Zero: The Climate Race Renewables promised to be cheap. Why aren’t people feeling it?
Oct 9, 2025
Greg Jackson, Founder and CEO of Octopus Energy, discusses the significant shifts in the UK’s energy landscape and markets. He highlights how competition fosters innovation, making clean energy more accessible. Jackson advocates for granular pricing to align investments and lower bills while addressing the rising public opposition to traditional transmission methods. He also reveals plans to use distributed energy resources, like solar and batteries, to eliminate energy costs for consumers, reshaping the future of energy resilience.
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Kraken Was Born Inside Octopus
- Kraken began as in-house software because utilities were too risk-averse to adopt new systems.
- Octopus built Kraken while running a utility, then licensed it globally to transform operations.
Marginal Pricing Hides Renewables' Value
- Current market rules pay all generators the same marginal price, wasting renewables' cheap output.
- Introducing locational pricing would reduce waste and attract investment to needed places.
Public Support Depends On Bills
- Public support for net zero is strong but fragile and tied to energy bills.
- If bills rise, support collapses; if bills fall, support rebounds.
