Energy Transition Today

Today's episode features a great chat we recently had with Jason Rowell and Randal Kaufman, an Associate VP, Global Technology Portfolio Manager, and Sales Director at Black & Veatch, respectively.Black & Veatch is an engineering firm with a more than 100-year history, with much of that time also spent working with hydrogen which, as Jason and Randal were keen to point out, is not a new phenomenon whatsoever. We discussed the critical issue of safety and the risk mitigation approaches the company takes, the role of hydrogen in the wider decarbonisation agenda, as well as the company’s view on the roadmap to hydrogen viability over the next decade. We also talked about some exciting case studies around natural gas and green hydrogen synergies, and transport applications. The energy was great, we learned a lot, and we’re looking forward to hearing your thoughts and feedback on the hydrogen debate.For details on how to register for inspiratia's Hydrogen Decade Virtual Summit - mentioned in the episode - click here: www.hydrogen-decade-summit.com.Enjoy!Reach out to us at: podcasts@inspiratia.comFind all of our latest news and analysis by subscribing to inspiratia Interested in tickets for one of our events? Email conferences@inspiratia.com or buy them directly on our website.Listen to all our episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other providers. Music credit: NDA/Show You instrumental/Tribe of Noise©2025 inspiratia. All rights reserved.This content is protected by copyright. Please respect the author's rights and do not copy or reproduce it without permission.

We return for a new year of episodes covering the worlds of infrastructure and clean energy and first up is a fascinating discussion with hydrogen-powered flight pioneer ZeroAvia, as well as one of the company's backers in the form of SystemiQ.We spoke to ZeroAvia's CFO Katya Akulinicheva and SystemiQ's Irena Spazzapan about the promise of zero emission aviation, investor appetite for this kind of proposition, government support, and the wider climate agenda as we move towards COP26 in the UK this year. And we also touched upon many other topics in a wide-ranging discussion that we here at the Joint Venture really enjoyed. As ever, Maritina and Jon also took a look at some latest news from within the infrastructure and renewables sector, including an exciting hydrogen development and a potentially hugely popular IPO.To find out more about our Digital Infrastructure Virtual Summit mentioned in the episode, go here.Email us at conferences@inspiratia.com if you want to find out more about the hydrogen conference we are also holding on 17 February. Finally, catch us on Twitter: @thejointventur1.Reach out to us at: podcasts@inspiratia.comFind all of our latest news and analysis by subscribing to inspiratia Interested in tickets for one of our events? Email conferences@inspiratia.com or buy them directly on our website.Listen to all our episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other providers. Music credit: NDA/Show You instrumental/Tribe of Noise©2025 inspiratia. All rights reserved.This content is protected by copyright. Please respect the author's rights and do not copy or reproduce it without permission.

This time out we are zooming in on the ever-more important world of smart grids, specifically on how the decentralised systems of days gone by are transformed into networks that can cope with more distributed renewables generation, EV charging, and batteries. This transition has the potential to create particular headaches for distribution system operators (DSOs), but the Swiss start-up depsys is trying to solve these problems by providing both hardware and software to these groups to open up the "black box" that was previously their grid networks. Through this approach, the company hopes it can help the DSOs better operate, maintain, and transition their grids to assets that can thrive in a distributed energy generation world. The company's CCO Anja Langer Jacquin joined us to tell us all about it. Also in this episode, Jon and Maritina discuss a big move in the world of offshore wind, as well as a regulatory saga within the UK utilities sector. To find out more about our Digital Infrastructure Virtual Summit mentioned in the episode, go here: www.digital-infra-conference.comAnd to listen to Maritina's Geopolitics of Energy Podcast, episodes here.Happy listening.Reach out to us at: podcasts@inspiratia.comFind all of our latest news and analysis by subscribing to inspiratia Interested in tickets for one of our events? Email conferences@inspiratia.com or buy them directly on our website.Listen to all our episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other providers. Music credit: NDA/Show You instrumental/Tribe of Noise©2025 inspiratia. All rights reserved.This content is protected by copyright. Please respect the author's rights and do not copy or reproduce it without permission.

In a week when the UK launched it's long-awaited infrastructure strategy, updated its plans for future Contracts-for-Difference allocation rounds, and the world's largest offshore wind farm was financed, there was much to talk in the worlds of infrastructure and renewables. And so, Jon and his latest co-host Maritina, did just that. Except we didnt mention the financing of that huge offshore wind farm - Dogger Bank - as it came just after we recorded this. Maybe next time!We were also delighted to be joined by Onsu Wegner of Gore Street Capital to discuss her company's listed dedicated energy storage fund, reflecting on recent deals, future plans, and the wider - and fast-developing - battery storage space. Access to recordings and materials from the three inspiratia events mentioned at the top of the episode can be arranged here: New Energy Infrastructure & Battery Storage, Subsidy-free Renewables, Electric Vehicles & Sustainability.And to join us at our Digital Infrastructure Virtual Summit on 27-28 January, email conferences@inspiratia.com.We hope you enjoy the podcast.Reach out to us at: podcasts@inspiratia.comFind all of our latest news and analysis by subscribing to inspiratia Interested in tickets for one of our events? Email conferences@inspiratia.com or buy them directly on our website.Listen to all our episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other providers. Music credit: NDA/Show You instrumental/Tribe of Noise©2025 inspiratia. All rights reserved.This content is protected by copyright. Please respect the author's rights and do not copy or reproduce it without permission.

As countries around the world grapple with dealing with the huge a mounts of waste they produce, and bid to create truly circular economies in this area, waste-to-energy plants have sprung up everywhere as a convenient tool to address the problem. As a bonus, they also produce renewable electricity. But traditional incineration plants have drawn bad press and opposition from local groups when they are built, with concerns over emissions from these facilities. So, advanced conversion technologies such as gasification that process the waste and are intended to produce lower emissions are touted as a crucial advance for the sector. David Palumbo, CEO of advanced gasification technology provider EQTEC, came on the podcast to give us an in-depth view on the proposals in this area and what his company are currently developing. Advanced gasification has also had a stop-start history due to technical difficulties and sometimes poor output, so there is much convincing to do for would-be investors and procurement authorities. Listen to the episode to discover David's response to these issues. Also on the show this week, inspiratia's Jon McNair and Dan Colombini - our newly appointed editor - chew over some of the latest news from the worlds of infrastructure and renewable energy. Reach out to us at: podcasts@inspiratia.comFind all of our latest news and analysis by subscribing to inspiratia Interested in tickets for one of our events? Email conferences@inspiratia.com or buy them directly on our website.Listen to all our episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other providers. Music credit: NDA/Show You instrumental/Tribe of Noise©2025 inspiratia. All rights reserved.This content is protected by copyright. Please respect the author's rights and do not copy or reproduce it without permission.

For the second of two special episodes of the Joint Venture in partnership with law firm Gowling WLG, our attention turns to the financing of new UK subsidy-free renewables projectsIn this episode, you will hear a recent conversation with Nath Curtis, a banking and finance partner at Gowling WLG, and Chris Williams from the bank LBBW. We focussed in on the financing perspective for UK subsidy-free renewables projects, taking in topics such as the effect of power price movements, the impact of Covid-19, what the optimal power purchase agreement looks like, and the prospect of subsidy returning to onshore wind and solar.Other issues on the agenda included the longer-term viability of either fully merchant projects, or those with at least some form of merchant exposure, as well as how the level of government intervention stacks up against the requirements to meet the binding decarbonisation targets the UK has set.Reach out to us at: podcasts@inspiratia.comFind all of our latest news and analysis by subscribing to inspiratia Interested in tickets for one of our events? Email conferences@inspiratia.com or buy them directly on our website.Listen to all our episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other providers. Music credit: NDA/Show You instrumental/Tribe of Noise©2025 inspiratia. All rights reserved.This content is protected by copyright. Please respect the author's rights and do not copy or reproduce it without permission.

In the first of two special episodes of the Joint Venture podcast in partnership with law firm Gowling WLG, our attention turns to the development of UK subsidy-free renewables projects.  In a conversation with Gowling WLG’s Gareth Baker, and Barney Coles from renewables investor Capital Dynamics, we take stock of the current state of the market, how Covid-19 has affected ways of working, as well as how the lockdown had impacted electricity prices and the knock-on consequences for projects’ business cases. We also assessed the tantalising prospect of the return of solar and onshore wind to the UK’s contracts for difference support framework, and what that might mean for developers and investors who might have given up entirely on ever being able to access that revenue stream again after several years of having to operate without it.Reach out to us at: podcasts@inspiratia.comFind all of our latest news and analysis by subscribing to inspiratia Interested in tickets for one of our events? Email conferences@inspiratia.com or buy them directly on our website.Listen to all our episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other providers. Music credit: NDA/Show You instrumental/Tribe of Noise©2025 inspiratia. All rights reserved.This content is protected by copyright. Please respect the author's rights and do not copy or reproduce it without permission.

In this episode we chat with Brian Ross, CEO of a specialist infrastructure and energy crowdfunding platform from California called InfraShares. Brian walked us through the benefits of his company's approach and how it could unlock a whole new investment class for individual investors who rarely get the chance to directly participate in infrastructure projects. Jon and new co-host Fernando Moncada also run through some of the latest developments in infrastructure and renewables and run the rule over the idea of state-backed infrastructure banks. Check it out!Reach out to us at: podcasts@inspiratia.comFind all of our latest news and analysis by subscribing to inspiratia Interested in tickets for one of our events? Email conferences@inspiratia.com or buy them directly on our website.Listen to all our episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other providers. Music credit: NDA/Show You instrumental/Tribe of Noise©2025 inspiratia. All rights reserved.This content is protected by copyright. Please respect the author's rights and do not copy or reproduce it without permission.

This week the JV turns its attention towards the fundraising landscape for infrastructure, with a special interview with Gordon Bajnai, head of global infrastructure at Campbell Lutyens. Gordon, who was formerly the prime minister of Hungary and COO at Meridiam Infrastructure, relayed to us how the fundraising market had been impacted by Covid-19, how investment strategies might change over coming months and years, and the success of the EU's coronavirus recovery package, which was agreed this week. Jon and Ott also caught up on some of the latest moves within the infrastructure and renewables sectors. Reach out to us at: podcasts@inspiratia.comFind all of our latest news and analysis by subscribing to inspiratia Interested in tickets for one of our events? Email conferences@inspiratia.com or buy them directly on our website.Listen to all our episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other providers. Music credit: NDA/Show You instrumental/Tribe of Noise©2025 inspiratia. All rights reserved.This content is protected by copyright. Please respect the author's rights and do not copy or reproduce it without permission.

In the week when the UK government finally confirmed its ban on the use of Huawei kit in the country's 5G network, we had a timely discussion with Macquarie's Oliver Bradley who specialises in digital infrastructure investing. We also delved into some of the biggest headlines from the worlds of infrastructure and renewable energy, discussed some recent high profile portfolio sales, and pondered what the Huawei ban would mean for the infrastructure market.Reach out to us at: podcasts@inspiratia.comFind all of our latest news and analysis by subscribing to inspiratia Interested in tickets for one of our events? Email conferences@inspiratia.com or buy them directly on our website.Listen to all our episodes on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other providers. Music credit: NDA/Show You instrumental/Tribe of Noise©2025 inspiratia. All rights reserved.This content is protected by copyright. Please respect the author's rights and do not copy or reproduce it without permission.