Energy Transition in Different Countries
Podcast episodes about Energy Transition in Different Countries
In these podcast episodes, we look at the current state of the energy transition in different countries. This far, we have covered Norway, Germany, Romania, Switzerland, and the Global South.
#71 Navigating Norway's Energy Shift - A snap shot analysis with the founder of Rystad Energy (Jarand Rystad, Rystad Energy)
How does the Hormus straight between Iran and Oman influence oil prices? How do interest rates influence the deployment of Renewables? How will small CO2 emitters connect to larger CCS infrastructures?
If you are up to get a snap-shot round up of the Energy Transition in Norway then check out this new episode with Jarand Rystad, the CEO and Founder of Rystad Energy. Enjoy the show.
#62 Sparking Innovation: Israel's Journey in the Energy Transition (with Eshel Lipman, Ignite the Spark)
During the Oslo Innovation Week at the end of September, I interviewed Israeli entrepreneur and investor, Eshel Lipman, founder of Ignite the Spark - a community that promotes EnergyTech in Israel.
In this episode, Lipman shares insights into his journey from engineering in Australia to founding an energy tech startup, and the intricacies of Israel's energy landscape. We talk about the shift from coal to natural gas and the country's renewable energy goals. Despite abundant sunshine, Israel faces challenges in expanding solar energy due to grid congestion and geographical constraints. Lipman also touches on Israel's electric vehicle market, noting the slow adoption rate and the need for better public transportation infrastructure.
The episode concludes with a discussion on the future of Israel's energy transition. Lipman underscores the necessity of regulatory and grid reforms to accelerate the deployment of solar and energy storage solutions. He envisions Israel as a burgeoning source of energy tech innovation, attracting global attention and investment, and contributing significantly to the global energy transition.
#56 Managing Norway's Impending Power Deficit (with Nils Røkke, SINTEF)
In this episode, I interview the Executive Vice President for Sustainability at SINTEF, Nils Røkke, in front of a live audience during NTNU's Hyfer festival. The conversation, initially meant to focus on Norway's looming power deficit, also encompasses other aspects of Norway's energy transition and the challenges it faces
Røkke explains that Norway is one of the most electrified countries globally, but that it still relies on fossil fuels in some sectors. He touches on the trade-offs involved in the transition, such as social acceptance of renewable energy projects and the balance between affordability, competitiveness, and sustainability.
Røkke emphasizes the importance of developing renewables, energy efficiency, and offshore wind power to meet the growing energy demand while reducing carbon emissions. He also mentions the role of hydropower and the need for more investments in the energy sector to achieve decarbonization goals.
After our talk, we invited the audience to challenge Nils with some questions of their own.
The Energy Transition in Switzerland
What are the first thoughts you have when you think about Switzerland? Mountains, Skiing, Nature, Toblerone? For sure! But what you may not have known is that the pace of the energy transition in Switzerland has not been amazingly fast in the last years. However, now, with the energy crises and spiking prices for fossil fuel things seem to be moving at a different pace. In this episode you will learn how the energy sector in Switzerland is structured, what the challenges are that the system is being faced with, and how the country is now embarking on an acceleration trajectory. For this episode I am joined by Dr. Florian Egli from ETH Zurich and by Dr. Léonore Hälg from the Swiss Energy Foundation.
The Energy Transition in Romania and Eastern Europe
What are the challenges Romania faces in the Energy Transition? The Eastern European country has committed itself to phase out coal, and plans a transition to renewables like solar and hydrogen. How are things progressing, and what are the current hurdles?
To learn about Romania's energy system, policies, markets and social situation, we talked with Dr. Luciana Miu. She is is the Head of Clean Economy at Energy Policy Group - an independent think-tank located in Bucharest, specializing in energy and climate policy, market analytics and energy strategies. She holds a Master’s degree in Sustainable Energy Systems from the University of Edinburgh and a PhD in Energy Efficiency of Residential Buildings from the Imperial College London. Before joining EPG, Luciana worked for the UK Parliament and for the British Government’s Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), as well as a consultant for Climate-KIC and London City Hall.
The Energy Transition in the Global South
The global south, with countries such as Indonesia and India, relies heavily on coal and other fossil fuels. Many of these countries have not embarked on real decarbonization pathways. In this episode, we take a closer look at the barriers these countries face to supply the growing energy demand and do this in a sustainable way.
Today's guest, Jose Antonio Ordonez, is a researcher in the Fraunhofer ISI's Competence Center Energy Policy and Energy Markets where he works in the business unit Global Sustainable Energy Transitions. Over the last years he has conducted a large number of energy transition and decarbonization projects across a variety of countries in the global south and emerging economies dealing with supporting the integration of renewable energy, energy efficiency and climate protection policies.
The German Energy Transition
The German energy transition, commonly known as the 'Energiwende', is challenging many parts of German society. Until March 2011, one-quarter of Germany's electricity was obtained from nuclear energy, which is now due to be phased out in 2022. Coal-fired power generation is expected to diminish, as wind and solar receive generous financial support.
Whether Germany's efforts have been a success or a failure has been a popular debate in recent years. Luckily for us, we found the perfect person to ask for a status update. Dr. Eva Schmidt, Team Leader German and European Energy Policy in Germanwatch: a non-profit, non-governmental organization that actively engages in international political and economic discussions, met with Julius for a chat in Berlin.
The Norwegian Energy Transition
Norway is Unique: It has abundant natural energy resources and a relatively small population. It’s electricity runs mainly on carbon free hydro energy, and it is one of the wealthiest countries on the planet. But most of its wealth comes from exporting fossil fuels such as natural gas and oil. While the Norwegian government aims to accelerate the low carbon energy transition, social resistance rises against new wind farms in order to preserve nature and the cultural heritage of the country.
To give an overview over these tricky topics I met with Asgeir Tomasgard. Asgeir is Professor at NTNU in the department of Industrial Economics and Technology Management. He is the director of the NTNU Energy Transition Initiative, and hence he is the one that gave my producer Martin and me the slack to start this podcast.
What is the energy transition?
The energy transition refers to the process of moving from fossil fuels (such as coal, oil, and natural gas) to cleaner, renewable energy sources (such as solar, wind, and hydropower). This transition is driven by a variety of factors, including concerns about climate change, air pollution, and energy security, as well as the declining costs of renewable energy technologies.
The energy transition is a global phenomenon that is happening at different speeds and in different ways in different countries. Some countries are leading the transition by rapidly increasing their use of renewable energy, while others are slower to adopt these technologies. The energy transition also involves changes to energy systems, including the way energy is produced, transmitted, and used. It may involve changes to infrastructure, policies, and regulations, as well as the adoption of new technologies and business models.
The energy transition is often seen as a key part of the global effort to address climate change, as transitioning to renewable energy sources can help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow the pace of global warming. It is also seen as a way to improve air quality and public health, as well as to create jobs and stimulate economic growth.