BIEE Conference 2025 Blogs: Personal key takeaways

Dr. Catarina Araya Cardoso
Westminster Business School

It was an absolute pleasure to attend the last BIEE conference and immerse myself in two days of macro-level, contextual discussions and academic presentations, examining in detail a variety of issues, from barriers to distributed solar energy, to household and consumer engagement in energy planning. The importance of increasing the number of women in the leadership and middle management positions of the energy sector was also addressed in a thought-provoking breakfast session organised by POWERful Women.

The conference opened and closed with strong statements comparing the costs of achieving net zero to the costs of doing nothing. Whilst the energy transition requires high levels of investment, the cost of inaction is considerably higher. Climate change damages could reach 8% of UK GDP by 2070 (Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners). They can also be unpredictable, as illustrated by the case of jellyfish swarms shutting down operations at a nuclear plant.

It is challenging to condense such rich discussions into a few key takeaways, but for me the following three points stand out:

First, there was a general consensus that network investment and increased short-term flexibility are key to maintaining acceptable energy costs. However, how to achieve these two objectives was subject to considerable debate, particularly regarding the need and speed of regulatory changes that can make the system more efficient, socially just, and attractive to private investors.

Second, electricity prices are too high for industry and households. Removing levies from electricity tariffs and adjusting the ratio between gas and electricity tariffs can eliminate one of the key barriers to households’ low uptake of low-carbon heating systems. Heat pump adoption is crucial to the energy transition, as it can both reduce energy demand and potentially unlock a significant source of flexibility. Several presenters showed the results of empirical studies that demonstrated how time-of-use (TOU) energy tariffs can be an effective mechanism for unlocking flexibility from heat pump owners.

Third, to ensure that the energy transition is fair, and that more vulnerable consumers are not penalised, we need to identify how different groups in society may be affected by policies designed for the ‘common good’. Several presentations addressed issues of fairness, including one by Ofgem which explored how fixed costs – which have been increasing as a result of the energy transition – can be fairly distributed between different groups in society. Another presenter demonstrated how altering the structure of network tariffs can both alter consumer behaviour and lead to a more socially just distribution of network costs among households.

Firyuza Nafasova
BIEE Early Career Researcher Council Member & Student Representative
University of Reading, Henley Business School

I had the pleasure of participating in the BIEE Research Conference on 23–24 September 2025, “Accelerating the Whole Energy System Transition in a Fractured World,” held in Oxford. The conference brought together a diverse community of academics, policymakers, industry leaders, energy professionals, and civil society organizations, and provided a valuable platform for students and early career researchers to engage with current debates and emerging perspectives in energy economics.

Over the two days, the discussions emphasized that achieving net zero requires attention not only to the technical and financial aspects but also to the social and political dimensions. Fairness, affordability, and inclusion emerged as recurring priorities, with strong attention given to how policies affect households, regions, and vulnerable communities.

Speakers examined how to mobilize large-scale capital for low-carbon infrastructure while designing effective markets and regulatory frameworks. Discussions spanned global capital flows and local investment, underscoring the need to align financial systems with decarbonization goals. Infrastructure and technology challenges were also central, with debate on integrating renewables, expanding electrification, scaling EV charging, and strengthening resilience against climate extremes and geopolitical risks.

One of the notable features of the conference was the active role of Students and Early Career Researchers, who presented on topics such as energy governance, consumer-centric business models, the role of communities in the UK energy transition, and business sustainability performance, underscoring the valuable contributions of the next generation of scholars to the energy field.

As an Early Career Researcher, I was proud to contribute to this conversation by presenting my work and adding to the collective effort to better understand the opportunities and challenges of the energy transition. This experience highlighted the importance of emerging voices in shaping the debate and demonstrated how academic research can inform and strengthen dialogue between policymakers, industry, and society.