Representatives from the United Kingdom and California signed a new agreement in London, building on decades of cooperation on climate and clean energy.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by UK Energy Secretary Ed Miliband and California Governor Gavin Newsom deepens decades of cooperation between the UK and California.
Create a modern framework to drive innovation, scale up clean energy technologies, and connect businesses and researchers in both economies.
Ed Miliband said: “This government’s clean energy mission is to take back control of our energy, lower our electricity bills, create jobs and tackle the climate crisis.
“Strong international partnerships, like today’s announcement with California, strengthen opportunities for British businesses and secure investment in our country.”
Build strong links between the UK and California
The agreement will link the UK’s burgeoning clean energy sector with the California market, opening up new export opportunities and supporting skilled jobs across the UK.
Additionally, companies like Octopus Energy are already on the West Coast, helping UK businesses compete and grow.
The partnership will see the two governments share practical expertise in protecting biodiversity and building community resilience in the face of extreme weather events. This will help protect housing, public services and local economies from the climate crisis.
It also pledges to strengthen UK-California cooperation on clean energy, climate and environment to reduce household bills, reduce exposure to volatile fossil fuel markets and accelerate the deployment of technologies that protect the natural environment.
This builds on other memoranda of understanding signed by the UK that focus on economic cooperation with 11 other US states, including Washington and Florida.
Current state of clean energy markets in the UK and California
The clean energy markets in the UK and California are growing rapidly, with the UK’s net-zero economy expected to expand three times faster than the UK economy as a whole by 2024, according to the CBI.
Meanwhile, California has experienced similarly rapid clean economy growth, creating three times as many clean energy jobs as the rest of the state.
The UK and California share similarly ambitious energy and climate goals and have a history of cooperating on policy in this area.
“California is the best place to invest in a clean economy in America because we set clear goals and we deliver on them,” Gavin Newsom explained.
“Today, we deepened our partnership with the UK on climate action and welcomed nearly $1 billion in clean technology investment from Octopus Energy.”
Growth opportunities for UK companies
Businesses are backing the deal, which highlights the huge growth opportunity for British companies to expand into the US market.
Nick Chessett, CEO of Octopus Energy US, said: “As a UK technology company and investor growing in the US, this memorandum opens the opportunity for us to bring our smart technology to California, reducing energy bills and improving the customer experience.”
“We’re already doing that through our collaboration with Southern California Edison, and the Octopus Shift app will help EVs and home batteries support the grid, giving customers more control over how and when they use their energy.
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