Just 4% of energy professionals believe the UK will get to net zero in 2050.
That’s the standout finding of the annual Energy Barometer report from the Energy Institute.
The Barometer is an annual state-of-the-nation member survey designed to inform the public debate about energy and provide an expert sense check on government policy.
This year’s report, UK Power Shift, is a retrospective look at the decade since the survey started and, looking forward, the first comprehensive assessment by those working across all areas of energy since Labour won the election.
Even with encouraging early actions and signals from the new Government, confidence in meeting the UK’s emission reduction targets is low.
Only 15% believes the UK will meet or exceed the 2035 carbon emission reduction goal. Confidence in reaching net zero by 2050 is lower still, at just 4%.
The other big finding is that the grid and infrastructure, are for the first time, the biggest energy-related challenge facing UK. A massive 84% of respondents acknowledge progress in decarbonising the grid has been the success story of the past decade but, looking forward, they are clear the Government’s central goal of 100% clean power by 2030 faces considerable hurdles.
Discussing the findings with EI President Andy Brown, it’s clear that those who work in energy are clearly commited to net zero but fear the costs and policy levers will prove its undoing unless something shifts fast.
Mr Brown said: “You’ll never meet a target unless you aim high and they, (Labour), are aiming high and I admire that. What I’m concerned about is the cost of all this is significant.
“The costs are going to be very high and I’m concerned at how that’s going to be seen by the public over time. And as our members said, it becomes politicised after a while. You can see that in the US, it becomes political.
“And that really concerns me, that the political message, could become one of the key limiting factors.”
You can find out the full findings by visiting the Energy Institute site now.
