https://media.blubrry.com/extraenvironmentalist/xepodcasts.com/assets/podcasts/energytransitionshow/ETS-278-enhancedgeothermalenergy-mini.mp3 Free mini-episode Length: 28:17 __ __ 0:00 -28:17 1.0x 0.5x 1.0x 1.25x 1.5x 2.0x ____ __ Share URL Copy https://media.blubrry.com/extraenvironmentalist/xepodcasts.com/assets/podcasts/energytransitionshow/ETS-278-enhancedgeothermalenergy-mini.mp3 Full episode Length: 1:28:28 __ __ * Join for full episodes * Buy this episode: $7 It's taken a very long time to arrive, but next-generation geothermal power is finally becoming a commercial technology. Even though the virtues of geothermal have long been known and appreciated as clean, low-impact, and capable of running continuously, the few conventional geothermal installations in the US operating for decades supply less than half a percent of the nation's electricity. The promise of next-generation, "enhanced" geothermal, which we discussed back in Episode #248, is that it can be used almost anywhere. But business and technical challenges have held it back. Until recently, that is. Now, several companies have overcome those challenges and are hard at work on new projects in the US and elsewhere, including Fervo Energy's Cape Station project in Utah, which is expected to begin delivering power this year and expand to 500 MW by 2028. And the resource is significant: According to the IEA, the technical potential for next-generation geothermal wells less than 5 km deep in the United States is greater than 7 terawatts, a number that's more than five times the nation's total existing electricity generation capacity. The US Department of Energy projects that as much as 300 GW of that could be economically deployed by 2050, enough to meet up to 40 percent of anticipated demand growth. Some studies suggest that if new data centers are sited strategically, geothermal could power all of them. And costs are coming down fast. The IEA estimates they could fall by as much as 80 percent, which would make geothermal cost-competitive across the US. All that development would also create or preserve hundreds of thousands of jobs, many using skills that transfer directly from oil and gas extraction and fossil power generation. To lay out the opportunity, the obstacles, and the state of the art in enhanced geothermal, we are pleased to be joined by Dr. Emily Pope, a senior fellow at the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions. Her report, _Drilling Down—What it Will Take to Harness the Potential of Next-Generation Geothermal_ , was published in April and offers a comprehensive review of the sector. So if you gave up on geothermal years ago, this episode will show you what's changed. **Guest:** Dr.**Emily Pope** is a senior fellow at the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (or C2ES), a nonprofit organization that works to advance durable and effective climate policy. Emily is part of a team that examines technological solutions that support decarbonization, and leads their work on geothermal systems, carbon management, and critical minerals. She has a PhD in geological and environmental sciences, and spent about a decade in academia before transitioning to the policy and science communication space. Emily on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emily-pope-seyum/ C2ES on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/c2es.bsky.social C2ES on X: https://x.com/C2ES_org C2ES on the Web: https://www.c2es.org/ **Recording date:** May 7, 2026 **Air date:** June 17, 2026 **Geek rating:7** ### Share this: ____ __

https://media.blubrry.com/extraenvironmentalist/xepodcasts.com/assets/podcasts/energytransitionshow/ETS-277-justtransitioninsouthafrica-mini.mp3 Free mini-episode Length: 22:52 __ __ 0:00 -22:52 1.0x 0.5x 1.0x 1.25x 1.5x 2.0x ____ __ Share URL Copy https://media.blubrry.com/extraenvironmentalist/xepodcasts.com/assets/podcasts/energytransitionshow/ETS-277-justtransitioninsouthafrica-mini.mp3 Full episode Length: 2:05:05 __ __ * Join for full episodes * Buy this episode: $7 This is the third and final part of our miniseries about South Africa's energy transition, based on Chris' travels there in September and October of 2025. The first part was Episode #264, in which we heard how the end of apartheid precipitated reform of the country's energy systems. The second part was Episode #276, where we learned how South Africa is reforming its electricity system from a state-owned monopoly to a free market, and from coal to renewables. South Africa has enough wind and solar resources and land to generate _at least three times as much power_ as its entire annual load, but the country is still locked into its old coal-fired electricity grid. Market reform is the key to unlocking that potential. In this episode, we'll hear how those reforms can help deliver a just transition for South Africa, the most economically unequal country in the world. Because there, the energy transition isn't only about cheap, clean power; it's also a driver of economic justice. Today, some of the poorest households pay up to three times the grid price for electricity drawn through informal connections, and formalizing that power is a chance to deliver cheaper, fairer access to those who need it most. We'll also learn how utilities and regulators across sub-Saharan Africa are working to integrate unsanctioned, distributed solar and storage into their grids. In South Africa, roughly 60% of those systems were never reported to the utility, and in Kenya the figure is effectively 100%. The economics are hard to argue with: the $1.7 billion Africa spent on solar panels last year is already meeting more demand than the $20 billion a year it spends on diesel fuel, with more than 85% of it self-financed. That bottom-up adoption is now transforming energy systems not only in South Africa, but across the entire region. **Guest #1:** Dr**Kenneth Creamer** is an academic economist based at the University of the Witwatersrand. Over the past 30 years, Creamer has published on macroeconomic policy and energy policy, in local and international academic journals and books. Creamer is a member of South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s Economic Advisory Council as well as the advisory council of South Africa’s Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition. In addition to his position at the University of the Witwatersrand, Creamer serves as a Director of Creamer Media, publisher of news and information platforms Engineering News, Mining Weekly and Polity. On the web: * Personal website: https://www.kennethcreamer.com/ * Kenneth Creamer’s faculty page at University of Witwatersrand **Guest #2:** Dr. **Megan Davies** is an inter-disciplinary researcher at the Centre for Sustainability Transitions (CST) at Stellenbosch University in South Africa. She explores the governance, finance, and justice dimensions of infrastructure transitions in the global South, focussing on South Africa’s energy transition. She completed her PhD, South Africa’s contested transition to energy democracy – lessons and struggles emerging from the Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme, which investigated the socio-economic and political ramifications of decentralised renewable energy infrastructure and used a transdisciplinary research methodology to explore this in the context of South Africa’s flagship renewable energy initiative. Megan’s PhD research provides the basis for her continued exploration of South Africa’s energy transition, with an awareness of the ongoing struggles to advance just, equitable and sustainable futures in the country. Megan is also involved in the CST’s postgraduate programmes. As programme leader and co-convenor for the foundation and capstone modules for the PGDip in Sustainable Development, she is motivated to bridge research and teaching at the Centre by enlivening connections between CST’s transdisciplinary research and the range of modules on offer. In the teaching space, she is curious about education for sustainable development and how transformative learning might support sustainability transitions. In addition to the PGDip programme, she is a postgraduate supervisor of Master’s and PhD students, and in this context is interested in the role of embedded research and reflective practice to support knowledge co-production for sustainability. On the Web: Megan’s page at Stellenbosch University On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/megan-davies-a81b9241/ **Guest #3:** Dr.**Josh Dippenaar** is a researcher and practitioner focused on DER grid integration in South Africa. He has published on rooftop PV economics, utility tariff design, interconnection policy, and electricity markets in the developing world. He is currently working on developing new markets with Mulilo, an Independent Power Producer (IPP) in Southern Africa. Previously, he was an energy engineer with Sustainable Energy Africa, and a senior engineer at the Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies. He has a Masters of Engineering and a PhD in Electrical Engineering from Stellenbosch University. On LinkedIn **Guest #4:** **Megan Euston-Brown** is the Director and Project Manager of Sustainable Energy Africa (SEA). Megan has worked in sustainable energy development since 2003, managing multi-year urban energy transition and climate response capacity building programs. This has included State of Energy reporting, city energy strategy development and climate action planning, cost of supply, tariffs and distribution sector reform, green building policy development, energy efficiency, energy poverty and just transition tracking. Megan is an experienced development facilitator and has worked extensively with local level energy data collection, policy and institutional development. On LinkedIn On X: @SEA_UrbanEnergy **Guest #5:** Dr **Wikus Kruger** is the Director of the Power Futures Lab at the University of Cape Town’s Graduate School of Business. He is a research lead and lecturer on power sector investment in sub-Saharan Africa. His research focuses on measures to accelerate investment, in particular into renewables, through structured procurement programmes such as auctions. Dr. Wikus Kruger has been working in the African energy sector for 14 years. He holds a PhD from UCT; an MSc from Antwerp University; and MPhil, BPhil and BA degrees from Stellenbosch University. **Guest #6:** **Lebogang Mulaisi** is the Executive Manager responsible for Policy and Research in the Presidential Climate Commission (PCC). She previously served on the commission as a commissioner representing labour and as Chief Operations Officer in the Secretariat. She was previously the head of policy at the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), responsible for labour market policy and the just transition. Through engagements with labour unions, she has developed a blueprint for workers on the mechanisms to transition to a low carbon economy through collective bargaining. Lebogang was an EXCO and MANCO member at the National Economic Development and Labour Council (NEDLAC). Lebogang has co-authored a chapter in Mistra’s book on a low-carbon future for South Africa. The chapter titled: Democratising a just transition in South Africa Identifies the labour movement as a key lever to build social movements around the concept of a radical vision for a just transition. Lebogang holds a Master’s degree in Development Economics from the University of Johannesburg (2018) and is completing a PhD in Economics. Her area of focus is climate-induced structural change and its impacts on labour productivity. On the Web: Profile of Lebogang Mulaisi at the National Youth Development Agency On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lebogang-mulaisi-a376324 **Guest #7:** Dr. **Joel Nana** is a Fellow at the Energy for Growth Hub and a Senior Manager at Sustainable Energy Africa. His Africa-focused work spans grid integration of distributed energy resources, urban energy profiling, city-wide energy-systems modeling, and electric mobility, with capacity-building for policymakers woven into every project. Joel holds a PhD in Energy Systems Engineering at the University of Cape Town. On LinkedIn **Guest #8:** Dr. **Mark Swilling** is Distinguished Professor and Co-director of the Centre for Sustainability Transitions at Stellenbosch University. His latest book is _The Age of Sustainability: Just Transitions in a Complex World_ (London and New York: Routledge, 2020). Together with Eve Annecke, he has co-authored, _Just Transitions: Explorations of Sustainability in an Unfair World_ (Tokyo: United Nations University Press, 2012), co-edited with Adriana Allen and Andreas Lampis _Untamed Urbanism_ (New York and London: Routledge, 2016), co-edited with Josephine Musango and Jeremy Wakeford _Greening the South African Economy_ (Cape Town: Juta, 2016) and was the lead author with Ivor Chipkin et. al. of _Shadow State: Politics of State Capture_ (Johannesburg: WITS Press, 2018). He is a member of UNEP’s International Resource Panel where he was the co-lead author of _The Weight of Cities: Resource Requirements of Future Urbanization_ , published in 2018. Mark was on the Board of the Development Bank of Southern Africa for nine years and until September 2023 where held the position of Chairperson of the Board. The President of South Africa appointed Mark as a member of the National Planning Commission (2022-2027). In 2024. he was appointed to the Board of the National Transmission Company of South Africa. He has been a visiting Professor at the universities of Sheffield and Utrecht, and Georgetown University in Washington D.C, and in 2018 was the Edward P. Bass Visiting Environmental Scholar at Yale University. As of 2023, he published 20 books, 86 book chapters, 66 peer reviewed articles, 56 reports, 143 presentations, 49 major research projects, and supervised 56 Master’s theses and 27 PhDs (six incomplete as of 2023). His private sector roles include Chair of the Board of Ekapa Energy (Pty) Ltd and Chair of the Board of Creation Capital Investments (Pty) Ltd. On the Web: Mark’s website **Recording date:** October 21, 2025 **Air date:** June 3, 2026 **Geek rating:7** ### Share this: ____ __

https://media.blubrry.com/extraenvironmentalist/xepodcasts.com/assets/podcasts/energytransitionshow/ETS-272-globalenergycrisis2026-mini.mp3 Full episode __ __ 0:00 -1:44:09 1.0x 0.5x 1.0x 1.25x 1.5x 2.0x ____ __ Share URL Copy The attacks on Iran by US and Israel have touched off a regional conflict that has resulted in the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of the world's oil and LNG transits, and is doing severe, ongoing damage to oil and gas infrastructure throughout the Persian Gulf. We are now in a new global energy crisis. IEA coordinated the largest release ever of oil from strategic reserves to calm the oil market, but traders shrugged it off and oil prices kept climbing, because a physical disruption at this scale is totally unprecedented. Even so, veteran oil traders and journalists have warned that the world is still not recognizing the depth of the actual peril it's in. IEA Executive Director Fatih Birol called this crisis "the greatest global energy security threat in history" and said, "I believe the world has not yet well understood the depth of the energy security challenge we are facing." IEA also admonished governments to take steps to conserve fuel, including urging their citizens to drive more slowly, work from home, take public transport and car sharing, avoid air travel, and switch to electric cooking. The last time IEA called for such wide-ranging demand reduction was in the 1973 Arab Oil Embargo. The consequences are already cascading well beyond oil: Fertilizer prices have surged 25 to 40 percent, and a similar increase in the price of diesel will flow through to essentially everything, causing "fossilflation." In response, governments across Asia have begun curbing consumption: Bangladesh is shutting universities early to save power, Thailand and Vietnam are pushing civil servants to work from home, and Myanmar has imposed fuel rationing. And that's just the beginning. To help us understand this rapidly-worsening reality, we are joined by Rory Johnston, one of the most widely cited independent oil market analysts, founder of the _Commodity Context_ newsletter, and host of the _Oil Ground Up_ podcast. Johnston, who typically avoids alarmist price calls, says $200 a barrel minimum is now on the table. We discuss why the world's emergency supply tools aren't working, where oil prices could go from here, and why this crisis has thrown the world into uncharted territory. It could take the world years to recover from this…but in that interim, it's likely to accelerate the energy transition. To help everyone cut through the fog of war and disinformation, and understand what is happening and how it will affect them, we are publishing this episode without a paywall. So please share it widely. **Guest:** **Rory Johnston** is a Toronto-based oil market researcher, the founder of Commodity Context, a lecturer at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, host of the Oil Ground Up podcast, as well as a Fellow with both the Canadian Global Affairs Institute and the Payne Institute for Public Policy at the Colorado School of Mines. He is a leading voice on oil market analysis, advising institutional investors, global policy makers, and corporate decision makers. His views are regularly quoted in major international media including the _Financial Times, New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg News, Reuters, BNN Bloomberg, CBC_ , and _Financial Post_ , and he frequently appears on numerous market and industry podcasts (e.g., Bloomberg’s Odd Lots, Hidden Forces, etc.). Prior to founding Commodity Context, Rory led commodity economics research at Scotiabank where he set the bank’s energy and metals price forecasts, advised the bank’s executives and clients, and sat on the bank’s senior credit committee for commodity-exposed sectors. On the Web: Commodity Context Podcast: Oil Ground Up podcast On Twitter: @Rory_Johnston On Bluesky: @roryjohnston.bsky.social On LinkedIn: Rory Johnston **Recording date:** March 19, 2026 **Air date:** March 25, 2026 **Geek rating:8** ### Share this: ____ __

https://media.blubrry.com/extraenvironmentalist/xepodcasts.com/assets/podcasts/energytransitionshow/ETS-270-viewfromtheenergytransitionscommission-mini.mp3 Free mini-episode Length: 29:46 __ __ 0:00 -29:46 1.0x 0.5x 1.0x 1.25x 1.5x 2.0x ____ __ Share URL Copy https://media.blubrry.com/extraenvironmentalist/xepodcasts.com/assets/podcasts/energytransitionshow/ETS-270-viewfromtheenergytransitionscommission-mini.mp3 Full episode Length: 1:31:33 __ __ * Join for full episodes * Buy this episode: $7 Both the IEA and BNEF now project that current policies put us on track for roughly 2.5°C of warming. Some voices, like Daniel Yergin and Bill Gates, argue we should accept that trajectory and focus only on the technologies that are already winning. But even 2.5°C is still much too high. We can and must do better. To help us take stock of the global energy transition in today's conversation, we are fortunate to be joined by Lord Adair Turner, co-chair of the Energy Transitions Commission (ETC), headquartered in London. The Commission is a global coalition of major power and industrial companies, investors, environmental NGOs, and experts working on achievable pathways to limit global warming while stimulating economic development and social progress. Lord Turner chaired the UK Climate Change Committee from 2008 to 2012, chairs insurance group Chubb Europe, and is a crossbench (non-partisan) member of the House of Lords. We discuss how the transition is reshaping geopolitics, why the ETC's forecasts for green hydrogen have been cut roughly in half, and what Europe's green industrial policy (including its carbon border adjustment mechanism) needs to get right. We explore the roles of China and the UK in mobilizing capital for the developing world, how the UK has achieved a 75% decarbonization of its power sector in just 14 years, and what Turner calls 'double banking' — the core challenge of the mid-transition, where we're paying to build new energy systems while the old ones can't yet be switched off. Turner makes the case that well below 2°C is still achievable, but only if we return to the climate imperative alongside the technological opportunity. **Guest:** **Lord Adair Turner** chairs the Energy Transitions Commission, a global coalition of major power and industrial companies, investors, environmental NGOs and experts working out achievable pathways to limit global warming to below 2˚C by 2040 while stimulating economic development and social progress. In addition, he is chairman of insurance group Chubb Europe as well as of Oaknorth Bank (a UK start-up lending money to small and medium companies); he is a board member of battery production company AESC Japan; and Advisor to Watershed Technologies Inc. since 2023. Lord Turner chaired the UK’s Financial Services Authority from 2008 to 2013, overseeing the UK’s policy and regulatory response to the Global Financial Crisis and playing a lead role in the post crisis redesign of global banking and shadow banking regulation. During his public policy career, he was Director General of the Confederation of British Industry (1995-2000); chaired the UK Low Pay Commission (2002-2006); the Pensions Commision (2003-2006); and the UK Climate Change Committee (2008-2012) an independent body to advise the UK Government on tackling climate change. The recommendations set out in their first report “Building a low-carbon economy” were adopted in 2009. He became a cross bench member of the House of Lords in 2006. Amongst his business roles, Lord Turner was at McKinsey & Co (1982-1995) and has served in several Non-Executive Directorships across a wide range of financial, business and not-for-profit boards, such as Merrill Lynch Europe (2000-2006), Standard Chartered plc (2006-2008), Prudential (2015-2019), Overseas Development Institute (2007-20200, Save the Children (2006-2008). Lord Turner is the author of “Between Debt and the Devil” (Princeton 2015), and Economics after the Crisis (MIT 2012). He makes regular contributions in the printed press, in the UK and abroad. He is a Trustee Emeritus of the British Museum, honorary fellow of The Royal Society, and received an Honorary Degree from Cambridge University in 2017. Lord Turner has an MA in History (First class with Distinction) and an MA in Economics (First Class) from Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge University. On X: @AdairTurnerUK Energy Transitions Commission on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/energy-transitions-commission/ On the Web: Energy Transitions Commission **Recording date:** January 22, 2026 **Air date:** February 25, 2026 **Geek rating:6** ### Share this: ____ __

https://media.blubrry.com/extraenvironmentalist/xepodcasts.com/assets/podcasts/energytransitionshow/ETS-263-distributionutilities-mini.mp3 Free mini-episode Length: 19:24 __ __ 0:00 -19:24 1.0x 0.5x 1.0x 1.25x 1.5x 2.0x ____ __ Share URL Copy https://media.blubrry.com/extraenvironmentalist/xepodcasts.com/assets/podcasts/energytransitionshow/ETS-263-distributionutilities-mini.mp3 Full episode Length: 1:16:20 __ __ * Join for full episodes * Buy this episode: $7 What is the role of distribution utilities in the energy transition? Consider this paradox: Marc England, CEO of Australian distribution utility Ausgrid, has two batteries at his home but no solar panels. Instead, he buys grid power at 5 cents per kilowatt-hour during midday solar surplus, stores it, and then sells it back to the grid when prices are high, sometimes making $100 profit in a single day. Similarly, over 100,000 customers in Australia have installed batteries in their homes under a federal incentive program in just the past three months. But commercial players aren't building battery arrays on his network, despite slashing connection charges. And every time he flies into Sydney, he sees miles of empty warehouse rooftops that could host far more solar capacity if tariffs and other regulatory structures were reformed. These market dislocations are part of an ongoing debate about who should build and own distributed energy assets (DERs). Should distribution utilities do it in order to maximize their integration? Or should they primarily provide a platform for consumer-owned DERs to connect and transact on an equal footing with utility-scale systems? Is it more practical and cost-effective for distribution utilities to build assets like battery storage systems and public EV chargers, especially where private-sector companies are not, or would it be cheaper and faster to maximize customer investment and rebuild the grid from the bottom-up? For this conversation, Chris traveled to Sydney, Australia to debate these questions with Marc England in person. As Chris discussed with grid expert Lorenzo Kristov in Episode #205 and our Australia 2024 miniseries, there's no perfect answer, but these market structure questions will partly determine the speed of our response to climate change. **Guest:** **Marc England** is CEO of Ausgrid, Australia’s largest electricity network, based in New South Wales. Marc joined Ausgrid as CEO in 2023, bringing a wealth of global experience spanning the energy, oil and gas and automotive industries. Throughout his career, Marc has held a number of executive positions. Prior to joining Ausgrid, Marc was the CEO of Genesis Energy in New Zealand, delivering significant transformation and growth to a business that was at the forefront of the energy transition. Marc also held Executive roles at AGL Energy where he was responsible for the establishment of the company’s New Energy Arm to deliver distributed energy resources to customers. Prior to that, Marc spent six years at British Gas in a range of leadership roles driving impactful commercial and operational outcomes. On LinkedIn: **linkedin.com/in/marc-england-9147711** On the Web: Ausgrid.com.au **Recording date:** October 31, 2025 **Air date:** November 19, 2025 **Geek rating:3** ### Share this: ____ __

https://media.blubrry.com/extraenvironmentalist/xepodcasts.com/assets/podcasts/energytransitionshow/ETS-262-alltransitionsarelocal-mini.mp3 Free mini-episode Length: 19:36 __ __ 0:00 -19:36 1.0x 0.5x 1.0x 1.25x 1.5x 2.0x ____ __ Share URL Copy https://media.blubrry.com/extraenvironmentalist/xepodcasts.com/assets/podcasts/energytransitionshow/ETS-262-alltransitionsarelocal-mini.mp3 Full episode Length: 1:11:16 __ __ * Join for full episodes * Buy this episode: $7 Successful energy transition projects are not one-size-fits-all. They are attuned to the local needs of their communities, and allow community priorities to shape resilience, affordability, and equity outcomes. In today's conversation, Nadia Ahmad, Professor of Law at Barry University in Florida, shares findings from a three-year study of clean energy transitions in Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, and Pennsylvania. Based on more than 100 stakeholder interviews, the research exposes a troubling paradox. Florida suffers from frequent hurricanes, tropical storms, and flash floods, but a utility structure dominated by investor-owned companies actively prevents the community microgrids that would build resilience. Ahmad explains how legal, policy, and regulatory frameworks at county, municipal, state, and federal levels can support community-driven clean energy transitions. She shares important insights on designing approaches to accelerate the energy transition where you live, including the seven legal elements her team identified for successful projects and the pitfalls to avoid. For instance, Florida's challenges contrast with Germany's success, where nearly half of renewable energy capacity became citizen-owned by the 2010s. **Guest:** **Nadia B. Ahmad** is a Professor of Law at Barry University School of Law. Professor Ahmad’s research explores the intersections of energy siting, the environment, and sustainable development and draws on international investment law and corporate social responsibility. She currently serves as Vice Chair of the ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice’s Environmental Justice Committee, and the ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources’ Superfund and Natural Resource Damages Litigation Committee. She is an official expert for multilateral development organization, International Bamboo and Rattan Organisation (INBAR) Taskforce on Bamboo for Renewable Energy (TFB4RE), which promotes environmentally sustainable development using bamboo and rattan. Professor Ahmad is a member of the state bars of Florida and Colorado. On Twitter: @nadiabahmad On Bluesky: @nadiabahmad.bsky.social On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadiabahmad/ On the Web: Nadia’s faculty page at Barry University School of Law **Recording date:** October 14, 2025 **Air date:** November 5, 2025 **Geek rating:4** ### Share this: ____ __

https://media.blubrry.com/extraenvironmentalist/xepodcasts.com/assets/podcasts/energytransitionshow/ETS-255-dwellingsinalaska-mini.mp3 Free mini-episode Length: 23:38 __ __ 0:00 -23:38 1.0x 0.5x 1.0x 1.25x 1.5x 2.0x ____ __ Share URL Copy https://media.blubrry.com/extraenvironmentalist/xepodcasts.com/assets/podcasts/energytransitionshow/ETS-255-dwellingsinalaska-mini.mp3 Full episode Length: 1:56:47 __ __ * Join for full episodes * Buy this episode: $7 In the summer of 2025, Chris traveled to Alaska to explore the state's unique energy transition story by interviewing some of its energy experts. Like every place, Alaska has a unique set of challenges and opportunities in the energy transition, and can offer insights drawn from its experience to the rest of the world. Alaska's extreme conditions and remoteness make it a proving ground for a wide array of energy transition solutions, as it grapples with a melting permafrost, supply chain constraints, dependence on federal support, and declining fossil fuel production in an age of climate change and climate action. The state's greatest energy need is for heat during its long, very cold winters that typically last eight to nine months. In this conversation, Aaron Cooke, an architect and project manager at NREL's Alaska Campus in Fairbanks, joins us to discuss the lab's research on building techniques designed to retain warmth while ensuring healthy indoor environments. Their work tests designs to construct buildings that are comfortable, healthy, durable, and affordable in harsh climates, all while contending with logistical challenges, cultural needs, and climate adaptation. **Guest:** **Aaron Cooke** is a licensed Architect and Project Manager at NREL’s campus in Fairbanks, Alaska. NREL’s center in Alaska is called the center for Applied Research with Communities in Extreme Environments, or ARCEE. Aaron has work experience across the circumpolar north, with projects in Alaska, Canada, Denmark, Greenland, Iceland, Norway and Russia, testing new methods of building durable and energy-efficient homes in the circumpolar regions. He has 17 years of architectural, construction, and research experience in Alaska and the greater Arctic. Cooke’s work primarily focuses on durable, affordable, healthy, and sustainable building design in extreme climates and remote locations. He works with architects, builders, technicians, local leaders, and Tribes to design, build, and monitor innovative buildings across the circumpolar north. He has taught northern architecture and engineering at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the University of Washington, the University of Oregon, and the Danish Technical University of Greenland. He believes that northern environmental conditions and northern culture are inseparable factors that must both be equally reflected in architecture and design in order for it to be successful. He was born and raised in Alaska. **Recording date:** June 19, 2025 **Air date:** July 30, 2025 **Geek rating:2** ### Share this: ____ __

https://media.blubrry.com/extraenvironmentalist/xepodcasts.com/assets/podcasts/energytransitionshow/ETS-255-dwellingsinalaska-mini.mp3 Free mini-episode Length: 23:38 __ __ 0:00 -23:38 1.0x 0.5x 1.0x 1.25x 1.5x 2.0x ____ __ Share URL Copy https://media.blubrry.com/extraenvironmentalist/xepodcasts.com/assets/podcasts/energytransitionshow/ETS-255-dwellingsinalaska-mini.mp3 Full episode Length: 1:56:47 __ __ * Join for full episodes * Buy this episode: $7 In the summer of 2025, Chris traveled to Alaska to explore the state's unique energy transition story by interviewing some of its energy experts. Like every place, Alaska has a unique set of challenges and opportunities in the energy transition, and can offer insights drawn from its experience to the rest of the world. Alaska's extreme conditions and remoteness make it a proving ground for a wide array of energy transition solutions, as it grapples with a melting permafrost, supply chain constraints, dependence on federal support, and declining fossil fuel production in an age of climate change and climate action. The state's greatest energy need is for heat during its long, very cold winters that typically last eight to nine months. In this conversation, Aaron Cooke, an architect and project manager at NREL's Alaska Campus in Fairbanks, joins us to discuss the lab's research on building techniques designed to retain warmth while ensuring healthy indoor environments. Their work tests designs to construct buildings that are comfortable, healthy, durable, and affordable in harsh climates, all while contending with logistical challenges, cultural needs, and climate adaptation. **Guest:** **Aaron Cooke** is a licensed Architect and Project Manager at NREL’s campus in Fairbanks, Alaska. NREL’s center in Alaska is called the center for Applied Research with Communities in Extreme Environments, or ARCEE. Aaron has work experience across the circumpolar north, with projects in Alaska, Canada, Denmark, Greenland, Iceland, Norway and Russia, testing new methods of building durable and energy-efficient homes in the circumpolar regions. He has 17 years of architectural, construction, and research experience in Alaska and the greater Arctic. Cooke’s work primarily focuses on durable, affordable, healthy, and sustainable building design in extreme climates and remote locations. He works with architects, builders, technicians, local leaders, and Tribes to design, build, and monitor innovative buildings across the circumpolar north. He has taught northern architecture and engineering at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, the University of Washington, the University of Oregon, and the Danish Technical University of Greenland. He believes that northern environmental conditions and northern culture are inseparable factors that must both be equally reflected in architecture and design in order for it to be successful. He was born and raised in Alaska. **Recording date:** June 19, 2025 **Air date:** July 30, 2025 **Geek rating:2** ### Share this: ____ __

https://media.blubrry.com/extraenvironmentalist/xepodcasts.com/assets/podcasts/energytransitionshow/ETS-252-steelmakinginthemidtransition-mini.mp3 Free mini-episode Length: 23:25 __ __ 0:00 -23:25 1.0x 0.5x 1.0x 1.25x 1.5x 2.0x ____ __ Share URL Copy https://media.blubrry.com/extraenvironmentalist/xepodcasts.com/assets/podcasts/energytransitionshow/ETS-252-steelmakinginthemidtransition-mini.mp3 Full episode Length: 1:42:05 __ __ * Join for full episodes * Buy this episode: $7 On April 12, the British government took control of British Steel under an emergency authorization in order to prevent its last blast furnace from shutting down. Blast furnaces produce primary steel from iron ore and account for about 93% of global primary iron production, but they also generate large amounts of CO2. Alternative, low-carbon technologies are expected to replace them as the energy transition proceeds. But retiring a technology—especially one as critical to national security as steelmaking—and replacing it with another is a process that should be conducted carefully and deliberately…not on an emergency basis. This kind of "mid-transition" problem is one our guests have studied in depth. Emily Grubert is an Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences at the University of Notre Dame who previously joined us in Episode #185 to discuss the mid-transition. Joshua Lappen is a historian and engineer working as a postdoctoral research associate with Emily at Notre Dame. In this conversation, we review the facts of the British Steel takeover, including why letting the blast furnace shut down was deemed to be an unacceptable risk. We examine the options for decarbonizing steelmaking that will eventually displace blast furnace technology. And we consider what impact Trump's global tariff war may have on the transitioning of steelmaking, and what some of the geopolitical implications of that may be for the steel industry in Britain, and the world. **Guest #1:** **Emily Grubert** is a civil engineer and environmental sociologist who studies how we can make better decisions about large infrastructure systems, particularly related to decarbonization of the US energy system. Specifically, she studies socioenvironmental impacts associated with future policy and infrastructure and how community and societal priorities can be better incorporated into multicriteria policy and project decisions. Grubert is an Associate Professor of Sustainable Energy Policy and, concurrently, of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences at the University of Notre Dame. On Twitter: @emilygrubert On the Web: emilygrubert.org **Guest #2:** **Josh Lappen** is a historian and engineer who studies the growth, collapse, and political economy of infrastructure. In particular, his research focuses on how energy networks shape and are shaped by local environments and political institutions – entanglements that can suggest ways to better manage those systems for just and rapid decarbonization. Josh completed his PhD at the University of Oxford, and is currently a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Notre Dame. On Bluesky: @jlappen1.bsky.social On the Web: https://pulte.nd.edu/people/faculty-staff/josh-lappen/ On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/josh-lappen-9a3a76112/ **Recording date:** April 25, 2025 **Air date:** June 18, 2025 **Geek rating:7** ### Share this: ____ __

https://media.blubrry.com/extraenvironmentalist/xepodcasts.com/assets/podcasts/energytransitionshow/ETS-248-futuregeothermal-mini.mp3 Free mini-episode Length: 16:48 __ __ 0:00 -16:48 1.0x 0.5x 1.0x 1.25x 1.5x 2.0x ____ __ Share URL Copy https://media.blubrry.com/extraenvironmentalist/xepodcasts.com/assets/podcasts/energytransitionshow/ETS-248-futuregeothermal-mini.mp3 Full episode Length: 1:10:49 __ __ * Join for full episodes * Buy this episode: $7 Although geothermal power plants have operated commercially in various parts of the world for decades, the sector hasn't attracted the investment needed to reduce costs and enable global deployment. But with further development, new methods of harnessing geothermal energy to produce heat and electricity could deliver as much as 800 GW of geothermal power capacity worldwide by 2050. That’s equivalent to the electricity demand of the United States and India combined. In December 2024, the International Energy Agency (IEA) published _"The Future of Geothermal Energy,"_ a report exploring opportunities in this sector. Our guest today is a lead author of that report. In this conversation, Heymi Bahar, Senior Renewable Energy Analyst with the IEA, discusses geothermal energy’s full technological potential and strategies for unlocking investment in this promising resource. **Guest:** **Heymi Bahar** is a Senior Renewable Energy Analyst with the International Energy Agency (IEA). Before IEA, Heymi worked as a trade policy analyst at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) where he analysed domestic inventive measures for renewable energy sources with possible trade implications. He also worked on cross-border trade in electricity and the development of renewables-based electric power. Heymi graduated from Sabanci University and holds a Master degree on Energy, Resources and Environment from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies of Johns Hopkins University. On Twitter: @HeymiBahar On LinkedIn: Heymi Bahar **Recording date:** March 10, 2025 **Air date:** April 23, 2025 **Geek rating:4** ### Share this: ____ __

https://media.blubrry.com/extraenvironmentalist/xepodcasts.com/assets/podcasts/energytransitionshow/ETS-247-australiainnovations-mini.mp3 Free mini-episode Length: 14:33 __ __ 0:00 -14:33 1.0x 0.5x 1.0x 1.25x 1.5x 2.0x ____ __ Share URL Copy https://media.blubrry.com/extraenvironmentalist/xepodcasts.com/assets/podcasts/energytransitionshow/ETS-247-australiainnovations-mini.mp3 Full episode Length: 1:59:14 __ __ * Join for full episodes * Buy this episode: $7 This episode is part of a miniseries about Australia's energy transition. In late 2024, Chris traveled to Australia and recorded interviews with experts closely involved in its energy transition. The first of those interviews was featured in Episode #234, and the second in Episode #235. In Episode #246, we explored how the Australian government is working with the grid power sector to plan its transition to renewables while maintaining system reliability. In this episode, we explore innovative approaches Australia is using to manage the evolution of its energy system. To tell this part of the story, we weave together the perspectives of several guests: * **Darren Miller** , CEO of ARENA, explains their investment focus on early-stage technologies. * **Gabrielle Kuiper** , energy and climate change professional, shares insights on DER integration across Australia. * **Stephanie Unwin** , CEO of Horizon Power, discusses the unique challenges of managing a remote utility in Western Australia. * **Professor John Boland** describes how he and his wife used low-tech solutions to transform an uncomfortable old house into a comfortable urban oasis. In the next miniseries episodes, we'll explore more innovations in solar power and take a close look at how one Australian state is solving the challenges of knitting together customer-owned systems into a reliable power grid. **Guest #1:** **Darren Miller** has been the Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) since 2018. With 30 years’ experience across renewable energy, electricity retail, technology, finance, media and entertainment, Darren has led ARENA into new strategic areas. With a focus on optimising Australia’s electricity transition, commercialising renewable hydrogen, supporting the transition to low emissions metals and decarbonising transport, Darren’s leadership has given clear and defined purpose to ARENA in meeting Australia’s net zero targets and setting Australia up as a potential renewable energy superpower. Prior to ARENA, Darren was co-founder and CEO of Mojo Power, an innovative electricity retailer. He was also previously the Director of Asset Finance at Sungevity Australia, and co-founder and CEO of Sumwise, a technology and services company. His breadth of experience includes managing investments for Publishing and Broadcasting Limited and Consolidated Press Holdings, as well as in corporate finance and advisory at Ernst & Young. He is a Chartered Accountant with a Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) from the University of New South Wales. On the Web: https://arena.gov.au/ On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darrenhmiller/ **Guest #2:** Dr **Gabrielle Kuiper** is an energy, sustainability and climate change professional with over 20 years’ experience in the corporate world, government and non-government organisations and academia. Dr Kuiper has held senior executive or senior advisory energy-related positions at the Energy Security Board, in the Office of the Prime Minister, at the Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) and in the NSW Government. Dr Kuiper currently works internationally and in Australia on policy and regulation to support Distributed Energy Resources (DER), including as a guest contributor with IEEFA, the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, an international independent think tank focused on speeding up the energy transition. On Twitter: @GabrielleKuiper On the Web: Gabrielle’s reports for IEEFA On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-gabrielle-kuiper-2016/ **Guest #3:** **Stephanie Unwin** is the CEO of Western Australia’s regional power provider, Horizon Power. Ms. Unwin a Senate member of Murdoch University, Non Executive Director of Energy Vault, Director of the Industry body: Energy Networks Australia, and a member of the investment committee at Kilara Capital. Her past experience included being non-executive director of Zenith Energy, Alacer Gold Corp and Integra Mining Limited, as well as non-executive director and then CEO at Phylogica. Ms Unwin has held several executive roles with Verve Energy, then transitioning to Synergy, and CBH Group. She was also a board member of the Australian Renewable Energy Agency for over 5 years. Ms Unwin commenced her career with the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, then with Freehills. She then joined Craig Readhead & Co and was made a partner of the boutique practice Pullinger Readhead Stewart. Ms Unwin subsequently joined Maxim Litigation Consultants as principal. Ms Unwin holds Bachelor of Laws (LLB) and Economics (BEcon) from Murdoch University. She is also a Harvard Business School (AMP) graduate. On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-unwin-63934b2b On the Web: https://www.horizonpower.com.au/ **Guest #4:** **John Boland** is Professor of Environmental Mathematics and Deputy Director of the Industrial AI Research Centre at the University of South Australia. His research covers a wide range of areas in what can be termed environmental mathematics, from water resource management to renewable energy utilisation to energy efficient house design to environmental accounting. He is a Fellow of the Modelling and Simulation Society of Australia and New Zealand, and of the Australian Institute of Energy. He has had 35 successful PhD student completions and is an Australian Expert member of the International Energy Agency Task 16 on solar resource assessment and forecasting for photovoltaic systems. He has performed consultancy work on topics including integration of renewables into the grid and the reliability standard for electricity for the AEMO and AEMC. **Chris Bryant** is a qualified Permaculture Designer, and her background as a health professional combines well with permaculture principles to enhance her own and others’ health and comfort. John and Chris have been featured on Gardening Australia in a segment entitled Mediterranean Mindset. They also manage a private conservation park at Monarto, fully heritage listed, where they have a Biodiversity Credit Scheme grant to enhance the biodiversity over ten years. On the Web: https://people.unisa.edu.au/john.boland **Recording date:** November 14, 2024 **Air date:** April 9, 2025 **Geek rating:6** ### Share this: ____ __

https://media.blubrry.com/extraenvironmentalist/xepodcasts.com/assets/podcasts/energytransitionshow/ETS-246-australia2030-mini.mp3 Free mini-episode Length: 16:12 __ __ 0:00 -16:12 1.0x 0.5x 1.0x 1.25x 1.5x 2.0x ____ __ Share URL Copy https://media.blubrry.com/extraenvironmentalist/xepodcasts.com/assets/podcasts/energytransitionshow/ETS-246-australia2030-mini.mp3 Full episode Length: 1:56:27 __ __ * Join for full episodes * Buy this episode: $7 This episode is part of a miniseries about Australia’s energy transition. In late 2024, Chris traveled to Australia and recorded interviews with a wide range of experts who are closely involved in its energy transition. The first of those interviews was featured in Episode #234, and the second in Episode #235. In this episode, we'll see how the Australian government is working with the grid power sector to plan and execute its transition to renewables—despite a political opposition committed to fossil fuels and nuclear. We'll also explore what's being done to ensure adequate capacity and maintain system reliability during this transformation. To tell this story, we weave together the perspectives of several guests: * **Chris Bowen** , Minister for Climate Change and Energy for the Australian Labor Party, explains Australia's decarbonization targets and the government's framework to achieve them. * **Matt Kean** , Chair of Australia's Climate Change Authority, shares his team’s findings about the best pathways to meet those targets. * **Alex Wonhas** of AMPYR shares insights from helping grid operator AEMO develop Integrated System Plans that describe how to evolve the system toward those targets while maintaining reliability. * **Tristan Edis** of Green Energy Markets discusses the technical considerations of orchestrating new grid power resources. In the subsequent episodes in this miniseries, we’ll be exploring how Australia is using innovation to meet the challenges of the transition. We’ll also take a closer look at how they use DER integration to support the system while helping customers gain more control over their energy bills and even save money. **Guest #1:** **Chris Bowen** is Minister for Climate Change and Energy for the Australian Labor Party, representing Prospect, New South Wales in the House of Representatives. He has held a wide range of portfolios including serving as Treasurer, Minister for Human Services, Minister for Immigration, Minister for Financial Services, Assistant Treasurer, Minister for Competition Policy, Minister for Small Business and Minister for Tertiary Education. Chris has been responsible for a range of significant policy reform programs in these portfolios. He served as Interim Leader of the Labor Party and Acting Leader of the Opposition following the 2013 Federal election and served as Shadow Treasurer. On Twitter: @bowenchris On the Australian Government website: https://www.aph.gov.au/Senators_and_Members/Parliamentarian?MPID=DZS On the Web: https://www.chrisbowen.net/ **Guest #2:** **The Hon. Matt Kean** is the Chair of Australia’s Climate Change Authority. He is also the Director of Regulatory Affairs and Strategic Partnerships at Wollemi Capital. Matt was most recently the New South Wales (NSW) Government Shadow Minister for Health. He was Deputy Leader of the NSW Liberal party from August 2022 until March 2023. Throughout his 13-year political career, Matt also held ministries of Innovation and Better Regulation, Treasury, Energy and Environment. He was the local New South Wales Government member for Hornsby from 2011 until 2024. As Treasurer and Energy Minister of NSW, Matt championed climate action that is in the best interests of households and businesses. In 2020, he delivered the Electricity Infrastructure Roadmap: A 20-year plan for NSW’s energy infrastructure. The roadmap spurs private investment in renewable energy while reducing emissions and power bills for the people of NSW. On Twitter: @Matt_KeanMP On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-kean-mp/ On the Web: https://www.climatechangeauthority.gov.au/ **Guest #3:** **Dr. Alex Wonhas** is a veteran senior executive and thought leader who has shaped the national and state-based strategic agendas in Australia’s energy sector for more than three decades. Through roles including Executive General Manager at AEMO, Managing Director at Aurecon, and Executive Director at CSIRO, he has worked extensively with governments and industry in the Energy and Resources sector on issues ranging from strategic investment decisions in a complex and rapidly changing market environment, development and procurement of new large-scale infrastructure, impact of new technologies, to operational and organisational improvement. He is currently the CEO of AMPYR Australia. Alex has served on a range of energy and resources related advisory committees and boards, including the Energy Corporation of New South Wales, CSIRO Chile, Evergen, CO2CRC, ANLEC, and the Australian Solar Institute. He has a PhD in Theoretical Physics from the University of Cambridge. On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexwonhas/ **Guest #4:** **Tristan Edis** has worked on commercial and policy initiatives for the energy transition for 24 years. Currently he is the Director of Analysis and Advisory at Green Energy Markets. He undertakes research to support clients making investment, trading and policy decisions related to energy and carbon abatement markets. Tristan has written extensively on how to improve the energy system and markets to deliver reliable and affordable energy while also addressing climate change. Previously, he has worked in the Clean Energy Council for the Australian Government, Ernst & Young, and the Grattan Institute think tank. He was also the editor of a clean energy news website called Climate Spectator. On Twitter: @TristanEdis On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tristan-edis-7b107998/ On the Web: https://www.greenmarkets.com.au/ Tristan’s research papers in IEEFA Tristan’s articles in AFR Tristan’s articles in The Guardian Tristan’s articles in Watt Clarity Tristan’s articles in Renew Economy Tristan’s articles in Inside Story Tristan’s articles in The Australian **Recording date:** November 14, 2024 **Air date:** March 26, 2025 **Geek rating:6** ### Share this: ____ __