For much of the past decade, the challenge was clear: deploy clean technologies at scale. Wind and solar needed to become cheaper. Investment needed to accelerate. Policymakers needed to create the right incentives. While significant work remains, that first phase has delivered enormous progress. 

The next phase may prove more difficult. The challenge is no longer simply building clean generation but adapting the systems around it. As renewable capacity continues to grow, grids are becoming congested, curtailment is rising, market designs are being tested, and new sources of demand are emerging. The energy transition's greatest challenge today may be managing the consequences of its own success. 

Drawing on perspectives from Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific and Africa, this special episode examines whether power systems, markets and policymakers can keep pace with the technologies driving the transition forward. 

Taken together, these conversations suggest that the energy transition is entering a more complex and consequential phase. The first challenge was deploying clean technologies at scale. The next is integrating them into power systems that were never designed for a high-renewable world. From grid expansion and market reform to flexibility, storage and AI-driven demand, the coming decade will be defined not by whether the transition can grow, but by whether the system around it can keep up. 

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This week on Energy Unplugged, Oliver Kerr, Aurora Energy Research’s Managing Director for North America, is joined by Arushi Sharma Frank, Founder of Luminary Strategies and one of the leading thinkers shaping the future of power markets in the age of AI. 

As data centre demand surges across the United States, electricity has become a critical constraint on growth. The challenge is no longer simply building more infrastructure - but finding new ways to use the grid more efficiently and connect large loads faster. 

Drawing on her work at the centre of recent market reforms in Texas, Arushi argues that flexibility, not just new transmission and generation, will be essential to unlocking the next phase of AI-led growth. The conversation examines how large electricity users could become active participants in the power system, helping to relieve constraints, improve reliability, and accelerate access to power. 

From regulatory innovation and grid planning to distributed energy resources and flexible computing, Oliver and Arushi discuss how power markets may need to evolve as electricity demand rises to levels not seen in decades. 

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For more information on what has been discussed in today's episode, please see the below resources:

• Dispatchability, Not Vibes: What PJM Market Monitor Gets Right—and Misses—on Data Centers Flex

https://luminarystrategies.substack.com/p/dispatchability-not-vibes-what-pjm

• The Grid Provides the Floor. The Private Sector Must Firm the Rest.

Data Center "Flex" Needs New Language Fit For Purpose - Dynamic Firming is Speed to Power.

https://luminarystrategies.substack.com/p/the-grid-provides-the-floor-the-private

• PCLR Origin Story Part 1: Speed to Power for Large Loads in ERCOT

EPRI Summer Seminar, the Pacific Ocean, and the Public Good Nature of Championing Market Design Reform.

https://luminarystrategies.substack.com/p/origin-story-speed-to-power-for-ai

• PCLR Origin Story Part 2: Speed to Power for AI Loads in ERCOT

How to get ERCOT comfortable with "managing" controllable load in exchange for earlier "connection" - NPRR1188 as PGRR134 Foundation  https://arushisharmafrank.substack.com/cp/192362539

• PCLR Origin Story Part 3: 60% of Data Center Load should be Dispatch-Ready  https://luminarystrategies.substack.com/p/pclr-origin-story-part-3-60-of-data

• Global Capacity Alliance: https://globalcapacityalliance.org/

• Book recommendation: https://jeffreypfeffer.com/books/7-rules-of-power/

This week on Energy Unplugged, Rodrigo Borges, Aurora Energy Research’s Market Lead for Brazil, is joined by Carla Primavera, Deputy Managing Director at BNDES, the Brazilian Development Bank. BNDES has been central to Brazil’s energy transition, financing renewables from early utility-scale wind and solar to the next generation of low-carbon technologies. 

Brazil’s power market is entering a new phase. Wind and solar have grown faster than demand and transmission infrastructure, driving curtailment, price volatility, and tougher project economics. Yet long-term demand growth is expected to trigger a substantial new investment cycle. 

Rodrigo and Carla discuss how Brazil can move from today’s oversupplied market to the next wave of energy investment, including how lenders are adapting to curtailment, revenue uncertainty, and more sophisticated financing structures. 

The discussion also covers grid expansion, storage, and flexibility, with Carla explaining how BNDES is approaching batteries, smart grids, sustainable fuels, low-carbon hydrogen, and why regulation will be key to Brazil’s next phase of growth. 

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This week on Energy Unplugged, Oliver Kerr, Aurora Energy Research’s Managing Director for North America, is joined by Seyed Madaeni, Co-Founder and CEO of Verse. Drawing on decades of experience in power markets, energy storage, and grid software, Seyed shares his perspective on one of the biggest challenges facing the energy sector today: how to power the AI revolution. 

As data centre development accelerates across the United States, electricity has emerged as a critical constraint on growth. Utilities face mounting pressure to connect large new loads, while grid infrastructure, planning processes, and regulatory frameworks struggle to keep pace with demand. 

Oliver and Seyed discuss why flexibility may be one of the most powerful tools available to relieve pressure on the grid. From behind-the-meter batteries and on-site generation to smarter software and new planning approaches, the conversation explores how large electricity users could become active participants in the power system rather than simply consumers of it. 

The discussion also examines the role of data centres in reshaping electricity markets, the growing importance of “speed to power”, and the policy reforms needed to unlock grid capacity more quickly. As the AI race intensifies, the challenge is not just building more generation and transmission - it is finding smarter ways to use the infrastructure that already exists. 

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Interested in continuing the conversation? Join us at the Aurora Energy Transition Forum New York 2026, where 250 senior leaders from across the energy sector will debate the future of power markets, grid reliability, AI-driven demand growth, and infrastructure investment. Use code PODCAST20 for 20% off your ticket.

This week on Energy Unplugged, Richard Howard, Aurora Energy Research's Global Research Director, is joined by Georgina Hallett, Chief Sustainability Officer & Head of Physical Markets at the London Metal Exchange (LME). The Energy Transition is often described as a shift from fossil fuels to clean electricity. But behind every solar panel, wind turbine, battery and transmission line sits another story - one built from copper, aluminium, nickel and other critical metals. 

As governments and businesses race towards net zero, demand for these materials is surging. Yet growing supply is far from straightforward. The world needs more mining, more processing, and more investment, while simultaneously facing rising expectations around environmental performance, transparency, and responsible sourcing. 

Richard and Georgina explore whether the energy transition is, in reality, a metals transition. They discuss the scale of the challenge facing global supply chains, the increasingly strategic importance of critical minerals, and whether security of supply, affordability and sustainability can all be achieved at the same time. 

The conversation also lifts the lid on the hidden machinery of global metals markets. Georgina explains how the London Metal Exchange helps price and manage risk across some of the world's most important commodities, and why transparency is becoming a critical ingredient in the transition to a lower-carbon economy. 

You will learn: 

This week on Energy Unplugged, Richard Howard, Aurora Energy Research's Global Research Director, is joined by Georgina Hallett, Chief Sustainability Officer & Head of Physical Markets at the London Metal Exchange (LME). The Energy Transition is often described as a shift from fossil fuels to clean electricity. But behind every solar panel, wind turbine, battery and transmission line sits another story - one built from copper, aluminium, nickel and other critical metals. 

As governments and businesses race towards net zero, demand for these materials is surging. Yet growing supply is far from straightforward. The world needs more mining, more processing, and more investment, while simultaneously facing rising expectations around environmental performance, transparency, and responsible sourcing. 

Richard and Georgina explore whether the energy transition is, in reality, a metals transition. They discuss the scale of the challenge facing global supply chains, the increasingly strategic importance of critical minerals, and whether security of supply, affordability and sustainability can all be achieved at the same time. 

The conversation also lifts the lid on the hidden machinery of global metals markets. Georgina explains how the London Metal Exchange helps price and manage risk across some of the world's most important commodities, and why transparency is becoming a critical ingredient in the transition to a lower-carbon economy. 

You will learn: 

This week on Energy Unplugged, Richard Howard, Aurora Energy Research’s Global Research Director, is joined by Christina Rentell, Research Lead for Aurora’s French and Iberian power markets. Drawing on her expertise in renewable energy, battery storage, market design, and electricity system modelling, Christina helps explain what really caused the April 2025 Iberian blackout and what it means for power systems operating with high levels of renewable generation. 

Together, they take a deep dive into the April 2025 blackout, which left around 60 million people across Spain and Portugal without power for up to 18 hours. Richard and Christina unpack the events that led to the outage, examine the role of record-breaking solar generation, and explore whether renewables were truly to blame for one of Europe’s most significant power system disruptions in recent history. 

The discussion looks beyond the headlines to investigate the technical causes of the blackout, including voltage instability, system oscillations, and the lack of sufficient inertia and flexibility services on the grid. Christina explains why a highly renewable power system requires new operational tools, market mechanisms, and grid capabilities, and why the blackout was ultimately as much a challenge of system design as it was of renewable penetration. 

You will learn: 

This week on Energy Unplugged, Richard Howard, Aurora Energy Research’s Global Research Director, is joined by Christina Rentell, Research Lead for Aurora’s French and Iberian power markets. Drawing on her expertise in renewable energy, battery storage, market design, and electricity system modelling, Christina helps explain what really caused the April 2025 Iberian blackout and what it means for power systems operating with high levels of renewable generation. 

Together, they take a deep dive into the April 2025 blackout, which left around 60 million people across Spain and Portugal without power for up to 18 hours. Richard and Christina unpack the events that led to the outage, examine the role of record-breaking solar generation, and explore whether renewables were truly to blame for one of Europe’s most significant power system disruptions in recent history. 

The discussion looks beyond the headlines to investigate the technical causes of the blackout, including voltage instability, system oscillations, and the lack of sufficient inertia and flexibility services on the grid. Christina explains why a highly renewable power system requires new operational tools, market mechanisms, and grid capabilities, and why the blackout was ultimately as much a challenge of system design as it was of renewable penetration. 

You will learn: 

This week on the Energy Unplugged podcast, Richard Howard, Global Research Director, Aurora is joined by Sonia Dunlop, CEO of the Global Solar Council, to discuss the state of the global solar industry and the opportunities and challenges that come with its rapid growth. 

The conversation explores why solar deployment is experiencing a temporary slowdown in some markets despite continued long-term growth, the impact of China's evolving electricity market, and the growing importance of battery storage in managing curtailment, congestion and system flexibility. Richard and Sonia also discuss how market design, grid investment and regulatory reform will be critical to supporting higher shares of renewable energy in power systems around the world. 

Looking ahead, they examine the future role of solar and storage in the global energy system, the evolution of supply chains and recycling, and the increasing importance of distributed energy resources, from rooftop solar to household batteries. 

Sonia Dunlop is CEO of the Global Solar Council, the world's solar PV and battery storage industry association, representing companies and national industry associations across every region and market segment. Prior to joining the Global Solar Council, she held roles at SolarPower Europe, Solar Energy UK and the RE-Source Platform, and spent five years with climate think tank E3G. Sonia also worked on the UK government's COP26 organising team and began her career working on renewable energy policy in the European Parliament. She currently serves in a number of leadership positions across the global renewables sector, including as Vice Chair of the Global Renewables Alliance and Vice President of REN21. 

You will learn about: 

This week on the Energy Unplugged podcast, Richard Howard, Global Research Director, Aurora is joined by Sonia Dunlop, CEO of the Global Solar Council, to discuss the state of the global solar industry and the opportunities and challenges that come with its rapid growth. 

The conversation explores why solar deployment is experiencing a temporary slowdown in some markets despite continued long-term growth, the impact of China's evolving electricity market, and the growing importance of battery storage in managing curtailment, congestion and system flexibility. Richard and Sonia also discuss how market design, grid investment and regulatory reform will be critical to supporting higher shares of renewable energy in power systems around the world. 

Looking ahead, they examine the future role of solar and storage in the global energy system, the evolution of supply chains and recycling, and the increasing importance of distributed energy resources, from rooftop solar to household batteries. 

Sonia Dunlop is CEO of the Global Solar Council, the world's solar PV and battery storage industry association, representing companies and national industry associations across every region and market segment. Prior to joining the Global Solar Council, she held roles at SolarPower Europe, Solar Energy UK and the RE-Source Platform, and spent five years with climate think tank E3G. Sonia also worked on the UK government's COP26 organising team and began her career working on renewable energy policy in the European Parliament. She currently serves in a number of leadership positions across the global renewables sector, including as Vice Chair of the Global Renewables Alliance and Vice President of REN21. 

You will learn about: