The Energy Revolution

The UK has been extremely slow to decarbonise the heating sector. Why? And what can be done?Meeting the UK's climate ambitions will require millions of heat pump installations and widespread heat network infrastructure to be established, but both of these sectors are struggling to get off the ground.In this episode we are joined by Adam Berman, Director of Policy and Advocacy at Energy UK, to unpack the challenges that clean heat has faced, and what government can do about them.The show is hosted by Sulaiman Ilyas-Jarrett, former senior government advisor at the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the No10 Policy Unit, and a Fellow at the University of Cambridge Centre for Science and Policy.

Growth is at the centre of Labour's political programme, and with Rachel Revees' nod to airport expansion many have wondered if climate goals will take a hit in pursuit of the economy.But what is behind the Heathrow story and what does it tell us about the wider thinking in Treasury on public infrastructure and climate in the UK. Today we're joined by Alex Chapman from the New Economics Foundation, who explains why the Heathrow decision won't lead to the growth that government is hoping for, and what this all says about the state of British infrastructure writ-large.We cover everything from airports to energy networks and merits of a wealth tax in a wide-ranging discussion on the state of Britain.The show is hosted by Sulaiman Ilyas-Jarrett, former senior government advisor at the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the No10 Policy Unit, and a Fellow at the University of Cambridge Centre for Science and Policy.

What happens to the energy system when you think about the end consumer first? People want warm homes, cheap power, and to get from place to place - they don't care how we make this happen, and arbitary distinctions between different parts of the energy system are holding us back.In this episode we're joined by Caroline Bragg, CEO of ADE, to discuss everything from consumer flexibility to heat networks, encouraging listeners to think about our energy needs as an integrated system, not a series of separate sectors.The show is hosted by Sulaiman Ilyas-Jarrett, former Head of Policy and Strategy for Renewable Electricity Delivery at the UK Department for Energy and former Senior Advisor at No10 Downing Street. He is now a Policy Fellow at the University of Cambridge Centre for Science and Policy.Keywords: renewable energy, clean power, batteries, EVs

Isaac Levi, Head of the Europe and Russia policy team at the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, dives into the complexities of EU sanctions on Russian fossil fuels. He reveals how EU member states have inadvertently funded Russia's war efforts while navigating around sanctions. Discussion includes the shift of oil flows to countries like China and Turkey, the challenges of enforcing sanctions, and how high fossil fuel prices can impact the transition to renewable energy. Isaac also highlights the EU's proactive leadership in tackling these issues.

What can 200 years of energy history teach us about the energy revolution happening today? We are joined by Arthur Downing, Director of Strategy at Octopus and author of the forthcoming book Power and the People: a history of energy in Britain since 1800, to discuss how the energy system has changed in the 200 years since its inception, and what lessons we should learn as we try to build a new system around renewables, electric vehicles, and other low carbon technologies.You can read Arthur's energy and history substack here: https://energynetworks.substack.com/. Hosted by Sulaiman Ilyas-Jarrett, former Head of Policy and Strategy for Renewable Electricity Delivery at the UK Department for Energy and Senior Advisor at No10 Downing Street. He is now a Policy Fellow at the University of Cambridge Centre for Science and Policy.

Orsted is in crisis. Stock prices are down 86% since their 2021 high, and problems pile up as Trump has halted the construction of their latest Revolution Wind Farm off the Northeast Coast.Our host Sulaiman Ilyas-Jarrett, former UK government advisor and Cambridge Policy Fellow, unpacks the mistakes that Orsted made in its approach to the USA market and its poltical blindspots. He also covers what this means for renewables as a whole, and what Orsted's debacle tells us about politics, global markets, and the energy transition at large in the new economic world order.This solo podcast is a new format, so let us know what you think in the comments!

Does government need to get out the way and let markets deliver net zero? Or is the state key to delivering the technologies we need for the future?This week is a crossover episode with the Modo Energy podcast, Transmission. Our host Sulaiman Ilyas-Jarrett, former government advisor at the UK Department for Energy and at No10 Downing Street, goes back and forth with Ed Porter, VP for Insights at Modo, on everything from the government subsidies for Renewables to the rapid scale up of batteries and the phenomenon that is negative prices.Keywords: Energy | Renewables | Batteries | Hydrogen | Carbon | EVs |

In an age of increasing misinformation it's becoming harder and harder to find what's truly going on in energy and climate. This week we sit down with Simon Evans, journalist from the Carbon Brief, and talk about everything from the Telegraph's anti-net zero obsession to the rise of AI content and how to communicate the facts when there's so much noise around.Hosted by Sulaiman Ilyas-Jarrett, former Head of Policy and Strategy for Renewable Electricity Delivery at the UK Department for Energy and former Senior Advisor at No10 Downing Street. He is now a Policy Fellow at the University of Cambridge Centre for Science and Policy.

Energy security is changing. The war in Ukraine shattered complacency of many politicians in Europe and beyond, and laid bare the need to think radically differently about future energy security.This was no surprise to this week's guest, former NATO advisor and Founder of Enoda Paul Domjan, who has been thinking about the changing state of energy security for over 20 years. We cover everything from the EU's mistakes in dealing with Putin, to the Israel-Iran war, the provisional IRA's plan to shut down the London electricity grid, and the possible role of newer technologies like batteries in the systems of tomorrow.It is clear that energy security of the future will look radically different than it did in the past.Hosted by Sulaiman Ilyas-Jarrett, former Head of Policy and Strategy for Renewable Electricity Delivery at the UK Department for Energy and former Senior Advisor at No10 Downing Street. He is now a Policy Fellow at the University of Cambridge Centre for Science and Policy.

This week we speak with Rebecca Williams, Deputy CEO at the Global Wind Energy Council, for a global deep dive into the state of offshore wind - and why there’s still reason for optimism.We unpack the wave of cancelled projects, rising interest rates, the return of Trump-era geopolitics, and what it all means for the future of offshore wind. From Europe to the US, China, South America, and Southeast Asia, this is a truly international look at one of the most vital technologies in the energy transition.Hosted by Sulaiman Ilyas-Jarrett, former Head of Policy and Strategy for Renewable Electricity Delivery at the UK Department for Energy and former Senior Advisor at No10 Downing Street, now a Policy Fellow at the University of Cambridge Centre for Science and Policy.