Research Profile
Dr Richard Cowell
Richard’s main current research project is Delivering renewable energy under devolution, a two year research project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (RES-062-23-2526). The aim of the proposed study is to assess the impacts of devolution in the UK on the provision of renewable energy, addressing in particular the following questions:
- To what extent has devolution affected the provision of renewable energy, in terms of the ways in which the devolved administration have formulated policy objectives, adjusted the choice, nature and settings of policy instruments, and influenced the delivery of new renewable energy capacity?
- To what extent have the devolved institutions made different use of the powers and capacities for promoting renewable energy bequeathed to them by the devolution process, and how might we explain any tendencies towards divergence or convergence?
- What lessons can be drawn for institutional design in the effective delivery of renewable energy from the experiences of governments across the UK to date?
The study runs for two years, from 1st January 2011 to 31st December 2012. The research is conducted as a four-way partnership, involving the School of City and Regional Planning, Cardiff University (Dr Richard Cowell), Queens University Belfast (Dr Geraint Ellis), Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen (Professor Peter A Strachan) and the University of Birmingham (Dr David Toke).
Richard is also completing a think piece project for the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, examining the relationship between Wind energy and justice for disadvantaged communities, focusing on the role of community benefits.