Celebrating 10 Years of CEP: A Year of Reflection, Engagement and Future Ambition

Blog | Eve Lucas | Oct 2025

In October 2024, the Centre for Energy Policy marked its 10th anniversary, celebrating a decade of contributing rigorous, evidence-based research to shape energy and climate policy in the UK and beyond. Over the past ten years, CEP has grown from a small, ambitious team into a leading research centre at the University of Strathclyde, informing national and international debates on how to reach net zero in ways that are economically sustainable and socially equitable.

Throughout the anniversary year, we reflected on this journey while also looking forward to the next decade of impact. A series of events, engagements, and new initiatives provided opportunities to celebrate our work, deepen partnerships, and share insights on the challenges ahead.

Marking a decade of impact

Reaching this milestone has provided a valuable moment to take stock of CEP’s role in shaping how policymakers, industry, and communities think about the energy transition. Over the past decade, our research has consistently emphasised the need to align net zero ambitions with equitable economic outcomes, ensuring that the benefits of transition are shared widely across society.

To mark the occasion, we produced a short video reflecting on CEP’s journey and impact over the last ten years, featuring contributions from colleagues, collaborators, and policymakers who have worked alongside us. 

Ministerial visit to CEP

The anniversary year began with a special visit to CEP by Dr Alasdair Allan MSP, then Acting Minister for Climate Action. His visit reflected the strong relationship between government and research in shaping Scotland’s approach to the energy transition. Discussions focused on Scotland’s role in reaching net zero and the importance of embedding robust evidence within policy design.

Energy Conversations: anniversary lectures and events

As part of our anniversary celebrations, CEP relaunched its Energy Conversations events series, creating a platform to convene experts from across the energy landscape for in-depth discussion and knowledge exchange.

In late 2024, Dr David Joffe, a key figure within the UK Government’s Clean Power Mission, delivered a lecture exploring the opportunities and challenges in delivering clean power as part of the UK’s net zero ambitions. His talk underscored the complexities of achieving rapid system change while maintaining public support and economic stability. 

Jamie Speirs, Karen Turner and Chris Stark standing in front of a CEP banner

In February 2025, Chris Stark, Head of the UK’s mission for Clean Power Mission and former Chief Executive of the Climate Change Committee, joined us for a guest lecture offering reflections on the evolution of UK energy policy. His talk examined how the policy landscape has shifted over the last decade and identified future priorities for achieving clean power. 

Bill Tumas standing pointing to a powerpoint presentation

More recently, we were also delighted to host Dr Bill Tumas, Associate Laboratory Director for Materials, Chemical, and Computational Science at the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory. His Energy Conversation seminar brought valuable international perspectives on innovation and the pathways to sustainable energy transitions. 

These events have reinforced CEP’s role as a convenor of meaningful discussions, connecting UK and international expertise to inform future policy and practice.

Recognition in the Scottish Parliament

The significance of CEP’s 10-year milestone was recognised formally in the Scottish Parliament through Motion S6M-17453, lodged by Sarah Boyack MSP and supported by Jackie Baillie MSP and Paul Sweeney MSP.

The motion stated that the Parliament:

believes that the public policy framing of energy and net zero challenges that the Centre brings is critical to ensuring transitions that deliver sustainable and more equitable prosperity; recognises the Centre’s contribution to decision-making at Scottish and UK levels, and supports its ongoing efforts to inform evidence-based energy and climate policy through work as part of the Energy Demand Research Centre (EDRC), UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC) and Ocean REFuel research programme.

This recognition reflects CEP’s growing role as a trusted voice in energy and climate policy at both Scottish and UK levels.

Energy Conversations podcast launch

In March 2025, we expanded the reach of the Energy Conversations series by launching the Energy Conversations podcast. This new initiative aims to bring timely, research-informed discussions to a wider audience, engaging policymakers, researchers, and the public in conversations about the energy transition and its economic and social implications.

The podcast complements our events programme, creating an accessible space for dialogue on emerging issues and research insights. Notable episodes to date include discussions on women in the energy sector, just transitions and the importance of green jobs. 

Karen Turner and Donna Sutherland recording a podcast episode in a studio

Looking Ahead: current and future projects

As we look to the future, CEP remains focused on delivering research that informs practical, equitable, and economically sustainable pathways to net zero. Our work in the coming years is shaped by a number of major research programmes.

CEP is helping lead strands of work as part of the latest round of funding for the UK Energy Research Centre (UKERC). Dr Jamie Speirs, Deputy Director at CEP, is a UKERC Co-Director leading research to identify and address evidence gaps in the energy policy space and respond to emerging issues, such as the scope and impact of GB Energy. Professor Karen Turner leads research addressing affordability and justice, one of the four core challenges in the current UKERC programme.

As part of the Ocean REFuel project, CEP continues to explore the economic effects and potential benefits for Shetland in transitioning from oil and gas to a low-carbon fuel industry, supporting strategic decision-making for a just transition.

CEP leads the Equity theme within the Energy Demand Research Centre (EDRC), ensuring that questions of fairness and social outcomes are embedded in research on energy demand. 

Our work looking at the importance of who pays for the energy transition remains a key pillar of CEP research.  How things are paid for, by whom and when, matters to the wider economy, households and businesses, and should be of key concern to policymakers. Later this year, CEP will host an event at the Scottish Parliament for MSPs exploring this issue. 

Shaping the next chapter

Our 10th anniversary year has been both a celebration and a moment of reflection. We are proud of the role CEP has played in shaping energy and climate policy over the past decade, and we are grateful to the many partners, collaborators, funders, and colleagues who have worked with us along the way.

As we look to the next ten years, our focus remains clear: to deliver rigorous, policy-relevant research that informs decisions, fosters equitable economic outcomes, and supports the UK’s journey to net zero. We look forward to continuing this work in collaboration with our partners across academia, government, industry, and communities.