The Grantham Institute’s Clean Power Programme is a Professional Certificate Programme about the global transition to a low-carbon energy system.

The Clean Power Programme, developed by the Grantham Institute – Climate Change and the Environment and the Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), consists of three Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) that are accessible from anywhere in the world and available for free on EdX. Those who complete the courses, can pay a small fee to receive a Professional Certificate.

The cost of renewable energy continues to plummet at this pivotal time for action. This course helps participants from all over the world understand the range of benefits, at a local level, that renewable energy brings – from health to energy security. Alyssa Gilbert Director of Policy and Translation at the Grantham Institute

As clean energy demand soars and costs decline, change in this space is fast-paced. As such, experts from Imperial have improved the course materials and updated them with the latest research and new country case studies on Brazil, Indonesia and the UK.

Since the courses were first launched in 2018, over 25,000 students from 170 countries have engaged with the programme; some with no former knowledge on the subject, others actively working on the clean energy transition.

Taught by current and former Imperial academics, including Professor Joanna Haigh, Dr Kris Murray, Professor Richard Green, Dr Ajay Gambhir, Dr Jeffrey Hardy and Dr Clementine Chambon, the courses focus on why the world urgently needs to shift to a cleaner power sector, how policy and regulation can create a ‘pro-renewables’ environment, and how to incorporate renewable energy into electricity grids. Each course takes approximately 2-5 hours per week, spread over 5-6 weeks.

Reaching net-zero and the benefits of clean power

There are many advantages to clean power; not only does it help us address the climate crisis, but it is also cheaper, healthier and will help grow the global economy.

"The latest round of international climate change negotiations in Glasgow in November 2021 saw countries sign up to long term net-zero emissions targets alongside the Glasgow Pact,” says Alyssa Gilbert, Director of Policy and Translation at the Grantham Institute (pictured). “To reach net zero, countries will need to reduce carbon intensity across all their sectors, and power is most easily addressed with renewable energy. The cost of renewable energy continues to plummet at this pivotal time for action. This course helps participants from all over the world understand the range of benefits, at a local level, that renewable energy brings – from health to energy security."

"Our course includes a catalogue of case studies to inspire new thinking and help people make progress towards the clean power revolution. It also provides impetus for reflection to help students take the steps required to deliver a low-carbon future in their own countries."

Developing clean power action plans across the globe

Course participants learn how to develop clean power action plans that are relevant to their local context, and will help accelerate the shift towards a global low-carbon energy system.

“We are hoping that edX’s Professional Certification will be the new accreditation standard for decision-makers and leaders working on clean energy in government, civil society, policy and business,” says Richard Green, Professor of Sustainable Energy Business at Imperial College Business School. "The platform’s discussion boards offer opportunities for participants to connect in an actively engaged global community, seek advice on overcoming barriers that stand in the way of progress, and share insights and success stories from their regions."

The Clean Power Programme is part of the edX online platform, which has nine million registered students and runs more than 900 online courses. Several leading figures in the climate and environment sphere feature in the course, including Christiana Figueres, Former Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, and Dr Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency. 

The Clean Power Hub

Industrialised countries with higher historic greenhouse gas emissions, such as the UK, have a responsibility to support the clean energy transition in low and middle-income countries, who have lower historic emissions and are highly dependent on the dirtiest fossil fuel - coal.

Since these courses first launched in 2018, CIFF has launched the Clean Power Hub, a knowledge hub to provide technical assistance in major emerging economies, to help them transition their power sectors to clean energy.

As part of the Clean Power Hub, Imperial, with funding from CIFF, have produced two interactive courses in partnership with the Confederation of Indian Industry, WWF India and Institut Teknologi Bandung (ITB). The courses, Corporate Procurement of Renewables in Indonesia and Corporate Procurement of Renewables in India, are both available on the Clean Power Hub. Applications will open later this year, with details about how to apply published on the course pages.

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Text written by Amina Jahan Ali