Mike Colechin shares his thoughts on low carbon innovation

16th September 2015

Mike Colechin - Partnership Manager

You might expect an organisation called the Energy Technologies Institute to be only interested in the technology side of innovation.

And while we have invested over £200m in projects to accelerate the development of low carbon technologies in programmes such as offshore renewables, carbon capture and storage and bioenergy it is vital to look beyond just the breakthroughs in engineering and technology.

Successful low carbon innovation should have several critical components, including how to inspire market confidence and attract finance and investment as well as understanding the role that public policy will have and ensure there is the capability and skills to innovate.

Crucially it can’t be done in isolation - collaboration and shared understanding is essential to success.
The slower the pace of energy innovation the less time the UK will have to transition to a low carbon economy and the more expensive it will be

Of course if the UK is to meet the challenge of delivering safe, secure and affordable energy in the future that also leads to substantial reductions in greenhouse gas emissions there will need to be significant innovation in new, low carbon technologies over the coming decades.

Innovation will be required in the way the country’s energy is generated and delivered and how it is used in homes, businesses and in our transport systems.

Achieving this transition, at the scale and pace required, will be easier and more affordable if there is a shared understanding of the drivers of new low carbon, energy technologies, the barriers that can impede their development and the key interactions needed to unlock opportunities for UK businesses.

The UK needs innovation to meet its carbon targets and that innovation needs to happen rapidly. If we don’t undertake innovation the transition to a low carbon economy will take longer and it will be more expensive.

Describing the UK innovation system with an accessible and consistent framework for identifying these issues, helps to identify accelerated pathways for innovation and some of the specific challenges that need to be addressed.

Many low carbon technologies will have to travel a long, expensive and risky innovation journey to get from initial idea to market. The conceptual model in our report provides a framework that can be adapted for different technologies and the innovation pathways or "journeys" they may follow.

These journeys can be viewed from the perspective of the innovator, investor, policy maker or end user and the framework can be used to identify the different barriers or issues those stakeholders will face and the interactions that must take place at the different stages of the innovation chain.

It is particularly important to encourage collaboration between the academic and business sectors and the government as it’s easier to achieve a transition with a shared understanding of the drivers of new low carbon energy technologies.

Most low carbon markets are almost entirely driven by public policy but delivered by the private sector. Policy interventions are often needed and businesses need certainty so policy stability matters.

For further information on innovation in low carbon please click here.