Academics call for rapid decarbonisation of electricity

Researchers warn changes are needed to limit global warming

Academics have called for the “rapid and deep decarbonisation” of electricity and heat in order to limit global warming.

Researcher from the universities of Manchester, Sussex and Oxford have published a study in the journal Science, entitled Sociotechnical transitions for deep decarbonisation.

It warns changes in electricity, heat, industry and transport are rapidly needed if global warming is to be limited to two degrees this century.

The report claims despite the recent rapid growth in renewable electricity generation, the progress towards the wider goal of decarbonisation remains slow.

It adds accelerated low-carbon transitions in electricity depend not only on the momentum of renewable energy innovations like wind, solar-PV and bio-energy, but also on complementary innovations including energy storage and demand response. 

‘Accelerating transitions is critical if we are to achieve the goals of decarbonising and saving energy faster, further, and more flexibly,’ said Professor Nick Eyre, from the University of Oxford.

‘This international quality study shows the importance of whole systems thinking in energy demand research.’

While report co-author, Professor Benjamin K. Sovacool from the University of Sussex, added: “We need to accelerate transitions, deepen their speed and broaden their reach. Otherwise there can be no hope of reaching a two-degree target, let alone 1.5 degrees.

“This piece reveals that the acceleration of transitions across the sociotechnical systems of electricity, heat, buildings, manufacturing, and transport requires new approaches, analyses and research methods.”