About this podcast
Mini nuclear reactors. Farm-fresh ‘local’ cauliflower. Solar lasers. Energy in Conversation is a plain-speaking, thought-provoking look into our energy future, through the eyes of the people leading the way. Join the Energy Institute’s Deane Somerville to hear about tough challenges and big ideas on our journey to a low carbon world.
Season 2 trailer
Energy in Conversation Season 2 is coming on the 26th of January! Featuring young energy professionals from around the world as part of the EI’s Generation 2050 initiative.
Season 1
S1 Ep.6: Raising energy access and lowering emissions
Published: 18 February 2020
Those with the least income are spending the most on energy, and will be the worst affected by climate change. In the final episode of its first season, Energy in Conversation is taking on two of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) which are inextricably linked: SDG 7, affordable and clean energy, and SDG 13, climate action. Our guests, Malcolm Brinded and Anshul Patel, discuss how to help those 840 million people with no electricity and 3 billion cooking with dirty inefficient fuels, without driving up climate warming emissions.
S1 Ep.5: Oil and gas in a net zero world
Published: 4 February 2020
In a world banishing greenhouse gas emissions, all parts of the global economy will have to adapt. This episode asks an existential question for the energy sector: what will today’s oil and gas companies look like in the net zero world of 2050? EI Chief Executive Louise Kingham hosts a conversation between Maarten Wetselaar and Bob Ward. They may not agree on everything, but one thing is for certain: to succeed in the future, companies must show leadership now.
Our guests this week
Hosted by
Louise Kingham OBE FEI
Chief Executive
Energy Institute
@KinghamEIBob Ward
Policy and Communications Director
Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment
lse.ac.uk/GranthamInstituteMaarten Wetselaar
Integrated Gas and New Energies Director
Royal Dutch Shell
linkedin.com
Also from the Energy Institute
S1 Ep.4: Nuclear power in the balance
Published: 21 January 2020
You may think low carbon power generation is a recent innovation. On this episode, we consider a source of electricity which has been providing zero-carbon power for decades – nuclear power. Our first guest, Kirsty Gogan considers how nuclear stacks up in today’s electricity mix when it comes to reliability, public opinion, and cost. Then, Paul Stein tells us how that could all change with an innovative new way of building nuclear power stations – small modular reactors. This is not your grandfather’s technology – but can SMRs compete with the falling price of and rising popularity of renewables?
Our guests this week
Kirsty Gogan
Global Director
Energy for Humanity
@kirstygoganPaul Stein
Chief Technology Officer
Rolls Royce
rolls-royce.com
Also from the Energy Institute
S1 Ep.3: The heat equation
Published: 10 December 2019
Our latest episode explores the routes to decarbonising domestic heat. Hear from expert guests, Dr Tim Rotheray and Adam Madgett, about the need to balance both sides of the heating equation - energy efficiency and clean heating sources. We focus on the options for keeping warm without harming the planet, from electricity to heat networks to green gasses. 83% of UK homes have gas-fired boilers today, but what will the future of heating look like?
Our guests this week
Dr Tim Rotheray
Former Director
Association for Decentralised Energy
@timrotherayAdam Madgett
HyDeploy Project Manager
Northern Gas Networks
@NGNgas
Useful resources
- UK Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology: Carbon Footprint of Heat Generation
- UK Committee on Climate Change: Next steps for UK heat policy
- UK Committee on Climate Change: UK housing: Fit for the future?
- The Association for Decentralised Energy: Energy efficiency, fuel poverty, and more
- About HyDeploy
- IEA: The Future of Hydrogen
S1 Ep.2: Energy's digital upgrade
Published: 26 November 2019
This week we focus on the UK's digital energy switchover - like TV and banking, retail energy is getting a 21st-century upgrade. But 1 in 10 UK adults are not internet users, and the same proportion are in fuel poverty. Can a digital energy future close this gap, rather than widen it? From smart kettles to vehicle-to-grid charging, and everything in between, our guests paint their vision for the future and consider how to take everyone along, including and especially vulnerable consumers.
Our guests this week
Dhara Vyas
Head of Future Energy Services
Citizens Advice
wearecitizensadvice.org.ukRobert Cheesewright
Director of Corporate Affairs
Smart Energy GB
@SmartEnergyGB
S1 Ep.1: Food waste? Not cool
Published: 12 November 2019
Our first episode takes place at the intersection of food and energy - two systems which are central to human wellbeing and climate change. Getting food from farm to table is taking a toll on the environment, and 1/3 of all food produced never gets eaten. While the story differs between emerging and advanced economies, energy is at the heart of the challenge wherever we are in the world. Our guests walk us through food's journey, from how it's kept cold to how it's sold, and ask us to rethink society's biggest questions: how can we feed the world without destroying the planet?
Our guests this week
Professor Toby Peters
University of Birmingham and Heriot-Watt University
clean-cooling.ac.ukLaura Sandys FEI
CEO
Challenging Ideas and Trustee, The Food Foundation
@Laura_Sandys
Also from the Energy Institute
We want to know what you think!
Is there something we missed? Do you have a burning question for next season? You can share your honest feedback on Apple Podcasts, or by tweeting to @EnergyInstitute.