Climate Action 2017-2018

INNOVATION
MISSION
INNOVATION:
ACCELERATING
THE TRANSITION TO
A CLEAN ENERGY
ECONOMY
Patrick Child, Deputy Director-
General – DG Research & Innovation,
European Commission, and Mission
Innovation Steering Committee Chair
Remarkable strides have been
made over recent years in driving
down the costs of clean energy
technologies. From onshore wind power
to solar energy, from electric car batteries
to LED lighting, costs have plunged
dramatically across the board. These
successes are testament to the power of
innovation. By coupling sustained public
investment in research and development
with business leadership, fledgling ideas
are brought into the mainstream. Despite
these successes, many promising clean
energy solutions are not yet market-ready
and capable of competing with fossilfuel-based
energy. In brief, the pace of
innovation falls significantly short from what
is required, considering the scale of energy
system transformation needed.
Mission Innovation aims to reinvigorate
global efforts in this regard. Launched at
COP21 in Paris in November 2015, it is a
global initiative of 22 countries and the
European Commission (acting on behalf
of its member states). Member countries
collectively account for more than 80 per
cent of the world’s total public financing of
clean energy research and development.
By joining Mission Innovation, member
countries recognise a critical reality:
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