Watt Matters Podcast

From FORESIGHT Climate & Energy, Watt Matters is a podcast all about the energy transition and the shift to a decarbonised economy

119 mins.
27/September/2023

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
56 min.
15/September/2023

Power to the people: UK’s net zero transition

 The UK energy system has changed dramatically in the last two decades, with coal usage plummeting and big opportunities for renewables. But the country needs to go full speed ahead with renewable solutions to tackle the climate crisis and lower bills
75 min.
01/September/2023

The Australian sandbox

 A rooftop solar boom combined with inefficient buildings and a stubborn fossil fuel industry makes Australia’s energy transition complex and critical. To discuss the ins and outs of this, David, Jan, and Michaela are joined by Luke Menzel of Australia’s Energy Efficiency Council
61 min
28/July/2023

Where are we now?

 As we reach the summer break, Jan, Michaela and David reflect on the year so far, what we have missed and what needs to be focussed on for the rest of the year
51 min
14/July/2023

Out from the shadows

 The solar industry is in a bullish mood despite negativity around the rest of the economy
38 min
29/June/2023

Regulating methane emissions

 Flaring, venting and leaky infrastructure in the energy sector are leading to climate-killing carbon dioxide and methane escaping into the atmosphere - one EU law is trying to prevent this
55 min
15/June/2023

Strength in flexibility

 Once combined and electrified, the millions of homes everywhere could provide substantial flexibility capacity to support grid operators integrate increasing levels of green electricity
64 min
02/June/2023

Advantageous liaisons

 There are many ways district heating systems could benefit from greater coupling with industrial processes. But barriers remain, meaning opportunities to decarbonise are being missed
53 min
19/May/2023

Neighbourhood watts

 Tired of waiting for big energy companies to procure clean energy, energy communities are clubbing together to take advantage of the low prices renewable energy offers
69 min
05/May/2023

The future for heat pumps

 Decarbonising the heating sector will rely heavily on the heat pump sector. This week's episode looks at how the sector is shaping up to the challenge
69 min
21/April/2023

The EU’s new trade weapon

 Decarbonising is easy when a regulator can set rules and regulations for the territory it oversees. But how do you convince other countries or regions to go green? A new hybrid trade and climate superweapon recently created by the EU aims to solve that conundrum. Get ready for the CBAM
57 min
05/April/2023

Efficient business plans

 With significant buying power, corporations and businesses can support the development of energy efficiency measures faster than households
73 min
24/March/2023

Securing a slice of the PPA market

 With a buying power significantly stronger than the general public, corporations are looking to buy up solar capacity through power purchase agreements (PPAs) to help decarbonise their activities. But the market, and the regulations, are not yet ready
55 min
10/March/2023

The problem with wind power

 Wind power will be central to the energy transition, but it is currently stuck in the mire. Unsticking itself is all but straightforward
70 min
24/February/2023

Hydrogen set to spread its wings

 Green hydrogen's role in the energy transition is a given, but just how far and how fast the technology will spread remains up for debate
54 min
10/February/2023

Europe breaks fossil fuel shackles

 Despite the ongoing energy crises, the use of coal and gas over this winter has not increased as much as some feared. Europe is on the verge of breaking its addiction to fossil fuels
3 min
23/December/2022

Our top five podcasts from 2022

 Entering the audio sphere in 2022, FORESIGHT Climate & Energy's podcasts have given our listeners a chance to hear directly from key personalities in the energy sector and discuss how to achieve a decarbonised economy in the most expedient way. Take a listen to our top episodes from 2022
87 min
16/December/2022

Shocks, stability and sustainable markets

 This week's special live recording of Watt Matters comes from Eurelectric's offices in Brussels, where the team is joined by Ditte Juul Jorgensen and three trade association chiefs to discuss ways Europe's electricity market is dealing with the shocks of the past 12 months while securing and stabilising the sector for the future
57 min
09/December/2022

Policy promoting climate finance

 With the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), the United States is unleashing billions of dollars to promote climate solutions and clean energy technology
69 min
25/November/2022

Are COP talks really worthwhile?

 Following yet another round of COP negotiations in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, only limited progress again was made in the global effort to keep global warming limited to 1.5C. This week, the team discusses the value of these negotiations in the quest to avoid catastrophic climate change
52 min
11/November/2022

The present and the future of solar

 With solar photovoltaic technology now established, creative new schemes—both technical and financial—are being developed across the globe. In this episode of Watt Matters, we discuss how innovative the solar industry has become and where there is work still left to do
58 min
28/October/2022

The heating policy paradox

 Citizens across Europe are concerned about their heating bills as a result of the energy price crisis, but sustainable heating and cooling do not yet receive much attention in the EU’s agenda
59 min
14/October/2022

From range anxiety to charging confidence

 The sales of electric vehicles continue to rise globally, but much more needs to be done to deploy charging infrastructure
54 min
30/September/2022

A toolbox for the EU’s energy crisis

 In this episode of Watt Matters, we make sense of the short and long-term measures that Brussels is proposing to alleviate Europe's energy price crisis and its impact on the EU's energy companies
58 min
16/September/2022

An attractive profession

 Europe has set ambitious objectives in its energy transition, but the continent risks not having the workforce to make it happen
65 min
02/September/2022

A strategy for carbon capture technologies

 Economic constraints and public acceptance remain two of the biggest challenges to mass deployment of carbon capture technologies in Europe. A unified CCS strategy in Europe could change this
59 min
29/July/2022

From forecast to reality

 Europe can have an almost completely decarbonised power sector by 2035, new research suggests
61 min
15/July/2022

The need for climate finance Jedi

 The world needs trillions of dollars in investments to slow down climate change and fulfill the objectives of the Paris Agreement, but simply throwing money at the problem will not be enough. To harness the force of climate finance, it needs to be made with a just transition in mind
76 min
01/July/2022

The American experience

 This week, we are joined by Jesse Jenkins, assistant professor at Princeton University, to talk about the challenges and the opportunities for the energy transition in the United States and lessons from Europe's energy crisis
50 min
17/June/2022

Finding the right narrative

 As the hot topic of the moment, in this episode of Watt Matters, we examine how energy efficiency policies and measures are being treated around the world
57 min
03/June/2022

The energy transition must bring consumers on board

 This week, the European consumer organisation’s (BEUC) Monique Goyens joins the team to discuss how consumers are taking an increasingly active role in the energy transition
48 min
20/May/2022

A systems approach to the energy transition

 This week, DNV’s CEO of Energy Systems Ditlev Engel joins Watt Matters to talk about energy systems thinking and why a holistic approach is needed to make the energy transition happen
61 min
06/May/2022

From efficiency to sufficiency

 This week, Yamina Saheb, lead author for the IPCC, joins the team to discuss whether a shift in mindset can help accelerate the energy transition
67 min
22/April/2022

Eastern Europe and the energy transition

 On Watt Matters this week, Monica Morawiecka from the Regulatory Assistance Project and Julian Popov, a fellow of the European Climate Foundation, discuss what is required to make eastern Europe's energy transition a reality
58 min
08/April/2022

Behind the hydrogen hype

 In this week's episode, the team is joined by Gniewomir Flis from Energy Revolution Ventures. We examine the hype that surrounds green hydrogen and what role, if any, it can have in the energy transition
61 min
25/March/2022

In from the cold

 This week, we are joined by Peter Sweatman, chief executive at Climate Strategy & Partners, to discuss how to make energy efficiency measures more attractive and ensure investment is directed to the right areas
49 min
18/March/2022

The questions facing low-carbon heating

 In episode 7, the team are joined by Alix Chambris and Brian Vad Mathiesen to discuss the potential pathways to decarbonise heating in Europe
57 min
11/March/2022

A secure Europe

 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
43 min
25/February/2022

A market fit-for-purpose

 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
18/February/2022

The Energiewende and the new government

 This week, Jan, Michaela and David are joined by Claudia Kemfert, professor of energy economics and energy policy at the German Institute for Economic Research and Leuphana University to discuss how Germany's new government, and its economy, are tackling the energy transition.
04/February/2022

A new utility

 The changing role of consumers, the rise of distributed energy and the advent of digital technology are forcing utilities to change how they operate. In this episode of Watt Matters, we speak to Greg Jackson, founder and CEO of Octopus Energy
17/December/2021

Getting off gas

 In this episode, we take a look at our dependence on gas and, with the recent price crisis that swept across Europe, how we can break our grasp on the fuel. Joining Watt Matters this week is Dennis Hesseling from the EU Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER)
03/December/2021

How did we get here and where are we going?

 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
02/December/2021

Introducing: Watt Matters

FORESIGHT Climate & Energy

FORESIGHT Climate & Energy is the essential read on the global transition to a decarbonised energy economy — objective reporting on what really matters by expert journalists and writers.
© 2023 Foresight
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