New Energy World™
New Energy World™ embraces the whole energy industry as it connects and converges to address the decarbonisation challenge. It covers progress being made across the industry, from the dynamics under way to reduce emissions in oil and gas, through improvements to the efficiency of energy conversion and use, to cutting-edge initiatives in renewable and low-carbon technologies.
Research update on.... policy and governance
30/4/2025
10 min read
Feature
The energy transition is not only about technological innovation; the ways in which public policy incentivises and regulates decarbonisation initiatives bear greatly upon society, writes Benjamin Sovacool, Professor of Energy Policy, University of Sussex. Below is an edited and abridged synthesis of UK research on these topics commissioned by the UK Industrial Decarbonisation Research and Innovation Centre (IDRIC) over the last few years.
In policy, the UK has positioned itself as a leader in industrial decarbonisation through a broad set of enabling policies and regulations. This has included a dedicated Industrial Decarbonisation Strategy (2021) and particularly strong support for the deployment of carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) and hydrogen. Challenges in regulatory uncertainties, delays in business model development and a potential over-reliance on CCUS and hydrogen over other decarbonisation strategies risk hindering progress towards decarbonisation.
IDRIC’s research has emphasised the importance of policy certainty in enabling long-term planning for industrial decarbonisation and bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) projects.
For example, the findings of University of Manchester research, which focused on the implementation of BECCS in the UK, highlighted the North West Cluster’s potential to achieve substantial negative emissions, contingent on governmental support for business models and regulatory frameworks.