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...

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 possib...

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 build...

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 20...

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,...

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 contr...

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 reg...

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 healt...

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 discu...

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...

With the current trio of crises facing many consumers around the world—high energy prices, the fallout of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and climate change—energy efficiency is on everyone’s lips. But to actually make these changes necessary, a greater level of dialogue is required to strengthen the narrative around energy efficiency. Recorded at the IEA’s conference on energy efficiency in Sønderbo...

The energy transition will only work if we engage consumers. The energy price crisis has made it clear that energy poverty is not a niche issue anymore, as more households are struggling to keep their homes at a comfortable temperature and use their electric appliances. Measures to alleviate consumers from high price hikes are featuring prominently in the political agenda of several EU member stat...

The complex nature of our energy systems requires all sectors and actors to stop thinking in silos and develop a “whole system” approach to make the energy transition happen. This week, we dive deep into how more governments are putting forward system-wide approaches in energy policymaking and whether policy and regulation are keeping up with the fast-paced developments in technologies that can he...

Lawmakers around the globe have spoken extensively about energy efficiency. However, there is an increasing interest in policy and academic circles around sufficiency: these are often labelled as demand-side measures or changes to individual habits that reduce our use of energy and natural resources. In this episode, we look into how governments and EU policy instruments are addressing sufficiency...

Much of the power across Eastern Europe is still supplied by destructive coal power plants. However, many of these markets across the region also have considerable renewables potential. Untapping this resource would unleash the energy transition for these countries but it remains complex and costly. Until the start of 2022, natural gas was seen as a vital stepping stone for the region to begin dec...

The use of hydrogen as part of our future energy mix has been debated for several years. For it to have any future, in a decarbonised economy, hydrogen must come in its “green” guise—produced using renewables-powered electrolysis. While there has been a lot of noise, investment and even some pilot projects launched, green hydrogen’s role in a decarbonised economy of the future has yet to be truly...

Energy efficiency has often been overlooked as a key tool in the energy transition. Talk instead frequently focuses on how to add more renewables or remove polluting forms of power generation but never on what can we do to reduce demand in the first place. By using energy more efficiently, we can reduce our demand. This immediately cuts emissions but also makes reaching renewable energy targets si...

The decarbonisation of the heating sector is subject to serious debate. With lots of potential options on the tables, choosing the correct pathway is difficult. Heat pumps, powered by renewables, seems to be the favoured option for the majority of Europe’s buildings, but their rollout is slow. District heating and combined heat and power generation are proven alternatives, while the role of the in...

Our guest this week is Kristian Ruby, secretary-general of Eurelectric, to discuss what role the energy market can play in shutting off Russian influence, what that means for energy consumers across Europe and the energy transition. The fallout from Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine will be felt for many years to come across all areas of society. While the questions over Euro...

This week, Jan, Michaela and David are joined by Jorge Vasconcelos, chair of New Energy Solutions (NEWES) and part of the Florence School of Regulation. Jorge tells us how electricity market design is essential in getting clean energy to where it is needed. In today’s episode, we are looking into electricity market design. A vital part of the energy transition, market design can make or break a co...

Whichever way you look at it, Germany is going to play a highly significant role if Europe is to meet its climate targets by 2050. After 16 years of rule by Angela Merkel came to an end at the end of 2021, where climate policies increasingly took a back seat, a new coalition government, lead by Olaf Scholz, has placed decarbonisation of the economy at the centre of the cross-party agreement. Europ...

To advance the energy transition, utilities are a vital part of getting clean energy to where it is needed at the times it is needed. Whether it is helping integrate EVs or heat pumps, or to protect consumers from sudden price increases, utilities can make a significant contribution to decarbonise the energy system. This week, the team is joined by Greg Jackson, founder and CEO of Octopus Energy,...

From FORESIGHT Climate & Energy, Watt Matters is a podcast all about the energy transition and the shift to a decarbonised economy. In this episode, David, Michaela and Jan discuss where we are, how we got here and where we are going as the global economy continues its quest to ditch carbon emissions by mid-century. The idea of an energy transition has gained a lot of traction in the last few year...

Listen to the trailer for the new podcast Watt Matters, bringing biweekly debates and discussions on the energy transition in Europe, North America and around the world. From FORESIGHT Climate & Energy, Watt Matters is a podcast all about the energy transition and the shift to a decarbonised economy. Through biweekly debates and discussions on the energy transition in Europe, North America and aro...