UK TIMES: A model that underpins government climate policy

Bartlett researchers developed the UK TIMES model to identify which sectors of UK industry should be decarbonised first – and how fast – for the UK to most cost-effectively meet its emissions targets.

15 June 2023

Planning a viable and cost-effective route to a low-carbon economy is a complex task. Researchers from the UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources (ISR) at The Bartlett, UCL’s Faculty of the Built Environment, created the UK TIMES energy system model in 2012 to explore the transition to a low-carbon economy in the UK.

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The UK TIMES energy model is now the principal tool used by the UK government to explore how the UK can reach net zero across the economy.

Bartlett researchers, including Professor Paul Dodds and Dr Steve Pye, co-designed the model with the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

The model simulates all UK greenhouse gas emissions and options for reducing them, and includes for the first time all emissions from outside the energy system, including those from agriculture, land use, refrigerants and waste.

The process of mapping and reviewing scenarios generated by UK TIMES has allowed specialist teams within BEIS and other government departments to create a more coherent and coordinated decarbonisation strategy.

Quote: The process of mapping and reviewing scenarios generated by UK TIMES has allowed specialist teams within BEIS and other government departments to create a more coherent and coordinated decarbonisation strategy.

Through focusing on the same overall scenarios, each team can learn about the challenges in and with other parts of the economy, and this has improved communication between teams and departments.

This improved cross-department working was beneficial in the development of the 2017 Clean Growth Strategy, which was underpinned by three scenarios created using UK TIMES. This strategy sets out how the government plans to meet its Carbon Budget commitments, exploring decarbonisation pathways and opportunities for growth.

National Grid have similarly adopted UK TIMES to provide evidence for their annual Future Energy Scenarios for the last few years. ISR has created a UK TIMES expert user group that meets annually and includes 20 stakeholders from government, business and academia. Academics are also able to join the expert user group and use the model.

Further resources

Contact

Paul Dodds
Professor of Energy Systems, UCL Institute for Sustainable Resources
Email: p.dodds@ucl.ac.uk

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