Special Public Seminar - Challenges of Energy Transition

Speaker: Dr Jon Salkeld

Ten years ago the Paris COP conference heralded an exceptional meeting of minds to tackle climate change, backed by science, and soon embraced by industry. Much has been achieved, particularly in electrification through the explosive growth of renewables & EVs. However, the optimism that hit a high water mark perhaps 5 years ago, risks stalling in much of the world as the reality of displacing and decarbonising 600 exajoules per annum becomes clear. The reasons lie in the complex intersection of, inter alia, technology, investment economics, policy, human behaviour and geopolitics. It also reflects society’s wider drift from science based consensus, to tribal polarisation played out for social media. How might we recover momentum, and what can we learn from sectors and countries which are succeeding? What does this mean for companies operating in the energy transition, and how might academia play its part?

Jon has recently left bp, where since 2014 he was at the heart of their transition activities; founding their EV charging business, leading their global academic relationships, and running their external advisory committee for technology. This builds on a career in disruptive business & technology innovation at QinetiQ, ICI and Schlumberger. He will offer a personal perspective based on the highs, lows and learning from a decade at the frontline of humanity’s greatest challenge.

This talk is part of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Flows (IEEF) series.