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Innovating to Net Zero 2024
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We use this information for internal research purposes to help us better understand which energy sector stakeholders are interested in which areas of our work. We do not share your details with any third parties.
If you do not wish to complete the form, please email communications@es.catapult.org.uk to request a digital copy.
This document provides further detail on the modelling approach used in Innovating to Net Zero 2024.
To download this file, we would be grateful if you could tell us a little about yourself.
We use this information for internal research purposes to help us better understand which energy sector stakeholders are interested in which areas of our work. We do not share your details with any third parties.
If you do not wish to complete the form, please email communications@es.catapult.org.uk to request a digital copy.
Innovating to Net Zero 2024* explores how the UK can achieve a cost-effective Net Zero energy system. Using a range of plausible Net Zero scenarios it identifies innovation priorities for the design, delivery and operation of an affordable, desirable and resilient future energy system underpinned by low carbon products and services as part of a vibrant and competitive economy.
This report aims to give people, businesses and UK government confidence to make investment and innovation decisions, and to take action that moves us closer to meeting our Net Zero targets whilst prospering from green growth opportunities.
*This is version two of the Innovating to Net Zero 2024 report. The pathways modelled for version one of the report did not meet the Sixth Carbon Budget. This has been rectified and all the modelling rerun to include the Sixth Carbon Budget constraint. We have updated all graphs, charts and numerical values included in this report to reflect this change in the modelling. The change does not impact the conclusions in the report, although it further emphasises the need to accelerate Net Zero energy innovation and the deployment of low carbon and negative emissions technologies. The change to the modelling has not impacted the total cost of meeting Net Zero, this remains less than 1% of GDP by 2050.
Turning Net Zero transport obstacles into opportunities – Lowri Williams
Decarbonising the transport sector is no small feat, but the Innovating to Net Zero 2024 report makes clear that it is achievable with the right focus, investment, and innovation. The challenge is not just technological, it’s about rethinking infrastructure, consumer behaviour, supply chains and operations to create a transport system that is sustainable, desirable, and resilient.
Clean innovation and green growth – Alex Buckman
The UK’s ambition to achieve Net Zero by 2050 represents both one of the greatest challenges and most transformative opportunities of our time. With mounting pressure from climate realities, a renewed political appetite for growth, and rapid technological advancements, it is imperative to consider how the UK can identify and pave the way to capitalise upon our opportunities to lead in delivering Net Zero.
Beat the ‘peak’ – Rebecca Sweeney
Decarbonising home heating is one of the most significant challenges on our journey to Net Zero. At the heart of this challenge is managing ‘peak heat’ – the massive spike in energy demand during the coldest winter months. Millions of homes need heating at the same time, putting pressure on the grid. But what if there was a smart, flexible solution that could keep you warm without the worry of overloading the grid? That’s where hybrid heat pumps come in.
Innovation is magic – Guy Newey
Getting to Net Zero by 2050 will take unparalleled levels of innovation (and that is just in the UK, the global challenge is even greater). That is innovation in technology, planning, data, regulation, policy design, and business models. And to deliver that, we need innovators to come up with new products and services that will help us solve this generational challenge.
The next frontier: tackling the UK’s hard-to-decarbonise sectors – Liam Lidstone
Innovating to Net Zero 2024 was our second ‘state of energy innovation’ report and it shone a light on the work we must do if we’re to get to Net Zero by 2050. The report demonstrated how not all sectors were created equal in the decarbonisation journey. While progress is being made across industries, some sectors face significantly steeper financial and technological challenges. The progress that these sectors make is critical to the design of the rest of a future Net Zero energy system.
Is it safe to assume? – Grant Tuff
Innovating to Net Zero 2024 was our second ‘state of energy innovation’ report. The report created four future scenarios (Clockwork, Patchwork, Homework, and Dreamwork), using the internationally peer-reviewed Energy System Modelling Environment (ESME), to explore 3,600 different Net Zero-compliant energy system pathways. You can read an overview of the report by clicking here.
But what assumptions go into the modelling? How can we be sure of the findings we are putting out into the world?
“The path to Net Zero has narrowed – UK innovators must seize the opportunity of clean technology”
Read moreIn March 2020, a groundbreaking report by Energy Systems Catapult found Net Zero by 2050 was possible if the UK supports innovation and scale-up across three essential areas – Low Carbon Technology, Land Use and Lifestyle.
To download this file, we would be grateful if you could tell us a little about yourself.
We use this information for internal research purposes to help us better understand which energy sector stakeholders are interested in which areas of our work. We do not share your details with any third parties.
If you do not wish to complete the form, please email communications@es.catapult.org.uk to request a digital copy.
Find out more about how Energy Systems Catapult can help you and your teams
Find out more about how Energy Systems Catapult can help you and your teams