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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

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

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The energy transition is a big puzzle for Australia, an important player in the fossil energy world, with large coal and gas reserves. It ranks eighth highest globally for emissions per capita and first for coal power emissions per capita, according to Climate Action Tracker, an independent scientific project.In the last few years, the country has seen a surge in solar energy as fossil fuel prices have risen, and “Teal” candidates winning elections on platforms advocating for more climate action. Despite this, it still struggles with inefficient buildings and the question of how to transform its grids.In this week’s episode, David, Jan, and Michaela are joined by the CEO of Australia’s Energy Efficiency Council, Luke Menzel, to delve into the politics and practicalities of the country’s energy transition.Enjoy the show.

If you have any thoughts or questions about anything that has been discussed in this week’s episode, you can reach us at our Twitter accounts:Luke MenzelMichaela HollJan RosenowDavid WestonKira Taylor@WattMattersPodFORESIGHT Climate & Energy

Listen and subscribe to Watt Matters wherever you get podcasts. Follow us on Twitter at @WattMattersPod or email us at show@wattmatterspodcast.com. You can also find FORESIGHT Climate & Energy on LinkedIn.

Illustration: Masha Krasnova-Shabaeva.

Show notes:You can find Luke’s Let Me Sum Up podcast here and the Energy Efficiency Council’s First Fuel podcast that he hosts here. Find the episode Jan starred on here.The Energy Efficiency Council report Luke mentioned is available here.What caught our eye this week:Jan’s pick: Energy Monitor’s story about solar panels gathering dust in European warehouses
Michaela’s pick: The Irish government backtracking on a tweet regarding meeting consumption
Luke’s pick: Dr Ron Ben-David’s paper on Australia’s electricity market and the potential issues
Kira’s pick: Poland’s case against EU climate legislation
David’s pick: Wind-powered ships potential comeback