Cameron Rennie – The Energy Challenge: Are We Constrained?

Cameron Rennie, Senior Strategy Advisor at BP Group Technology, delivered the third ICAM webinar of 2016 on the global energy challenge.

Increasingly we recognise that we live in an interconnected world. Solving a challenge in one domain can have implications in another area. This applies to the production and use of energy.

Cameron Rennie discussed how the production and use of energy is linked to availability of many natural resources. He described examples of dependencies on availability of water, land and specific minerals.

The challenge is to create understanding, to navigate the complex interdependencies – so decision makers encourage policy that prevents resource constraints, even as the climate changes and economies expand and urbanize.

The good news is that application of technology enables greater efficiencies in use of resources and points to a future that should enable delivery of energy where we need it to provide the services we want. Some of the implications point to areas where developments in materials are needed.

Cameron also covered the approach taken by BP in fostering cross-disciplinary and multi-institutional research – and in ensuring impact and relevance.

Cameron Rennie leads the energy sustainability analysis for Group Technology at BP to understand the opportunities and risks brought about by pressures on natural resources under a changing climate.

His previous roles encompassed policy and advocacy in Biofuels, project management consultancy across all streams, an external secondment to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and management of BP projects in East Africa, the Middle East and the USA.