The Insights Report focuses on the targets, technologies, infrastructure and investments needed to ensure a smooth transition to a low-carbon system over the next 35 years.
The report say policy intervention will be needed to develop a range of technologies, with an immediate focus on replacing the UK’s nuclear power stations; energy efficiency measures; and generating energy from waste.
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) and bioenergy are also highlighted as essential to the improvement of UK’s future energy system.
ETI strategy director, and co-author of the report, Jo Coleman said by the mid-2020s, the UK must make “important decisions” about its energy infrastructure.
She said: “We see enormous potential and value in developing CCS and bioenergy and the success or failure of deploying these two technologies will have a huge impact on the cost of achieving the UK’s legally binding climate change targets.”
Andrew Haslett, ETI chief engineer and co-author of the report, added: “In the next decade the UK should focus on ensuring it is prepared by developing options and exploring trade-offs between particular sets of technologies, and also testing technical, business and regulatory models at scale to give stakeholders the confidence they need to move to full-scale implementation.”