THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

Powering Change: Technologies fuelling the future

The need to rapidly accelerate the transition to cleaner energy is now more important than ever.

A much greater focus on cleaner energy is imperative to achieve the goal of reducing carbon emissions, and the business community plays a critical role in facilitating this transition.

Now in its fourth edition, our Powering Change report clearly demonstrates the extent to which corporates understand this and are committed to playing their part. Based on a survey of more than 2,000 senior executives and managers involved in energy decision-making we explore the technologies they are currently investing in, where they think the best future opportunities are – in terms of both new technologies and geographies, and where they expect the funding to come from.

Key findings

  • Pressure to cut emissions is being driven from within companies. Three quarters of senior business leaders state that pressure to invest in renewable energy from their own corporate boards was either "extreme" or "significant" exceeding the perceived pressure from customers, regulators and even NGOs.
  • Nearly two thirds of senior business leaders expect their organisation's investment to flow away from traditional fuels and towards renewable energy at an accelerated pace over the next 12 months.
  • Solar energy is the most popular investment technology, targeted by nearly three-quarters of respondents.
  • Emerging technologies are set to grow in appeal, with green fuels the most favoured.
  • The investor base is diversifying, with a wide range of investors looking to enter the energy transition market as their understanding of it grows, and the risks and opportunities become better known.
  • The top four barriers to investment were identified as, lack of raw materials, manufacturing capacity, regulation, and skills shortages.
  • Legal disputes are set to rise. More than two thirds of respondents expect increased legal disputes related to the energy transition.

Powering Change: Technologies fuelling the future

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