Oh wow, what a way to drop the ball. Not that there’s anything wrong with the portfolio GBE is given but the branding and the promises don’t add up.
1) just call it an innovation support fund or something. UK Energy Innovation Fund would talk about what it’s doing much better than the current name
2) a different vehicle should be set up to help people where they are now, regardless if they need help insulating their home or need an upgraded power line so they can get an EV or an induction stove
3) both 1 and 2 should have an explicit mandate to try to crowd in private investment so the money goes further
I guess ultimately it ends up just showing how the government is (wrongly) thinking about climate change and energy and how they might still think it’s about new technology rather than just rapidly implementing technology that’s well known at this point. That might have a lot to do with spending too much time around clever people at fancy universities whose job it is to push the envelope on technology regardless of practicality - the practical people are those in the trades after all.
It’s also worth pointing out that even if the world is rapidly electrifying and the destination and direction is clear, the speed is not and choosing a slower road with more technical risk (as happens here) ultimately just puts the UK in the slow lane as companies choose where to invest and people can’t spend money on new goods and services because their power bill is too expensive.
Oh wow, what a way to drop the ball. Not that there’s anything wrong with the portfolio GBE is given but the branding and the promises don’t add up.
1) just call it an innovation support fund or something. UK Energy Innovation Fund would talk about what it’s doing much better than the current name
2) a different vehicle should be set up to help people where they are now, regardless if they need help insulating their home or need an upgraded power line so they can get an EV or an induction stove
3) both 1 and 2 should have an explicit mandate to try to crowd in private investment so the money goes further
I guess ultimately it ends up just showing how the government is (wrongly) thinking about climate change and energy and how they might still think it’s about new technology rather than just rapidly implementing technology that’s well known at this point. That might have a lot to do with spending too much time around clever people at fancy universities whose job it is to push the envelope on technology regardless of practicality - the practical people are those in the trades after all.
It’s also worth pointing out that even if the world is rapidly electrifying and the destination and direction is clear, the speed is not and choosing a slower road with more technical risk (as happens here) ultimately just puts the UK in the slow lane as companies choose where to invest and people can’t spend money on new goods and services because their power bill is too expensive.