Energised

Solar panel installers, architects, environmental scientists, recycling coordinators, wind turbine engineers, geologists, project managers, electric vehicle manufacturers – these are just a small subset of the countless jobs connected to the green revolution. But, for renewable energy to be a sustainable part of our lives, we need to ensure it offers both economic growth and climate security. 

The International Labour Organisation estimates that the energy transition could create 25 million new jobs by 2030. To achieve that remarkable goal, we will need investment to ensure that jobs and workers are protected, and to rethink the way our business and employment models work. 

But what is life really like for those working at the heart of the green economy?

To dive into this topic, host Kamal Ahmed is joined by Bailey Woolston, one of Scottish Power’s first offshore wind apprentices, currently in his third year as a balance of plant apprentice at the East Anglia ONE wind farm. They discuss how Bailey got into the industry, the ways in which young people can start a meaningful career in the renewables sector, and what a day in the life is like as an apprentice on an offshore wind farm. 

This podcast was produced by Intelligence Squared in partnership with Iberdrola.

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Solar panel installers, architects, environmental scientists, recycling coordinators, wind turbine engineers, geologists, project managers, electric vehicle manufacturers – these are just a small subset of the countless jobs connected to the green revolution. But, for renewable energy to be a sustainable part of our lives, we need to ensure it offers both economic growth and climate security. 

The International Labour Organisation estimates that the energy transition could create 25 million new jobs by 2030. To achieve that remarkable goal, we will need investment to ensure that jobs and workers are protected, and to rethink the way our business and employment models work. 

What are the different opportunities available in the green economy? Are there any specific skills required to work in the energy transition? What pathways are available for underrepresented groups? 

To answer all these questions and more, host Kamal Ahmed met three members of Iberdrola’s ‘Global Green Team’ for a conversation about the new employment pathways provided by the energy transition.

This podcast was produced by Intelligence Squared in partnership with Iberdrola. 

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Solar panel installers, architects, environmental scientists, recycling coordinators, wind turbine engineers, geologists, project managers, electric vehicle manufacturers – these are just a small subset of the countless jobs connected to the green revolution. For renewable energy to be a sustainable part of our lives, we need to ensure it offers both economic growth and climate security. How do we ensure the social and economic benefits of clean energy are available to all, and not just those at the top of the food chain? How can the public and private sector work together to encourage people to work in the green energy sector? What are the best ways to increase investment in green jobs? And is it possible for us to create an economy in which the health of the planet and the wellbeing of its inhabitants is a priority and profit isn’t the only goal?

To answer all these questions and more, Intelligence Squared brought together a panel of expert speakers to discuss their plans for creating economic growth and job opportunities within the green economy. ScottishPower Strategic Resourcing Manager Madeline McCreanor will be joined by Sam Alvis, Director of Energy at policy and insights firm Public First, and Shaun Spiers, Executive Director at the environmental think tank Green Alliance in a live panel discussion, hosted by journalist and broadcaster Kamal Ahmed. This podcast was produced in partnership with Iberdrola. 

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Expanding our global electricity networks is key to unlocking a renewable future, especially in the United States: the world’s largest economy that produces 14 percent of global emissions. 

The Inflation Reduction Act, signed last August, aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030 – America’s largest ever investment to fight climate change. 

However, one serious obstacle could stymie these ambitions: an outdated and overloaded grid. The impact of insufficient infrastructure across the United States is already showing: queues to connect renewable energy projects to the grid stretch to years, and the number of active large-scale solar and wind projects is decreasing. 

In this episode, Kamal Ahmed is joined by Pedro Azagra, the CEO of Avangrid, to discuss the specific difficulties facing the grid in the United States, and the upgrades and expansion needed to decarbonise the country’s electricity networks, and facilitate the energy transition. 

For more information please visit www.avangrid.com

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We’d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be about. Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to [email protected]. 

At Intelligence Squared we’ve got our own online streaming platform, Intelligence Squared+ and we’d love you to give it a go. It’s packed with more than 20 years’ worth of video debates and conversations on the world’s most important topics as well as exclusive podcast content. Tune in to live events, ask your questions or watch on-demand, totally ad-free with hours of discussion to dive into. Visit intelligencesquaredplus.com to start watching today

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Expanding our global electricity networks is key to unlocking a renewable future. But, traditional grids need to adapt too. They don’t just need to be bigger; they need to be smarter and more efficient. 

Much of the equipment on the electric grid was built decades ago and needs to be upgraded. Our energy infrastructure was designed for a world in which electricity flowed in one direction – from the grid to people. Now, with homes and businesses increasingly supplying energy themselves, we have a grid with two-way flows of electricity, multiple different energy sources that need to be coordinated, and high voltage power from renewable plants, like offshore wind farms. Digital technologies are the key to handling this complexity. 

But, what do the grids of the future look like in practice? What are the evolving technologies that will enable the grids to be more resilient and robust than they are at present? How can data and digitisation help us to make smarter, more efficient energy decisions? 

In this episode, our host Kamal Ahmed is joined by Marta Solaz, Head of Grid Operations at Scottish Power Networks; Charles Wood, Deputy Director of Energy UK; and, Rob Gramlich, Founder and President of Grid Strategies LLC for a discussion about innovation in the grid: the progress that has been made – and what more needs to be done. 

For more information please visit iberdrola.com

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We’d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be about. Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to [email protected]. 

At Intelligence Squared we’ve got our own online streaming platform, Intelligence Squared+ and we’d love you to give it a go. It’s packed with more than 20 years’ worth of video debates and conversations on the world’s most important topics as well as exclusive podcast content. Tune in to live events, ask your questions or watch on-demand, totally ad-free with hours of discussion to dive into. Visit intelligencesquaredplus.com to start watching today

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Expanding our global electricity networks is the key to unlocking a renewable future. In the US alone, the electric grid will need to expand by at least 60% by 2030 to ensure renewable energy can make its way into our homes and businesses, and the UK’s networks are also in dire need of regeneration. To implement such a project will require seismic policy change, innovative thinking and massive investment. It’s an essential part of the energy transition.

There are big questions and issues to discuss: how will we fund improved networks? How will the private and public sectors work together to facilitate these changes? How can we change regulations and reduce bureaucracy to increase the speed at which renewable energy sources can be connected to the grid?

In this episode our host, journalist Kamal Ahmed, is joined by three brilliant guests, including Keith Anderson, CEO of Scottish Power, to give us an insight into the state of networks in the UK, US and Europe, the difficulties we currently face in improving them, and the potential solutions that could be put in place to reduce global carbon emissions whilst still meeting all of society’s energy needs.

For more information please visit iberdrola.com

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We’d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be. 

Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to [email protected] or Tweet us @intelligence2. 

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In recent years, hydrogen has emerged as a promising source of clean energy. Hydrogen, however, is only as green as the energy source used to produce it. Truly carbon-free hydrogen can only be made with renewable electricity, and right now genuinely green hydrogen makes up only a small fraction of overall hydrogen production. So, is hydrogen really the solution to our environmental problems?

In this conversation the panel explored whether hydrogen really is the freedom fuel that will propel us to net zero. Chaired by Kamal Ahmed, the panel featured Hydrogen Director of ScottishPower Barry Carruthers, the Guardian’s Environment Correspondent Fiona Harvey, and Professor Nigel Brandon, Chair in Sustainable Development at Imperial College London. 

This event, in partnership with Iberdrola, was recorded on March 29 2022, and was produced by Feyi Adegbite with editing by Mark Roberts. 

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We’d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be about. Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to [email protected]. 

At Intelligence Squared we’ve got our own online streaming platform, Intelligence Squared+ and we’d love you to give it a go. It’s packed with more than 20 years’ worth of video debates and conversations on the world’s most important topics as well as exclusive podcast content. Tune in to live events, ask your questions or watch on-demand, totally ad-free with hours of discussion to dive into. Visit intelligencesquaredplus.com to start watching today

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Emissions from transport account for almost a third of global carbon dioxide emissions – and they’re growing. 

Enter electric vehicles. Electric cars are far more energy-efficient than cars that run on fossil fuels. But they may not be a cure-all for our environmental problems: emissions from electric vehicle production are higher than emissions produced during the traditional car manufacturing process, and they are only as green as the power used to charge their batteries. 

In this event our guests explored whether electric vehicles will solve our transport and emissions problems or if they are simply a false start in the journey towards green roads. Chaired by Kamal Ahmed, the panel featured Iberdrola’s Head of New Initiatives, Innovation & Sustainability Division Enrique Meroño and award-winning transport expert Christian Wolmar. 

This event, in partnership with Iberdrola, was recorded on November 16 2021, and was produced by Feyi Adegbite with editing by Mark Roberts. 

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We’d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be about. Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to [email protected]. 

At Intelligence Squared we’ve got our own online streaming platform, Intelligence Squared+ and we’d love you to give it a go. It’s packed with more than 20 years’ worth of video debates and conversations on the world’s most important topics as well as exclusive podcast content. Tune in to live events, ask your questions or watch on-demand, totally ad-free with hours of discussion to dive into. Visit intelligencesquaredplus.com to start watching today

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It’s make or break time for the planet. That was the warning issued by the UN ahead of COP26 in Glasgow in November 2021, when leaders and heads of state from all over the world met to agree on global action to fight climate change. 

The main goal was for them to commit to reaching net-zero carbon emissions by the middle of the century with interim targets by 2030. But what were the chances of success? Very little, if previous summits were anything to go by. 

In this conversation, Kamal Ahmed was joined by Chief Executive of Scottish Power Keith Anderson and Professor of Economic Policy at the University of Oxford Dieter Helm to explore whether COP26 would make a serious contribution to the fight against climate change.

This event, in partnership with Iberdrola, was recorded on October 28 2021, and was produced by Feyi Adegbite with editing by Mark Roberts.

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We’d love to hear your feedback and what you think we should talk about next, who we should have on and what our future debates should be about. Send us an email or voice note with your thoughts to [email protected]

At Intelligence Squared we’ve got our own online streaming platform, Intelligence Squared+ and we’d love you to give it a go. It’s packed with more than 20 years’ worth of video debates and conversations on the world’s most important topics as well as exclusive podcast content. Tune in to live events, ask your questions or watch on-demand, totally ad-free with hours of discussion to dive into. Visit intelligencesquaredplus.com to start watching today

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