Rent-seeking and net zero
Matt Kean on being a private citizen, duelling with Barnaby, rent-seeking on Eraring and pathways to net zero.
Sep 12, 2024•52 min
Energy Insiders - a RenewEconomy Podcast
Join Renew Economy founder and editor-in-chief Giles Parkinson and columnist and energy markets expert David Leitch as they discuss the week's main events - politics, solar and storage.
Episodes
The rapidly changing climate
Climate expert Lesley Hughes on the recent weather extremes and the impact on biodiversity, and people. Plus: News of the week including the first big CIS tender.
Sep 06, 2024•55 min
Should networks be more than poles and wires?
ENA chief executive Dominique van den Berg on the hotly contested role that networks can play in distributed resources. Plus, news of the week.
Aug 30, 2024•1 hr
The search for equity
NAB's Andrew Smith on the challenges of raising equity for Australia's renewable energy transition. Plus: News of the week.
Aug 23, 2024•1 hr 3 min
Managing the trauma of grid expansion
VicGrid CEO Alastair Parker has a job some would not envy, managing the planning of transmission lines and renewable zones in the state of Victoria. He joins the podcast to talk about transmission routes, battery storage, the option of going underground, and where things went wrong on social licence. Plus, the news of the week including windfall profits for all the big utilities.
Aug 16, 2024•56 min
A civil war over renewables?
Rebecca Colvin from ANU and John Cole from University of Southern Queensland and their takes on obtaining social licence for energy projects, and the lessons from King Island and CSG. Plus, news of the week.
Aug 08, 2024•1 hr 19 min
Here comes the sun
Andy McCarthy on setting up a solar business in the heart of coal country more than a decade ago, when a 1 kW system cost $8,000. And what the industry can learn from that as it struggles for social licence. Plus: News of the week including high prices and farmers walking away from wind.
Aug 02, 2024•59 min
The extraordinary solar and battery boom in the Texas oil state
Doug Lewin, from the Energy Capital podcast in Texas, explains how a massive storm triggered unprecedented investment in solar and storage in the oil state. Plus: News of the week.
Jul 26, 2024•1 hr 2 min
Ted, Chris, nuclear and long term storage
What we learned from Ted O'Brien, Chris Bowen and everyone else at the CEC summit. Plus: Hydrostor's Jon Norman on why advanced compressed air storage is beating pumped hydro, and why even nuclear needs lots of storage.
Jul 19, 2024•46 min
The problem with higher costs and longer delays
Contractors and developers are struggling with higher costs and projects delays. Matt Rennie joins us to discuss the issue. Plus: News of the week.
Jul 12, 2024•54 min
Batteries on wheels are coming
Amber Electric’s Chris Thompson on new push to have EVs use their batteries on wheels to support homes and the grid, and play utilities at their own market game. Plus: News of the week.
Jul 05, 2024•52 min
China rules on EVs, solar, everything
John Grimes from the Smart Energy Council on China's robo-taxis, and its lead on battery, EVs, solar and hydrogen. Plus: The ISP, Matt Kean and nuclear.
Jun 27, 2024•52 min
Homes, electric cars and the grid
Evergen’s Ben Hutt on optimising solar, batteries, and the race to electrification. Plus: News of the week and the nuclear fallout.
Jun 20, 2024•57 min
The rapidly changing grid
Energy expert Alex Wonhas on designing the new grid, generation choices and using batteries to boost the network. Plus, news of the week.
Jun 13, 2024•49 min
Is there a problem with renewables?
Do communities trust developers? Do people believe renewables will do the job? Zen Energy's Paul Sheridan on the surprising results of a new survey. Plus: News of the week.
Jun 06, 2024•43 min
Asean super grid, and a question over storage
DNV's Peerapat Vithayasrichare discusses the Asean super grid idea. Plus: Is it time to rethink long term storage needs?
May 31, 2024•53 min
Eraring coal extension and nuclear fantasies
Is the Eraring coal extension a good deal? Plus: Kane Thornton from the Clean Energy Council discusses GenCost, AEMO, CIS, Made in Australia and what the US is up to.
May 23, 2024•1 hr 2 min
Bigging up the grid
Transgrid CEO Brett Redman on new projects, delays, costs and social licence. Plus: The federal budget and even bigger batteries.
May 16, 2024•53 min
Hydrogen hopeful's big funding win
Hysata's Paul Barrett on the electrolyser tech's record fund raising. Plus: Labor's gas strategy, NSW's sky high prices, and Origin hollers a Marshall.
May 10, 2024•41 min
Victoria's big bet on offshore wind
Victoria energy minister Lily D'Ambrosio on the first offshore project studies, the SEC, and getting a fair share of the Capacity Investment Scheme. Plus: Eraring's future and big batteries take centre stage.
May 03, 2024•45 min
Chris Bowen explains the green energy plan
Energy minister Chris Bowen discusses the capacity investment scheme, the Eraring closure, social licence, planning approvals, long duration storage, and why the Coalition’s nuclear plan does not stack up.
Apr 26, 2024•54 min
The renewable challenge in south-east Asia
Bridget McIntosh from EnergyLab on South-east Asia's energy transition and the role being played by Australian experts. Plus: Battery storage gets really big.
Apr 19, 2024•51 min
China, China, China
China is the dominant force in solar, wind, battery storage and EVs, and the world’s biggest polluter. China expert Lauri Myllyvirta lifts the lid. Plus: Labor’s Made in Australia plan, and lots of storage news.
Apr 12, 2024•59 min
Is there a smarter way to transmit power?
TS Conductor CEO Jason Huang on reducing line losses for renewables and storage. Plus: All the news of the week.
Apr 05, 2024•42 min
Managing solar ducks in the middle of Australia
Can Alice Springs switch off fossil fuels in the middle of the day? Lyndon Frearson from Ekistica on the options and lessons for the NEM. Plus: Eraring and NVES.
Mar 27, 2024•1 hr 3 min
Would you trust your utility to control your solar?
Monash Uni’s Yolande Strengers and Kari Dahlgren on one of the big challenges of the energy transition - trust. Plus, all the news of the week in this nuclear free podcast.
Mar 20, 2024•54 min
Australia’s biggest smelters flick switch to wind and solar
Rio Tinto’s Vik Selvaraja on why Australia’s biggest smelters - and biggest single energy consumers - are choosing wind and solar. Plus: Coalition’s nuclear nonsense.
Mar 13, 2024•51 min
The push for coal to play off the bench
EnergyAustralia CEO Mark Collette on coal as a reserve asset, the uncertainty of Yallourn, the challenge of green hydrogen, and just managing the transition.
Feb 29, 2024•51 min
The boom in wind energy
GE global wind boss Steve Swift on landmark supply deal with Andrew Forrest. Plus: Rio Tinto plans Australia’s biggest wind farm to power smelters. And Littleproud’s Barnaby moment.
Feb 22, 2024•53 min
Podcast special: How to make offshore wind work in Australia
We talk to three industry experts on offshore wind as part of the Locking in the Green Energy Transition podcast series sponsored by Norton Rose Fulbright.
Feb 20, 2024•1 hr 8 min