Energ’Ethic - Climate Justice and Energy Transition

Sharing cars, reinventing mobility for the benefit of society? This is the challenge that Angelo Meuleman has taken on since 2007 when he joined ⁠mpact⁠ , a mobility not-for-profit organisation based in Ghent, Belgium. At the time, no one thought that one day people would want to make their cars available to other people or lend their vehicles to neighbours. If the rise of the shared mobility gian...

Join us for an inspiring episode with Julie Kjestrup , the powerhouse President of EuroACE and Vice-Chair of the Renovate Europe Campaign , who is shaking up the world of policy and thought leadership for VELUX . With an impressive track record in advocacy and stakeholder engagement, Julie has been at the forefront of the energy efficiency movement in Europe. In this episode, Julie shares her fasc...

In this episode of Energ'Ethic, we talk to Michael Pinto, CEO and co-founder of Cleanwatts, a cleantech company that provides intelligent digital tools to monitor, manage, and optimize energy generation, storage, trading, and consumption.  Michael shares his journey from the corporate world to launching Cleanwatts with a deep commitment to sustainability. Cleanwatts has pioneered many energy commu...

" If we design for low-income vulnerable energy consumers, there can be benefits to a whole range of consumers " Rose Chard, Fair Future Lead at Energy Systems Catapult, shares her expert insights on how to make the net-zero transition work for low-income and vulnerable consumers and how businesses can design products and services that benefit all consumers.  We discuss the challenges of fuel pove...

Theresa Griffin is probably the European politician who has had the greatest impact on getting policymakers to understand, acknowledge, and act on energy poverty. From the moment she first met a single mother in Liverpool who had been left without electricity to the point where she managed to bring forward energy efficiency requirements for vulnerable families at the European Parliament, Theresa t...

The future of mobility is electric. But for the technology to really take root in our daily lives, norms and standards must be created. This is exactly what Jaap Burger of the Regulatory Assistance Project and Luka De Bruyckere of ECOS, an international NGO with a network of members and experts advocating for environmentally friendly technical standards, are doing. Together they have published a v...

Farid Baddache is CEO and co-founder of Ksapa.org , a social purpose organisation developing open-source solutions accelerating climate transition in more inclusive societies. He works with a global network of experts to combine expertise and broaden their impact. For him, satisfying a much broader ecosystem of stakeholders, including the butterflies on the other part of the planet, is necessary f...

" When you think about regeneration, you have to think about think global, and act global. " Simon Schillebeeckx, Professor Planet to some, is an entrepreneur and academic, constantly looking for the best ways to match sustainability theory with practice - in this case, the impact that business can have on the environment and the means to restore it. His initial work with the Global Mangrove Trust...

Adrien de Vriendt launched Adapt when he realised that people around him were unaware that electricity could not be green all day and that the use time was as important as other eco-friendly habits. Adapt is now a mainstream website and App designed to identify when the electricity comes from renewable sources. It, therefore, allows everyday people and those who are usually not interested in energ...

Democratic tools are essential for the implementation of better energy systems and the respect of people and the planet, says Monica Frassoni, president of the European Alliance to Save Energy. In this riveting interview, she talks about her doubts and fears for the future of European energy and environmental policies and the Italian context. She also explains her battles and hopes, and talks abou...

How will the city of Nottingham, a former industrial and major coal hub, be climate neutral by 2028? In practice, this means cutting emissions by 20% a year between now and then! Wayne Bexton, the Director of Carbon Reduction, Energy and Sustainability of the Nottingham City Council, explains how the city reconciles environmental sustainability objectives with social and economic ones through inte...

Are heat pumps the George Clooney of the energy sector? By confronting his research interest in people's electricity usage patterns with his personal experience, Mike Fell realised that heat pumps suffered from an image deficit leading to slow adoption. A few sexy makeovers and an augmented reality app later, Heat Pump Chic was born. This app gives a better idea of what a heat pump is like in the...

The US and EU energy landscapes still look very different. The US grid remains highly dependent on fossil fuels, with more than 60% of electricity generation coming from coal, gas or petroleum products. Besides, 5 million people still use liquid fuels for heating, mostly low-income people residing in mountainous or rural areas where no alternatives are possible. The housing stock and energy effici...

"We all live under the same sun" In this fascinating discussion, Tedd Moya Mose, a lawyer, academic, and consultant at the University of Oxford, looks at the power of law to broaden access to electricity worldwide. From his experience as a lawyer in Kenya to British universities, he has come to understand that “if we get the legal framework or policy or regulation wrong, it is very, very difficult...

How can solar electricity be made more attractive and affordable to households? What role can an energy giant play for the most vulnerable households?   Increasing the amount of renewable energy, especially solar, in the energy mix has become a priority to create a just transition and make our societies more sustainable. ENEL X, the Enel Company for new and innovative businesses, has been developi...

How do we put people at the centre of the conversation when high energy prices, rampant inflation, and lack of control over personal data undermine the foundations of our democracies and, more generally, our well-being? What is sustainability from a consumer perspective?  We explored these issues in this precious conversation with Monique Goyens, Director General of BEUC , the European Consumer Or...

Now is the time to break silos and adopt interdisciplinary approaches as " there is no time left to miss opportunities " for the people and the climate, says Yamina Saheb, OpenExp.  Born and raised in Algiers, Yamina has been working for the past twenty years at " pushing and continue pushing " policy boundaries, for instance, on the impact of global warming, summer, and mobility poverty on the we...

The current energy crisis is “really the moment of truth.” It sheds light on many issues: the functioning of the market, dependence on fossil fuels, geopolitical impact, energy justice, energy poverty and affordability, and future energy choices and political and corporate strategies. Journalists and newspapers play a fundamental role in clarifying these issues and putting them into perspective fo...

A fascination for the African continent coupled with a background in electrical engineering led Nicolas Saincy to co-found Nanoé in Madagascar in 2017. Nanoé’s ambition is to offer a third way in the electrification landscape in rural Africa by providing a solution combining respect for the environment and sustainable development, digital technologies, and social entrepreneurship. Nicolas denounce...

Why is energy poverty unsustainable?  How do disabled people navigate the transition to net-zero?  The “just transition” could be the right framework to rethink the way our societies are designed, and make sure disabled people are taking ownership of the opportunities presented. But first, we need to acknowledge that “The current distribution of energy is unfair to disabled people in the sense tha...

How can public investment subsidies be better designed to have a greater impact on those who need them most?   What can the business community do to involve people in vulnerable circumstances in the energy transition? Audrey Dobbins is a researcher at the Institute of Energy Economics and Rational Energy Use (IER) in Germany at the University of Stuttgart. Audrey has built her career between South...

How do vulnerable energy consumers access justice? What role do local intermediaries play? What could Ombudsmen do to fill the gaps between citizens and energy companies? How could their services become more accessible? Dr Naomi Creutzfeldt and Dr Chris Gill are both experts of consumer dispute resolution and the different forms of redress, such as Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) and the Ombu...

What is district heating, and why is it relevant in the sustainable energy transition? How can more young women be attracted to careers in science and technology?  In this episode, Ilaria Marini describes district heating systems and their role in the energy transition. She gets back on the projects she is working on for A2A Calore e Servizi in Brescia and Milan. She tells us about her passion for...

Global aviation accounts for about 2% of greenhouse gas emissions, and many scientists are denouncing its impact and even encouraging people to stop flying. The restrictions on travel and the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 lockdowns have totally reshuffled the deck: many of us have not traveled in the last year and a half. To survive, aviation must therefore reinvent itself, and one of t...

"We cannot afford to exclude any community from this transition"  What is energy justice and how can it be developed?   In this episode, Dr Elizabeth Blakelock shares her experience as a fierce advocate for citizens' rights to fair treatment in the energy market. She tells us how she opened her eyes to the intersectionality of race and vulnerability in the sector, and how she is now fighting for e...