Talking energy...The UKERC Podcast

In the latest episode of the Talking Energy Podcast, UKERC Co-Director Caroline Kuzemko talks to Dan Marks of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI). In a wide-ranging conversation, Dan and Caroline reflect on Dan's journey from a journalist covering African energy to the first role at RUSI covering energy security, into reflections on the current state of UK energy security, including the UK's preference to prioritise energy markets over the system at large.

Find out more about RUSI: https://www.rusi.org/

Explore our podcast episodes and more: https://ukerc.ac.uk/multimedia/?m_type%5B%5D=webinar&m_type%5B%5D=podcast&m_type%5B%5D=video&m_type%5B%5D=event

In our latest episode, we welcome the Chief Scientific Advisor for the Department for Transport and Professor at Aston University Patricia Thornley to the podcast. In a wide ranging discussion, Rob Gross and Patricia discuss her past experience, through physics and her time at the helm of Supergen Bioenergy Hub, onto contemporary transport debates, such as the role and importance of sustainable aviation fuel, both now and in future decades, and how self-driven vehicles will change demand on our transport system.

In this episode, we welcome UKERC Researcher and Professor at Durham University Gavin Bridge to the podcast. Rob asks Gavin about how the UK can navigate the rising prices and potential shortage of oil and gas caused by the war in Iran. Gavin and Rob discuss why there is limited impact in further exploration of of the North Sea basin, the impact of the energy profits levy, and why renewables expansion is the most effective path towards energy security.

This week on the Talking Energy Podcast, Rob Gross is joined by CEO of Elexon: Peter Stanley. Peter and Rob discuss the Market-wide Half-Hourly Settlement (MHHS) programme, a major UK energy market reform, led by Elexon and overseen by Ofgem, which mandates settling all electricity consumption in 30-minute intervals. They discuss how using actual smart meter data instead of estimates enables more accurate billing, supports net zero goals, and facilitates flexible, time-of-use tariffs to lower consumer costs.

In the latest episode of the talking energy podcast, Professor Sara Walker talked about the role and use of hydrogen in our energy grid, how much carbon can be saved by integrating hydrogen into our gas system, and then talked about the demand-side of energy, including a deep dive on heat pumps, how to address the skills gap in both gas and renewable installation. We wrap up the conversation with the 3 big changes Sara would like to see on the demand-side of energy.

Sara is a Professor of Professor of Energy and Co-Director of the Birmingham Energy Institute at the University of Birmingham. She is Director of the UKRI Hub on Hydrogen Integration for Accelerated Energy Transitions (HI-ACT) and Co-Director of the UKRI Energy Demand Research Centre (EDRC).

In this episode, we welcome former MP and long-term energy campaigner Laura Sandys to the podcast. In a wide-ranging discussion, Laura talks about what she has learned about how to reframe the energy market to be more friendly to consumers. We speak about big ideas, such as how we can learn from the mobile phone market to transfer ideas to the energy sector, why we expect the average consumer to be an electrical engineer, and harnessing the savviness of the consumer.

In the latest episode of the Talking Energy Podcast, Robert Gross sits down with UKERC and University of Strathclyde researcher Callum MacIver to discuss the Government's recent decision to reject zonal pricing.

The pair talk about the benefits and costs of the decision, why the Government ended up rejecting the proposal, and what should be focused on for market reform going forward.

In this episode, we are joined by Russell Smith, director of Cotality UK. UKERC Co-Director Jess Britton talks to Russell about all things retrofit, ranging from getting buy-in at the political and household level, how to change the pace of retrofit in the UK, and talking about the extensive cobenefits of retrofitting our housing stock.

Russell has a wealth of experience in the domestic retrofit sector. As well as being Director of Cotality UK, he is also the Managing Director of Parity Projects, the creators of anaward-winning Home Energy Masterplan service and now onto a range of SAAS products for property owners. He also founded the cooperative RetrofitWorks, which aims to match property owners and community groups up with local, certified retrofit professionals and trades under one administration.

The UKERC podcast returns as Director Rob Gross sits down with the CEO of the Energy Systems Catapult Guy Newey. In a ranging discussion, the pair talk about Guy's history as a Special Advisor and roles in Parliament, of the role of innovation in meeting short and long term targets. We then discussed the role of nuclear, zonal pricing and tariffs as ways to reduce energy prices while reaching our climate targets.

In the latest episode of the Talking Energy podcast, UKERC Director Robert Gross is joined by Chief Economist of the National Energy Systems Operator (NESO) Mike Thompson. Following the publication of NESO’s advice to Government on achieving Clean Power by 2030, Rob and Mike dive into the reports findings, analysing the challenges that the UK faces in achieving this ambitious goal, and also discuss the new role NESO has as a publicly owned organisation.