Partnerships will provide the impetus for a successful energy transition

Developing new solutions, and sharing best practice, will be key to managing the energy transition successfully. It is increasingly looking like that transition will be shaped by a Labour government.  

Over the last few months, the Purpose Coalition has been holding a series of meetings for its partners – businesses, universities and NHS Trusts and healthcare organisations - to explore how the Labour Party can work with them on the Five Missions which will form the backbone of its manifesto and drive forward its work in government. One of those missions is to ‘Build a Clean Energy Superpower’, with a commitment to create a new, publicly owned energy company – Great British Energy.  

I recently chaired a roundtable in Westminster for Purpose Coalition business and university leaders with the Shadow Minister for Energy Security, Dr Alan Whitehead MP. An expert in energy policy, he explored the ways in which a Labour government can work with businesses on the future of net zero and green skills to ensure that the energy transition is delivered effectively and fairly to communities across the country.   

The pandemic, followed closely by geo-political unrest, led to huge societal and economic uncertainty. Energy insecurity was perhaps one of the highest prices we paid in this country, amid a cost-of-living crisis that is still impacting many. These ongoing challenges highlighted how it is almost always the most vulnerable and the least financially resilient who are hit the hardest. Government and business need to be prepared to learn lessons from those experiences when they are developing plans for the transition to net zero to make sure that it works for everyone.  

Local partnerships can make powerful contributions based on their individual expertise and knowledge of local communities and resources and will be key to taking effective action. As one example, building on their world-leading research and development facilities, three North East universities - all Coalition partners - recently announced plans to expand their work to advance renewable energy technologies. Investment in renewable energy is essential for the country, providing increased energy security and critically important additions in electricity capacity to meet domestic and industrial demands.  

An award of £5.3 million from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council will allow Northumbria, Newcastle and Durham Universities to develop ReNU, their successful Centre for Doctoral Training in renewable energies. Additional contributions from partner universities and companies will boost total funding to nearly £11.5 million. The project will create RENU+ – the ESPRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Renewable Energy Northeast Universities Plus – to help the UK government progress towards its net zero aims for a low carbon economy.  

This programme has a different focus from other renewable energy projects in that it has a clear emphasis on social mobility. Acknowledging that achieving net zero is a society-wide problem, it is adopting an inclusive approach. It will focus on equality, diversity and inclusion by widening access to doctoral level training to those with non-traditional educational backgrounds and encouraging those in under-represented groups such as the unemployed or disabled, carers and military veterans to train as doctoral carbon champions.  

The programme aims to create future leaders in the next generation of researchers, specialists and industry experts across a wide range of sectors and industries. It will offer direct sponsorship of doctoral research projects and the delivery of a high-skill training programme. The universities expect to train more than 50 additional doctoral carbon champions through RENU+ over the next eight years, with the first cohort of students expected to enrol in 2025.  

The universities will work closely with key partners across local government, industry and charities, including Northumbrian Water, SSE, Port of Tyne, the NHS, Newcastle City Council and North of Tyne Combined Authority.  

It is a positive example of local partnerships championing their local area, playing to their strengths while also building a resilient, efficient and sustainable energy system.  These North East universities have a history of collaborative projects which not only offer a wide range of opportunities for their local communities but are also powerful engines for regional and national growth. Programmes such as RENU+ will help shape a fair and sustainable energy transition that is also an inclusive one.