Energy Secretary Amber Rudd has pledged to “light the fire” of energy innovation in 2016, by ramping up investment in research, development and demonstration (RD&D). Speaking last night (12 January) at an Aldersgate group event at Lloyds in London, Rudd said that energy innovation would be a key theme for the UK over the next year. “We don’t have all the answers for decarbonisation,” she said. “We must develop technologies that are both green and cheap. Costs of clean energy and clean transport must continue to fall. “The UK has strong capabilities in R&D and we have been responsible for some amazing steps forward, but we need to do better and we need to be smarter. We need to breathe new life into the research, development, demonstration and deployment cycle.” One of the innovations that Rudd mentioned specifically was energy storage, which has been a hot topic already in 2016, with several companies planning and completing big projects. Rudd said that storage had an important role to play in the UK’s low-carbon future. However, critics in the audience also pointed out that the Government’s record on new technology was chequered after it recently pulled the plug on funding for carbon capture and storage, which is expected to play a crucial role in decarbonisation.
Edie 13th Jan 2016 read more »