Clean energy is under attack like never before. President Donald Trump has said “the wind is bullshit.” Right-wing parties in Europe have opposed climate legislation introduced by the European Union. 

There’s never been a more important time to understand the real history of clean energy - how did we get here; who were the pioneers? And critically why it has taken so long to come of age. 

An Electric Revolution will take listeners through the story of clean energy, from its origins to the present day, through the stories of idealists and inventors who challenged the status quo and dreamt of a better way of powering the planet. 

From Charles Brush to Wang Chuanfu. 

It will answer key questions such as  - who designed and built the first wind turbines and solar panels? Why did electric cars fail over a hundred years ago? Why did clean energy lose out to fossil fuels? Why did China come to dominate the industry and the West lose out? 

I’m Henry Sanderson, the author of the book Volt Rush, the Winners and Losers in the Race to Go Green, and a former journalist for The Financial Times and Bloomberg. 

Each episode I will introduce one person from the history of clean energy. What made him or her tick? Why are they important to this story, and how did they inspire others? And critically, what can we learn about today’s challenges from history? 

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Thank you for listening.