Call for Proposals

We are looking for exciting and innovative work on the challenges of delivering net zero – from academia, practitioners and business.

At the conference we will be running three parallel or ‘breakout’ sessions each of which will have six streams featuring the latest research, policy and industry analysis.

If you would like  an opportunity to present in one of these sessions you need to submit a proposal that briefly summarises your case study or research.

Presentations are intended to facilitate the sharing of professional and academic experiences and lessons learned and not to advertise proprietary products or services. It is important that papers are based on an sound analysis.

An explanation of the submission process can be found on the Abstract Submissions page

Download these guidelines here

Topic Areas

The  research conference will focus on building the foundations and policies of the low carbon transition aimed at achieving a net zero carbon society in a way that is fair and just.

It will examine the technology, economic, financial and societal challenges for net zero heat, transport and industry :

• Technical – the new technologies and technical solutions for decarbonising the economy including digitalisation
• Economic – consideration of the costs, where they fall and who pays
• Social – consideration of the impacts on people and the environment; how we use energy in homes, transport and in business and industry and the ways this needs to change, behavioural and institutional changes required for achieving net zero in homes, transport, business and industry , how we interact with the technical solutions.

These three issues are highly relevant to every single one of the parallel themes and therefore do not exist as standalone themes themselves.

Parallel Session Topics

Business models, digitalisation and markets: heat, transport, industry, big data, automation, data protection, ownership models, regulation, market structure, decentralisation, energy as a service

Demand: future prospects, efficiency, demand reduction, flexibility, electrification

Energy and other resources: resource availability, critical materials, geopolitics, transport, security, prices

Energy production and supply: fossil fuels, electricity, ‘molecules’ (e.g. hydrogen, ammonia), heat, energy storage, carbon capture, multi-vector systems, sector coupling, flexibility

Consumers and energy publics: public attitudes and acceptance, social movements, workers, civil society organizations, consumer protection, fuel poverty

Environment and ethics: broader environmental risks and benefits; distributional justice, procedural justice, intergenerational justice, environmental justice; sustainable development goals

Finance: investment needs; funding sources; research, development and demonstration

Governance and policies: national/regional/local/international institutions, carbon budgets and accounting methods, market-based instruments, regulation, voluntary measures, divestment and transition policies

Innovation: Research and development, public and private investment, new technologies, difficult to decarbonise sectors

International: leakage, consumption based emissions, border trade adjustments, export potential for low carbon technologies

Macro-economy: GDP impacts of net-zero, low-carbon industrial strategy, export markets, post-growth theories

Whole energy systems and infrastructure: multi-vector analysis, whole systems analysis (incl. socio-economic and socio-technical analysis), electricity and hydrogen networks, CO₂ pipelines and storage, district heating, stranded assets, repurposing of existing infrastructure, decentralised systems.

The list is not exhaustive.

Who should submit a proposal ?  

People often think that you have to be an academic or economist to speak at a BIEE conference. This is not the case.  (for example our 2018 parallel sessions included contributions from BEIS, Ofgem, Energy Systems Catapult, Npower, Which?, Elexon, Cambridge Econometrics to name but a few)

Submissions are welcomed from

• Academic researchers from the economic, social, behavioural and technology research communities
• Energy analysts and policy thinkers from the industry, financial, policy, consulting, media and communications communities
• PhD students and young energy professionals

One of the main aims of this conference is to ensure that a wide a range of viewpoints and perspectives are represented, so please consider making a submission even if you don’t fit one of these categories.

The energy sector has historically been very technology focused, but Net Zero requires a more interdisciplinary approach.  We plan to reflect this in our conference sessions which will examine the social and economic, as well a technological changes required to deliver Net Zero.

Formats

Submissions aligned to the conference theme are welcomed for

• Paper presentations which can be academic papers, practical case studies or comment on current energy policy, economics or finance issues
• ‘Dialogue’ sessions. An interactive format which allows for broader discussion of energy economics and policy issues.
• ‘Student Pitches’ for PhD and MSc students and young energy professionals

( working in the energy industry for less than 5 years).

Paper Presentations

What is a paper presentation ?

A standard presentation, normally in PowerPoint format, on one topic in a 90 minute session comprising 3 papers. Each presenter has 20 minutes presentation time with 10 minutes for Q&A

The abstract should briefly describe the research or case study to be presented. It should be no more than a single page ( ~ 400 words but no more than 600) and include

• Overview of the topic including its background and potential significance
• Brief explanation of the relevance of the topic to the themes of the conference
• Methodology: how the matter was addressed
• Results: Key and ancillary findings
• Conclusions : lessons learned, implications, next steps
• References
• Keyword set

(Academic and non academic submissions will be reviewed separately and academic criteria will not be used to assess non academic submissions)

Dialogue Sessions 

Delegate sessions are a new and popular format introduced in 2016 to provide more time for discussion and debate.

What is a Dialogue Session?

A ‘Dialogue’ session is a form of roundtable discussion session that allows for a broader discussion of energy economic and policy issues. Each 90 minute session will be organised around a provocative question, such as ‘Can gas provide a bridge to a low carbon future?’  Sessions will begin with 3 to 5 panelists providing a five-minute commentary on that question (without slides). This will be followed by Q&A, discussion and debate from the floor and the session will end with a brief summing up from each of the panelists (10 mins total). Download 2018 examples

Proposals for these sessions should

• Include both the theme to be discussed and proposals for the panel members to contribute.
• Panel members should be selected to represent a range of viewpoints in terms of industry sectors, ages and backgrounds, not forgetting gender balance. We would encourage you where possible to  include a young energy professional/phd student as part of your panel.  Panel member suggestions are not binding but the proposer should have some confidence that nominated panel members are willing and able to participate.  The conference committee reserves the right to propose additional or alternative panel members if required.

• Themes should be: a) relevant to the overall theme of the conference; b) relevant to topical economic, policy or academic debates; and c) preferably provocative and likely to stimulate debate.

Panelists are not required to submit written papers/articles for publication but may do so if wished, provided the paper relates to the theme of the Dialogue session. Papers or articles can be submitted on an individual or group basis and must be received by September 1st.

Please note, all dialogue panelists (like paper presenters)  must register to attend the conference for at least the day on which their session takes place. There will be a discounted registration rate available for panelists and presenters.

Student and Young Energy Professionals ‘Pitch’

PhD and MSc students and young energy professionals  and are invited to submit an abstract for consideration either as a full paper (as above) or for a short ‘student pitch’ in the student collaboration and networking event at the end of the first day of the conference.  Students should select the ‘Paper’ format type if they wish their abstract to be considered for full paper presentation. All student abstracts submitted for full paper presentation will automatically be considered for student pitch presentation if they are not accepted as papers.

What is a student pitch ?

A ‘student pitch’ will consist of a short presentation of the student’s research topic or project, and the series of pitches will be followed by themed discussions with other students and established professionals.

A pitch will last 3 minutes and should comprise 1 title slide and 1 presentation slide. This is a (slightly extended) version of the well-known ‘elevator pitch’, aiming to interest others in the problem you are addressing, the approach being taken (and the emerging results, for those nearing the end of their studies). Experienced academics will act as facilitators for the session and conference attendees will also be invited to attend and take part in group discussions afterwards. Students are welcome to bring posters or other materials to display in the room.

Students should select  the ‘Student Pitch’ format type if they want their abstract to be considered for ‘Student Pitch’ presentation only. Students submitting abstracts for this format may write an abstract of approx. 200 words. The abstract should outline their PhD topic (or the aspect of their topic they will talk about). Selection criteria will be a combination of quality, originality, and relevance to the conference theme.

Students whose abstracts are accepted either for full paper or ‘Student pitch’ presentation will have priority for the limited number of discounted student places at the conference and be entitled to some assistance with travel costs. Students should confirm that their  student status when submitting their abstract,  so they can be identified as eligible for a discounted place.  Students must also be BIEE student members to qualify for these discounts and travel assistance. BIEE student membership costs £10 and students can join here

Academic Submissions

Please note that qually an academic paper that is too narrowly focused on improving the academic tools of energy economics, without showing how they might be applied to real-world issues, is less likely to appeal to the committee than one which goes on to address a practical question.

Further guidance for academics is available here  What makes a good BIEE abstract

Presenter attendance at the conference

If your abstract is accepted, at least one of the presenter(s) must pay the registration fee  and  attend the conference. In order to have the presentation timetabled presenters must register by December 15th to attend the conference for at least the day on which their session takes place. (The Committee reserves the right to withdraw a paper/dialogue session/student pitch from the programme if the author/presenter has not registered by this date). This includes dialogue session panelists. There  is a discounted registration rate available for panelists and presenters. A day rate is also available.