Helen Poulter

Dr. Helen Poulter is a Research Fellow at the School of Social and Political Science at the University of Edinburgh.1 She is an interdisciplinary researcher with a focus on energy governance and sustainability.1

Research Interests and Expertise

Dr. Poulter's primary research areas include:

• Energy regulation and governance
• Customer engagement in energy systems
• Social value in energy
• Decentralization of energy systems
• Climate change and energy policy
• Energy justice

Her work investigates the role of regulation in meeting the UK's net-zero target, with a particular emphasis on building trust between customers and the energy industry to ensure a fair and just transition.1

Current Projects

Dr. Poulter is currently working on a UKERC (UK Energy Research Centre) project that examines:

• Customer engagement strategies in the regulation of monopoly energy networks
• How customer engagement may need to be framed for an increasingly decentralized energy system1

Background and Education

Dr. Poulter has a diverse background that includes:

• Renewable energy engineering
• Land management
• Energy governance1

Publications

Some of her notable publications include:

• "Embedding broader values in the regulatory model: An analysis of Ofgem's consumer value proposition for the natural gas distribution sector" (2023)
• "Remaking the regulatory model? Taking stock of ten years of customer engagement in Britain's energy networks" (2021)
• "Australia: From central electricity to solar/storage systems" (2020)1

Dr. Poulter's research contributes to the understanding of local and regional energy systems, particularly in the context of the UK's transition to net-zero emissions.