Watt Matters: The FORESIGHT energy transition podcast

Off the back of an intense two weeks in Egypt, the COP27 negotiations were once again deemed underwhelming. There were some successes: Developed countries will provide finance to emerging economies affected by climate-related disasters. But much of the focus remained on climate adaptation rather than mitigation. After nearly 30 years of international climate talks, questions are being raised over the efficacy of these events and what value they hold as the global community seeks to decarbonise. This week the team is joined by Simon Evans, deputy editor and senior policy editor at Carbon Brief, a website specialising in the science and policy of climate change, to discuss his experiences of the talks, what needs to be done to truly begin phasing out damaging fossil fuels from the global economy, and the power of social media in the debate around the energy transition. Enjoy the show!If you have any thoughts or questions about anything that has been discussed in this week's episode, you can reach us at our Twitter accounts:Simon Evans: https://twitter.com/DrSimEvansMichaela Holl: https://twitter.com/CitizenSane1Jan Rosenow: https://twitter.com/janrosenowDavid Weston: https://twitter.com/DaveW_FORESIGHTAnna Gumbau: https://twitter.com/AnnaGumbau@WattMattersPod: https://twitter.com/WattMattersPodFORESIGHT Climate & Energy: https://twitter.com/FORESIGHTdkListen and subscribe to Watt Matters wherever you get podcasts. Follow us on Twitter at @WattMattersPod or email us at show@wattmatterspodcast.com. You can also find FORESIGHT Climate & Energy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/foresight-climate-energy/.Illustration: Masha Krasnova-Shabaeva. Art director: Trine Natskår.Show notes (via this link: https://foresightdk.com/wm-ep24/):Barcelona students to take mandatory climate crisis module from 2024A policy toolkit for global mass heat pump deployment - Regulatory Assistance ProjectA ‘buildings breakthrough’ agenda at COP means heat pumps are in the limelight - FORESIGHTCOP27: Key outcomes agreed at the UN climate talks in Sharm el-Sheikh - Carbon BriefDaily Briefing | RevueLiving with Heat Pumps - Fully Charged ShowLive recording of Watt Matters: Shocks, stability and sustainable marketsTRY FULL ACCESS TO FORESIGHT CLIMATE & ENERGY FOR €1 A DAYJoin over 100,000 policymakers, energy experts in business, finance, and academia, city leaders, and leading NGOs in having access to FORESIGHT Climate & EnergyGET YOUR 30 DAY TRIAL: www.foresightdk.com/subscribe/. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Global solar capacity continues to rise and solar PV is becoming ever more popular among homeowners as costs fall. As its role in the energy transition becomes more prominent, new technologies and business models developing.Our guest this week is Alexandra Sombsthay, vice president for external relations at renewable energy developer Akuo Energy. In this episode, we discuss new, innovative possibilities and solutions for solar energy, including agrivoltaics and progress in storage technologies.Prior to joining Akuo, Alexandra previously worked at the European Commission in the directorate-general for energy. Alexandra was posted between 2006-07 at the EU delegation in Beijing, where she initiated the Euro-China Clean Energy Centre. She has previously worked as an adviser on European affairs for the Belgian Minister for Environment and Energy.Enjoy the show!If you have any thoughts or questions about anything that has been discussed in this week's episode, you can reach us at our Twitter accounts:Alexandra Sombsthay: https://twitter.com/alexsombsthayMichaela Holl: https://twitter.com/CitizenSane1Jan Rosenow: https://twitter.com/janrosenowDavid Weston: https://twitter.com/DaveW_FORESIGHTAnna Gumbau: https://twitter.com/AnnaGumbau@WattMattersPod: https://twitter.com/WattMattersPodFORESIGHT Climate & Energy: https://twitter.com/FORESIGHTdkListen and subscribe to Watt Matters wherever you get podcasts. Follow us on Twitter at @WattMattersPod or email us at show@wattmatterspodcast.com. You can also find FORESIGHT Climate & Energy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/foresight-climate-energy/.Illustration: Masha Krasnova-Shabaeva. Art director: Trine Natskår.Show notes:World Energy Outlook 2022 – Analysis - IEA: https://www.iea.org/reports/world-energy-outlook-2022SolarPower Europe extremely concerned by Commission proposals on Electricity Market measures: https://www.solarpowereurope.org/press-releases/solar-power-europe-extremely-concerned-by-proposed-electricity-market-reformsThe world is missing its lofty climate targets. Time for some realism | The Economist: https://www.economist.com/leaders/2022/11/03/the-world-is-missing-its-lofty-climate-targets-time-for-some-realismUpdates from COP27 in Egypt | Clean Energy Council: https://www.cleanenergycouncil.org.au/news/cop27-sharm-el-sheikh-updateTRY FULL ACCESS TO FORESIGHT CLIMATE & ENERGY FOR €1 A DAYJoin over 100,000 policymakers, energy experts in business, finance, and academia, city leaders, and leading NGOs in having access to FORESIGHT Climate & EnergyGET YOUR 30 DAY TRIAL: www.foresightdk.com/subscribe/. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Heating is becoming an increasingly pivotal issue in the energy transition, especially as we enter a winter where many of us are thinking twice about when to put the heating on in our homes. However, sustainable heating solutions seem absent in the EU’s response to the energy crisis.District heating & cooling (DHC) networks are one of the most efficient solutions to lower emissions from our buildings. But its decarbonisation potential is still untapped, as most of the heat in these networks is still produced with fossil fuels. In this episode, we look into the policy incentives needed to decarbonise our heating systems and how the EU can make the most of the potential of DHC.This week's guest is Aurélie Beauvais, Managing Director at Brussels-based association Euroheat & Power. She previously held the position of Deputy CEO and Policy Director of SolarPower Europe from 2017 to 2021. She also headed the European Affairs department of the French Union of Electricity from 2012 to 2017.Enjoy the show!If you have any thoughts or questions about anything that has been discussed in this week's episode, you can reach us at our Twitter accounts:Aurélie Beauvais: https://twitter.com/ABClimateMichaela Holl: https://twitter.com/CitizenSane1Jan Rosenow: https://twitter.com/janrosenowDavid Weston: https://twitter.com/DaveW_FORESIGHTAnna Gumbau: https://twitter.com/AnnaGumbau@WattMattersPod: https://twitter.com/WattMattersPodFORESIGHT Climate & Energy: https://twitter.com/FORESIGHTdkListen and subscribe to Watt Matters wherever you get podcasts. Follow us on Twitter at @WattMattersPod or email us at show@wattmatterspodcast.com. You can also find FORESIGHT Climate & Energy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/foresight-climate-energy/.Illustration: Masha Krasnova-Shabaeva. Art director: Trine Natskår.Show notes:Comment | Why solar farms can benefit wildlife - Keele University: https://www.keele.ac.uk/about/news/2022/october/solar-wildlife/solar-farms-wildlife.phpBiodiversity measures to fast-track renewables deployment - FORESIGHT: https://foresightdk.com/biodiversity-measures-to-fast-track-renewables-deployment/?token=renewables_biodiversityMichael Liebrich on Twitter: https://twitter.com/MLiebreich/status/1584109605285953536Commission work programme: https://ec.europa.eu/info/sites/default/files/cwp_2023.pdfScotland generates record amount of renewable electricity - BBC News: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-63229402A 10-Point Plan to accelerate the EU heat transition: https://www.euroheat.org/resource/a-10-point-plan-to-accelerate-the-eu-heat-transition.html?utm_campaign=10-point+action+planTRY FULL ACCESS TO FORESIGHT CLIMATE & ENERGY FOR €1 A DAYJoin over 100,000 policymakers, energy experts in business, finance, and academia, city leaders, and leading NGOs in having access to FORESIGHT Climate & EnergyGET YOUR 30 DAY TRIAL: www.foresightdk.com/subscribe/. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The electrification of the transport sector is one of the most dynamic areas in the global energy transition, as sales of electric vehicles (EVs) globally continue to rise. According to the International Energy Agency, EV sales doubled in 2021 compared with 2020, to a new record of 6.6 million EVs on the road. Nearly 10% of global care sales in 2021 were electric, four times the market share in 2019.However, the deployment of EV charging infrastructure has not been able to keep up with the boom in EV sales. There is still an overall sense of range anxiety among prospective customers over how far one can drive their car before needing to find a charging spot or risk being stranded. In turn, governments across the globe are enacting policies to speed up EV deployment, but will the scale-up happen fast enough to reach our climate objectives?In this episode, we speak with Marc Coltelli, EY Americas eMobility Energy Leader, and Felipe Smolka, Partner and EY Americas Automotive eMobility Leader, on the challenges to accelerate the uptake of EVs and its charging infrastructure and how we can move from range anxiety to charging confidence.Enjoy the show!If you have any thoughts or questions about anything that has been discussed in this week's episode, you can reach us at our Twitter accounts:Marc Coltelli: https://mobile.twitter.com/marccoltelliFelipe Smolka: https://twitter.com/fsmolkMichaela Holl: https://twitter.com/CitizenSane1Jan Rosenow: https://twitter.com/janrosenowDavid Weston: https://twitter.com/DaveW_FORESIGHTAnna Gumbau: https://twitter.com/AnnaGumbau@WattMattersPod: https://twitter.com/WattMattersPodFORESIGHT Climate & Energy: https://twitter.com/FORESIGHTdkListen and subscribe to Watt Matters wherever you get podcasts. Follow us on Twitter at @WattMattersPod or email us at show@wattmatterspodcast.com. You can also find FORESIGHT Climate & Energy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/foresight-climate-energy/.Illustration: Masha Krasnova-Shabaeva. Art director: Trine Natskår.Show notes:Movement: how to take back our streets and transform our lives by Thalia Verkade: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58745510-movementHave we already passed peak fossil fuels? https://www.energymonitor.ai/policy/have-we-already-passed-peak-fossil-fuelshttps://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1578170980283076608Sixt agrees to purchase around 100,000 e-vehicles from China's BYD | Reuters: https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/sixt-agrees-purchase-around-100000-e-vehicles-chinas-byd-2022-10-04/TRY FULL ACCESS TO FORESIGHT CLIMATE & ENERGY FOR €1 A DAYJoin over 100,000 policymakers, energy experts in business, finance, and academia, city leaders, and leading NGOs in having access to FORESIGHT Climate & EnergyGET YOUR 30 DAY TRIAL: www.foresightdk.com/subscribe/. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In response to the energy price crisis, EU national governments have been grappling with finding the proper measures to reduce their energy demand and alleviate consumers and industry from high prices without harming the energy companies’ ability to continue investing.However, a European problem requires a European response. For this reason, the European Commission has proposed several measures, such as ‘solidarity contributions’ from fossil fuel companies or caps on utility revenues. In turn, Brussels is now to propose a widespread reform of the EU’s electricity market.In this episode of Watt Matters, we make sense of the short and long-term measures that Brussels is looking into, and the effect on energy utilities, with Marion Labatut, deputy director for European Affairs and Head of the Brussels office at French energy company EDF. Are these short-term taxes on energy companies effective? And what should an electricity market fit for the future look like?Labatut draws from twelve years of professional experience in energy and climate policy for government entities, a trade association and the private sector. She previously served as Policy Director at Eurelectric, the Brussels-based European power sector trade body, where she occupied several managerial and expert roles over six years.Enjoy the show!If you have any thoughts or questions about anything that has been discussed in this week's episode, you can reach us at our Twitter accounts:Marion Labatut: https://twitter.com/MarionLabatutMichaela Holl: https://twitter.com/CitizenSane1Jan Rosenow: https://twitter.com/janrosenowDavid Weston: https://twitter.com/DaveW_FORESIGHTAnna Gumbau: https://twitter.com/AnnaGumbau@WattMattersPod: https://twitter.com/WattMattersPodFORESIGHT Climate & Energy: https://twitter.com/FORESIGHTdkListen and subscribe to Watt Matters wherever you get podcasts. Follow us on Twitter at @WattMattersPod or email us at show@wattmatterspodcast.com. You can also find FORESIGHT Climate & Energy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/foresight-climate-energy/.Show notes:Macron Inaugurates France's First Offshore Wind Farm: https://www.offshorewind.biz/2022/09/22/macron-inaugurates-france-first-offshore-wind-farm/racking won’t work in UK says founder of fracking company Cuadrilla: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/sep/21/fracking-wont-work-uk-founder-chris-cornelius-cuadrillaTRY FULL ACCESS TO FORESIGHT CLIMATE & ENERGY FOR €1 A DAYJoin over 100,000 policymakers, energy experts in business, finance, and academia, city leaders, and leading NGOs in having access to FORESIGHT Climate & EnergyGET YOUR 30 DAY TRIAL: www.foresightdk.com/subscribe/. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The risk of a widening skills gap in the energy transition is one of the most underestimated challenges for the global energy transition. But as Europe moves to install more solar panels, heat pumps, and EV charging points, electrical contractors will be in increasing demand.The lack of skilled workers and electrical installers is starting to be felt in Europe: in Germany, 60% of electrical contractors have vacancies. While in the UK, electrical contractors will need 15,000 new apprentices, in addition to regular market intake, to cover its needs over the next five years. There are several reasons why this is happening, from the perception that these are low-level positions to the lack of women in this sector.In this episode, we speak with Julie Beaufils, Secretary General at the European Electrical Contractors’ Association EuropeOn, on why addressing this skills gap matters and how EU policies can bridge that. Julie is in charge of the Skills4Climate campaign, raising awareness of the shortages in skilled professionals, an issue that will considerably weigh on Europe’s ability to deliver the energy transition.Enjoy the show!If you have any thoughts or questions about anything that has been discussed in this week's episode, you can reach us at our Twitter accounts:Julie Beaufils: https://twitter.com/EuropeOn_EUMichaela Holl: https://twitter.com/CitizenSane1Jan Rosenow: https://twitter.com/janrosenowDavid Weston: https://twitter.com/DaveW_FORESIGHTAnna Gumbau: https://twitter.com/AnnaGumbau@WattMattersPod: https://twitter.com/WattMattersPodFORESIGHT Climate & Energy: https://twitter.com/FORESIGHTdkListen and subscribe to Watt Matters wherever you get podcasts. Follow us on Twitter at @WattMattersPod or email us at show@wattmatterspodcast.com. You can also find FORESIGHT Climate & Energy on LinkedIn.Illustration: Masha Krasnova-Shabaeva. Art director: Trine Natskår.Show notes:- Twitter post: https://twitter.com/eeestaudt/status/1566512197450309635?s=20&t=uehWukAIaaI9FqBmQowkmg- War in Ukraine spurs coal-loving Poland into climate action: https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2022/09/06/poland-ukraine-heat-pumps-climate/- Alessandro Blasi LinkedIn post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/alessandro-blasi-6579a66_electricity-leadership-business-activity-6971030154584162304-HVDs?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktopTRY FULL ACCESS TO FORESIGHT CLIMATE & ENERGY FOR €1 A DAYJoin over 100,000 policymakers, energy experts in business, finance, and academia, city leaders, and leading NGOs in having access to FORESIGHT Climate & EnergyGET YOUR 30 DAY TRIAL: www.foresightdk.com/subscribe/. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The role of carbon capture and storage (CCS) is perhaps one of the most divisive topics in the global energy transition. Economic and financial constraints are often cited as the main reasons why these technologies have never scaled up, as the cost of carbon globally has not yet reached the price needed to make them profitable. Moreover, CCS also needs to gain greater public acceptance in many regions and sectors in society.However, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) acknowledges the need to capture and remove carbon from the atmosphere and calls for a unified CCS strategy at European level have increased. But is carbon capture a proven and well-established technology and what is needed for its scale-up?This week, we discuss carbon capture technologies with Lee Beck, senior director for Europe at the Clean Air Task Force, a US-based non-profit organisation. Lee leads the task force’s cross-functional, cross-regional, and cross-programmatic growth and climate policy impact in Europe.Show notes:- The big idea: should cars be banned from cities? https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/jul/11/the-big-idea-should-cars-be-banned-from-cities- People Hate the Idea of Car-Free Cities—Until They Live in One | WIRED UK: https://www.wired.co.uk/article/car-free-cities-opposition- Renewable Power Generation Costs in 2021: https://www.irena.org/publications/2022/Jul/Renewable-Power-Generation-Costs-in-2021- West Virginia v. EPA Is the Supreme Court’s Latest Power Grab - The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2022/07/west-virginia-v-epa-scotus-decision/670556/- Manchin disputes claims he rejected Dems’ climate and energy spending - POLITICO: https://www.politico.com/news/2022/07/15/manchin-disputes-claims-he-rejected-dems-climate-and-energy-spending-00046065- Twitter post: https://twitter.com/LionHirth/status/1549481366869377024If you have any thoughts or questions about anything that has been discussed in this week's episode, you can reach us at our Twitter accounts:Lee Beck: https://twitter.com/_Lee_BeckMichaela Holl: https://twitter.com/CitizenSane1Jan Rosenow: https://twitter.com/janrosenowDavid Weston: https://twitter.com/DaveW_FORESIGHT@WattMattersPod: https://twitter.com/WattMattersPodTRY FULL ACCESS TO FORESIGHT CLIMATE & ENERGY FOR €1 A DAYJoin over 100,000 policymakers, energy experts in business, finance, and academia, city leaders, and leading NGOs in having access to FORESIGHT Climate & EnergyGET YOUR 30 DAY TRIAL: www.foresightdk.com/subscribe/. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Environmental think-tank Ember found that 70-80% of the power system in Europe—including the EU27, Norway, Switzerland, the UK, and the Western Balkan countries—could be supplied by wind and solar generation, while relegating fossil fuels to under 5% of its total consumption.Ditching fossil fuels could save Europe as much as €1 trillion by 2035. This would bring numerous benefits for public health and the citizens’ pockets, as well as put the continent on track to achieve its environmental objectives.In this episode, we discuss with Ember’s senior energy and climate data analyst Chris Rosslowe how to make the transition to a clean power sector in Europe happen. Chris specialises in clean energy systems and in his role at Ember uses future energy scenarios to provide insights and key data to track and guide the transition from fossil to clean. He previously held roles in the UK Civil Service analysing energy and environmental policy and holds a PhD in astrophysics.Show notes:- Innovation Fund: EU invests €1.8 billion in clean tech projects: https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/IP_22_4402- Pathways to European Independence from Russian Natural Gas | Zenodo: https://zenodo.org/record/6812163#.Ys64x3bMK5c- Redesign Around Notre-Dame to Keep Tourists Moving and Lower Temperatures: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/27/world/europe/notre-dame-cathedral-paris.html?referringSource=articleShare- New Generation | Clean Power Europe 2035 | Ember: https://ember-climate.org/insights/research/new-generation/TRY FULL ACCESS TO FORESIGHT CLIMATE & ENERGY FOR €1 A DAYJoin over 100,000 policymakers, energy experts in business, finance, and academia, city leaders, and leading NGOs in having access to FORESIGHT Climate & EnergyGET YOUR 30 DAY TRIAL: www.foresightdk.com/subscribe/. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Private capital investments are crucial to close the financing ‘gap’ in the global race to net-zero emissions.The world’s major economies and their financial institutions are taking different approaches to mobilise climate finance. The European Parliament has just endorsed the inclusion of gas and nuclear investments as "green" in the EU’s taxonomy regulation for sustainable investments. We discuss the implications of this decision for global markets and whether a taxonomy is the best approach to mobilise climate finance in the first place.In this episode, we are joined by Marilyn Waite, head of the Climate Finance Fund, focusing on mobilising capital for climate solutions. We take a look at the EU taxonomy, but also dive into how other major economies are addressing this challenge and the need to have a ‘JEDI’ (justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion) lens into climate finance.Marilyn has previously managed the climate and clean energy finance portfolio at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, led the energy practice at Village Capital, modelled and forecasted energy solutions to climate change as a Senior Research Fellow at Project Drawdown and managed innovation projects at French energy company AREVA (now Orano and Framatome).Listen and subscribe to Watt Matters wherever you get podcasts. Follow us on Twitter at @WattMattersPod or email us at show@wattmatterspodcast.com. You can also find FORESIGHT Climate & Energy on LinkedIn.Show notes:- About the project - Energy Superhub Oxford: https://energysuperhuboxford.org/about-the-project/- https://allnewspress.com/video-beer-brewers-worried-no-gas-no-beer/ - Vaclav Havel - Hope is not the conviction that something...: https://bit.ly/3cbu36w- Biggest renewables auction accelerates move away from fossil fuels - GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/biggest-renewables-auction-accelerates-move-away-from-fossil-fuelsTRY FULL ACCESS TO FORESIGHT CLIMATE & ENERGY FOR €1 A DAYJoin over 100,000 policymakers, energy experts in business, finance, and academia, city leaders, and leading NGOs in having access to FORESIGHT Climate & EnergyGET YOUR 30 DAY TRIAL: www.foresightdk.com/subscribe/. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Biden administration was meant to bring renewed momentum for climate action in the US, with ambitious plans to deploy low-carbon technologies and to embed climate policy into other policy areas.However, one year and a half on, Washington is still struggling to pass ambitious legislation, with several key bills that have the potential to significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions stalled in Congress and the Senate. The US has a huge challenge ahead to build the massive infrastructure required to make the energy transition happen and to achieve a net-zero carbon grid.This week, we discuss these and many other topics such as Europe’s energy crisis with Jesse Jenkins, an assistant professor at Princeton University with a joint appointment in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and the Andlinger Center for Energy and Environment.Jesse also leads the Princeton ZERO Lab - a zero-carbon energy systems research and optimisation laboratory, which conducts research to improve decision-making to accelerate rapid, affordable, and effective transitions to net-zero carbon energy systems.Listen and subscribe to Watt Matters wherever you get podcasts. Follow us on Twitter at @WattMattersPod or email us at show@wattmatterspodcast.com. You can also find FORESIGHT Climate & Energy on LinkedIn.Show notes:- The Future of Cooling – Analysis - IEA: https://www.iea.org/reports/the-future-of-cooling- Princeton Net-Zero America study: https://netzeroamerica.princeton.edu/- REPEAT Project ('real-time' US climate policy evaluation project): http://repeatproject.org - MIT Utility of the Future study: https://energy.mit.edu/research/utility-future-study/- Macro-Energy Systems Community website: macroenergysystems.org- The Power System Blueprint: https://blueprint.raponline.org/TRY FULL ACCESS TO FORESIGHT CLIMATE & ENERGY FOR €1 A DAYJoin over 100,000 policymakers, energy experts in business, finance, and academia, city leaders, and leading NGOs in having access to FORESIGHT Climate & EnergyGET YOUR 30 DAY TRIAL: www.foresightdk.com/subscribe/. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.