Delaying action on decarbonisation makes innovation absolutely critical

Professor Mercedes Maroto-Valer, Director of the Industrial Decarbonisation Research & Innovation Centre (IDRIC) and the UK’s Champion for Industrial Decarbonisation, explains how innovation can help keep Britain on track for net zero

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s delay to the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars grabbed the headlines in September. The recent Autumn Statement, despite positive announcements to support key manufacturing sectors, such as £960 million for a Green Industries Growth Accelerator, remains unconvincing when compared to the US Inflation Reduction Act and the EU’s Net-Zero Industry Act.

As attention turns to Dubai and COP28 at the end of this month, there is an increasing element of uncertainty to the Government’s commitment to net zero, and recent announcements could be seen as a loosening of near-term ambition. This has shone a spotlight on the critical role that innovation will play in accelerating the pace of decarbonising our economy and tackling the climate emergency to meet medium and long-term targets.

Over the years, the UK Government has made a series of significant announcements on carbon capture, usage, and storage (CCUS). The carbon dioxide (CO₂) emitters and the transport and storage partners for the “Track-1” projects in the North-West and East Coast of England are due to be up-and-running by the late 2020s. Acorn in Scotland and Viking on Humberside have been selected for transport and storage in “Track-2”, with details on the selected emitters still to come, ahead of going live in the 2030s.

Yet, in the UK, CCUS progress has so far been very slow to meet the target of 20-30 MtCO₂ per year by 2030. This, together with a lack of clarity over when further announcements are going to be made, can be damaging when big industrial players and their financiers need to plan investment many years in advance.

The UK’s 2050 net zero target may sound like it’s a long time away – but we’ve only got just over 25 years to go. The CCC’s recommended emissions reduction of 68% by 2030 is more pressing and, in its Progress Report to Government this year, the Committee warned of a lack of urgency in the UK and the need for immediate policy actions and policies. The fact is, the more delays there are to action now, the more critical innovation is going to be tomorrow.

No silver bullet in industrial decarbonisation

Making sure that the UK’s innovators are ready to help meet the 2030 and 2050 emissions targets is a key part of the Industrial Decarbonisation Research & Innovation Centre’s (IDRIC’s) mission. Based at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, we’re funding research and innovation (R&I) projects throughout the UK to bring pace and scale to industrial decarbonisation.

We’re also playing a key role in helping to develop the policies that are needed to accelerate decarbonisation, from planning through to licensing. Furthermore, IDRIC is leading the training of engineers and scientists that will be needed for industrial decarbonisation, making sure that businesses can hire people with the right skills when projects get underway and can create employment opportunities as carbon-intensive industries are transformed.

While CCUS will be a key component in the UK’s net zero strategy – capturing CO₂ from energy-intensive industries such as steel making or cement production, and then finding uses for it or storing it in disused oil and gas wells or other underground caverns – decarbonisation is a much broader topic.

The underpinning technology to capture carbon will have a host of uses in relation to the decarbonisation of industries. It’s also the type of revolutionary technology that could be exported around the world, creating jobs and boosting tax receipts to fund public services or climate change mitigation measures.

The electrification of our heat and transport networks creates massive opportunities to develop energy storage technologies, and opens up debates about grid constraints and the need to expand the UK’s electricity networks. Likewise, hydrogen – produced through electrolysis and utilised in the production of green chemicals – is also likely to play an important part in the transition to net zero.

Using innovation to accelerate the pace of progress

Collaboration is key if we are to overcome the decarbonisation delays. Fortunately, IDRIC is bringing together the public and private sectors to work on R&I, policies, and skills development.

IDRIC has the convening power to get people around the table to accelerate the green transition. This capability is going to be even more important to ramp up the pace of innovation over the coming years and decades.

While the delay in the petrol and diesel car ban may have dominated the headlines in September, the Prime Minister used the same speech to announce £150 million of funding to support scientists and engineers through the Green Future Fellowship programme, which will be administered by the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Equally, the Autumn Statement did contain news of investments in science and technology that included funding through UKRI which will support the business innovation ecosystem as well as funding of Faraday Discover fellowships. We welcome such support for the development of skills and talent that will drive the research and innovation we need to meet our near-term goals.

By working with industry, government, researchers and engineers, IDRIC continues to champion decarbonisation innovation and accelerate the pace of progress. A multidisciplinary, whole-system approach to decarbonisation that embraces CCUS, hydrogen, electrification, energy efficiency, and the ongoing development of innovative technologies, will help the UK to reach its net zero target.

This piece was written and provided by Professor Mercedes Maroto-Valer, Director of the Industrial Decarbonisation Research & Innovation Centre (IDRIC)