Sam Morgan, The Jolt

The Jolt – Europe’s carbon border tax goes live

Join Sam Morgan for the first episode of The Jolt, the new podcast from FORESIGHT Climate & Energy, giving you bite-sized coverage of the global energy transition

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Where are we now?

Europe’s CBAM still finding its feet

How to reap the benefits of district heating? Make it local

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We face a fundamental change of the cost structure on the supply side and a need for a fundamental change.

Jochen Kreusel

- Market innovation manager in the power grids division at ABB Power

They [the European Commission] are looking at this stuff backwards. I still think they are convinced the short-term market model could work even though they are also starting to realise that you need something parallel, with long term price signals that give investors confidence to invest in infrastructure and allow them to see a decent market return.

Francesco Venturini

- Global head of renewables for Italian utility Enel

Despite tremendous cost decline of wind and solar technologies, electricity prices will probably remain too low to attract the level of investment needed.

Fatih Birol

- Executive director of the International Energy Agency

The greatest barrier to overcome is the integration of variable renewables into electricity systems. This will require developing power system flexibility and also a friendly deployment of variable renewables.

Fatih Birol

- Executive director of the International Energy Agency

UK battery sector can focus on quality over quantity

Having missed out on early-mover advantage and unable to compete with other markets in terms of scale, a UK battery sector will need to focus on high-quality niche applications if it wants a share of the pie

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New Zealand Aotearoa might be on the opposite side of the world but has some familiar energy transition issues to deal with, while others are quite unique to the islands. Dr Christina Hood joins the show to give the Kiwi perspective

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Private infrastructure owners can turn charge points into cash points

Organisations all over Europe are investing in charge point infrastructure for their electric vehicle fleets. This infrastructure could be a source of revenue and additional public charging capacity, says Tore Harritshøj of EV charging platform provider Spirii

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Indecent proposals

In a special live recording of the podcast, Michael Liebreich, Katharina Umpfenbach and Dennis Hesseling join the team to discuss shifting the energy infrastructure of today into a decarbonised system of tomorrow

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The arguments for district heating are stacking up

District heating and cooling networks are being increasingly considered as opportunities to decarbonise space heating and hot water supply in urban areas

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Understanding digital infrastructure

In this week's episode, Sabine Erlinghagen and David examine how grid operators are adapting to the new data-driven world and what it means for the energy transition

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The Balkan Express

Transport in the Balkans leaves a lot to be desired. Badly connected and lacking investment, the region sorely needs a mobility policy boost. This week, one of the top officials tasked with doing just that joins the show.

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Today’s construction must not become tomorrow’s retrofit

Achieving a much deeper and increased building renovation rate is crucial to achieving the EU’s decarbonisation objective, says Mike Stenson of Kingspan, a building materials company

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Business

The growing impact of oil and gas in offshore wind

Oil and gas companies can bring welcome war chests and skills to the offshore wind sector, but not everyone is happy with the majors’ approach to this globally vital clean energy sector

Understanding efficient data centres

Power to the people: UK’s net zero transition

Insurers have a responsibility to offer long-term solutions     

Taiwan rides the waves of new technology

Sparking the transition

Electrolysis: what you need to know

The Australian sandbox

Understanding security of supply

Back to school with our attention on energy efficiency

Understanding start-ups

Early signs of a solar revolution in Nigeria

What our editors are reading

US needs to exploit Grid-Enhancing Technologies

Reports

The US needs to triple transmission investment and use Grid-Enhancing Technologies (GETs) to support this goal, concludes a white paper by Brattle Group and the Watt Coalition. There are more than 10,000 projects adding up to over two terawatts of new capacity awaiting grid connection. When compared to major new transmission investments, GETs can be implemented much faster and often for a small fraction of the cost. GETs enhance transmission investments, acting more as a tool to augment, akin to a GPS or tire air pressure sensor making driving easier—not by themselves replacing the car.

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Offshore wind growth accelerates

Reports

Offshore wind capacity is expected to grow by 18.4 GW in 2023, a record, with China accounting for over half of this total. By 2030, the annual total will reach 45.7 GW, mainly due to the mature markets of China, the UK, Germany and the Netherlands, but emerging markets such as the US, Taiwan, France, South Korea, Poland and Japan will also make significant contributions. From 2031 to 2035, the report says that installations will average 45.6 GW per year, peaking at 48.2 GW in 2035.

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Power sector emissions peak

Reports

After reaching an all-time high globally in 2022, CO2 emissions from power generation will stay steady through 2025. While the EU’s natural gas-fired power generation is forecast to fall, growth in the Middle East will partly offset this. Declines in coal-fired generation in Europe and the Americas will likely be matched by a rise in Asia-Pacific. More than 70% of the increase in global electricity demand through 2025 is to come from China, India and Southeast Asia. However, considerable uncertainties remain over China as it emerges from Covid restrictions.

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