Mr Terry Cook

Professional biography

I am a Visiting Research Fellow in the School of Engineering & Innovation researching the "skills gap" and future employment in renewable energy and resource-efficient technologies in the UK and EU in collaboration with Prof. Stephen Peake and Prof. David Elliott who have worked on OU courses in the area and externally as consultants in this field.

I have 25 years' experience working on European Commission and UK FCDO funded sustainable energy projects in Europe, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Central Asia. Currently I am an external consultant for the European Investment Bank (EIB) "Just Transition" programme to help regions in transition from carbon-intensive sectors with greater challenges to decarbonise - power, heavy industry, chemicals, transport, and the built environment - preparing technical documentation for funding eligibility for projects such as green hydrogen for decarbonising heavy industry.

My OU research reviews the current situation in the UK and EU looking at how "Just Transition" policies and programmes are being developed to help regions and communities to meet the challenges of the changing energy sector in terms of green job creation and training requirements. It also looks at how AI ambitions could be socially beneficial enabling real time skills profiling and matching for reducing skills gaps in specific regions in the UK and Europe.

Within this emerging sector new skills training is evidently going to be an urgent requirement. But although there will be a need for new people coming into the industry to have the right skills, there will also be a need to upskill the current workforce.

I began working in the renewable energy sector in 1990 as a Research & Development contractor for the EnergyTechnology Support Unit (ETSU) of the UK Department of Energy developing a new Environmental Impact Assessment technique for the UK's Wind Farm programme with Dr. Anthony Robotham, Associate Professor in Mechanical Engineering, University of Plymouth.

From 2003 I worked on a wide range of energy infrastructure programmes for EU Pre-Accession assistance and since 2013 as a Key Expert for the European Commission Technical Assistance Facility for Sustainable Energy in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Research interests

My research interests are "Just Transition" policies and programmes to help regions in transition implementing sustainable energy where there is little or no experience with Net Zero clean technologies and to assess the options available for action by government and industry in relation to green skills and sustainable employment.

Publications

Authored Books

‘Renewable Energy: from Europe to Africa’, published by Palgrave Macmillan April 2018. Cook, T., and Elliott (https://www.palgrave.com/gb/book/9783319747866#

Chapters in Books

Springer Nature book series "Sustainable Energy Development and Innovation" (2022) "Key Challenges for Solar Electrification of Rural Schools and Health Facilities in Sub-Saharan Arica". Terence Cook and David Elliott https://www.palgrave.com/gb/book/9783319747866#

“New Europe - New Energy: Sustainable Energy in an Expanded EU” Terence Cook and David Elliott in Shmelev S. E. (Editor) “Sustainability Analysis: An Interdisciplinary Approach”. Published by Palgrave Macmillan, Feb 2012 https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1057%2F9780230362437_11

Conference Papers

World Renewable Energy Congress - WREC- 2021 - Lisbon, Portugal. Paper "Funding Energy for Social Infrastructure"

Invited speaker World Renewable Energy Congress - WREC - 2018 London, UK. Paper: ‘Renewable Energy in Africa: changing support systems’

Chair Policy Sessions 10th World Renewable Energy Congress, Glasgow, Scotland 2008,

Academic Journal Papers

•'Energy Transformations in Central and Eastern Europe' Invited Paper. World Renewable Energy Congress, Glasgow 2008. Cook. T, Elliott. D Open University, UK,

• ‘New Europe-New Energy: Networking for Sustainable Energy Future’ International Journal of Ecological Economics & Statistics Vol. 4, No. W06, Winter 2006, Cook. T, Elliott D.

• ‘Symbolic Power: the future of nuclear energy in Lithuania' Science as Culture, Vol.13, No.3, Sept. 2004 pp 373-400

Media

Producer TV Programme for Sky Television “Green Streets” series (Broadcast 02.06.2002)