Mission of STS regarding
her research
To develop and transfer knowledge, skills and excellence in the fields of sustainable
energy and materials consumption and production systems, land use and biodiversity,
management of ecological risks and uncertainties, and the transformation of
the economies towards sustainability.
Ambition of STS
To make a difference in achieving a new role for science and technology contributing
to sustainable development.
Approach of STS
Consequently, we challenge existing technological, economic and social systems
in academic and public fora. We build partnerships and collaborate with researchers
and private and public sectors in the development of knowledge and strategies
in the indicated fields, locally, nationally and internationally. We develop
research and education programmes, projects and activities in the area of Science,
Technology and Society and on subjects investigated in our research. We disseminate
our knowledge and experience by scientific and professional publications, education,
lectures, advices, actions, training and public interventions.
The research of STS is organized
in four sub-programmes:
1. Energy and Materials Demand and Efficiency
2. Energy Supply and System Studies;
3. Energy and Global Change: Dealing with Risks and Uncertainties;
4. Land Use and Biodiversity.
Sub-programmes 1, 2 and 3 together form the research programme Energy for Sustainable Development of STS and the Copernicus Institute. Sub-programme 4 is integrated in the research programme Land Use, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning of the Copernicus Institute.
Objectives
Key overall objectives of our ‘energy for sustainable development’
programme are:
The physical flows and activities, technologies applied, and the potential of future technologies are the main starting points of our energy research. From there onwards we move into other realms such as economics and policies, as well as strategies and instruments that may be applied to achieve sustainability, taking into account that the technological scope is a moving target as it depends on which technologies emerge, which societal preferences are formulated, which policy decisions are taken, and which investments are made. Examples can be found in the development and deployment of, e.g., bio-fuels, Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), industrial biotechnology and nanotechnology, and methods to deal with uncertainties in integrated assessments.
The subprogrammes objectives are described below.
1. Energy and Materials Demand and Efficiency;
The two research areas of the EME cluster are Techno-economic analyses and Policy analyses. Its research objectives are:
In the field of Techno-economic analyses: To assess and decompose current trends in energy and material use and related environmental impacts of products, processes, sectors and economies; to quantify the short-term and long-term potentials of technologies and processes to improve the efficiency of energy and material use and to reduce related environmental impacts (with a focus on industrial sectors).
In the field of Policy analyses: To study the mechanisms leading to the development of new energy and material technologies and to analyse how this development can be accelerated; to determine the main obstacles to develop and implement new energy and material efficient technologies and to study counter-acting societal trends in energy and material consumption; to analyse the effectiveness and efficiency of policies, instruments and measures to improve the efficiency energy and material consumption (e.g., benchmarking, agreements, certificates); to derive perspectives and recommendations for actors concerned (policy makers, industries, consumers, NGOs).
2. Energy Supply and System Studies;
Research objectives are:
In the field of Biomass and bio-energy: To better understand the technical, economic and implementation potential of biomass energy sources, geographically and in time, taking into account needs for urbanisation, food production and protection of biodiversity; to model and optimise biomass energy production and conversion systems; to investigate new and improved bio-energy technologies and systems, including multi-fuel and poly-generation concepts; to quantify the (potential) impact and performance of bio-energy technologies and systems, including bio-energy trade; to contribute to the development of certification systems for sustainable biomass energy production.
In the field of Intermittent energy sources: To study ways, means and policies to enlarge the contribution of solar and wind energy systems to a sustainable energy supply; to contribute to the development of low cost, high efficiency solar cells, with a focus on the development of next generation PV cells; to model, monitor and improve the field performance of solar PV systems (grid connected, stand-alone and integrated in consumer products); to investigate and improve the environmental effects and energy payback time of solar PV cells and systems; to model and optimise the integration of solar PV and wind energy systems into the electricity grid.
In the field of Sustainable use of fossil fuels: To assess possibilities and potentials for (advanced) CO2 capture technologies in centralized and decentralized electricity, hydrogen and Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plants and systems; to analyse the potential, risks and characteristics of CO2 storage in empty gas and oil fields, in deep saline aquifers and in coal bed layers; to identify optimal pathways for the development and deployment of CCS systems, including early opportunities for CCS and the integration of CCS in energy systems.
In the field of Energy system studies: To (further) develop models, tools and databases to assess (future) energy systems and the uncertainties involved; to quantify and understand learning mechanisms in the development of energy supply and energy conversion technologies; to study non-technical barriers for the deployment of sustainable energy systems; to develop policies and strategies for introduction and deployment of sustainable energy systems; to derive handling perspectives for actors concerned (policy makers, industries, consumers).
3. Energy and Global Change: Dealing with Risks and
Uncertainties;
Research objectives are:
In the area of Models and Methods for Integrated Assessment of Sustainability and Change: To develop a conceptual framework for a Sustainability Theory; to develop and apply integrative models and methods to support actors in complex processes of change; to analyse the mutual influence of energy developments and global change; to explore options for alternative research on Complexity Science issues and applications
In the area of Managing Environmental Risks and Uncertainties: To analyse and develop methods and tools to assess the multiple dimensions of scientific uncertainties (NUSAP method, checklist approach, model structural uncertainty, value laden assumptions, framing); to do conceptual work on the phenomena of uncertainty, multi-causality and precautionary principle; to analyse processes of knowledge production and utilization regarding complex risks and uncertainties (e.g. climate change); to develop integrated strategies for effective communication on risks and uncertainties; to develop and apply methods to assess long term risks and uncertainties of energy systems (e.g. underground storage of CO2).
Research objectives are:
Development and application of scientific knowledge on land use and biodiversity in support of policy and management. Contributions to problem solving are investigated in relation to natural resources management, biodiversity conservation and spatial planning. The perspectives of different actors and different value orientations play an important role. Among the key issues are the societal aspects of nature conservation, operationalization of the concept of multi-purpose land use, the analysis of patterns of biodiversity in relation to land use, and methodology development for valuation of nature and biodiversity.
