Professor Chris Higgins with Councillor Joe Goldberg
Durham University has launched a pioneering research project with a London borough.
The Durham Energy Institute (DEI) will join forces with the Haringey Borough Council, to drive economic growth and fight global warming.
The project is intended to assess what the barriers to low carbon economic development are, and to understand the best ways to encourage green enterprise activity.
Haringey Council is investing £90,000 in the partnership, and will be looking to build on its recent success of being named the first major local authority in England to commit to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 40% by 2020.
The projects key aims include: investigating ways to generate and store energy locally, increasing energy efficiency, and supporting low carbon regeneration programmes.
The DEI is a world-renowned centre for energy research, which was launched in 2009 with the aim of tackling the societal aspects of energy use.
Councillor Joe Goldberg, Haringey Council Member for Finance and Carbon Reduction, said:
“Britain has yet to fully exploit its potential share of one of the fastest growing economic sectors in the world, and we are determined to bring some of that to Haringey.
“We’re committed to seizing the opportunities that regeneration offers to tackle inequality and raise prosperity while also reducing carbon emissions.”
The university research will help inform initial policy decisions in Haringey and, if the partnership is successful, there are plans to extend it beyond the initial one year phase.
“National carbon reduction targets are ambitious and focus on the developing of large scale energy technologies that can help build a low carbon economy”, said Simon Marvin, Professor of Low Carbon Cities at Durham University.
“But what is missing from these technologies is an understanding of how a low carbon transition may have relevance for the everyday lives of people and communities. This joint programme of work with Haringey will address this deficit.”
Professor Ray Hudson, Deputy Vice-Chancellor, said that Durham is pleased to be working with Haringey, and hopes to take on similar projects in the future.