POLET Research Workshop and session at MESPOM Alumni Conference 2024 in Budapest

In the beginning of October, the POLET team gathered in Budapest for a research workshop and to celebrate a series of major milestones achieved over the group’s past four years. While there, POLET also hosted a session at the MESPOM Alumni Conference, held on October 4-5. The main theme of the team’s engagement in Budapest focused on policy-driven acceleration of low-carbon energy transitions.

POLET team meet in Budapest for a research workshop and an alumni conference

During the workshop, discussions revolved around - How have deliberate policy actions historically driven technology shifts? What key insights can we draw from these experiences to anticipate future technology growth and estimate policy effort, which is both effective and feasible, for meeting climate mitigation targets? Members shared their ongoing research, covering a range of mature and emerging technologies (solar PV, onshore and offshore wind, coal, CCS, SMRs), across developed and developing country contexts. Different conceptual and methodological approaches were explored towards studying policy-driven accelerations. We wrapped up with POLET members identifying opportunities for potential collaborations within the group.

POLET was also thrilled to participate in the MESPOM Alumni Conference. MESPOM is a Erasmus Mundus Joint Master Degree Programme, coordinated by POLET co-lead Aleh Cherp, and also the starting point for many in the POLET network. We hosted a panel discussion and shared our latest research findings with a group of practitioners working worldwide in various fields of environmental science, policy, and management. The discussions in the session revolved around different emerging conflicts of interests and need for balancing these within the energy transition process. Additionally, we also talked about the broader applicability of our research findings across various technologies and timeframes, along with the intersection of scientific research, climate action, and policymaking.