Alternate Delegate for DESNZ, UK to the UsersTCP (International Energy Agency)

Hanne Knight serves as the UK’s Alternate Delegate to the International Energy Agency’s Users Technology Collaboration Programme (Users TCP), representing the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). The Users TCP is the IEA’s international platform for policy-relevant socio-technical research on user-centred energy systems. Its mission is to provide high-quality evidence on how people, organisations, and communities engage with energy technologies, policies, and markets, and how these interactions shape the success of the net zero transition.

As energy systems decarbonise, technical solutions alone are no longer sufficient. Issues such as public trust, affordability, fairness, political acceptability, and user behaviour now play a decisive role in determining whether low-carbon technologies are adopted and used effectively. The Users TCP addresses this challenge by bringing together international networks of social scientists, economists, policy makers, and energy experts to develop practical guidance on technology acceptance, public engagement, and equitable energy transitions.

In her role as Alternate Delegate, Hanne represents UK policy interests within this international collaboration, helping to ensure that UK priorities and evidence needs are reflected in the Users TCP’s research agenda. She contributes to strategic discussions on work programmes, Task development, and international collaboration across areas such as low-carbon technology adoption, public acceptance of energy infrastructure, and energy equity. She also acts as a conduit between DESNZ and the Users TCP, supporting the flow of insights, best practice, and international evidence back into UK energy policy development.