Climate UEA

THE INNOVATOR
KONSTANTINOS CHALVATZIS

Sustainable Energy Powerhouse

Professor of Sustainable Energy Business, Norwich Business School
Academic Chair of ClimateUEA
Research Group Member, Innovation, Technology and Operations Management

Konstantinos’ work brings together technology policy and corporate strategy. He researches energy security, energy policy and how climate change impacts both of them.

Most of his work focuses on electricity, innovation in the energy sector, system-wide electrification and their potential for rapid decarbonisation. This includes smart grids, energy storage and the role of energy in the sustainability performance of corporate organisations.

Konstantinos has reviewed for the Working Group III of IPCC and EU DG Clima.

“Climate research excellence has a long-standing tradition at UEA. This has allowed us to develop angles of climate change research in every academic discipline. As Chair of ClimateUEA, I work with colleagues on our new mission to integrate climate change research across the UEA campus and beyond.”

My Story

“I came to the conclusion early on that transitioning to low carbon renewable energy holds the key to climate change mitigation and accelerating economic development. I’m excited to engage with all stakeholders that can contribute to this transition. Through flagship RD&D projects we know what works for small-scale isolated communities. Now we are on a journey upscaling renewable energy to meet 100% of our needs.”

Key Projects

Intelligent Community Energy – a research project with demonstration sites at UEA and the remote French Island of Ushant, ICE aims to develop smart grid products and services for widespread application. Konstantinos leads the technical operations at our demonstration site and the consumer engagement strategy for the project that promotes collaboration and energy innovation.
TILOS – bringing together 14 organisations from 7 countries this collaborative research and demonstration project aims to develop a prototype battery and smart grid system to autonomously power the small Greek Island of Tilos. UEA’s Principal Investigator for the project, Konstantinos leads the commercialisation strategy and development of business models for the energy innovations.
Business Strategy for Sustainability - we analyse long-term data to firstly understand the antecedents of corporate engagement with sustainability, and secondly the specific effect that each sustainability strategy has on financial performance and the environment. This research advocates for novel sustainability strategies that go beyond internal operations and supply chain management. The new sustainable organisation paradigm is for businesses that enable their customers to live sustainably.

Thinking Without Borders

“Throughout my research and societal engagement with climate change research, I strive to provide solutions to real-world problems. These problems do not recognise academic silos and need expertise from multiple disciplines if they are to be addressed effectively."