ENERGY TRANSITIONS: UTILITY 2050

This month saw the publication of the principal report from our ongoing project Utility 2050, a partnership of energy industry professionals, financiers, and academics with a shared objective to explore what Net Zero could mean for the UK energy sector.

We found that there are growing pressures in the retail and wholesale markets caused by the net-zero energy transition. These need a deeper rethink of the business models that make up the energy market and the regulation which supports them.

The energy sector has an ‘innovation dilemma’: It is simultaneously challenged in planning for and regulating the energy market 2-5 years ahead whilst addressing the pressing need to make decisions, in the face of deep uncertainty, aligned with hitting the 2050 net-zero target.

An augmented human-centred design approach of viability, feasibility, desirability; realise-ability; and systemic perspectives was applied. These are detailed below along with additional related work. The Utility 2050 team would like to thank the considerable number of participants who contributed to co-produce this work – to varying degrees of engagement – which likely stands at over 3,500.

Read the full report, and find ongoing updates via Atkins’ microsite.