Report

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 only option for a few processes, these technologies can be expensive, location specific and are not yet proven at scale.

In this report, we question why electrification, as the missing piece of the puzzle, is not receiving much more attention and support as a way to cut industry’s climate impact and improve industrial competitiveness. In fact, it has potential to be the most affordable and adaptable way to cut industrial emissions.

However, high electricity prices relative to other countries are deterring companies from investing in the UK. We illustrate how Germany, France, The Netherlands and Sweden are already recognising the advantages of electrification with supportive policies and outline the policy changes needed to unlock electrification’s potential to stimulate economic growth in the UK.