Carbon Trust highlights need for Climate Innovation Centres

A global network of Climate Innovation Centres is required to meet the local clean tech requirements of developing countries more effectively and to address the failure of existing technology transfer arrangements from the developed world.

These are the findings of a joint paper written by researchers at the UK’s Carbon Trust and the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi. The report, which builds on earlier work, was published in the November issue of Natural Resources Forum: A United Nations Sustainable Development Journal.

The proposal to build a network of centres in developing countries to undertake research, product development, testing and adaptation for local markets was introduced into the UN climate change discussions in Copenhagen by the Indian government.

It suggested that an initial investment of $2.5bn (£1.5bn) over five years would be enough to fund five regional centres and potentially exploit up to $25bn in related private sector resources.

The problem with traditional technology transfer deals is that many developing countries lack the necessary skills and capital to reproduce such technology effectively, according to Cath Bremner, head of international development at the Carbon Trust and a co-author of the paper.

“These centres need to do more than just R&D," she said. "They need to help create enterprise at a local level. They will also encourage both private and public sector partnerships to accelerate the development and deployment of climate-friendly technologies.”

The idea is that the centres would stimulate collaboration between different countries to support companies with new low-carbon offerings in ensuring that they meet local needs.

Examples of proposed technologies include cleaner cooking stoves in India and the deployment of solar panels in Saharan Africa. Interest-free loans could also be provided to speed up the deployment of energy-efficient light bulbs, create drought-resistant crops or demonstrate the potential of electric cars.

But lead author Ambuj Sagar from the Indian Institute of Technology also believes that collaboration between centres could accelerate the development of technology that has more global applications. For example, scientists in Cambridge, who are undertaking research into algae-based biofuels, could benefit from working with researchers in Brazil as the country’s weather conditions would make it an ideal test bed.