A new three-year research programme led by the Environmental Change Institute (ECI) will investigate how to accelerate the shift from fossil fuels to electricity across transport, buildings and industry.
The Oxford Martin Electrification Accelerator, led by Professor Jan Rosenow, has received £1 million from the Oxford Martin School as one of four new research programmes announced today.
As electricity generation becomes cleaner, switching from fossil fuels to electricity could play a major role in reducing emissions. Up to 75% of global final energy demand could be electrified by 2050 using technologies that already exist, but progress is not happening quickly enough in many countries.
The new programme will examine where electrification is advancing, where it is being held back, and what governments and industry can do to accelerate progress. It will look at the policies, regulations and infrastructure that shape decisions about electric vehicles, heating and industrial processes, as well as differences between countries and what can be learned from them.
Led by ECI, the programme brings together researchers from across the University of Oxford, including the Blavatnik School of Government, Faculty of Law, Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, and the ZERO Institute.
The research will include an annual State of Electrification Report, new electrification data and analysis through the Oxford Climate Policy Monitor, and an annual policy incubator bringing together policymakers and industry leaders.
Professor Jan Rosenow, Principal Investigator of the Oxford Martin Electrification Accelerator and Professor of Energy and Climate Policy at the ECI, said:
The energy transition has made real progress in cleaning up electricity generation. But electrification - switching homes, cars, and factories from fossil fuels to electricity - is not moving fast enough. We know the constraint is not primarily technological. It is institutional and political. OEA will generate the evidence base and policy networks to change that.”
The Oxford Martin Electrification Accelerator is being launched by the Oxford Martin School today. Find out more about the programme on the Oxford Martin School website.