The UK Energy Research Centre held its Annual Assembly in May, its first in the new 2024–2029 Phase.
In a keynote speech on the second day, UKERC welcomed Paul Monks, Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero.
In the kyenote, Monks called for faster deployment of existing solutions and warned against technocratic approaches that overlook social and economic dimensions. He stressed the need for mission-led innovation, a more diverse fuel system, and improved resource efficiency, reminding the audience that “the cleanest energy is the energy you don’t produce.” Touching on various topics from hydrogen and synthetic fuels to AI and carbon removal, Monks concluded by urging systems thinkers to avoid both oversimplification and paralysis by complexity.
The accompanying slides have some small omissions compared the those presented on the day.