Prof Roula Inglesi-Lotz of the Department of Economics presented her research paper at the Energy Systems Conference 2016, themed ‘21st Century Challenges’, held at Westminster, London, on 14 and 15 June.

The Conference, organised by Elsevier in association with the Energy Institute, brings together researchers, academia, industry, investors and policymakers to explore the most suitable and efficient ways to design, finance and build better and more sustainable energy systems.

In her presentation, titled ‘Social rate of return to R&D on various energy technologies: Impact on Total Factor Productivity (TFP)’, Prof Inglesi-Lotz argued the severity of the proper allocation of investment in research and development (R&D) in the energy sector, considering the benefits of new technologies to sustainability, security and environmental protection. However, the nature and potential of various energy technologies that are capable of improving the energy and environmental conditions globally is a challenging task for governments and policy makers that have to make decisions on the allocation of funds in R&D.

Her work aims to specify the social rate of return of R&D investment on various energy applications and technologies, such as energy efficiency, fossil fuels, renewable energy sources, and nuclear, by estimating the impact of its R&D investment on the G7 countries’ total factor productivity (TFP). The results show that R&D investment in energy efficiency technologies and nuclear are primarily the ones that yield high social benefits for all G7 countries, while exactly the opposite holds for fossil fuels.

To view the video of the presentation, click here 

Prof Roula Inglesi-Lotz on stage before her presentation