Innovation needs for 2 degrees

There is broad consensus that the mean temperature rise caused by anthropogenic greenhouse emissions must be kept below 2 ⁰C from pre-industrial levels to avoid dangerous levels of climate change. Good progress has been made in reducing emissions associated with electrical power production, and the Paris Climate Change Agreement has been a political breakthrough. However, we are not making enough progress in other sectors, such as construction materials, heat and transport. Analysis from the Energy Transitions Commission indicates that new technologies will be required for these hard-to-abate sectors.

Dr Robert Trezona is an investor in clean technology start-ups and a member of the Energy Technology Commission. In this talk he will detail these innovation needs and the potential for directed research to create new technologies that could be scaled via entrepreneurial companies.

This event is free and open to ANU staff and students, policymakers, industry, consultants, NGOs and the general public.   A light lunch will be provided.   Registration is essential.    This event is hosted by Innovation ANU and the ANU Climate Change Institute.  

About the speaker

Robert Trezona leads the Cleantech portfolio at IP Group. After joining the company in 2011, he built an investment team focusing on clean energy and sustainable technologies, and this has become one of the leading investors in that sector in the UK. His team’s focus is on backing companies based on world class science that have scalable solutions for climate change and other environmental issues. Robert has served on the boards of 16 portfolio companies over his 8 years at IP Group, and his current boards are on Ceres Power, First Light Fusion, Spinetic Energy and RFC Power.

Prior to IP Group, Robert was Head of Research and Development at the Carbon Trust, a UK government agency set up to support businesses in the transition to a low carbon economy. He set up their Research Accelerator, which invested in and supported cleantech start-ups in areas of strategic interest to the UK government. He has also worked as a strategy consultant with McKinsey & Company and as a scientist carrying out research in universities (Cambridge and Imperial) and within cleantech start-ups, where he focused on novel materials for fuel cells. Robert has a Masters and PhD in materials science from the University of Cambridge, where he graduated top of his class.

In addition to his work at IP Group, Robert serves as a Commissioner for the Energy Transitions Commission, a global group of leaders from industry, finance and public life who are working to accelerate the transition to zero-carbon energy, industry and transport. As the venture capitalist in the group, Robert brings knowledge of new technologies from start-ups to the Commissions’ work. Robert is also a member of the UK Government Green Finance Taskforce and advises Ministers and other stakeholders on the development of a thriving green finance industry in the UK.