[Episode #102] – Transition as Wildfire Adaptation in California
The energy transition provides some of the answers to wildfire risk, including how utilities deal with their own culpability.
Aug 21, 2019•33 min•Ep. 102
The Energy Transition Show with Chris Nelder
Straight talk about the world’s transition from fossil fuels to renewables with energy expert Chris Nelder
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Episodes
[Episode #101] – What We Don’t Know About Energy Transition
In this wide-ranging chat, Chris Nelder and Jonathan Koomey talk about the many things we don’t know about how the energy transition will proceed.
Aug 07, 2019•28 min•Ep. 101
[Episode #100] – Teaching Energy Transition
For our 100th episode, we thought we’d do a little something special: Interview professors from four US universities who are using the Energy Transition Show as coursework, and make the full show available to everyone, including non-subscribers. We ask these teachers about the specific topics they’re teaching, how they’re using the show in their classes, what concepts students find difficult, what misconceptions students have about energy, and how students are reacting to having study materials ...
Jul 24, 2019•1 hr 47 min•Ep. 100
[Episode #99] – Metals Supply in Energy Transition
Is the supply of certain key metals—like lithium, copper, nickel, and cobalt—and “rare earth” metals—like vanadium and indium—potentially a limiter on the progress of energy transition? Or is there enough of them to realize our ambitions? Are they being produced in a sustainable way? How will the geographic concentration of these metals affect geopolitics and trade as the energy transition progresses? How confident can we be about our assessments of their abundance? And how confident can we be a...
Jul 10, 2019•22 min•Ep. 99
[Episode #98] – Why Building Transmission is So Hard
Building high voltage transmission lines has never been easy, but now it’s arguably both harder than ever, and more necessary than ever, as we seek to unlock the vast potential of wind and solar in the US and ship it to major population centers. But it’s not a business for the faint of heart, as we’ll hear in this incredible story by award-winning investigative reporter and author Russell Gold of the Wall Street Journal. His new book, Superpower, chronicles the story of Michael Skelly, a develop...
Jun 26, 2019•36 min•Ep. 98
[Episode #97] – How State Policies Can Drive Decarbonization
As we continue looking for ways to decarbonize our energy systems, we often have to decide whether it’s better to try reworking our market rules so that the markets will do a better job of procuring clean energy, as we discussed in Episode #90, or whether it makes sense to just mandate the procurement of clean energy resources. The former is a job for the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), but the latter is the domain of the states. In fact, our guest in this episode, a senior attorney...
Jun 12, 2019•29 min•Ep. 97
[Episode #96] – Sustainable Mobility
Energy transition is happening quickly and disruptively in the transportation sector. But it is generally an open question whether the transition currently at hand is producing socially beneficial results. As we grapple with a sudden influx of new modes of mobility and business models, and contemplate the dawning of an entirely new mobility paradigm, are we just letting technology take us wherever it wants to go, or are we guiding technologies toward sustainable mobility? For that matter, what d...
May 29, 2019•35 min•Ep. 96
[Episode #95] – Powering the world with RE
Can we run the world on renewables alone? Various researchers have tried to model how a given country might run a grid using mostly renewables, oftentimes finding that carbon-negative technologies, advanced nuclear power, and even coal power plants equipped with CCS will be a part of the solution set. But no one has produced a comprehensive model that shows how we can run the world on renewables alone, while accurately modeling the weather and grid conditions at a very discrete scale, at hourly ...
May 15, 2019•24 min•Ep. 95
[Episode #94] – Integrated Decentralized Power Systems
As more distributed energy resources arrive unbidden onto the power grid, they are increasingly requiring us not to just think about new utility business models, but to radically rethink what a utility might look like. What if millions of distributed resources become the dominant resources, and the grid assumes a subordinate role as a residual supplier of energy? What if the control of the system is also decentralized, through the actions of millions of devices? What if the roles of transmission...
May 01, 2019•28 min•Ep. 94
[Episode #93] – Energy Transition in India and Southeast Asia, Part 2
This is Part 2 of our two-and-a-half hour interview with Tim Buckley, of the Institute of Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, based in Australia. We featured Part 1 in Episode 91, in which we primarily discussed the future of coal fired power in India. In this second part, we expand on the India story and look more broadly at energy transition across Southeast Asia, and consider the outlook for coal, renewables, and nuclear power in China, Japan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Malaysia, among ot...
Apr 17, 2019•27 min•Ep. 93
[Episode #92] – Financing Coal Plant Retirements
The coal power sector in the US is continuing to shrink due to poor economics, but this doesn’t mean we’re retiring coal fired power plants quickly enough to reduce carbon emissions at a rate that achieves our climate goals. So what’s the best way to get rid of coal plants before they reach the end of their expected lifespans, particularly while the Trump administration and the Republican party continue trying to find ways to keep coal plants open? Democratic state Representative Chris Hansen of...
Apr 03, 2019•24 min•Ep. 92
[Episode #91] – Energy Transition in India and Southeast Asia, Part 1
It has long been assumed that India, China, and other developing countries of Southeast Asia would power their vigorous economic growth for decades to come with coal. We heard over and over that China is building a new coal-fired power plant every three days, and about plans for multi-gigawatt sized coal-fired power plants in India. As long as coal was the cheapest form of power, addressing our climate emergency seemed like a lost hope. But that nightmare is now evaporating thanks to the continu...
Mar 20, 2019•31 min•Ep. 91
[Episode #90] – How Will Decarbonized Power Markets Work?
This one is for the grid geeks! With the Green New Deal now a hot topic in the US Congress, while wholesale power markets still struggle to figure out how to accommodate new kinds of resources even as coal plants and nuclear plants continue to retire, the question of how wholesale power markets should work, and how they should value new kinds of assets and services, is becoming increasingly urgent. What would a power market look like if it consisted mainly (or totally) of wind and solar, with th...
Mar 06, 2019•26 min•Ep. 90
[Episode #89] – Energy Access and Health
What kinds of energy solutions can really improve the health of people in developing countries, and how can energy transition support them?
Feb 20, 2019•25 min•Ep. 89
[Episode #88] – Energy Trade in Transition
The global energy trade is enormously complex, and its geopolitical implications are vast, but they are only made more complex by energy transition. If the US exports gas to Europe and Asia, might you expect it to largely displace coal in their power plants? Think again! What will be the geopolitical ramifications on our relationship with Russia, as we send more of our gas to China and India? And as the US weans itself off of coal, and seeks to export more coal abroad, will it be stymied by ener...
Feb 06, 2019•24 min•Ep. 88
[Episode #87] – The Value of Flexible Solar
If utility-scale solar plants could be made to run more flexibly, they could avoid curtailment and play an even larger role in grid power supply.
Jan 23, 2019•28 min•Ep. 87
[Episode #86] – Is Transition Worth It?
Are investments in energy transition worth it, or do things like the rebound effect and dirty power grids nullify their value?
Jan 09, 2019•27 min•Ep. 86
[Episode #85] – Foreign Aid for Microgrids
The best way to build a renewably-powered microgrid using foreign aid in Africa may be exactly the opposite of what you’d expect.
Dec 26, 2018•25 min•Ep. 85
[Episode #84] – Designing Climate Solutions
We talk with an author of Designing Climate Solutions about the best policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, and how to design them.
Dec 12, 2018•37 min•Ep. 84
[Episode #83] – Revisiting Germany’s Energiewende
How is Germany’s Energiewende (energy transition) coming along, why did they decide to phase out nuclear at a time like this, and when will they get off coal?
Nov 28, 2018•20 min•Ep. 83
[Episode #82] – The Business Case for Renewable Energy
Can a large corporation, especially one involved in heavy industry like mining, use more renewable energy and become more sustainable? Ingersoll Rand thinks so.
Nov 14, 2018•21 min•Ep. 82
[Episode #81] – Principles of Energy Transition
Dr. David Murphy of St. Lawrence University interviews Chris about principles of energy transition, live from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs.
Oct 31, 2018•22 min•Ep. 81
[Episode #80] – Building Infrastructure as a Service
Forget buying HVAC and lighting systems for your commercial buildings. Building infrastructure-as-a-service offers an exciting new path to energy transition.
Oct 17, 2018•23 min•Ep. 80
[Episode #79] – Community Choice Aggregations (CCAs)
Community choice aggregations (CCAs) are rapidly taking over power procurement in California and elsewhere, with both advantages and concerns to consider.
Oct 03, 2018•23 min•Ep. 79
[Episode #78] – 3-Year Anniversary on the Jonathan Koomey Omnibus
Veteran energy researcher Jonathan Koomey rejoins us for our 3rd anniversary show covering a wide range of topics related to energy transition.
Sep 19, 2018•22 min•Ep. 79
[Episode #77] – Perspectives of an Energy Transition Veteran
Robyn Beavers shares some of her insights from a 15-year career in energy transition. How did we get here, and what’s next?
Sep 05, 2018•20 min•Ep. 77
[Episode #76] – Carbon Clampdown
Europe is about to fix its cap and trade system for carbon emissions. But will carbon prices rise high enough to meet the Paris targets?
Aug 22, 2018•26 min•Ep. 76
[Episode #75] – Transportation Transition
Is the transition of transportation to electric vehicles good for society, or just a new set of problems? We explore some common questions in this episode.
Aug 08, 2018•26 min•Ep. 75
[Episode #74] – Climate Science Part 10 – How to limit warming to 1.5°C without CCS
Can behavioral changes and better delivery of services help us limit global warming to 1.5 °C without relying on negative emission technologies like CCS?
Jul 25, 2018•25 min•Ep. 74
[Episode #73] – Regulatory Capture
How can we ensure that utility regulators aren’t unduly influenced by the companies they’re supposed to regulate as we proceed with the energy transition?
Jul 11, 2018•23 min•Ep. 73
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