The Energy Transition Show with Chris Nelder

What is the new FERC Order 1920, and how can it help pave the way for more transmission capacity to unlock the potential of wind and solar in the US?

Should we believe projections of surging electricity demand from data centers, crypto miners and AI? And are new gas plants the best way to meet new demand?

What is the role and potential of demand-side solutions in the energy transition?

Will the final proposed rules for the US 45V hydrogen production tax credit stimulate a vibrant green hydrogen industry without increasing carbon emissions?

As we phase out fossil fuels, can the revenues they have supplied to some communities be replaced by revenues from clean energy projects?

How can green industrial policy harness the tools of capitalism and growth to make the energy transition successful?

What causes inflation? And how is it connected to the energy transition?

Author Akshat Rathi shares key insights from his new book, Climate Capitalism, about how the private sector provides scalable solutions to climate change.

Nuclear power’s long track record of failure, including that of small modular reactors (SMRs), shows why it will not contribute to the energy transition.

A new report details policies that can accelerate the decarbonization of the entire US economy, along with the risks and barriers to their implementation.

Retrofitting buildings to the Passivhaus standard can make them far healthier and more comfortable, while consuming far less energy than conventional buildings.

What will cause global demand for oil to peak and decline until it reaches zero by 2050?

How must the oil and gas industry prepare for the world to stop using their products entirely by 2050?

Climate scientist Dr. Michael E. Mann answers some of the hottest questions today about climate science.

Is offshore wind dead in the water, or just facing some temporary turbulence? Chris Nelder reports on the offshore wind sector from the UK.

A small island in Scotland became the world’s first community to launch an off-grid electric system powered by wind, water and solar. Here’s how they did it.

Why do some people believe we should accelerate the energy transition, while others claim that it will never work and advocate for things like degrowth policies instead?

Are EV sales about to go through a rapid adoption phase, portending a peak in global oil demand before the end of this decade?

Contra the new pro-nuclear zeitgeist that has bamboozled climate hawks, nuclear power is not at the dawning of a new age, but at the end of its old age.

Can ancient architectural and building techniques be used today to help keep buildings comfortable without using energy?

Energy researcher Jonathan Koomey rejoins us to review the major stories we have covered over the past year and see how the energy transition has progressed.

Regulatory capture is rife in Texas, and it explains a lot about how the losers of the energy transition have rigged the state’s systems in their favor.

How can we maximize the role of distributed energy resources as we rebuild the power grid using a decentralized architecture?

What do regulators and governments need to do differently to lead the energy transition?

Why does so much media focus on unlikely, pessimistic climate scenarios when our progress should make us optimistic about combating global warming?

Simon Evans of Carbon Brief reviews the highlights of the UK’s latest policy proposals, including how the government plans to meet its emissions-reduction goals.

In this second part of the interview from Ep. 199, we see how India’s energy transition is changing its oil and gas, grid power, cooling, and mobility sectors.

The Energy Transition Show marks its 200th regular episode with a look back at the progress of the energy transition and of the show since it launched in 2015.

In this first part of a 3.5-hour, two-part interview, we see how India is coming along with its energy transition, with focus on its coal, solar, and wind power.

Why has West Virginia denied the reality of the energy transition and clung to coal for so long, especially when it’s against their own economic interests?

Virtual Power Plants are finally ready to scale up, making it possible for the grid to do more with less as we “electrify everything.”

What if the most fundamental, transformative, and enduring aspects of the energy transition aren’t about technology at all, but rather policy and investment?

Is the Arctic permafrost in a warming feedback loop that will unleash a methane bomb and push the planet past a tipping point and into inevitable climate doom?

Does the availability of key minerals and materials—like “rare earth” metals—pose a fundamental limitation to the energy transition?

How will Europe’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (or CBAM) avoid “carbon leakage,” and how can the EU and US harmonize their climate policies?

How should we measure and count the greenhouse gas emissions that are associated with producing clean hydrogen?

It looks like days of growth are over for US shale oil production. What does that portend for the US, the world, and for the project of the energy transition?

How can MDBs like the World Bank derisk utility-scale renewable energy projects in developing countries and motivate more private capital to participate?

Why is it so much more expensive to finance clean energy projects than fossil fuel projects in emerging economies? And what can be done about it?

What are some of the pathways to a 100% clean power grid, and how can we meet the last 10% of the need even through winter weeks of low solar and wind output?

This show tells the story of the demand side of the energy transition in Vermont, based on interviews with local experts in October 2021.

This show tells the story of the supply side of energy in Vermont, based on interviews with local experts in October 2021.

Can we coordinate replacing fossil-fueled assets with clean, zero-carbon assets so that both systems remain functional and affordable during the transition?

Is the Energy Returned on Investment (EROI) of renewable energy high enough to power our modern world?

How is the world managing the ongoing global energy crisis, and why is the energy transition the only real path out of it?

Energy researcher Jonathan Koomey rejoins us to review the major stories we have covered over the past year and see how the energy transition has progressed.

Can free-market capitalism survive the energy transition? Or are we entering a new era of “command capitalism?”

What are the challenges and opportunities for energy transition in Alberta, and can it make a successful pivot away from its traditional fossil fuel industry?

How much clean energy could offshore wind provide in the US, and what do we need to do to develop the offshore wind sector?

Can we confidently undertake the energy transition without knowing exactly all the answers or where the journey will take us?