Discussions on REMA: Splitting the Wholesale Market

Michael Grubb is Professor of Energy and Climate Change at University College London (Institute of Sustainable Resources & Energy Institute), and Deputy Director for ISR. From 2011-2016, alongside academic roles, I worked half-time at the UK Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (the energy regulator, Ofgem) as Senior Advisor, initially on Sustainable Energy Policy, and subsequently Improving Regulation; from Autumn 2016 I moved to Chair the UK government’s Panel of Technical Experts on Electricity Market Reform.

In 2018 I was appointed as Convening Lead Author for Chapter 1 of the IPCC Sixth Assessment (Mitigation Report), and as leader for the Sustainability hub of the UK Research Council’s programme on Rebuilding Macroeconomics.

I have combined research and applied roles for many years, bringing research insights into policymaking, and bringing practical experience to bear upon academic studies. Before joining UCL I was part-time Senior Research Associate in Economics at Cambridge University, combined with (prior to joining Ofgem) Chief Economist at the Carbon Trust, and Chair of the international research network/interface organisation Climate Strategies.

These conjoined appointments followed 10 years at Chatham House where I led the Energy and Environment programme. I founded the Climate Policy journal and remained Editor-in-Chief until 2016. From 2008-11 I served on the UK Climate Change Committee, established under the UK Climate Change Act to advise the government on future carbon budgets and to report to Parliament on their implementation.

Author of eight books, sixty journal research articles, and numerous other publications.  The book Planetary Economics: energy, climate change and the Three Domains of Sustainable Development (Routledge 2014), brought together insights from 25 years of research and implementation of energy and climate policies.

Beyond energy and climate change, I am on the Scientific Advisory Boards of the German Inst for Economic Research (DIW Berlin).

Prof. Robert Gross joined UKERC as Director in March 2020.

Prior to this role Rob was Director of the Centre for Energy Policy and Technology (ICEPT) at Imperial College London. He was also the Policy Director of Imperial’s Energy Futures Lab and a Co-Director of the UK Energy Research Centre.

Professor Gross has been involved with UKERC since its inception, leading the Technology and Policy Analysis theme and has published extensively on energy policy and technology.  He has wide-ranging research management expertise and has made a substantive contribution to UK energy policy development, acting as advisor to Select Committees, preparing reports and chairing committees for Government departments and non-departmental public bodies, and as a consultant. He was seconded to the Cabinet Office in the early 2000s and contributed to the Blair Government Energy Review.

Rob has extensive teaching experience at masters and PhD level. He has been an invited speaker at a wide range of conferences and forums in the UK and overseas and makes regular contributions to the popular debate surrounding energy, in the mainstream press, online and in TV and radio appearances. In 2014 Gross was Chair of the Council of the British Institute of Energy Economics.

Robert has a PhD in Energy and Environment Policy and Technology and an MSc in Environmental Technology, both from Imperial College.