Challenge Area: Materials for the Energy Transition

In May 2019 the UK Government became the first global economy to set a net-zero emissions target for 2050, upgrading the previous target of delivering an 80% cut in emissions. The move followed the publication of the Committee on Climate Change’s (CCC) ‘Net-Zero’ report

In response, the Henry Royce Institute (Royce) for advanced materials, in collaboration with the Institute of Physics (IOP), has convened the academic and industrial materials research communities to explore the increasingly critical role of novel materials and processes to deliver affordable, reliable and above all, green energy. The output is a series of detailed technology roadmaps that set out how UK materials science can contribute to the UK’s low carbon energy transition in the following areas:

• Materials for Photovoltaic Systems
• Materials for Low-Carbon Production of Hydrogen and Related Energy Carriers and Chemical Feedstocks
• Thermoelectric Energy Conversion Materials
• Caloric Energy Conversion Materials
• Materials for Low Loss Electronics

From March 2020 through to June 2020, the materials community convened through workshops, community-led activities. Using a robust roadmapping methodology developed by the Institute for Manufacturing five technology roadmaps have been produced, setting out where materials research can make a significant impact on greenhouse gas emissions.

In June 2020, the Materials for the Energy Transition Steering Group led a Roadmap Webinar to update the materials community, policymakers and research councils on the initiative. The event was opened by Baroness Brown of Cambridge with keynote presentations from internationally renowned materials experts and presentations on the five roadmap areas from the Technical Leads.