The Energy Revolution

This week we're live from Innovation Zero, to talk the challenges of scaling new climate technologies.

The so-called "valley of death" affects all sectors, but clean tech is particularly difficult to move from research to wide-scale adoption.

Why? And what can we do about it?

Our guest this week is Rhian-Mari Thomas OBE, CEO at the Green Finance Institute and the first person to win an OBE for services to Green Finance.

Our host is Sulaiman Ilyas-Jarrett, former UK government advisor and Policy Fellow at Cambridge Centre for Science and Policy.

The two discuss why new energy techs are so hard to finance, the importance of failure for some techs, and why innovation is crucial for the world's climate ambition.

The Hormuz Oil Crisis is reminding Britain just how reliant we still are on oil and gas.

Our electricity is fairly clean, but only 21% of final energy use is electrified.

The rest - in our homes, our cars, and our industries - relies on increasingly volatile and expensive oil and gas.

Why is Britain so far behind in electrifying compared to countries like France, the Netherlands, or Norway?

And what can be done to reverse course and insulate our economy from global shocks like this in the future?

This week Ben Westerman, Director of Policy and Advocacy at Electrify Britain, joins our host Sulaiman Ilyas-Jarrett to discuss the state of Britain's electrification.

Keywords:

Iran | Oil | Renewables | Trump | Geopolitics | EVs | Reform

Lucy Yu is one of the UK's most influential minds in the energy and AI space.

She is CEO at the Centre for Net Zero, and recently appointed as the UK government's AI Champion for Clean Energy.

Today she joins our host Sulaiman Ilyas-Jarrett (Policy Fellow at the University of Cambridge Centre for Science and Policy), to discuss the future of these two crucial sectors.

Can the grid cope with the new data centres needed? How will local communities be affected? And how can AI be used to make our energy system smarter and cleaner?

Keywords:

Artificial Intelligence | Data | Anthropic | ChatGPT | Renewables | Electricity

Energy security is on everyone's mind right now. Since Israel and the US struck Iran and Iran's strikes across the Gulf nations, oil prices have soared over $100 a barrel and the Straits of Hormuz remain blockaded.

But this isn't the first time we've seen such a shock. Just 4 years ago Russia's full invasion of Ukraine caused a global energy crisis, and any historian will remember the shocks of the 1970s that near collapsed the world economy.

So what is the future of energy security, and can a renewable based system make us more resilient in an uncertain world?

This week we're joined by Ana Musat, an Executive Director at Renewable UK, to discuss a recent report in collaboration with Public First and the Royal United Services Institute, the world's oldest defence think tank.

The episode is hosted by Sulaiman Ilyas-Jarrett, who served as energy security advisor at No10 Downing Street during the 2022 energy crisis, and as Head of Policy and Strategy for Renewable Delivery at the UK Department for Energy.

We touch on the recent crisis in the Middle East, lessons from Ukraine, and what future security challenges we'll have to watch out for as renewables become the norm.

Keywords:

Geopolitics | Energy | Trump | Renewables | Solar | Wind | Gas

What's the stock market got to do with renewables?

While there's a lot of focus on the rise of private equity in the infrastructure space, there is still a strong tradition in the UK of listed infrastructure funds, and of retail investors wanting to invest in the energy transition more widely.

So is there still a case for public markets? And where do they fit into the overall picture of renewable finance?

Our guest this week is Minesh Shah, Managing Director at Infrared Capital Partners, who lead the management of the Renewable Infrastructure Group , one of the first and largest listed funds, and part of the FTSE-250 Index.

The show is hosted by Sulaiman Ilyas-Jarrett, former senior government advisor and Policy Fellow at the Cambridge Centre for Science and Policy.

Keywords:

Stocks and Shares | Investment | Energy | Renewables | Solar | Wind

Do you find politics obtuse? Struggling to keep up with the twists and turns of energy decisions?

With an endless web of party politics, departmental differences, and think-tanks pumping out ideas, it can be hard to know what the government is really thinking and how decisions get made.

Our guest this week is Sam Alvis, Head of Energy Security and Environment at IPPR, the influential think-tank, and an expert on UK energy politics.

Both he and our host, Sulaiman Ilyas-Jarrett, draw on their own experience working with politicians and the policy process to explain what actually goes into decision making on energy, and what will define the next few years of energy politics.

The conversation ranges from the practical bits like what think-tanks really do, to specific questions around what government can do around bills and whether the CfD could survive a (theoretical) Reform government.

Subscribe for regular podcasts!

Keywords:

Labour | Energy | Renewables | Oil and Gas | Bills | Cost of living

Is clean energy good for growth?

Since the 2008 crisis the UK has seen persistently sluggish growth, even compared to comparable advanced economies. Low investment, Brexit, and challenges in traditionally strong sectors have held the economy back for close to two decades.

Now with the energy transition underway, is this an opportunity to improve the country's prospects? Or is a constraint on an already struggling economy?

Our guest this week is Andrew Sissons, Director for the Sustainable Future Mission at Nesta, and a leading commentator on economic growth and climate change.

Alongside our host Sulaiman Ilyas-Jarrett, former senior government advisor and Policy Fellow at the Cambridge Centre for Science and Policy, Andrew breaks down why the UK economy has struggled so much, and how clean energy could be part of its recovery.

Can AI make our grid better and more reliable? Or are AI solutions overhyped by execs and consultants that don't understand the technology?

This week we look at a real world case of AI being used to identify damaged equipment on the UK grid, and improve the way that network operators maintain their infrastructure.

The episode covers the various types of AI models and what they can, and cannot, usefully do in the energy system - with lessons for anyone hoping to see AI brought into their work.

Our guest is Amjad Karim, Founder and CEO of Keen AI. With degrees from Imperial, University of Cambridge, and University College London, Amjad is a real technical expert that talks to the opportunities of various AI models, as well as their limitations.

The podcast is hosted by Sulaiman Ilyas-Jarrett, former senior government advisor and Policy Fellow at the Cambridge Centre for Science and Policy.

Key words:

AI | Chatgpt | Automation | OpenAI | Energy | Renewables | Security | Nvidia | Deep Learning

What does the future look like for fossil fuel demand?

OPEC and large oil and gas companies are bullish, but the rapid rollout of clean tech is undermining many of their claims.

Our guest this week is Molly Walton, who worked on the World Energy Outlook at the International Energy Agency and is now Director for Energy at the We Mean Business Coalition.

She joins Sulaiman Ilyas-Jarrett, a former senior government advisor and current Policy Fellow at the University of Cambridge, to discuss the range of energy scenarios out there and why much of future oil and gas demand is in doubt.

The two discuss the rise of electrification, the new energy economics of the developing world, and why energy security looks different in low fossil fuel world. They also touch on the recent geopolitics of energy, from China to Venezuela and Iran.

You can read the report discussed in the podcast here:

https://www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org/fossil-fuel-demand-in-doubt/

Energy is all about deals.

Assets are bought, sold, and refinanced. Companies are acquired, portfolios consolidated.

But what goes into making these deals happen, and what can they tell us about the energy sector at large?

This week we're joined by Gareth Baker, a partner at the law firm Gowling WLG with over 15 years of experience working on some of the highest profile deals in the energy sector.

Alongside our host, Sulaiman Ilyas-Jarrett, Gareth discusses how the art of the deal has evolved as old energy technologies have been replaced by renewables and batteries, as well as current trends in the sector such as the rise of private equity firms and the increasing rate of M&As we're seeing in the sector.

You can contact Gareth and the team here to inquire about Gowling WLG's work and how they can help with your legal needs:

https://gowlingwlg.com/en/people/gareth-baker

Gowling WLG are a sponsor of the Energy Revolution Podcast.

Keywords:

Renewables | Solar | Wind | Data centres | Tech | AI | Private Equity | Finance | Law | M&A