In this episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast, we hear from Leon Laing, Manager: Planning and Customer Services at the Drakenstein Municipality in the Western Cape, South Africa on how the SF6-free transition is revolutionising how they manage and operate their power distribution system.

While South Africa is not yet regulating the shift to SF6 free switchgear, Laing is pre-empting this inevitable step and ensuring his municipal district is not only ahead of the curve, but setting the standard for sustainability.

Leon is responsible for the municipality’s electric planning and design where forward-thinking for assets of this cost and nature is critical. This forward-thinking has led to the Drakenstein Municipality being the first in Africa to install and operate Schneider Electric’s RM AirSeT switchgear with pure air technology and digital connectivity.

Read more:
First African SF6-free switchgear installed in South Africa

This episode is brought to you by Schneider Electric, a French multinational company specialising in digital automation and energy management. It addresses homes, buildings, data centers, infrastructure, and industries, by combining energy technologies, real-time automation, software, and services.

In this episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast, we are joined by Jeroen van Hoof, Global Energy Utilities & Resources leader in PwC and Vice Chair of the 2024 World Energy Congress, to explore the complexities of energy transition.

Van Hoof emphasises the human elements at the heart of our shift to net zero. Understanding how a new energy system will impact people’s daily lives, promoting energy literacy, as well as encouraging buy in and commitment from people, not only governments and corporations, are critical elements of a successful transition.

This transition is a complex balancing act between many moving parts, according to van Hoof, and a marshalled, collective effort will be necessary to bring it all together.

“Managing energy transitions is as complicated as upgrading a Swiss precision clock without first stopping it from working. Collective collaboration of all the moving parts is key.”

Don't miss out on a special discount for our Energy Transitions Podcast listeners: To receive your 25% discount on an Enlit Europe Summit delegate pass, visit www.enlit-europe.com/registerpod and enter the podcast discount code provided in this episode on the payment page. We look forward to seeing you in Paris.

How to sustainably decarbonise heating – a topic increasingly on our radar as we strive to become more energy efficient – and one of the key focus points in this episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast.

There are several new innovative technologies making an impact to decarbonise the heating space, such as deep geothermal, solar geothermal, and harnessing of waste heat. To learn more about how these technologies are making an impact and driving decarbonisation efforts, Pamela Largue speaks to Dr Andrej Jentsch, Programme Manager of the IEA Technology Collaboration Programme on District Heating and Cooling.

Additional resources:
REA: resource exergy analysis – Calculation guide for energy systems, including district heating and cooling
IEA Technology Collaboration Platform on District Heating and Cooling
IEA: Tracking Clean Energy Progress report

Jentsch, who mainly works for the AGFW, an association promoting district heating and cooling and combined heat and power, delves into why our progress (or lack thereof) is a matter of will and why we can not achieve our efficiency goals without a systems perspective and a sound measuring and analysis methodology.

“We often forget that using all the waste heat that we have, we just have to collect it, it’s even easier to get to that heat than to geothermal…while some argue waste heat is not renewable, it’s very good for the climate…” - Dr Andrej Jentsch

In this episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast, Pamela Largue speaks to Caroline Hargrove, CTO at Ceres, about solid oxide fuel cell technology and the record levels of efficiency being achieved.

Ceres, a UK-headquartered climate technology developer, recently won the 2023 MacRobert Engineering Award.

The award celebrates innovation that makes an impact, and Ceres’ reversible fuel cell technology, capable of generating power from a range of different fuels, is doing just that, explains Hargrove.

“We, over 20 years, have been developing this technology that is in this goldilocks temperature range, which is about 600 degrees …they become a lot more efficient than the low temperature fuel cells…In an industrial application, efficiency matters…"

In this Energy Transitions Podcast episode, Hargrove also unpacks the potential of fuel cells to decarbonise hard to abate sectors and discusses the importance of establishing an effective supply chain, making fuel cells at an affordable price and ensuring they are fit for purpose.

The role of nuclear power in Europe’s energy mix remains controversial. However, many would argue that nuclear power offers a cleaner energy source than fossil fuels and a cheaper energy source per kilowatt hour. Also, exciting new technology advances are causing a rethink of what nuclear power could look like in the the future.

The question is this, does nuclear need a rebrand? Will the industry’s reputation negatively impact its future and how can we use the lessons learned from the past to ensure we don’t make the same mistakes in the future.

In this episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast, Pamela Largue is joined by Yves Desbazeille, director general of NuclearEurope, to explore whether it’s possible to give nuclear power an image makeover.

To listen to other episodes: https://www.enlit.world/podcasts/energy-transitions/

The built environment is one of the main sources of carbon emissions but it also provides one of the most opportune spaces for clean tech project development.

 Behind the meter, energy efficiency and demand response projects, in particular, could make a significant contribution towards lowering the carbon footprint of buildings and the infrastructure that connects them. However, barriers to project development and finance must be overcome in order to spur progress towards net zero and empower all players, especially small and medium sized enterprises.

 In this episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast, Yusuf Latief spoke to Jessica Stromback, CEO of Joule Assets and Co-Founder of the Sustainable Energy Finance Association (SEFA), regarding the practical steps to figuring out financing and bringing net-zero projects to life.

To listen to other episodes: https://www.enlit.world/podcasts/energy-transitions/

The Voluntary Carbon Market is designed to encourage emissions reductions and support sustainable development. Although a nascent market, it is gaining traction amongst corporations and governments alike as pressure mounts to reach decarbonisation goals.

However, some argue that the VCM lacks standardisation, regulation and credibility, allows organisations to continue emitting greenhouse gasses rather than reducing emissions, and facilitates double counting.

To cut through the complexities of the VCM and understand how to tap into the benefits this market has to offer, Pamela Largue spoke to Luke Leslie, CEO at carbon project financier Carbon Neutral Royalty.  

In the face of rising energy prices and economic challenges, companies are increasingly aware of the importance of maximising their assets, by recovering and regenerating assets where possible.

It’s a deliberate and strategic shift from a linear to a circular economy that makes the most of our planet's resources, and and makes good economic sense for businesses.

To map the obvious and the more obscure benefits of a circular asset management strategy, Pamela Largue speaks to Paolo Perani, Sustainability Manager for ABB’s Electrification Distribution Solutions and Stuart Thompson, President, Electrification Service Division at ABB.