Energy Transitions New energy system rules for the Supergrid era
Oct 14, 2025
Lesley O'Connor, founder of Trifecta Energy and daughter of renewable energy pioneer Eddie O'Connor, discusses transformative changes in Europe's energy system. She emphasizes the need for systems thinking and digital tools to enhance grid efficiency. O'Connor highlights the super grid concept, which balances wind and solar resources across Europe. She explores barriers to rapid decarbonization and advocates for a focus on innovation and finance, urging for immediate digital and AI advancements to streamline the energy transition.
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Capital Exists But Rules Block Deployment
- Despite ample capital and technologies, systemic barriers and volatility block scaling to climate-required deployment rates.
- Identifying which rules and incentives are misaligned is essential to unlocking faster investment.
Family Origin Of The Supergrid Idea
- Lesley describes her father Eddie O'Connor's early 2000s super grid idea to capture winds across Europe.
- He proposed a meshed offshore network to redistribute generation and balance intermittency.
Supergrid As Internet For Electrons
- A meshed, meso-scale 'super grid' captures complementary wind and solar across regions to provide near-baseload clean power.
- Interconnection acts like an 'internet for electrons' with redundancy and improved energy security.
