Applications are invited for a temporary post of a Senior Energy Policy Researcher within UCD School of Mechanical & Materials Engineering

Ireland's 2021 Climate Action and Low Carbon Development Bill sets the goal to achieve economy wide carbon neutrality by 2050. This requires deep emissions reductions in every sector. Energy used for heating accounts for approximately 20% of Irish greenhouse gas emissions but decarbonisation progress has lagged the electricity sector.

Heat energy is used in almost every sector of the Irish economy and decarbonisation efforts will have a bearing on households, businesses, and industry - as well as the supporting supply chain activities. This emphasises the need for a detailed, comprehensive, and actionable evidence base that policy makers and other stakeholders can base their decisions upon. SEAI, in its role as the National Energy Authority, is conducting the National Heat Study to support these needs.

The study aims to provide a consistent, detailed, and robust evidence base for policy decisions. The study evaluates the costs and benefits of various pathways that reach net-zero by 2050. This evaluation is based on a comprehensive understanding of the profile of heating and cooling demand in Ireland, as well as the costs, potential and suitability of the technologies, infrastructure and fuels that can be deployed to reduce emissions. The findings support Ireland's second submission to the EU of a `national comprehensive assessment of the potential for efficient heating and cooling' as required by Article 14 of the Energy Efficiency Directive.

The impending report entitled `Understanding Heating & Cooling in Ireland to 2050', outlines key insights from the National Heat Study across scenarios that achieve net-zero emissions from heating and cooling. The purpose of this initial work was to develop a computational model for estimating capital and operating costs (CapEx and OpEx) and assessing the economic viability of district heating (DH) throughout Ireland. The utilised model calculates the capital and operating costs associated with the construction and operation of district heating networks in over 18,000 distinct land areas in Ireland. The model also compares different technologies that can be used to generate heat for use in district heating.

The fundamental objective of this work was to define, at a high-level, which areas in Ireland show the greatest economic viability for district heating, and which generating technologies should be utilised.

Salary Range: €50,000 - €55,125 per annum*

Appointment on the above range will be dependent upon qualifications and experience.

Closing date: 17:00hrs (local Irish time) on the 23rd of September 2021.

Prior to application, further information (including application procedure) should be obtained from the Work at UCD website: https://www.ucd.ie/workatucd/jobs/.

Applications must be submitted by the closing date and time specified. Any applications which are still in progress at the closing time of 17:00hrs (Local Irish Time) on the specified closing date will be cancelled automatically by the system. UCD are unable to accept late applications. UCD do not require assistance from Recruitment Agencies. Any CV's submitted by Recruitment Agencies will be returned.