CPC2020: Let’s talk about flex: how the digital revolution can help us reach net zero - a podcast by Conservative Environment Network

Panel: Rosa Stewart (CEN Steering Committee, Chair), Virginia Crosbie MP (CEN), Greg Jackson (Founder and CEO, Octopus Energy), Guy Newey (Energy Systems Catapult) & Lord Ian Duncan (former Minister for Climate Change)

Extensive electrification is needed to reach net zero by 2050, in order to heat our homes and businesses, and move to cleaner forms of transport such as electric cars. But in order for this transition to be successful, we need to rapidly digilitise our energy system, encourage more consumers to embrace these new technologies, and move to a smarter, more flexible grid.

Renewables-based electricity generation has grown significantly in recent years, powering an average of 37% of the UK’s electricity mix in 2019, compared to just 6.5% in 2010. With a target for 40 GW of offshore wind capacity by 2030, renewable generation is expected to increase even further over the next decade. As we decarbonise our energy system, flexibility - underpinned by digital technology - will be key to meeting this increased demand. This panel will consider how the digital revolution and rapid development of smart and flexible low-carbon technology in the energy sector can help us reach net zero, and what policy changes are needed to unleash its full potential.

A shift to a smarter energy system could save consumers up to £8 billion per year and give people more control over how they consume energy. The Government is driving private-sector investment into energy storage by removing regulatory barriers and reforming market frameworks. This panel will also explore how the flexible, low-carbon energy system required for net zero could change consumers’ engagement with their energy. It will also consider opportunities and barriers to enable domestic demand-side response (DSR) and its role in providing flexibility to the future low-carbon energy system.

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