CLEAN GROWTH

Opportunities & Recommendations

The UK Government has set out the long-term vision to deliver a more resource efficient energy market, minimise the costs to businesses and households, and seize the opportunities that a shift towards a low carbon economy present. The Clean Growth Strategy has set the agenda for decarbonising all sectors of the UK economy through the next decade detailing how over £2.5 billion will be invested by the government to support low carbon innovation up to 2021.

  • Estimated that the UK’s clean economy could grow at four times the rate of GDP.
  • Clean Growth Strategy aims to make the UK one of the best places in the world to develop and sell clean technologies.
  • UK Government is investing £162m in innovation for low carbon industry.

 

TOP 5 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR NORFOLK & SUFFOLK

1. DRIVE CLEAN GROWTH IN OUR SCIENCE RESEARCH BASES

Our early action on clean growth means that we have nurtured a broad range of low carbon industries, including some sectors in which we have world leading positions. This success is built upon wider strengths – our scientific research base, expertise in high-value service and financial industries, and a regulatory framework that provides long-term direction and support for innovation and excellence in the design and manufacturing of leading edge technology.

2. CUT TRANSPORT EMISSIONS

The transport sector accounts for 24% of UK emissions, with almost zero progress since 1990. Action to deliver clean growth can also have wider benefits. For example, the co-benefit of cutting transport emissions is cleaner air, which has an important effect on public health, the economy, and the environment.

3. IMPROVE EFFICIENCY OF HOMES

Homes account for around 13% of the UK’s emissions. The government argues its new policies will substantially reduce emissions from housing over the next decades. The new strategy promises around £3.6bn to upgrade the energy efficiency of a million homes. With a multitude of local businesses specialising in energy efficient housing – Beattie Passive and Tufeco being two examples – we must look towards our regional strengths.

4. MAKE R&D PUBLIC FUNDING ACCESSIBLE

Specifically, it says the government “expects to invest around £900m of public funds between 2015 and 2021 in research and innovation in the power sector”. Within this, it says that it “expects” to invest “around £265m” in R&D to help “reduce the cost of electricity storage, advance innovative demand response technologies and develop new ways of balancing the grid, for example using EV”. This will be done in partnership with the Research Councils and Innovate UK.

5. LOCAL INVESTMENT IN INNOVATION FOR CLEAN GROWTH

To achieve the clean growth we want, the UK will need to nurture low carbon technologies, processes and systems that are as cheap as possible. It is only through innovation that we will see new technologies developed and the cost of clean technologies come down. Norfolk and Suffolk must seize opportunities in both public and private funding to support the clean growth of the region.