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In this episode of the Climate Confident podcast, I sat down with John Sturman, Managing Director at NatPower UK, to dig deep into the realities of grid decarbonisation and energy transition at nation scale.

John pulled back the curtain on how NatPower is scaling up battery storage and renewable projects not just in the UK, but across the globe. From developing Europe’s largest battery storage pipeline to pioneering power solutions for maritime decarbonisation, this conversation gets into the detail of what's needed to hit net zero — and what’s holding us back.

We discussed:

• Why the UK is currently one of the strongest global markets for battery storage
• The urgent grid reform needed to meet the UK’s 2030 clean power targets
• How long-duration battery storage could replace gas peaker plants sooner than expected
• The overlooked challenge (and opportunity) of decarbonising the shipping industry
• Why AI will be essential to balancing increasingly complex power grids
• And why empowering communities is critical to speeding up the clean energy build-out

John didn’t shy away from naming the bottlenecks — planning delays, outdated infrastructure, and regulatory barriers — but he also laid out practical fixes that could unlock faster deployment of clean power.

If you’re serious about understanding the mechanics behind the transition to a net zero grid, this is one you don’t want to miss.

Listen now and get climate confident.

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Credits
Music credits - Intro by Joseph McDade, and Outro music for this podcast was composed, played, and produced by my daughter Luna Juniper