Summary
This systematic review of the innovation literature on negative emissions technologies reveals a substantial imbalance in research effort, with 59% of articles focused on early-stage R&D and 83% emphasising supply-side over demand-side considerations. The analysis highlights critical gaps in understanding user heterogeneity, policy risk management, and public acceptance—factors essential for successful technology diffusion—whilst integrated assessment models suggest the major deployment window is 2030–2050, creating an urgent but underappreciated challenge for NET adoption at scale.
UK applicability
The UK's Net Zero commitments and reliance on NETs in decarbonisation scenarios necessitate urgent attention to the demand-side and deployment barriers identified in this review. The findings suggest UK policy and industry should prioritise innovation in public engagement, business model development, and regulatory frameworks for NETs, particularly BECCS, rather than concentrating solely on technical R&D.
Key measures
Proportion of literature focused on each innovation stage (R&D, demonstrations, scale-up, demand-side activities); supply-side vs. demand-side emphasis (83% vs. 17%); technology type distribution; timeline for deployment scenarios in integrated assessment models
Outcomes reported
The study assessed the literature on innovation and upscaling for negative emissions technologies (NETs) using systematic literature coding across innovation process stages. It quantified the distribution of research effort across R&D, demonstrations, scale-up, demand-pull, niche markets, and public acceptance phases.
Topic tags
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