Exploring the evolution of the energy tech ecosystem
In November 2021 the world turned to Glasgow for COP26, where significant steps towards climate action and support were achieved. Following on from the conference, a slew of decisions have been made and agreements formed; including a number of strengthened efforts to build resilience to climate change, to curb greenhouse gas emissions and to provide the necessary finance for both.
We know that technology will play a pivotal part in helping to achieve global net zero, but we now understand that more must be done to reach carbon negativity, helping curb global temperature rises.
The World Economic Forum states that digital technology has the potential to reduce global emissions by 15% in 2030, but much of the technology we need to go further than this target has yet to be developed. We are therefore reliant on new, emerging technologies to provide the solutions we need for a future of carbon reduction.
Both Harwell and Tech Nation believe that UK tech has a fundamental part to play in energy innovation, and in taking this focus, we hope to shed light on companies at the forefront of energy innovation; those businesses that are tackling the climate challenge head on, helping the UK and the world to scale to zero.
Scaling challenges are acute for R&D intensive, emerging companies and further late stage funding, collaboration support, and development of key talent is needed to capitalise on the enormous growth prospects represented by this cohort of firms.