Accelerating the deployment of clean flexible power technologies, including long term energy storage, hydrogen power and demand side flexibility will reduce the amount of back up unabated gas power in a strategic reserve, needed to balance a renewables based grid.

Cutting the amount of gas back up needed would mean a smaller strategic reserve necessary to keep the lights on. This can lower government costs, making the clean power mission easier to achieve.

The government should immediately establish a ‘clean flexible power task force’, modelled on the highly successful Covid-19 vaccine task force, under Chris Stark’s Mission Control, with a senior minister responsible for delivery.