Reports

2030 and beyond: Great British Energy’s role in the green transition
This report from UK think tank IPPR offers an implementation strategy for GBE’s success. The UK government created Great British Energy to help deliver secure, clean and affordable electricity. Achieving this requires bold, but focused, actions, without burdening GBE with conflicting objectives. In this report, we offer an implementation strategy for GBE’s success. We outline...

Jumping the gun: racing to 2030 before the field is set
This report from UK think tank Onward examines the implications of racing towards clean energy by 2030, assessed through planning reform and public support. The expansion of clean energy generation is critical for securing Britain’s energy future, but a practical and achievable pathway is needed to deliver a decarbonised grid. Labour’s plan to reach clean...

Plugging into industrial electrification
This report from UK think tank Green Alliance questions why electrification is not receiving much more attention and support as a way to cut industry’s climate impact. The government supports heavy industries to switch to hydrogen or carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies as a way to decarbonise their processes. While they might be the...

How to build and fund a better EU green industrial policy
This report from UK think tank the Centre for European Reform outlines how the EU can revamp its green industrial policy while managing unavoidable trade-offs. A new study by the Centre for European Reform (CER), ‘How to build and fund a better EU green industrial policy’, shows that Europe’s clean tech industry is a bright...

Sunny day savings
This report from UK think tank the Resolution Foundation assesses government support for solar panels. The new Government’s plan to decarbonise the electricity system brings with it the lofty aim of tripling total solar capacity by the end of the decade. Although much of this will be driven by large-scale installations, ministers are also hoping...

Harnessing the power of the atom
This report from UK think tank the Henry Jackson Society reconsiders our nuclear energy policies, both at home and abroad. Back in 1953, the future looked bright. At the United Nations General Assembly, President Eisenhower heralded a new era for humanity: the era of nuclear power. The energy source would be “a great boon, for...

How to power AI
This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation sets out how to ensure the UK's energy system can meet the power demands of the technological revolution. Data centres are hugely important for the UK’s AI ambitions. They provide the compute power that AI applications rely on. If the UK wants to succeed in...

Whose energy transition is it anyway?
This report from UK think tank the Social Market Foundation examines the British public’s level of trust in the net zero transition and in heat pumps in particular. Given ambitious net zero targets, the UK cannot afford to face a stronger 'greenlash'. In this report, we seek to understand the British public’s level of trust...

An agenda for UK–China climate cooperation
This report from UK think tank Chatham House argues that climate cooperation can and should be pursued between the UK and Chinese governments. This paper presents the case for increased UK–China climate cooperation, and identifies specific aspects of policy on which future joint work can usefully focus. Such work could offer a valuable counterpoint to...

Navigating clean energy industries and rivalry in decarbonisation
This report from UK think tank RUSI looks at navigating clean energy industries and rivalry in decarbonisation. In this research paper, Dan Marks and James Henderson address a series of questions, including how to ensure the security of production networks while simultaneously decarbonising rapidly and affordably, promoting innovation and maximising local economic benefits. They argue...

Learning from CBAM’s transitional phase
This report from UK think tank the Centre for European Reform argues that the EU should lead industrial decarbonisation by pairing CBAM with actions to support clean industrial investments in least developed and developing countries. With its new Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), the EU will impose the same carbon price on both domestic and...

The great grid gamble
This report from UK think tank the Centre for Policy Studies states that politicians need to be guided by the best available evidence when considering the future of Britain's energy system. Ed Miliband hailed a recent report from the National Energy System Operator (NESO) as vindicating his plan to decarbonise the grid by 2030. But...

Why engineered carbon removals are at odds with energy security and affordability
This report from UK think tank Chatham House looks at tackling the costs and risks in net zero strategies. At the heart of net zero is a reliance on negative emissions, or carbon removals, to counterbalance emissions from sectors such as agriculture, shipping and aviation that are technically and economically very difficult to decarbonize. But...

The UK’s role in advancing responsible transition minerals supply chains
This report from UK think tank RUSI examines the UK’s role as a financial and trading hub for the mining industry, and a centre of sustainability and international development expertise.. The UK government has emphasised the importance of ‘levelling the playing field’ for responsible companies to mitigate environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks affecting the...

International engagements on low-carbon Hydrogen
This report from UK think tank RUSI examines whether the UK could or should do more to ensure security of critical supply chains involving hydrogen. While hydrogen may play a role in the energy transition as a fuel, its main role is likely to be as an input for industrial processes and the production of...
Related Articles
How can cities policy help the net zero agenda?
As COP26 comes to a close what are some of the changes we can make in cities that can help with the net zero agenda? A greater uptake of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) is required By Rebecca Foster (Bright Blue) The UK’s pledge to reach net zero by 2050 will ultimately require significant changes to the way...