Supporting innovation in energy

Opportunity

The Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) is encouraging innovation in the UK energy sector to reduce bills, cut carbon emissions and stimulate businesses. Its Energy Innovation Programme targets key net-zero innovation opportunities – from a whole energy system perspective – to accelerate the commercialisation of innovative clean energy technologies and processes in the power, buildings and industry sectors into the 2020s and 2030s.

Solution

We are leading a consortium providing programme management and technical advisory services for the BEIS Energy Innovation Programme. The programme is divided into five themes: smart systems for the electricity network; built environment, which includes energy efficiency and heating; industrial decarbonisation and carbon capture, use, and storage; nuclear innovation; and support for cross-cutting technologies, including renewables, energy entrepreneurs and green financing. Each theme is structured around programmes and individual projects to help the Energy Innovation Programme achieve its aims.

Our consortium includes 12 organisations, with eight small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) and two universities, bringing niche technical specialist knowledge. Our scope of work includes programme development support, bid review and selection, programme management, project monitoring and programme evaluation.

Outcome

In the three years we have provided support to the Energy Innovation Programme, the UK government has invested over £505M to support over 250 innovation projects across several energy sectors. So far, funding has been allocated as follows:

• around £70M in smart systems
• around £90M in the built environment (energy efficiency and heating)
• around £100M in industrial decarbonisation and carbon capture, use and storage (CCUS)
• around £180M in nuclear innovation
• around £15M in renewables innovation
• around £50M in support for energy entrepreneurs and green financing.

Our work is supporting the crucial innovation that will help to decarbonise the energy sector, benefitting industry and consumers while aiding the UK’s journey to net-zero.