The 13th Oxford Energy Day, hosted by the Oxford Energy Network and the ZERO Institute, took place on Wednesday 24 September 2025 at the Mathematics Institute, Oxford.
With the theme “Energy & Data: Opportunities and challenges for the energy transition”, the day brought together researchers, industry practitioners, policy experts, and civil society to explore how data can accelerate energy innovation and inform decision-making for a just energy transition.
From the start, the event buzzed with energy with many remarking that they felt “energised” by the day’s sessions, and attendees consistently highlighted the value of meeting and connecting with a wide range of colleagues across the energy sector. The networking opportunities, in particular, were repeatedly cited as one of the main takeaways, fostering new collaborations and fresh ideas.
Dr Tina Fawcett, Convenor of Oxford Energy Network and Senior Researcher and Associate Professor with ECI’s Energy programme, said:
Oxford Energy Day is a great opportunity to bring people together from all career stages, disciplinary backgrounds and types of organisations to share knowledge and make new and lasting connections. Attendees heard about scientific, engineering and social science research advances in ‘Energy and Data’, as well as perspectives from industry and government.”
The programme featured high-profile talks, cutting-edge research presentations, and a research poster competition for University of Oxford postgraduate students and Early Career Researchers. This year’s posters spanned diverse disciplines, showcasing innovative approaches to energy technologies, materials, and systems, as well as policy and social science perspectives. Prizes (£50) were awarded for most promising research, best communication of data, and best visual design, with all participants receiving constructive feedback from the expert committee.
Prof Paul Shearing, Director of The ZERO Institute, added:
Oxford Energy Day is a real highlight of the year for the energy community in Oxford and beyond - and provides an opportunity for us to consolidate our collaborations and build new partnerships. This year’s theme at the intersection of Energy and Data inspired some lively and valuable discussions and resonated with many contemporary research trends across the University and our partners.”
In addition to sessions on opportunities enabled by data, the event also addressed the challenges posed by increasing energy demand from computationally intensive activities and the role of AI in the energy system. Attendees left with a deeper understanding of both the technical and societal aspects of energy transition, as well as concrete ideas for applying data-driven approaches in their own research and professional practice.
There was also collaboration between Oxford Energy Day and the British Institute of Energy Economics (BIEE) conference (23 & 24 September, Worcester College, Oxford), with BIEE delegates joining for the final plenary discussion, followed by networking and a chance to engage with the posters & their authors.
The 13th Oxford Energy Day demonstrated once again the value of collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and interdisciplinary thinking in addressing the complex challenges of the global energy transition.
Find out more about Oxford Energy Network and the ZERO Institute.
Poster competition
Most promising research for the energy transition:
Winner
Felippa Amanta, Invisible Currents: Impacts of Artificial Intelligence on Energy Demand
Highly commended
Ryuichi Ohhata, Enhance operation with AI: Reimagining energy infrastructure as personalized software assets
Communication of data:
Winner
Rebecca Perriment, Understanding long-term energy use in off-grid solar home systems in sub-Saharan Africa
Highly commended
Gayatri Sundar Rajan, Can small-scale hybrid desalination & cooling systems close the global water & cooling access gap?
Visual design:
Winner
Leandra Scharnhorst, Between Policy and Practice: Personal Carbon Trading at the Household Level
Highly commended
Kristian Strommen, Balancing informativity and predictability in forecasts of electricity demand