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Fully funded PhD studentships at UCL Energy Institute

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 11:34:46 +1200

Apply now for two fully funded PhD studentships in energy related projects. Deadline 30 April 2013.
The UCL Energy Institute has two fully funded PhD studentships available for the next academic year (September 2013 start) for the following exciting energy related projects. Work alongside experienced researchers in a dynamic, multidisciplinary environment and become one of the energy pioneers of tomorrow.
Funding: Enhanced stipend £18,000 per annum + UK/EU fees + substantial research budget
Funding body: EPSRC and EDF Energy R&D UK
Start date: September 2013 (duration 42 months)
Projects:

Measuring the impact, including rebound effects, of domestic energy efficiency retrofit in individual properties – UCL Energy Institute, Supervisor - Professor Tadj Oreszczyn
Intuitive User Toolbox for Visualising Home Energy Usage Data – Based in UCL Computer Sciences, Supervisor - Dr Duncan Brumby

Applications welcome from eligible candiates with a good first degree in a range of subjects (e.g. Physical Sciences, Engineering, Mathematics, Computer Sciences). Please see the UCL-Energy website for full details: http://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/energy/news/retrofit-and-intuitive-user-toolbox-phd-studentships.

Deadline: Tuesday 30 April 2013 12.00
Alison Parker
Doctoral Training Programme Manager
UCL Energy Institute
UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources
Central House, 14 Upper Woburn Place
London, WC1H 0NN

email: alison.parker@ucl.ac.uk
phone:+44 (0)20 3108 5999 (internal 55999)
http://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/energy/
http://www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/sustainable
http://www.lolo.ac.uk/ Follow us at @UCL_Energy and @UCL_ISR

UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) 9th annual Energy Summer School from 7-12th July 2013

Mon, 11 Feb 2013 10:06:53 +1300

The UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) is holding its ninth annual Energy Summer School from 7-12th July 2013 at the University of Warwick in the English Midlands. There will be 100 places available for UK and international students.

http://www.regonline.co.uk/ukercsummerschool2013

The School has been specifically designed to give second year PhD students an opportunity to look beyond their own research and develop an understanding of energy systems as a whole and pathways to low-carbon and resilient energy systems. We welcome applications from those engaged in energy-related research including technical, physical, social, economic, environmental and business aspects of energy and energy systems.

We would like to invite you to nominate students to attend. There is no charge for registered research students to attend the School; UKERC will provide accommodation and all meals and materials for activities.

Agenda
During the week-long School, which runs in parallel to UKERC’s Annual Assembly, students will:
Understand the global commercial, political, innovation and technological challenges in the transition to a low-carbon system;
Be involved in high level debate on energy technologies and research priorities in a number of key research areas, from demand reduction to future sources of energy;
Be presented with a number of contrasting international perspectives on energy;
Have the opportunity to network with key academic, and energy research contacts;
Research, develop, negotiate and agree a collective vision for a low-carbon energy system with the opportunity to apply your current research and present the work to the UK Energy Research Centre
Develop and practice professional skills in communication and engagement.

The School is professionally facilitated to provide continual support for participants, and includes a number of networking opportunities as well as social events.

Successful applicants will be notified by e-mail from 25th March 2013 and both nominator and nominee will at that time be asked to formally accept the place. Should the delegate subsequently withdraw and a suitable replacement not be found, the nominator will be required to pay for the cost of the unused place. The School is normally heavily over-subscribed, and UKERC will select delegates by giving preference to those in the second year of a PhD, to provide an appropriate mix of specialist disciplines, and a balance of UK and non-UK based students.

Nominations
Nominations are now open until midnight GMT on the 17th March 2013. For convenience we ask that the student completes the nomination form, but they will need to include your details as confirmation of supervisor endorsement.

The nomination form can be accessed from our website or by clicking on the link below.

http://www.regonline.co.uk/ukercsummerschool2013

Information
If you have further questions, please call us on +44 (0)207 594 1574 or email Ilaria Longo (Ilaria.longo@ukerc.ac.uk)
Further information is available from the UK Energy Research Centre website at www.ukerc.ac.uk

2013 Science Investment Round - Request for Proposals

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 13:21:16 +1300

The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment has released four Requests for Proposals for its 2013 science investment round.

We will invest up to $52.8 million per year from 2013 in research through the following research funds:

Biological Industries Research Fund
High-Value Manufacturing and Services Research Fund
Energy and Minerals Research Fund
Health and Society Research Fund.

Only research organisations are eligible to submit proposals.

The investment process for the Environmental Research Fund will start soon with a call for expressions of interest for researchers to participate in a sandpit process.

For more information on this funding opportunity, please visit our 2013 science investment round web pages.

Student opportunities at the New Zealand Wind Energy Conference, March 2013

Mon, 29 Oct 2012 16:58:05 +1300

NZWEA and Transpower are pleased to offer the opportunity for two New Zealand-based students to attend and present at the 2013 Wind Energy Conference in Wellington, 25-27 March.

Two students will be funded to attend and make a presentation about their research to conference delegates. They will also have the opportunity to spend at day at Transpower, meeting with senior staff and learning about Transpower’s activities.

The attached document contains further information and a proposal form. Can you please circulate this to your students and other contacts?

NZWEA is also accepting proposals for other presentations (see: http://windenergy.org.nz/documents/callforpresentations2013.doc). We would be interested in receiving proposals from researchers who are undertaking work related to wind energy.

Information about our conference is available on our website at: http://windenergy.org.nz/events/2013-conference

Sarah Vaughan | Communications Manager | New Zealand Wind Energy Association

PLUG IN: The Electric Vehicle Symposium

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 10:30:01 +1300

“PLUG IN: The Electric Vehicle Symposium” takes place Nov 22 in Auckland and Nov 23 in Wellington. The Auckland event is being held at The Cloud in conjunction with the Sustainable Cities Showcase (http://sustainablecity.org.nz/), while the Wellington event is being held at the Civic Centre in conjunction with the Smart Energy Expo (http://www.smartenergyexpo.org.nz/).

PLUG IN features some high profile speakers, including Southern California Edison’s Director of Plug In Vehicle Readiness Ed Kjaer, Peter Lee, CEO of UniServices who recently licensed the HaloIPT wireless charging technology to Qualcomm, Ralph Sims, Transport Committee Chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Stephen Matthews, CEO of the Motor Trade Association and more. The Mayors of both Auckland and Wellington will also speak in their respective cities about EV related initiatives and forward plans.

Registration fee is $75+gst for APEV, SEANZ and SBN members, $95+gst for non members. Visit www.apev.org.nz/events for details.

OTAGO ENERGY RESEARCH CENTRE SYMPOSIUM 2012

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 10:24:05 +1300

CALL FOR ABSTRACTS: DEADLINE 19 OCTOBER, 2012

OTAGO ENERGY RESEARCH CENTRE SYMPOSIUM 2012

22 November 2012 ï Arana College, University of Otago

The Otago Energy Research Centre is now accepting abstracts to its annual symposium. This is an opportunity to showcase current and potential research being conducted in Otago in the areas of energy use, efficiency and sustainability. The symposium is a FREE EVENT and is growing steadily each year. Spaces are limited as well as catered for, so please make sure you register early as not to miss out! You do not have to submit a paper to attend the symposium – but this is a great opportunity to present your work in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. There will also be a dinner after the symposium which all attendees are welcome to attend. The dinner will be subsidized, however there will be some charge.

Abstracts will be accepted up to 19October

Registrations close on the 26 October

The symposium is FREE of charge

The symposium is an all day event and is followed by an optional dinner, tickets $15.

The symposium will be followed by a Life Cycle Analysis workshop on the 23^rd November 2012. The workshop will be run by Anthony Hume and Sarah McLaren from the NZLCM centre. Further details to come.

Abstracts and Registrations forms should be sent to: oercadmin@otago.ac.nz

Podcasts, abstracts and presentation slides of previous symposiums can be accessed in the ‘Past Events’ section of the OERC webpage.

If you have any questions or queries please do not hesitate to contact me,

Warm regards,

Daniel Gnoth

______________________________________________

Daniel Gnoth

Otago Energy Research Centre Administrator

PhD Candidate - Energy and Behaviour

University of Otago

office: +64 (0)3 479 3928

cell: +64 (0)21 1509 167

office location:

Centre for the Study of Agriculture, Food & Environment (CSAFE)

21 Montgomery Ave

PO Box 56, Dunedin 9054

www.otago.ac.nz/oerc

The 3rd Science Symposium on Next Generation Liquid Biofuels and Co-Products

Thu, 27 Sep 2012 21:41:37 +1200

The 3^rd Science Symposium on Next Generation Liquid Biofuels and Co-Products will be held on the 22^ndand 23^rd of November in Christchurch at the Chateau on the Park Resort. The abstract submission deadline has been extended and registration will open soon.

This year’s theme is “The Role of Research in Technology Scale-Up” and the Symposium is being organized by the University of Canterbury and Scion on behalf of the Advanced Biofuels Research Network. The Network aims to promote better coordination and collaboration across biofuels research in New Zealand.

Programme:

This Symposium will give you an opportunity to:

· Understand the biofuel research landscape in New Zealand.
· Further develop collaborations with other New Zealand research groups.
· Receive an update on world-wide developments from international experts.
· Interact with researchers, government, and industry interested in biofuels.
· Participate in panel discussions and have your say on the activities of the Advanced Biofuels Research Network.

Keynote Speaker:

Kees Kwant (NL Agency, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation, the Netherlands) has extensive experience in the development and implementation of bioenergy and biobased programmes and is the Netherland’s representative on the IEA Bioenergy Executive Committee. He will give a presentation “Sustainable Bioenergy and Biobased development in the Netherlands”.

The programme will start at 8:30am on 22 November and conclude with lunch on the 23 November. There will be an opportunity to visit the University of Canterbury research facilities on the afternoon of the 23 November. Further programme details will be circulated in due course and updates will be available on www.scionresearch.com.

Call for Abstracts – Deadline extension:

Abstract submissions are invited for scientific presentations. Please email a 250 word abstract to biofuels.symposium@scionresearch.com by15 October 2012. Indicate your preference for a poster or an oral presentation and include your contact details. Microsoft Word documents, pdf files, and email text will be accepted. Abstracts will be evaluated by the scientific organising committee comprised of Matthew Stott (GNS), Shusheng Pang (University of Canterbury), Richard Scott (AgResearch), and Michael Jack (Scion).

Registration:

Registrations will open on 1 October 2012. Student registrations are particularly encouraged.

For all enquires please email biofuels.symposium@scionresearch.com.

NERI Annual General Meeting

Tue, 28 Aug 2012 10:27:20 +1200

NERI is pleased to announce its Annual General Meeting will be held at 1.30pm on Tuesday 25 September 2012 at Z-Energy, 3 Queens Wharf, Wellington. All are welcome to attend. If you have any queries or are planning to attend the meeting, please contact Paul Atkins (paul@neri.org.nz) for details.

Symposium on Next Generation Liquid Biofuels and Co-Products

Thu, 02 Aug 2012 17:18:47 +1200

The 3^rd Science Symposium on Next Generation Liquid Biofuels and Co-Products will be held on the 22^ndand 23^rd of November in Christchurch. Abstract submission is now open.

This year’s Symposium theme is “The Role of Research in Scale-Up Technology” and will be hosted by the Advanced Biofuels Research Network. The Network aims to promote better coordination and collaboration across biofuels research in New Zealand.

Programme:

This Symposium will give you an opportunity to:

· Understand the biofuel research landscape in New Zealand.
· Further develop collaborations with other New Zealand research groups.
· Receive an update on world-wide developments from international experts.
· Interact with researchers, government, and industry interested in biofuels.
· Participate in panel discussions and have your say on the activities of the Advanced Biofuels Research Network.

Further programme details will be circulated in due course.

Call for Abstracts:

Abstract submissions are invited for scientific presentations. Please email a 250 word abstract to biofuels.symposium@scionresearch.com by 24 September 2012. Indicate your preference for a poster or an oral presentation and include your contact details. Microsoft Word documents, pdf files, and email text will be accepted. Abstracts will be evaluated by a scientific organising committee.

Call for Abstracts:

Todd Foundation's post-graduate scholarship in Energy Research

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 14:21:10 +1200

The Todd Foundation's post-graduate scholarship in Energy Research has just been announced. The scholarship is administered by Universities NZ and full details are available on their web site http://www.universitiesnz.ac.nz/scholarships/toddenergy, however a summary of the scholarship is below:

• Value: $25,000 per year for up to three years. Additionally $3,000 is available for attendance at an appropriate conference and co-tenure is considered.

• Purpose: Energy Research towards a doctoral degree at a NZ University or approved NZ research institute

• Eligibility: NZ citizens or permanent residents with an appropriate honours or master’s degree and a demonstrated capacity for research

• Dates: Applications must be received by September 1 2012.

• Previous research funded: Recipients of this scholarship have researched comparative energy policy, industrial heat exchanges, alternative means of butanol production, tide energy optimisation, wind turbine siting and electrocatalysts for hydrogen – electricity conversion. (See http://www.toddfoundation.org.nz/grant-recipients/recipients-of-todd-foundation-scholarships-and-awards/)

• To apply: Full details and application process is available through Universities NZ at http://www.universitiesnz.ac.nz/scholarships/toddenergy

Seumas Fantham

Youth Development Advisor, The Todd Foundation

DDI: 04 931 6008

www.toddfoundation.org.nz

Building the NERI Community Hub

Wed, 13 Jun 2012 11:03:29 +1200

The NERI Energy Community Hub is now live and we need your help to build it. Please log-in (see Community Hub tab at top of page) and try it. The more people using the Hub the more useful it will become. PLease contact Paul Atkins at paul@neri.org.nz if you have any suggestions for further development, or are experiencing problems.

The NERI Community Hub is now live

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 14:18:46 +1300

NERI REQUESTS YOUR FEEDBACK.... As part of a major development of our website, NERI is currently trialling an application which allows members to interact with each other, create interest groups and hold discussions via the secure members' area of our website. This Community Hub affords an important mechanism by which much wider discussions about New Zealand's energy futures can be held and information shared.

Before we finalise the structure of the application we need your feedback and ideas. Please go into the Community Hub via the link at the top of the page, sign up, and join in or start the conversation. Membership is free.

Please share your thoughts on how we can create a meaningful and vibrant virtual community for the energy sector in the forum area.

Mike Bennetts, CEO of Z-Energy, joins NERI Board

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 09:37:45 +1300

NERI is delighted to announce that Mike Bennetts has joined NERI's Board of Trustees. Mike is presently the Chief Executive of Z Energy Ltd, the company that purchased Shell’s downstream oil business in New Zealand on 1 April 2010.

Mike has accumulated 25 years of experience in the global energy industry with his expertise in supply, trading and marketing businesses covering both consumer and business to business segments. In 1983 he joined BP in New Zealand with his early roles being based in sales, marketing, information technology and finance. Since 1992 he has served in various leadership roles in South Africa, China, Singapore and the United Kingdom. His last role with BP was as CEO for BP’s Integrated Supply and Trading business in the Eastern Hemisphere, a geography including Australasia, Asia, the Middle East and sub-Saharan Africa.

Mike has served as a Director of various private and public companies as well as joint ventures in Singapore, China and South Africa. He is presently a Director of the New Zealand Refining Company Limited and Loyalty New Zealand Limited, the company that operates Fly Buys.

Mike holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Corporate Management. He graduated as a Bachelor of Business Studies majoring in Management from Massey University where he was recognised as a Massey Scholar because of his academic record.

Mike is married with two daughters and returned to New Zealand at the end of 2008 in order that his daughters receive a Kiwi experience for their high school education.

MSI Energy and Minerals RfP released

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 13:45:37 +1300

The Ministry of Science and Innovation has released the new Request for Proposals for the Energy and Minerals Fund.

The objective of the Energy and Minerals Fund is to increase the contribution of energy and minerals to New Zealand's economic growth, enhance energy security and assist New Zealand to meet future energy and mineral needs in efficient, affordable and environmentally responsible ways.

For full details please go to: www.msi.govt.nz/get-funded/research-organisations/types-of-funding/energy-and-minerals/

Electric Vehicles

Fri, 09 Sep 2011 08:57:01 +1200

Are you interested in electric vehicles in New Zealand? If so, please contact Rob McEwen at the New Zealand Clean Energy Centre (021 728 875).

The NZCEC is currently working with the Chairman of the Association for the Promotion of Electric Vehicles in Japan (www.apev.jp) to establish a sister association here in New Zealand, for which NZCEC will be the Secretariat. If you are interested in learning more or engaging with this venture please contact Rob McEwen.

Winter Lights report and presentations

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 06:49:28 +1200

The Winter Lights Forum was a fascinating day - not least because of the disruption caused by the Chilean ash cloud to the travel plans of many of the delegates.

“The disruption was an interesting example of how nature can intervene in our lives, says Dr Janet Stephenson, director of the Centre for the Study of Agriculture, Food and Environment (CSAFE) at the University of Otago.

“But I was very impressed to see how people stepped up and pulled together to arrange video conferencing at short notice, and at how well it worked.

View presentations from the forum.

Discussions focussed on the role of fossil fuels in New Zealand’s energy future. Presentations ranged from a talk about the potential contribution of lignite (a brown coal), to the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment speaking to her recent report questioning the mining of lignite.

Other presentations focussed on the role of renewable energy, including social attitudes to new energy developments A novel event was a provocative series of short Pecha Kucha style talks, where people ‘looked back’ from 2050, and described how we had arrived from 2011. There was a focus on energy and climate change, with some gloomy about the inability of humans to take appropriate action, and others optimistic.

“The discussions were a real feature of the day, especially those in the afternoon where we were in smaller groups talking about issues such as lignite mining, smart grids and new transport systems.

Dr Stephenson believes that the transition to a low-carbon energy future offers significant opportunities for many businesses in New Zealand, as well as significant environmental and health benefits.

“It was also valuable to discuss the role of NERI going forward and themes such as encouraging debate and sharing best practice and knowledge around the issues came through strongly.

“The Cafe Scientifique event chaired by Prof Bob Lloyd from Otago University was also very successful. It was good to see a large number of young people actively involved in the discussion.”

Winter Lights White Paper

Fri, 03 Jun 2011 11:13:20 +1200

There is a growing urgency for a major transformation of global energy systems, both to limit greenhouse gas emissions and to achieve greater energy security in the face of resource depletions.

Because of the fundamental role of fossil fuels in everyday life, most nations are largely locked into dependence. Some incremental shifts are occurring with new forms of energy and new technologies, but increasingly it is clear that a rapid transformation of entire energy systems is required, including both physical and societal infrastructures.

For New Zealand the transition to a low-carbon energy future offers significant opportunities for many businesses, as well as significant environmental and health benefits. Equally it will present difficult challenges to businesses strongly dependent on existing energy systems. The efficacy and cost-effectiveness of carbon capture and storage (CCS), a premise upon which proposals to further develop New Zealand’s fossil fuel resources is argued, is as yet unproven...

Download the full white paper

View the Winter Lights Symposium Event

Interview with NERI's Chief Executive

Sat, 26 Mar 2011 07:47:03 +1300

“The challenges we are facing as a nation right now are interrelated with issues of global proportions and have long-term and immediate impacts. These challenges cannot be treated in isolation. Issues related to health and well-being, security of energy, food and water, housing, transport and productivity are all part of that mix.

NERI’s Chief Executive Paul Atkins, considers that ensuring a sustainable future is a ‘wicked problem’. Wicked problems are highly complex with interdependent issues that result in the problem-definition shifting frequently. This makes it very difficult to identify solutions, and solving one part of the problem may reveal or create greater problems.

“Energy issues are at the heart of the health of our global ecosystem. To address the wicked problem requires economic, social and political factors to work together, at global, national and local levels.

“The decisions we make today will have a significant impact on the shape of our future. It is essential to have a range of carefully researched and well debated options with considered trade-offs and drawbacks on the table for good decision making.

“I see a great need for cross-disciplinary discussion, debate and sharing of knowledge, says Paul.

“NERI is becoming an essential hub to connect people and organisations, so a network of knowledge is built to inform the technical and policy decisions needed for long term future planning.

NERI has refreshed its vision. “We have built on the resources we already had and added to what we did in the past, but now have a clear endorsement from the energy community to engage more in strategic thinking at a national level.

“I went out and asked people if they thought NERI should exist and if so, what it should do. I spoke to over 70 individuals who are significant contributors in the energy sector - researchers, and those in industry, government and other organisations. More than 95% said they wanted NERI to take on a big picture role and lead thinking in terms of influencing the national strategy for New Zealand’s energy future.

From mid-2011, NERI will incorporate the Energy Federation of New Zealand (EFNZ). Bringing these two organisations together will strengthen our unique overview of the sector. Through this alliance with Energy Federation, NERI is increasingly well connected internationally and maintains relationships with many other energy-related organisations overseas. In particular it represents New Zealand on the World Energy Council.

Paul is aware of the difficulties that must be overcome. “The energy sector is currently diverse and disconnected, and research funding is scarce and highly contested. Despite that, research is essential to make sure our approach will serve us well for the next 50 years and beyond.

“Joining NERI presents an opportunity for its members to get behind an organisation that has a mandate through a strong research base, to challenge business as usual and to start to articulate alternatives.

“This is an opportunity to confront the status quo. If we carry on doing what we’ve always done, we will continue to get what we’ve always got. That will not deliver the options, let alone the solutions, that we need for the future.

“And we need to work together. NERI is New Zealand’s energy research organisation and joining is an ideal way to make a serious contribution to our nation’s energy future.”

NERI in talks with EFNZ regarding closer alliance

Mon, 17 Jan 2011 10:48:08 +1300

NERI and the Energy Federation of New Zealand (EFNZ) are currently exploring opportunities for a closer alliance between the two organisations. An alliance has significant potential for two organisations, which are already working across the energy sector, to combine efforts and achieve an even greater impact. The governance bodies of both organisations are fully supportive and further talks will occur during the first part of 2011. Details of outcomes will be posted on our website as soon as they are available.

NERI appoints new Chief Executive

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 17:30:07 +1200

The Trustees of NERI are pleased to announce the appointment of Paul Atkins as NERI’s new Chief Executive. Paul has over 30 years experience in international relations, the promotion of science and technology internationally, and the establishment of partnerships across all aspects of the R,S&T sector. He comes to NERI from Izon Science Ltd, a nanotechnology instrumentation company where he was Director of Business Development.

Paul holds an MSc from Reading University in the UK, and is a member of the Institute of Physics (UK), the Royal Society of New Zealand, and the Chartered Institute of Management (UK). He became a science adviser in the British Council in 1987 and has since held a number of senior management roles in the Council internationally, including Director New Zealand from 1999 to 2004. After a brief fixed-term contract in MoRST, Paul joined the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology in 2004, initially as Director of International Investments, and then as Group Manager, International and Communications. He established FRST’s international group and initiatives including joint-funding relationships with Korea and Japan, and collaborations in the USA and Europe.

The Trustees are delighted to welcome Paul to NERI and look forward to working with him.