The Green Edge Reports Roundup, July-23: Part Two - Sectors
Continuing with our selection of reports and other publications from this month’s reading list.
Part Two of our crop of green reports from this months reading list. Also see Part One - General.
As usual, you can find all thes reports and more in our searchable reports list on The Green Edge Data Portal.
Energy
Appliance Standards
Transforming the Appliance Market: Strategies for Lower-Emissions Heat and Hot Water.
Regulatory Assistance Project. May 2023
A useful webinar and set of accompanying slides that carry a simple message: appliance standards are critical not only for energy efficiency but also in reducing dangerous additional emissions which have a distinct spatial and racial negative impacts.
Batteries
Skills for boosting ‘greenovation’ in the European battery sector.
ALBATTS presentation at the CEDEFOP conference, June 19th 2023, Greenovation meets skills anticipation: policy lessons for making the green transition happen, June 2023
Takes a full supply perspective and brings together all of the key players across Europe. The ALBATTS group have produced detailed role specifications and skills cards for all key battery roles. An excellent example of a pioneering green skills ecosystem.
Demand Reduction
Emissions savings from equitable energy demand reduction
Nature Energy, July 2023
While we often talk about energy efficiency, energy demand reduction is a critical part of achieving and sustaining net zero, and this paper explore aspects of this. In wider education terms, achieving a major behavioural shift in how people run their homes, commuting patterns, and do leisure travel is a big part of what needs to happen over the coming years. We see core elements of this education occurring in community energy groups, for example, but it needs to go well beyond these groups and into wider carbon literacy across all citizens.
Digital
Energy Cyber Priority 2023. Closing the gap between awareness and action.
DNV, July 2023
Makes the very simple point that the rapid growth in renewable energy, smart meters and the dynamic grid leads to the potential for challenge and cyber threats. Shows the interdependence between green and digital high relief, beyond the usual overlaps areas.
Domestic Heat and Energy
DESNZ Public Attitudes Tracker: Heat and Energy in the Home. Spring 2023, UK.
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, June 2023
One of the several attitude surveys run by the DESNZ. Our main takeaway from this one is the need for an extensive and intensive education programme for all home owners and landlords as regards the low carbon options for heating (and cooling) property. Perhaps this could build on the carbon literacy and community energy programmes that have been working across the UK?
Heat Networks
Heat networks: consumer protection regime.
Energy Systems Catapult and Vattenfall, June 2023
A level playing field is critical to support the best configuration of heating options for domestic consumers, and this report walks this path. Heat networks have a lot to offer, and we should see more of them being installed, and the requisite skills being developed.
Heat and Energy Efficiency Zoning: A framework for net zero for new and existing buildings.
Association for Decarbonised Energy, 2020
A key element of the move to net zero is to align all resource allocation, land use, etc. decision with net zero and sustainability. This report provides a useful input to the process.
Heat Pumps
Heat Pumps
UK Parliament POSTnote, July 2023
An excellent briefing document on a core technology for the decarbonisation of much of the built environment. The last section covers the constraint posed by the lack of installers: we currently have 4-5,000 installers, we need more than 50,000 by 2030, and currently there are 130,000 registered gas boiler installers of which half are willing to be upskilled. We need to delve further as regards the constraint here: how can we effectively retrain large numbers of gas boiler installers to handle heat pumps, and ideally, the much wider role to cover building assessment, heat system design, and then handle, the full heat pump installation. Is the ‘Bootcamp’ policy a solution here given the freedoms it provides?
The Heat Pump Wave: Opportunities and Challenges.
EC JRC Science for Policy Report, June 2023
Skills get a mention (Pages 42-43), capturing the scale of the challenge: the heat pump industry in Europe currently employs 320,000 people (the largest renewable energy sector) and this needs to rise to 500,000, or even higher - 750,000 if we include cooling. At these higher levels of employment, heat pump annual installation rates can increase from 2mn to 7mn. Suggests major competition for skilled installers across Europe which must impact the UK.
Heat pump rollout in France and the UK. A comparative analysis.
MCS Charitable Foundation, July 2023
A fascinating and informative study which reveals some of the key factors that allowed France to roll out heat pumps much faster than the UK. One piece of “luck” is the scale of the air-conditioning market, and today France is nearly self-sufficient in heat pumps (85% internally manufactured) employing 45,000 across the whole industry. We agree with the three prime skills recommendations: first, extend the Heat Training Grants from 2 to 5 years and target the creation of an installation workforce of 20,000; and second, the reform of all heat engineering college courses to include a compulsory low-carbon heating module; and third, drop gas boiler training from 2028. Perhaps the Autumn statement will give a boost to net zero, and in particular heat pump uptake, otherwise domestic emissions will not be reduced at the rate required to hit carbon budget targets.
A Policy Toolkit for Global Mass Heat Pump Deployment.
Regulatory Assistance Project, November 2022
An excellent document and a must for anyone developing a heat pump policy. It also provides useful materials and charts for anyone in education too for an introductory session on heat pumps.
Electrification of Heat Demonstration Project. Heat Pump Installations Statistics.
Energy Systems Catapult, September 2022 (update)
A great debunking report on heat pumps. This is a major demonstration project drawing data from 742 installations over a wide range of house types and locations. Yes, there are challenges, but they are manageable and can be overcome. What would be really helpful here is to hear from the contractors used by E.ON, OVO Energy, and Warmworks, and the skills issues raised by the project.
Hydrogen
European Clean Hydrogen Alliance. Second European Electrolyser Summit. State of Play on the Joint Declaration.
European Commission, June 2023
Shows the projection of dramatic growth for clean hydrogen from 3.1GW to 21GW in just 2-3 years to 2025 and the attempt being made for a balanced progression path across the whole supply chain. Annex 1 contains a useful listing of the leading companies involved. There must be major messages here for the various hydrogen clusters emerging in the UK and for their related supply chains (including skills). Both ECITB and Cogent are working to develop a UK Hydrogen Skills Framework and they could draw upon developments in Europe.
Hydrogen Forecast to 2050
DNV, 2022
A detailed and thorough consideration of the potential for hydrogen across multiple application areas. Very useful for those seeking to understand the commercial potential and technical limitations of hydrogen.
National Hydrogen Strategy
Government of Ireland, July 2023
Every country has a hydrogen strategy and this one backs up the core messages around hydrogen’s potential and applications. We generally follow Michael Liebreich’s line here of common sense and capital availability and returns will mean little of it will find its way into people’s homes.
Renewables
X-Change: Electricity. On track for net zero.
Rocky Mountain Institute, July 2023
Shows the march of renewables at exponential rates, and our key takeaway from this report is the learning rate being shown in solar and wind industries showing rapidly reduced costs of energy production, making it the generation source of choice on cost and net zero grounds. We wonder how much further costs could be reduced if the various constraints can be tackled and Governments work in a co-operative and aligned way.
Renewables 2023. Global Status Report Energy Demand, and Energy Supply.
REN21, 2023
A good couple of reports covering energy demand and energy supply provide some good benchmarking and comparative data by country. Really helps place the UK into context.
Retrofit
Transform and Renew. Making non-domestic buildings in the UK fit for a low carbon future.
Mace Group, June 2023
A succinct document with 12 asks for government, all of whish have a skills element attached. For anyone wanting to read about construction and its role in decarbonisation, this is a good one to read. Mace have done a service for the whole of the construction industry here.
The cost of poor housing in England by tenure. 2023 briefing paper: tenure-based analysis.
Building Research Establishment, June 2023
A report that puts much of the retrofit reports into context and provides details of the extremely poor quality of a large number of properties in England, needing basic work before they even get to retrofitting. Reading the report suggests to us that basic housing fabric improvement is an urgent first step (many others have come to the same conclusion ). Means the skills required for retrofitting need to accommodate a wider brief for many properties.
Getting (retro)fit for net zero: an approach for existing homes.
Association for Decentralised Energy, September 2020
A little dated given the volume of items being published on retrofitting, but this is a concise report and worth re-opening as it captures the messages that will be with us for the next 15 years.
Developing and delivering your decarbonisation strategy.
Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, Cabinet Office, Government Property Function and Energy Systems Catapult, 2023
These guides are always useful as they take us through a process and a series of steps behind which there are a matching set of tasks and skills. A document that can feed into larger scale decarbonisation programmes across the public estate.
Smart Meters
Update on the rollout of smart meters
National Audit Office, June 2023
Smart meters are a key part of managing and matching supply and demand of energy and, in time, potentially drawing energy from domestic dwellings. On paper the rollout of smart meters should be relatively simple but target after target has been missed. There must be some key learning points for other mass rollouts and in engaging the public and developing how they can best change how they choose to use energy. Some pilots show that the public do engage and are willing when they draw on centrally supplied energy.
Solar
Solar Taskforce – Terms of Reference
Renewable Electricity Team, Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, June 2023
This group is tasked with producing a roadmap (by the end of 2024) for the solar industry through to 2035. There are sub-groups and one focuses on skills: it would do well to look to Germany which is seeking to more than double its solar workforce by 2030 (86,500 to 206,000) and also the skills analyses undertaken by the USA Solar Energy Industries Association.
Wind
Greennovation meets skills anticipation: Policy lessons for making the green transition happen.
Wind Europe – presentation to a CEDEFOP workshop, June 2023
Two thinkg really strike us from this great update on wind across Europe: first, the scale of the industry, employing 300,000 people across 14 categories across the whole supply chain; and second, the huge bias to onshore wind in all major European countries except the UK. Is this an opportunity lost?. Skills are integral to the plan and the thinking of the industry and this is made clear. Has lessons for other renewable sectors.
Circular Economy
France’s anti-waste and circular economy law: eliminating waste and promoting social inclusion.
Ellen Macarthur Foundation, 2021
A useful case study and the application of the five universal circular economy policy goals. Reading the goals and the case study, it strikes us that they need to built into each and every education and training programme, and certainly every occupational standard.
Recycled Plastics in Infrastructure: Current Practices, Understanding, and Opportunities.
National Academies Science, Engineering and Medicine, 2023
A thorough and exhaustive piece of work which highlights the fast-growing world of recycling and the beginning of truly circular economy thinking. Reading this, we can see why the Chartered Institute for Wastes Management forecast huge growth in the numbers employed in recycling and re-purposing materials over the next 20-25 years.
Concrete
The 3C’s of Innovation in Low-Carbon Concrete. Clinker, cement, and concrete.
Rocky Mountain Institute, June 2023
Full of the usual high-quality charts and figures related to the development of low-carbon concrete. Highly accessible and a great input to anyone trying to road map development in the energy intensive sector, and seeking to understand the skills implications.
Electric Vehicles
Electrical Vehicle Charging: Strategies and Programs
National Academies for Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, 2023
Reports on a detailed survey across the USA of EV charging point delivery and options. Also draws on international insights. Useful in the parts that cover the barriers to the roll-out of EV charging points.
Electric Vehicle Innovation Landscape
Energy Systems Catapult, 2023
Breaks down the whole supply chain for EV charging infrastructure and lists out company details. Would be a good basis on which to assess the health and readiness of the sector, and to look at the skills elements these businesses already have, are developing, and will require going forward.
Manifesto 2030: Automotive growth for a zero-emission future.
Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, June 2023
In Pledge 3 (pages 9-10) we find “green skills for a greener future”, which presents alongside a series of core recommendations (mainly nationally directed) some of the employment numbers for the industry: 208,000 directly employed and 800,000 employed across the wider supply chain. So, over 1 million people needing to adjust their roles and skills over the next few years, alongside the potential growth of battery production. A major challenge for the UK skills system.
Electric Vehicle Outlook 2023
Bloomberg NEF, 2023
An excellent overview through to 2050 from a global perspective (there are some national/regional breakdowns) covering battery materials volume changes which might cause major supply challenges. A simple message: the momentum is building rapidly with EVs displacing ICE vehicles over the coming years creating major opportunities (and employment).
Charging and refuelling requirements of the heavy goods vehicle sector
Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, April 2023
While most of the attention for road transport is focused on cars and their charging networks, the commercial sector for heavy goods vehicles is critical. We find a mix of batteries and hydrogen and the supporting networks required to fuel them all playing their part. The skills impact and requirements aren’t delved into here. Best read alongside this piece of work from the Scottish Government.
Reading the Meter
Alliance for Automotive Innovation, June 2023
A useful source of information on the US auto sector and its transition to EVs. Does track employment but only at aggregate levels. Monitors major developments elsewhere in the world too.
Where the rubber hit the road. Reforming vehicle taxes.
Resolution Foundation Economy 2030 Inquiry, June 2023
Nothing on skills, but deals with the shift in how taxes are levied on road travel and how that might have an impact on the uptake of EVs. There needs to be a balance between boosting and encouraging the transition from ICE to EVs. It is important to keep this area under review over the next 5 years by which time we could be up to 5-8mn EVs in the UK.
Manufacturing
Decarbonisation through digitalisation. Manufacturing made smarter and greener through technology.
Made Smarter, 2023
While much of the net zero move by manufacturing focuses on the energy intensive sectors, within large parts of manufacturing the Industrial Internet of Things, additive manufacturing, 3D printing, automation, robotics, augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality also have major contributions to make. These technologies are also key parts of the move to a sustainable economy and feature in the making of many low energy products, like EVs, batteries and heat pumps.
Nature
Nature 2030. Five urgent reforms to meet natural environment targets in the next Parliament.
Wildlife and Countryside, July 2023
On p26 we see the a few words on employment and its potential in nature restoration, regenerative farming and sustainable forestry. Skills shortages are already well documented as regards how to manage floodplain meadows, and the specialist ecology knowledge and skills. Just looking at woodland creation, peatland restoration, and urban green infrastructure, we see the potential for 16,000 jobs, and we can add to this hedgerow management which could create an additional 25,000. Nature generally gets underplayed and so it good to see the Green Jobs Delivery Group have a piece of work being undertaken here and which should show the full potential skills and employment demand we can expect over the next 5-10 years.
Steel
15 Insights on the Global Steel Transformation
Agora Industry and Wuppertal Institut, June 2023
Can the steel industry can transform into a truly green steel industry by 2040. The simple answer is yes, given the right financial and policy support. This reports charts the path and looks at the challenges, each of which have skills implications.