overall, DCRE is a dynamic and responsive research Centre with strong links to social sciences, conventional power generation and distribution research, and bio-energy specialists.

Thank you for visiting our website. We hope that you will find information here about projects that will be of interest to your work, and the challenge that faces us all.

Ken Durose, Director, DCRE