Low Carbon Opportunities
MaREI’s ‘Low Carbon Opportunities’ capabilities focus on the identification of low-carbon energy futures and technology opportunities, with an emphasis on resilience across a number of scenarios of ambition, risk and cost. This includes a detailed analysis of the value chain for these technology opportunities, which in turn advises the research focus within other research areas. The ‘Low Carbon Opportunities’ team work closely with the ‘Energy Systems Modelling’ and ‘Energy Policy’ teams to provide a holistic and integrated approach to the optimisation and advancement of MaREI’s Energy Policy & Modelling objectives. A further focus comprises the design of technology innovation systems, optimised to deliver full dissemination and diffusion of the identified technology, and the quantification of the necessary cost reductions required for marine and renewable energy technologies to form part of Ireland’s Low Carbon Energy System.
The ‘Low Carbon Opportunities’ team provides underpinning scenario-based energy modelling of the energy system, showing how it will need to fit together at least cost to society including targets for decarbonisation and energy security, which is critical as the system becomes more complex. For more information relating to MaREI’s ‘Low Carbon Opportunities’ capabilities, please contact one of the team members below, or visit the following link.
Core Research Areas Include
- To explore low carbon energy futures and technologies for Ireland with an emphasis on resilience in a large number of scenarios of varying ambition, risk and cost
- To identify technology opportunities for entrepreneurs in Ireland over the next 35 years arising from a low carbon energy future for all sectors (transport, industry, services, residential)
- To assess in detail, the value chain for these opportunities in order to determine genuine win-wins for Ireland
- To design a technology innovation system optimized to deliver full dissemination and diffusion of technologies most likely to be key in Ireland’s low carbon economy
- To quantify the necessary cost reductions for MRE technologies to form part of Ireland’s Low Carbon Energy System.
Ongoing Projects
- Our 2050 – Opportunities for Ireland in a Low Carbon Economy. This NTR Foundation – MaREI Industry Partnership project will add significant value to the unique energy modelling capabilities in UCC by building an ambitious new strand of research expertise in Ireland on the economic opportunities arising from the transition to a low carbon economy. The project research team are a multi-disciplinary collaboration between researchers in the Energy Policy and Modelling Group, the Intelligent Efficiency Research Group, and the Department of Management and Marketing. The project will provide the bridge between information generation and entrepreneurial business activity. Identifying and enabling the opportunities requires a critical mass of trained researchers, a big picture perspective and micro level detail, appropriately developed tools and a combination of ambitious research and engagement with industry, finance and business.The research will:
- explore low carbon energy futures for Ireland with an emphasis on resilience in a large number of scenarios of varying ambition, risk and cost
- identify technology opportunities for entrepreneurs in Ireland over the next 35 years arising from a low carbon energy future
- assess in detail the value chain for these opportunities in order to determine genuine win-wins for Ireland
- develop an innovation system to enable delivery of these opportunities.
- More information about this project can be found here
