Professor Rosenow leads £1mn electrification research programme

Professor Jan Rosenow, Jackson Senior Research Fellow at Oriel College, is leading a new £1 million research programme aimed at accelerating the transition to clean energy.

The Oxford Martin Electrification Accelerator, funded by the Oxford Martin School, will examine how policy and regulation can speed up the electrification of homes, transport and industry.

Rosenow said electrification was “not moving fast enough”, despite progress in decarbonising electricity generation.

“We know the constraint is not primarily technological,” he added. “It is institutional and political.”

The programme aims to build an evidence base and policy network to inform decisions by governments and other organisations on the transition to greater electrification.

Turkey and Australia, hosts of the next United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP31, are calling on world leaders to commit to increasing electrification to 35 per cent of global final energy demand by 2035.

Electrification has remained at about 20 per cent in the US and EU for more than a decade, while China has reached 30 per cent.

Professor Rosenow and his team will track electrification across major economies and analyse the policies and regulatory frameworks that accelerate or hinder progress.

They will also produce an annual State of Electrification Report, contribute to the Oxford Climate Policy Monitor and convene an annual Electrification Incubator conference for senior policymakers and industry leaders.

The Oxford Martin Electrification Accelerator is one of four £1 million research programmes announced by the Oxford Martin School at the University of Oxford in October 2026. The other three programmes will focus on hydrogen production, antifungals and immune ageing.

Rosenow said the programme strengthens Oriel’s status as a centre for cutting-edge energy research.