A key report, which will showcase the steps needed for Oxfordshire to achieve a zero-carbon future by 2050 – as well as the considerable green expertise that exists in the county – is set to be published at a webinar next month.
A partnership of key organisations leading the low carbon transition have commissioned the University of Oxford’s Environmental Change Institute and Bioregional to produce a significant new report entitled: ‘Pathways to a Zero Carbon Oxfordshire’.
Those behind this project include the Oxfordshire Local Enterprise Partnership (OxLEP), Oxfordshire County Council, Low Carbon Hub, Cherwell District Council, Oxford City Council, West Oxfordshire District Council, South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils, Oxford Sciences Innovation, the Greater South East Energy Hub, Oxford Brookes University and Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks.
The report will be launched at an online event on 29 June. The UK Net Zero Business Champion, Andrew Griffith MP will deliver a keynote speech and the report-writing team will highlight key findings from their work.
Professor Nick Eyre and Professor Kathy Willis will discuss the broader implications for the county, which has already made significant progress towards decarbonising its economy.
‘Pathways to a Zero Carbon Oxfordshire’ will not only outline the transformation needed to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, but it will also showcase the county’s immense expertise in this area all underpinned by a thriving world-class innovation ecosystem.
The report will also highlight the challenges ahead in transforming the county’s energy and transport systems, substantially upgrading Oxfordshire’s building stock and using land for carbon sequestration.
It will, in addition, point to areas where change and investment is urgently needed.
In a year that sees the UK host the United Nations-led COP26 climate change conference in Glasgow, the report couldn’t be timelier and is also an opportunity to emphasise the significant role Oxfordshire can play internationally.
Ahmed Goga, Director of Strategy and Programmes at OxLEP, said: “The report couldn’t be more timely with COP26 now just a few months away.
“Our immense energy expertise is being applied to exploring the boundaries of future energy systems. For example, we are at the centre of all things nuclear fusion – led by the Culham Centre for Fusion Energy – a form of energy that offers the world an abundant and replenishable source of energy within our lifetimes.
“Oxford PV’s next-gen perovskite solar cells have broken the world record for solar energy conversion – a huge step towards efficient and affordable solar energy for all, whilst Harwell Campus’ EnergyTec Cluster and at the Faraday Institution are finding new solutions to energy storage and testing novel energy systems.
“In addition to this, two of the three UK energy system demonstrators, Energy Superhub Oxford and Project Leo – an ambitious smart grid trial – are based in the county too and it’s this expertise and capability that we continue to highlight widely.”
Professor Nick Eyre added: “This report makes clear that there are different possible routes to achieving a zero carbon economy over the next three decades, depending on the types of technological and social change we decide to pursue.
“What is clear, though, is that transformative change will be needed in the ways in which we use and generate energy; design and use transport systems, and plan our use of land.”
Oxfordshire’s low carbon energy sector generates £1.15bn a year and over the past half-decade, the county has attracted £2bn in foreign direct investment.
Meanwhile, the county’s Energy Strategy is set to help spearhead a further £1.35bn annually to the Oxfordshire economy, creating at least 11,000 new jobs in the low-carbon sector by 2030.
In addition, Oxford will be the first UK city to introduce a zero emissions zone and the county has over 270 community renewable energy projects, including the UK's first community-owned solar and hydro schemes.
Find out more on 'Pathways to Zero Carbon Oxfordshire' and sign-up to the event
