In this episode of the Energy Transitions podcast, Dr Sama Bilbao y Leon, Director-General of the World Nuclear Association, delves into how the sector is implementing the lessons learned over past decades to become more cost and energy-efficient. She also explains why she believes nuclear power is critical to providing energy security and resilience in our energy system. In this episode you will gain insights into: The nuclear projects coming online around the world, including China, UAE and Bangladesh.Why nuclear power is critical for decarbonising industry, heating and cooling.New reactor technologies and why old-school, big builds are still needed.How innovation, digitalisation and AI are making nuclear power plants more cost-effective and efficient.How the nuclear power sector is embracing circular economy.The Net Zero Nuclear initiative and its role in ushering in the next generation of nuclear power through supporting policy and supply chain growth.What the sector is doing to increase diversity, as well as attract and retain women. This episode is brought to you in partnership with the World Energy Council leading up to the 26th World Energy Congress in Rotterdam, 22-25 April 2024.Register to be a part of the conversation

Rotterdam, a Dutch city with one of the biggest ports in the world, is notorious for its polluting industry. In fact, the city's harbour is responsible for 20% of all emissions in the Netherlands and has more work to do than most cities to achieve climate neutrality. However, there is hope on this emissions-heavy horizon, according to Rotterdam Vice Mayor, Chantal Zeegers. In this episode of the Energy Transitions podcast, Zeegers, who considers herself a proud 'Rotterdammer', spoke to Pamela Largue about how this city is becoming a trendsetter in terms of implementing net-zero strategies. Zeegers shares the positive progress being made across Rotterdam industry and society and answers the following questions: How is Rotterdam balancing industrial growth with achieving energy transition?How is the city ensuring its citizens participate in and profit from the sustainability agenda?What policies are being employed to achieve deep decarbonisation?How is the national government collaborating with industry for green operations?Which clean energy technologies, resources and projects are making the biggest impact in Rotterdam?How are strong "conviction and cooperation" turning this city from an underdog into a trendsetter of energy transition in the Netherlands and Europe? Rotterdam is the host city for the World Energy Congress taking place from 22-25 April 2024. According to Zeegers, the city is well suited to such an event as it showcases innovative solutions to all aspects of the energy transition and the impacts of climate change. Register to be a part of the conversation

Addressing the energy trilemma of security, affordability and sustainability, while ensuring a healthy planet and better life for its inhabitants, will require more than good leadership. It will require great leadership and collaboration, which we have never seen before. In this episode of the Energy Transitions podcast, Dr Angela Wilkinson, Secretary General and CEO of the World Energy Council, maps a divergent, uncomfortable but critical path to great leadership in energy and beyond. Dr Angela Wilkinson shares her multi-dimensional and people-centred insights by answering the following questions about leadership in energy: How does the leadership in the energy transition differ from traditional leadership qualities?What are the differences between good leadership and great leadership?Why is it important to recognize emerging leaders who may not be well-known or celebrated in the energy transition space?How can leadership qualities in the public, private, and civic sectors be blended to drive effective energy transitions?What does it mean to have a "communal cookery kitchen" approach to leadership?How can the energy transition be redesigned for people and the planet?How does the people-centric approach to energy transition align with the goal of engaging a wider and more diverse pool of leaders and participants?Why is it important to include future generations in the dialogue and decision-making processes surrounding energy transitions?What role does emotional intelligence play in effective leadership?How can the energy transition movement promote collaboration and diverse perspectives to drive meaningful change? This episode is brought to you in partnership with the World Energy Council leading up to the 26th World Energy Congress in Rotterdam, 22-25 April 2024. Register to be a part of the conversation

A just transition to decarbonisation is more than merely an abstract concept. It’s a complex issue based on human rights and if ignored will result in real world consequences for vulnerable people and species.In fact, many scholars refer to this as a ‘wicked problem’ – a problem that is incredibly difficult to solve because of the very complex and often undefined nature of it. In this episode of the Energy Transitions podcast, Susie Ho, Director of the Monash Innovation Guarantee, Monash University and Gerry Nagtzaam, Associate Professor at Monash University, unpack what it means to achieve a just transition to decarbonisation. They elaborate on the different groups that will be most impacted by climate change and the critical importance of agreed definitions to achieve policy cohesion and ensure no one is left behind. They describe the concept of climate justice and its various forms, with Ho explaining that there are many different forms of justice, such as inter generational justice, something the youth are championing. “Today’s youth are going to see more severe climate impacts than any generation before and as custodians of the future what is our responsibility to them not only in terms of protecting earths life support systems and their health and wellbeing but also in terms of preparing them to lead through this change.” Added Nagtzaam: “When we have this debate we often characterise it as we did with sustainable development, as a human problem, but it isn’t. There are myriad other species on the planet that climate change is going to affect as well.” Both Ho and Nagtzaam also speak to the recent big issue at COPs being loss and damage, with Ho highlighting that while a great deal of funding has been mobilised, “the money that’s been pledged so far is several magnitudes short of where we should be”. Susie Ho and Gerry Nagtzaam have coauthored a book with Diane Kraal, Katie O'Bryan and Jadranka Petrovic titled: A Just Transition to Decarbonisation: Themes of Loss and Damage, Transport, Nature and Youth. This Palgrave Macmillan title tackles the challenge of a just transition to decarbonisation based around four UN COP themes.

A minimum of controls and a maximum of simplicity used to be the defining characteristics of wind turbines. However, over the past few decades, turbines have become highly sophisticated and are now the world’s biggest rotating machines. In this episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast, Pamela Largue speaks to two pioneers of the wind industry. Referred to as the Godfathers of wind, Denmark’s Henrik Stiesdal and Britain’s Andrew Garrad, winners of the 2024 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, describe how turbines have advanced over the years. From building turbines in their parent’s fields in the 70’s, these two stalwarts have been on the boundary of what is possible, contributing to and witnessing wind turbines become an important contributor to the electricity supply and having a greater impact on the grid. “Gradually, as the turbines got bigger and bigger, they also became more and more complicated…going from something like a tractor in the early 80’s to more like a giant helicopter now,” explained Garrad. The old turbines were heavier, whereas now they are lighter and smarter with enhanced controls, said Stiesdal. “They did not become more complicated just because engineers like to make them like that…they got more complicated partly because we needed them to change their behaviour,” he added. Stiesdal and Garrad explain why bigger isn’t always better and why the industry now needs to focus on increasing efficiency and reliability rather than size. They also discuss why floating offshore wind will provide the next quantum leap in wind turbine technology.

The cleantech investment space is an ever-evolving and complex ecosystem, with increasing pressure to innovate and an increasing need for investment to bring new technology to fruition. And while there have been some big investments over the past decade, a liquidity crunch, rising interest rates and geopolitical tumult are making the cleantech investment landscape tricky to navigate. In this episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast, Joseph Jacobelli, managing partner of Bougie Impact Capital and host of The Asia Climate Capital Podcast, delves into identifying and mitigating the risks impacting the cleantech investment space. Jacobelli unpacks the importance of policy and government support in fostering investor confidence and explains why China continues to dominate the space. He also answers the question about which technologies are gaining the most attention from investors and why. "What make investors most comfortable are those technologies with a long track record...and whose levelised cost of energy per unit of electricity produced is falling relatively quickly..."

Home to one of the most diverse marine energy testing facilities in the world, the Orkney Islands are a picture of natural beauty, as well as green energy innovation. The European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) began testing technology in 2004 and since then, the Centre and the industry have developed in leaps and bounds. In this episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast, Pamela Largue speaks to Neil Kermode, Managing Director of the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC), about the origins of tidal and wave energy and how EMEC has played a role in the development of the marine energy sector. "People realised the best way to try and bring an industry forward is to have a test centre where you can get ideas out of the lab or out of the bathtub and get them to into saltwater..." In the 20 years that the test centre has been functioning, 35 different types of technology from 22 different developers across 11 countries have graced the waters around Orkney. The centre has seen a great deal of progress. One of the first milestones saw the world's first floating deepwater offshore wave machine generate power into a national grid. EMEC has also been making hydrogen from power generated by an Orbital Marine turbine and is generating synthetic fuels using air-captured carbon, something that holds great promise for aviation. Listen to this episode to hear what's next for tidal and wave energy.

The energy sector is facing multiple challenges that require innovation that goes beyond technology. From energy security to economic turbulence and a changing energy mix, it has been a bumpy road for the energy industry in the past few years. In this episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast, Pamela Largue spoke to Claudia Blanco of GE Vernova about the role of policy, technology and specifically leadership in solving these challenges now and for future generations. During the conversation, that took place at Enlit Europe 2023 in Paris, Blanco speaks passionately about the progress that has been made so far, for example in terms of making gas plants hydrogen-ready. However, she also addresses the fact that there is a significant skills gap and that she believes that there is a lot to be done to make the industry more attractive.

Fusion energy has moved from the realm of science to being an energy force with tangible benefits to society. In this episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast, Pamela Largue speaks to Christopher Mowry, CEO of Type One Energy and Chair of the Fusion Industry Association, about why he believes fusion is finally ready to take its place in the energy mix and why the power source is the ‘vaccine of climate change’. “It causes me to consider how the world mobilised to develop a vaccine against Covid and when the chips were down, government worked with private sector and academia to produce in one year, something that usually takes a decade.” Mowry explains that the technology exists, but as with the Covid response, we now need the social mobilisation and acknowledgement to really drive fusion acceptance and deployment. “Theres no practical way to achieve net zero globally in the energy space without fusion being part of the future energy mix,” stated Mowry. Despite the technological maturity, Mowry explains there are still policy and supply chain developments needed to make fusion a reality. However, he is optimistic that the first pilot fusion power plant under contract will be finalised by the end of this decade, putting fusion electrons on the power grid by the mid 2030s.

In this episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast, Pamela Largue speaks to Jeff Earl, Director of Business Development at Sapphire Technologies, about the latest innovative turboexpander technology and the promise it holds for the decarbonisation journey. Unpacking the latest trends, Earl talks about turboexpanders, a specific kind of power generating equipment that converts pressure energy into electricity through an inlet and outlet. Unlike combustion turbines, this technology has no ignition, which means there are no CO2, NOx or SOx emissions. Earl explains that this power generation equipment is not only carbon friendly, but that the levelized cost of electricity generated is also competitive contributing to a strong business case. This episode is brought to you by Sapphire Technologies; which develops, manufactures, and sells energy recovery systems for hydrogen and natural gas industrial applications.

In this episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast, we hear from industry experts at Nokia, Dominique Verhulst, Global Head of Utilities, and Hansen Chan, IP Networks Product Marketing, about how IEC 61850 is revolutionizing the utility industry. Many utilities are integrating utility-scale and residential distributed energy resources (DERs) into their electric grids at an unprecedented pace. Meanwhile, the time-division multiplexing (TDM) technology they use for communications in intelligent electronic devices (IEDs) such as relays and remote terminal units (RTUs) approaching end-of-life. In response to these changes, more and more utilities are turning to IEC 61850 to introduce automation and digitalisation to their electric grids. This episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast is brought to you by Nokia, a multinational B2B technology innovation leader in networking, powered by the research and innovation of Nokia Bell Labs, providing leading end-to-end grid communications and analytics solutions to meet the unique mission-critical needs of power and water utilities and renewable energy.

In this episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast, Pamela Largue had a candid conversation with Javier Cavada, President and CEO of Mitsubishi Power EMEA, about why speed and scale must be the focus points of our decarbonisation mission.  Cavada spoke to the progress being made in achieving greener power generation, making it clear that all, rather than a select few technologies will help us achieve our energy transition goals. He emphasised that renewable energy is disrupting our energy system, but that this disruption can be managed by making incremental changes, changes that must be driven by unified action. Without unity, stressed Cavada, we can not meet our net zero goals.  “The amount of change is to be massive… change of the patterns of behaviour of the society, and to do that we need to change politics… this is something individual countries, cities, companies can not do by themselves…" Listen to the full episode to learn more about Javier Cavada's view on how to shift from a hydrocarbon-heavy energy system while maximising existing assets, and how the war in Ukraine has emphasised energy sovereignty and impacted decarbonisation. Also, Cavada shares his book recommendations, which may surprise you.   Javier Cavada will be speaking at Enlit Europe taking place in Paris, 28-30 Nov, where he will be discussing Europe’s gas and hydrogen strategies to achieve energy transition.

In this episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast, Yusuf Latief speaks to Bernard Salha, CTO of EDF Group, to unpack nuclear’s role in the energy mix, grid optimisation and the importance of digitalisation and AI to secure the future of the sector. While all eyes are on renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, nuclear’s role in the energy mix is evolving quickly. And even though there seems little doubt about the role of nuclear power as a source of clean power and flexible capacity, the evolving and increasingly complex energy system means digitalisation will become critical to ensuring nuclear capacity is maximised. “We have to take into account that this global system is going to be more complex, more decentralised with several actors, and that the stability is going to need to have all these actors, all these different players working together. In that respect, digital systems for grid management are absolutely necessary.” Bernard Salha Listen to this episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast to hear from Salha about the role of nuclear power, its integration with the power grid, as well as the new technologies making decentralised systems a reality. Don't miss out on a special discount for our Energy Transitions Podcast listeners: To receive your 25% discount on an Enlit Europe Summit delegate pass, visit www.enlit-europe.com/registerpod and enter the podcast discount code provided in this episode on the payment page. We look forward to seeing you in Paris.

In this episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast, we hear from Leon Laing, Manager: Planning and Customer Services at the Drakenstein Municipality in the Western Cape, South Africa on how the SF6-free transition is revolutionising how they manage and operate their power distribution system. While South Africa is not yet regulating the shift to SF6 free switchgear, Laing is pre-empting this inevitable step and ensuring his municipal district is not only ahead of the curve, but setting the standard for sustainability. Leon is responsible for the municipality’s electric planning and design where forward-thinking for assets of this cost and nature is critical. This forward-thinking has led to the Drakenstein Municipality being the first in Africa to install and operate Schneider Electric’s RM AirSeT switchgear with pure air technology and digital connectivity. Read more:First African SF6-free switchgear installed in South Africa This episode is brought to you by Schneider Electric, a French multinational company specialising in digital automation and energy management. It addresses homes, buildings, data centers, infrastructure, and industries, by combining energy technologies, real-time automation, software, and services.

In this episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast, we are joined by Jeroen van Hoof, Global Energy Utilities & Resources leader in PwC and Vice Chair of the 2024 World Energy Congress, to explore the complexities of energy transition. Van Hoof emphasises the human elements at the heart of our shift to net zero. Understanding how a new energy system will impact people’s daily lives, promoting energy literacy, as well as encouraging buy in and commitment from people, not only governments and corporations, are critical elements of a successful transition. This transition is a complex balancing act between many moving parts, according to van Hoof, and a marshalled, collective effort will be necessary to bring it all together. “Managing energy transitions is as complicated as upgrading a Swiss precision clock without first stopping it from working. Collective collaboration of all the moving parts is key.” Don't miss out on a special discount for our Energy Transitions Podcast listeners: To receive your 25% discount on an Enlit Europe Summit delegate pass, visit www.enlit-europe.com/registerpod and enter the podcast discount code provided in this episode on the payment page. We look forward to seeing you in Paris.

How to sustainably decarbonise heating – a topic increasingly on our radar as we strive to become more energy efficient – and one of the key focus points in this episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast. There are several new innovative technologies making an impact to decarbonise the heating space, such as deep geothermal, solar geothermal, and harnessing of waste heat. To learn more about how these technologies are making an impact and driving decarbonisation efforts, Pamela Largue speaks to Dr Andrej Jentsch, Programme Manager of the IEA Technology Collaboration Programme on District Heating and Cooling. Additional resources:REA: resource exergy analysis – Calculation guide for energy systems, including district heating and coolingIEA Technology Collaboration Platform on District Heating and CoolingIEA: Tracking Clean Energy Progress report Jentsch, who mainly works for the AGFW, an association promoting district heating and cooling and combined heat and power, delves into why our progress (or lack thereof) is a matter of will and why we can not achieve our efficiency goals without a systems per

In this episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast, Pamela Largue speaks to Caroline Hargrove, CTO at Ceres, about solid oxide fuel cell technology and the record levels of efficiency being achieved. Ceres, a UK-headquartered climate technology developer, recently won the 2023 MacRobert Engineering Award. The award celebrates innovation that makes an impact, and Ceres’ reversible fuel cell technology, capable of generating power from a range of different fuels, is doing just that, explains Hargrove. “We, over 20 years, have been developing this technology that is in this goldilocks temperature range, which is about 600 degrees …they become a lot more efficient than the low temperature fuel cells…In an industrial application, efficiency matters…" In this Energy Transitions Podcast episode, Hargrove also unpacks the potential of fuel cells to decarbonise hard to abate sectors and discusses the importance of establishing an effective supply chain, making fuel cells at an affordable price and ensuring they are fit for purpose.

The role of nuclear power in Europe’s energy mix remains controversial. However, many would argue that nuclear power offers a cleaner energy source than fossil fuels and a cheaper energy source per kilowatt hour. Also, exciting new technology advances are causing a rethink of what nuclear power could look like in the the future. The question is this, does nuclear need a rebrand? Will the industry’s reputation negatively impact its future and how can we use the lessons learned from the past to ensure we don’t make the same mistakes in the future. In this episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast, Pamela Largue is joined by Yves Desbazeille, director general of NuclearEurope, to explore whether it’s possible to give nuclear power an image makeover. To listen to other episodes: https://www.enlit.world/podcasts/energy-transitions/

The built environment is one of the main sources of carbon emissions but it also provides one of the most opportune spaces for clean tech project development.  Behind the meter, energy efficiency and demand response projects, in particular, could make a significant contribution towards lowering the carbon footprint of buildings and the infrastructure that connects them. However, barriers to project development and finance must be overcome in order to spur progress towards net zero and empower all players, especially small and medium sized enterprises.  In this episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast, Yusuf Latief spoke to Jessica Stromback, CEO of Joule Assets and Co-Founder of the Sustainable Energy Finance Association (SEFA), regarding the practical steps to figuring out financing and bringing net-zero projects to life. To listen to other episodes: https://www.enlit.world/podcasts/energy-transitions/

The Voluntary Carbon Market is designed to encourage emissions reductions and support sustainable development. Although a nascent market, it is gaining traction amongst corporations and governments alike as pressure mounts to reach decarbonisation goals. However, some argue that the VCM lacks standardisation, regulation and credibility, allows organisations to continue emitting greenhouse gasses rather than reducing emissions, and facilitates double counting. To cut through the complexities of the VCM and understand how to tap into the benefits this market has to offer, Pamela Largue spoke to Luke Leslie, CEO at carbon project financier Carbon Neutral Royalty.