The Clean Energy Revolution

It's going to be a significant year for clean energy.

In 2024, countries are expected to update or submit new nationally determined contributions - their commitments to reduce emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. The International Energy Agency has highlighted the need for significant increases in renewable energy deployment to meet these climate goals, projecting that renewable power capacity must double by 2030. This means an annual increase of around 300 GW over the next decade, compared to 2020's record of 250 GW of added renewable energy capacity. All this against a backdrop of pivotal elections around the world which will have a major impact on energy policy.

So what needs to happen this year to keep us track for net zero?

Laura and Carolyn get season 3 of the Clean Energy Revolution underway by making three bold predictions for the year in energy. The pledges made at COP28 last year are still a major focus, with the UAE's $30 billion fund to support climate-friendly projects worldwide and a commitment to triple renewable generation by 2030 standing out. National Grid delegates also gave us their predictions while in Dubai, and Laura and Carolyn analyse these at the end of the show.

What else can we expect from the year? Find out on The Clean Energy Revolution.

Discover more about National Grid at www.nationalgrid.com

Welcome to a new season of The Clean Energy Revolution.

Dr Carolyn Kissane and Laura Young explore the people, policy and projects that are having the biggest impact on tackling climate change.

How can infrastructure around the world be upgraded to keep up with energy demand? What needs to happen to triple global renewable energy generation? Where and how will AI be best deployed?

Laura Young, aka Less Waste Laura is an award-winning climate activist, environmental scientist and ethical influencer. Dr. Carolyn Kissane is Associate Dean of the graduate programs in Global Affairs and Global Security, Conflict and Cybercrime at the Center for Global Affairs at NYU, and Founding Director of the Energy, Climate Justice & Sustainability Lab.

Accompanied by expert guests, they’ll take a look at the challenges and opportunities associated with renewable energy, including the impact on people and communities, how to make sure everyone benefits from the clean energy transition and what businesses can do – and are doing - to lead the way.

The transition to cleaner, greener energy means that big changes are needed to the infrastructure that keeps it flowing to our homes and businesses. So how are these changes making a difference to the workforce of today - and of tomorrow?

In this episode of The Clean Energy Revolution, Max finds out about:

Discover more about National Grid at www.nationalgrid.com

The views expressed in this podcast are those of the participants and not of National Grid.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The infrastructure that helps bring more clean, renewable energy to our homes and businesses is an essential part of the journey to net zero. But wouldn't it be great if the work that's being done to make this happen was also bringing positive changes for people, places and our natural environment?

In this episode of The Clean Energy Revolution, Max finds out about:

Discover more about National Grid at www.nationalgrid.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information       

The views expressed in this podcast are those of the participants and not of National Grid.   

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of The Clean Energy Revolution, Max La Manna discovers new ways that people and businesses can reduce their carbon emissions and the energy they use, and asks what this could mean for our homes and lifestyles – as well as for the planet.  

In the studio, Max is joined by Tristram Stuart - a writer and expert on the environmental and social impacts of food – as well as self-titled ‘Food Waste Disruptor’ Martyn Odell, aka @lagomchef, for a chat about low-energy cooking and how food waste contributes to global emissions.

In Glasgow, Laura Young, aka @LessWasteLaura, visits a nightclub that gets its energy from harnessing the body heat generated by clubbers. She also talks to young people from the 2050 Climate Group about how the city has been affected since hosting COP26, and how they’re changing their own lifestyles to become greener.

Discover more about National Grid at https://www.nationalgrid.com/ 

Less Waste Laura: https://www.lesswastelaura.com/

Tristram Stuart: https://www.tristramstuart.co.uk/

Martyn Odell: https://www.lagomchef.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information       

The views expressed in this podcast are those of the participants and not of National Grid.   

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of The Clean Energy Revolution, Max La Manna discovers the ways that non-profit organisations in the UK and US are using clean and renewable energy solutions to help in their fight against fuel poverty.

From building solar-powered tiny homes for the unhoused, to using energy efficient measures to help those in need, Max speaks to some amazing people who are doing great work for their communities and for the planet.

Find out how they’re tackling fuel poverty by helping others to save energy or use cleaner energy, taking us closer to the goal of net zero while working to ensure that no-one is left behind in the clean energy transition.

Discover more about the organisations featured in this episode:

A Tiny Home For Good: https://www.atinyhomeforgood.org/

Heart Share Human Services of New York: https://www.heartshare.org/

United Way of Central Massachusetts: https://unitedwaycm.org/

National Energy Foundation: https://nef.org.uk/

Fuel Bank Foundation: https://www.fuelbankfoundation.org/

Citizens Advice: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/

Discover more about National Grid at https://www.nationalgrid.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information   

The views expressed in this podcast are those of the participants and not of National Grid.  

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s a new year, and Max La Manna is taking a look at the ways clean energy is heading in 2023 and beyond.

We’ll hear predictions from experts across the energy landscape on what they think the next year - and the coming decades - will hold.

Those predictions will be dissected and discussed by three energy leaders: Emma Pinchbeck - CEO of Energy UK, Dr. Shini Somara – mechanical engineer and broadcaster, and Keith Stephens - Group Corporate Affairs Director at National Grid.

They discuss the technologies and innovations that are leading the future of clean energy, as well as how advances in hydrogen, EVs, renewable energy and generation-defining legislation could determine how soon we achieve net zero.

What will enhance the energy sector in 2023? How will countries collaborate in the fight to reduce global emissions? And what exactly is space-based solar?

Find out on The Clean Energy Revolution.

Discover more about National Grid at https://www.nationalgrid.com/  

Find out about Energy UK: https://www.energy-uk.org.uk/

Find out about Dr. Shini Somara: http://www.drshinisomara.com/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information  

The views expressed in this podcast are those of the participants and not of National Grid. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A fossil-free energy future isn’t just essential to help us reach net zero carbon goals, it’s a vital opportunity for future economies too. 

In The Clean Energy Revolution from National Grid, Max La Manna is on a mission to demystify our energy systems and help make sense of the science and engineering that underpins them.

In this episode, Max talks with innovative minds from the Northeast and West Coast of the United States to explore some of the technology in development to move us away from fossil fuels.

And he finds out about some of the exciting projects and ventures being developed and funded to revolutionise our energy future, and the future of the planet.

Professor Tristan Brown is Associate Professor of Energy Resource Economics from the State University of New York. He explains how environmental science and economic science are both a part of the solution when it comes to transforming our world’s relationship with energy.

And National Grid US Director of Policy and Regulatory Strategy Don Chahbazpour joins the discussion to explain how their fossil-free vision for the future aims to leave no customer behind. 

Chief Technology Officer Lisa Lambert is no stranger to disruptive tech, and explains how her Silicon Valley roots led her to found National Grid Partners which is supporting entrepreneurship and development in the wider energy industry.

National Grid’s Fossil Free Vision

Find out about National Grid Partners here

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In the Clean Energy Revolution from National Grid, Max La Manna explores our energy systems as we move towards a net zero world. In this episode, Max takes a look at the different ways our energy supplies are being kept secure and resilient–both now and into the future.

With all the challenges in the world today–extreme weather, climate change, cyber threats, global politics - this is anything but straightforward. So Max guides us through the projects and innovations helping to protect our supplies.

We chat with Dan Stevens, National Grid's Group Vice President for Resilience and Crisis Management. He’s passionate about finding solutions to difficult problems, and gives an insight into how we address major challenges, from hurricanes to cyber attacks.

Then it’s off to the Budweiser Brewing Group's Magor Brewery in Wales, for a guided tour by Lloyd Manship, plant manager, and Tom Brewer from the global brewing innovation technology team. They’re passionate about renewable energy; not only have they built the UK’s largest onshore wind turbine, but they have dozens of energy-saving projects at all stages of their brewing process.

Back in London, Max talks to Rebecca Sedler-commercial director and part of the interconnectors team at National Grid. We find out how electricity is shared between countries, enabling renewable energy to be used more effectively than ever, and balancing supplies if energy runs low.

Next we talk energy storage with Charlie Blair, Managing Director of Edinburgh-based company Gravitricity. Max and Charlie discuss how renewable energy might be stored in the future–could the solution be weights suspended in mineshafts?

Finally it’s back to the USA. With weather conditions becoming more extreme, how will the energy networks cope? Max talks ice, heat and storms with Natasha Deschene, vice president of Electric Asset Management Engineering at National Grid.

Charlie Blair is MD at Gravitricity 

Budweiser Brewing Group's Magor Brewery is located in Magor, South Wales 

Discover more about National Grid at www.nationalgrid.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the Clean Energy Revolution from National Grid, Max La Manna is on a mission to demystify our energy systems and help make sense of the science and engineering that underpins our everyday lives.

As we push forward towards a net zero world, countries face tough targets to decarbonise the way we fuel our lives and National Grid is there to help in the UK and Northeast United States.

This time, Max explores how electricity is generated and how it makes its way to our homes. We take a mystery tour of the process, unveiling the infrastructure you might have seen out and about, and explaining how it all unpacks in our monthly or yearly energy bill.

We start with a visit to meet Ian Gough, who’s passionate about helping people understand how energy is part of the green revolution. He explains how the Green Park wind turbine, which presides over the UK’s M4 motorway, is powering local businesses. Plus we get an insight into exactly how these renewable power generators work.

Engineer Senamiso Mathobela explains how transmission carries high voltage energy around the UK, before we visit James Kelloway for a tour of the ESO – or electricity system operator – to find out how all that supply and demand is balanced to power everyday lives.

Then it’s off to a substation in Bristol to meet Stephen Blackwell. Ever wondered what happens at a local electricity substation? All is revealed here when Steve takes us through the important job of making sure that high voltage energy is stepped down to the right level for our homes and businesses and managed at sites around the country.

Then finally Paul Sands of pioneering green energy supplier Ecotricity explains how all these stages break down into our monthly bills, and tackles the tough questions many of us are facing during the crisis. He also discusses why renewable energy costs more during a gas crisis and how that might be set to change in the future.

Ian Gough runs Reduce Energy Ltd. https://www.nrgreduced.com

Green Park is located in Reading https://www.greenpark.co.uk

Find out about National Grid ESO at https://www.nationalgrideso.com

Ecotricity https://www.ecotricity.co.uk

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.