Energy Transitions

As climate change impacts weather patterns, droughts and floods are becoming more commonplace impacting hydropower projects around the world. In the face of this, many naysayers are criticising the renewables resource citing a lack of sustainability and affordability. However, according to Eddie Rich, CEO of the International Hydropower Association, more hydropower is the answer. Rich explains how this form of generation can supply flood and drought control, protect water supply and support irrigation. Furthermore, pumped storage is one of the most important system balancing mechanisms available to us, a non-negotiable for a successful transition to renewables. Rich also talks about how the industry has learned valuable lessons from past mistakes and is taking proactive steps to ensure future hydropower projects meet the highest sustainability standards.

In 2021, Siemens Gamesa started operating its first green hydrogen pilot project in Brande, Denmark. Since then, the Brande Hydrogen project has produced green hydrogen from an onshore wind turbine connected to an electrolyzer, producing fuel to power taxis in Copenhagen, Denmark. After 15 months of operation, Siemens Gamesa has released a whitepaper on the technical, policy and commercial findings thus far. To discuss these findings in more detail and talk about the journey to scale this nascent technology, Pamela Largue speaks to Benedikt Mayerle, Lead Solution Architect, Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy. Resources: Siemens Gamesa Whitepaper - Green Hydrogen Unlocked: Brande HydrogenKey learnings from operating a pioneering pilot project

In this COP27 special edition of the Energy Transitions Podcast series, Yusuf Latief speaks to Bertrand Piccard, United Nations Ambassador for the Environment and Special Advisor to the European Commission about the urgent need to modernise industry, whether our net zero goals are realistic and if all the COP-related talk will ultimately deliver the results being promised.

In the face of more frequent extreme weather events caused by climate change, cities are facing new challenges and need to find new solutions to face them. One of these challenges is to improve water management – one of the key pillars of sustainable cities – a factor behind the rapidly maturing smart water solutions market. To investigate how cities and utilities are employing smart water solutions to manage water resources, prevent flooding and drive resilience within the water and power sectors, Yusuf Latief is joined by two experts from Guidehouse Insights; Eric Woods, Research Director, Smart Cities and Urban Innovation and Grant Samms, Climate and Energy Research Analyst. Resources: Smart Water Systems for Smart Cities report from Guidehouse Insights

In this episode, Pamela Largue speaks to Kate Willard, Chair of Thames Estuary Growth Board, about the importance of industrial clusters in fostering sector integration and driving decarbonisation. Industrial clusters are not only spurring innovation, explains Willard, but also bringing together supply and demand in a way that aligns strategies and grows businesses. Willard explains that the benefits of clustering go far beyond the borders of the UK and Europe. Work is being done with global estuaries as well to decarbonise industries around the world . Guest: Government appointed Envoy Kate Willard OBE, Thames Estuary Growth Board Resources: Join us at Enlit Europe to meet Kate Willard and join the conversation Learn more about Thames Estuary

In this episode of the Energy Transitions Series, experts from Networked Energy Services and Griffin Group take a close look at how to effectively optimize Smart Meter Installations and Project Execution using various processes and tools. This discussion spotlights case studies from Poland and the Caribbean that benefited from these features. To shed light on this topic, Jonathan Spencer Jones speaks with three industry experts. This episode is brought to you by Networked Energy Services, Networked Energy Services Corporation (NES) is a global smart energy leader in the worldwide transformation of the electricity grid into an energy control network.

Estonia is a hotspot for many unique circular economy projects. One such project is the country’s first pumped storage hydroelectric plant being built at the site of a mine in Ida-Virumaa. The 225MW plant will be constructed using limestone rubble and closed tunnels created during the mining of oil shale. The upper reservoir will be built on a tailings structure, and a closed mine will be used as the lower reservoir. The project is an extension of energy company Enefit’s sustainability strategy and represents the remarkable progress Estonia is making on its path to energy transition. Margus Vals, a Member of the Management Board of Enefit joined Pamela Largue for an enlightening discussion on this pumped hydro project. Vals also provided a snapshot of Estonia’s energy sector, it’s plan for energy independence and shift to renewables.

The near bankruptcy of Wien Energie, Austria's largest energy supplier, could cause a ripple effect throughout Europe. No wonder both the Austrian government and the city of Vienna are eager to bail the company out. In this episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast, Peter Gönitzer, former CEO of Wien Energie and co-founder of the Nobilegroup gives us an assessment of the situation as well as its ramifications for the European markets.

As Europe’s electricity prices soar, the European Commission is considering whether the energy market design is fit for purpose. Governments are weighing market interventions such as price caps and decoupling wholesale power and gas prices. Pamela Largue is joined by Prof Dr Stefan Ulreich, Internationalization Officer at the Biberach University of Applied Sciences, to unpack whether these market instruments are really needed and what the potential impact could be on energy bills and renewables investments. Resources: Visit Energy Trading Day – Zürich, Switzerland | 21 September 2022

The Inflation Reduction Act puts America back on the world stage in the fight to achieve Paris Climate Goals and signals to the world that it is a willing partner and participant in global efforts to actively fight climate change. To unpack this legislation, what it provides to the US clean energy market and what it doesn't, I am joined by US colleague John Engel, Content Director for Renewable Energy World. To shed light on what the Inflation Reduction Act means for Europe and to identify similarities with the European Green Deal, I am joined by Areti Ntaradimou, Editor of Smart Energy International & Content Director Enlit Europe.

As Europe comes to terms with its overreliance on Russian gas and looks at ways to secure supply for the coming winter, nuclear power, once considered to do more harm than good, is back on the table. Did Europe abandon nuclear power too soon and is this power source making a comeback? According to IEA’s Executive Director Fatih Birol; “In today’s context of the global energy crisis, skyrocketing fossil fuel prices, energy security challenges and ambitious climate commitments, I believe nuclear power has a unique opportunity to stage a comeback.” Join Rudy Koenig, independent energy advisor and Kirsty Gogan, co-founder of Terrapraxis to unpack this rapidly evolving landscape. Resources: How to repower 2TW of coal by 2050 Repowering existing coal plant infrastructure is the largest single carbon abatement opportunity on the planet and could greatly accelerate the clean energy transition. By replacing coal-fired boilers at existing coal plants with carbon-free small modular reactors (SMRs), also known as advanced heat sources, these power plants can generate carbon-free electricity, rather than carbon-intensive electricity. The Decommissioning Gap – Key to a holistic pathway for energy transition As the global energy system moves from the old, fossil-based, to the new, “sustainable” system, key stakeholders are realizing that replacing the old with the new is a multi-trillion dollar challenge on top of a multi-trillion dollar challenge. Join us at Enlit Europe Enlit brings the energy community together to seize current opportunities, spotlight future ones, and inspire the next generation to be part of moving the energy transition forward. Join us in Frankfurt 29 Nov – 2 Dec 2022 and be a part of the journey. IEA - Nuclear power can play a major role in enabling secure transitions to low emissions energy systems

As Russia continues its campaign to weaponise energy, Europe is closing ranks with various regulatory mechanisms designed to reduce gas usage and secure stores for the upcoming winter. One such mechanism is the Save Gas for a Safe Winter initiative, which aims to reduce gas use across all member states by 15%. Will this, together with RePowerEU, be sufficient to mitigate the potential energy and economic risks associated with a major gas shortage and should Europe be preparing for a worst case scenario? Monika Morawiecka senior advisor for the Regulatory Assistance Project answers these questions and looks at further policy measures needed to boost energy security while ensuring EU Green Deal objectives are realised. Resources: Joy of Flex report

Europe continues to face volatile energy markets and uncertain gas supplies, with some countries becoming particularly vulnerable to the effects of this current energy crisis. Governments are attempting to control demand through reduced usage, while simultaneously securing supply by switching to alternative fuels - all while mitigating financing constraints and regulatory bottlenecks. Patrick Bauduin talks to Aura Sabadus senior journalist at ICIS about these issues, as well as price capping and energy market integration with Eastern Europe.

In this episode of the Energy Transitions Series, our guests unpack the Benefits and challenges of AMI for a developing country like India, which is going through a massive AMI rollout exercise for its 270 million electricity connections. While there will be many benefits to the distribution companies from the adoption of AMI, there will be many unknowns and unforeseen challenges for all stakeholders, including system integrators, OEMs, Utilities, Government and Consumers. With an estimated 20-30% of challenges faced by a utility, unique to them and their customer base, the remaining 70%-80% are common barriers for any utility in any developing country. The benefits and challenges are also linked to the maturity of a Utility, which translates into the volume and frequency of how AMI will be used by the Utility for its Energy Transition like DER, Energy Storage and EV. Guest: Rishi. P. Goyal, Assistant Vice President, Director Cell, BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd, New Delhi, India Speakers: - Sunil Mittal is working with Networked Energy Services as Director (Business Development) for Indian Market- Larry Colton, Director, International Business Development and Government Affairs Host: Jonathan Spencer Jones

With a special attention to extreme weather conditions, the X-Flex project is going to design and develop a set of tools that will enable the integration of decentralized ecosystems and flexibility systems into the existing European energy system. Lola Alacreu is an industrial engineer and the project’s coordinator. She is going to describe for us during this last episode for this season’s EU Project Zone Podcast, how the X-Flex project is going to achieve this integration in an efficient and cost-effective way, while on the same time help create a secure and sustainable smart grid for Europe. The project is developed by a consortium including members from six European countries. “We have currently pilots in three different locations” says Lola “two in Slovenia, one in Bulgaria and one in Greece” The pilots, cover different scenarios and according to Lola “this is a very good thing, as we can address different geographical, economic and social conditions”. Some of the challenges that X-FLEX is addressing focus on ensuring that the energy we are using is clean as well as cheap as it can be. “And at the same time” says Lola, “that we are improving the flexibility and stability of the supply chain on the network with a special focus on extreme weather conditions”. Listen to the full discussion and find out also how Lola believes that we can achieve flexibility in a Pan European level and which technologies best enable flexibility.

With the increase in wind and solar generation, guaranteeing adequate system flexibility is vitally important to ensure sufficient capacity to cover demand. Phil Thompson CEO of Balance Power unpacks the UK’s recurring misalignment of generation and demand that leaves the nation vulnerable to power shortages and wasted excess generation and looks at how many megawatt hours are needed to resolve the situation.

In this episode of The EU Projects Zone Podcast, Areti Ntaradimou speaks with Álvaro Nofuentes Prieto to find out more about project TRINITY, a Horizon2020 project designed to enhance cooperation and coordination among the transmission system operators (TSOs) of southeastern Europe.

The core objective of EUniversal, an energy project funded by the European Union, is to develop a universal approach on the use of flexibility by DSOs and their interaction with new markets. This approach will be enabled through the development of the concept of the Universal Market Enabling Interface or UMEI, a unique approach to foster interoperability across Europe. But how possible is it to achieve interoperability in a pan European level or would it have to be localized? According to Pedro Marques, coordinator of the project, “It is possible if you keep it simple”. And that is because the various European grids may have some peculiarities, “but the flexibility issue is not that different” says Pedro and he adds “Our aim is to reduce this barrier to introduce new stakeholders”. “Since the main challenges are common, we should not limit innovation too much. We should standardise what’s essential and leave the rest to the market” Pedro Marques “By proposing an open solution without imposing limits. So, the UMEI will become publicly available and it can be a basis for a direct interface between all these stakeholders allowing for future enrichment”. Moreover, Pedro adds that one of the project’s many goals is “the integration of different market flexibility options”. After all, in a union of so many different states and grids, flexibility is where most stakeholders focus on. In the end however, it all comes down to the consumer. “We should never forget the customers. The customers are the ones that will make the best decisions maximizing social welfare if they have the right tools at their disposal”, says EUniversal’s coordinator. Listen to the full discussion and find out also why Pedro believe that Europe is a leading authority when it comes to Smart Grids and why Artificial Intelligence will eventually take the lead.

Pamela Largue speaks to Katie Jackson, Executive Vice President, Acquisition & Divestment and New Business Development at Shell and new chair of POWERful WOMEN about how to ensure gender diversity and inclusion within a rapidly changing energy sector. Jackson also shares candid insights on why women in senior roles can help build stronger businesses that are more adaptable to changing markets on the journey to Net Zero. POWERful Women is a professional initiative that seeks to promote the growth and leadership development of women across the energy sector. Every year in Spring POWERful Women, in partnership with PwC UK, reports on gender diversity at the top of the UK energy industry. The statistics reflect the number of women in board and executive director roles in the top 80 energy companies, focussing on the most significant employers in the UK energy industry. POWERful Women aims to see 30% of executive board roles and 40% of middle management roles filled by women by 2030.

Britain’s biggest generator of zero-carbon electricity and an energy supplier to more than 3.5 million British homes and businesses, EDF UK recently announced a £50 billion low carbon programme to help Britain achieve net zero. Referring to current extreme market conditions, price surges and the increased importance of risk management for energy trading, how do you achieve maximum agility? In this episode, we connect with Mark Teuton, Senior Manager of Business Solutions at EDF UK the largest B2B energy retailer in the United Kingdom. Mark shares insight into EDF UK’s work and how agile energy trading plays a key role in supporting energy transition goals. This episode is brought to you by Amazon Web Services, the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud platform, offering over 200 fully featured services from data centers globally.

INTERRFACE is an EU funded project under the Horizon 2020 framework. Its core objective is to facilitate the coordination between TSOs and DSOs. And in order to achieve that, it will create a common architecture that connects market platforms, links wholesale and retail markets and allows transparent and non-discriminatory trading and procurement. And in addition, as Nikos Bilidis, coordinator of the INTERRFACE project, says in this episode of The EU Projects Zone Podcast “in a nutshell, the project is an open architecture for sharing data among all participants in the electricity system value chain, from local to European level”. Emphasis on the European level and its peculiarities. So, how possible is the creation of a pan European grid architecture to be applied? “Yes, it is possible,” says Nikos “but of course, there are certain restrictions to take into consideration”. This is why the team of the INTERRFACE project “tried to develop a platform that would be as modular as possible and to develop a system that would follow a plug and play manner”, adds Nikos. And that was made by design. The platform supports the formulation of different products and services and the implementation of different and versatile coordination schemes based on the study of active system management that was published by ENTSO-E and E.DSO. Listen to the full discussion and find out also how Nikos describes the ways that blockchain and smart contracts can help promote the participation of individual consumers in the energy sector.

FITGEN, a Horizon Europe project, aims at developing a functionally integrated e-axle ready for implementation in third-generation electric vehicles and therefore ready for mass-market production. During the EU Project Zone Podcast discussion with Michele de Gennaro, team leader of FITGEN and senior scientist at Austrian Institute of Technology, he emphasises how busy the sector is nowadays. “First and second life of battery cells, linking the automotive to the energy sector, as well as the reuse and recycling of red hearts from electric motors magnets. So a lot is happening. And we have also to give the time to regulation to develop,” he says. Moreover, retail prices get a prominent role. As Michele says: “The two elements that influence the retail price the most are the cost of the energy storage system, so, the cost of the battery, as well as the cost of the traction system”. And both of them are exacerbated by the relatively low production volume feature and work on the traction system. “It is designed to have a production cost of 2000 euros per unit at scale, and this is very close to the actual production cost of a midsize gasoline engine,” Michele adds. When discussing e-vehicles and the infrastructure needed to integrate them into the power grid, Michele emphasises the fact that “super fast charge is not a need”. Contrary to what people think. “The only scenario where super fast charge is needed,” he adds, “is in the case of long road trips. And this is a scenario that is met a few times a year for most users”. Fair enough, but what happens when it is indeed needed? Even for those few times per year? Michele does not worry and argues that in the case super fast charge is needed, "the rate needs to be deployed mainly along motorways where the driver can stop, rest and recharge the battery in 1520 minutes. Very much likely it happens today with gas stations”. Listen to the full discussion about FITGEN and find out also how “mobility will move away from the car ownership model to migrate towards an integrated system” as well as that “the end user product is not the car anymore in this system, but the mobility service and the experience of the mobility service itself”.

As the energy landscape undergoes rapid change, risk appetites and preferences follow suit. Compounding the more traditional risks associated with energy projects, such as cost overruns and ineffective resource management, we now have to deal with the increasing influence of rising commodity prices, fluctuating markets and geopolitical tensions. To unpack effective risk management at a time when the world is experiencing an energy revolution, Enlit World’s Pamela Largue is joined by Charles Wilsoncroft, partner at HKA. Wilsoncroft highlights some of the key risks facing energy stakeholders and how best to mitigate them, as well as how to manage contract risks as margins tighten.

GIFT is a Horizon 2020 project that aims to help decarbonise the energy mix of European islands. To accomplish that, the international teams working on the project are developing innovative systems to allow islands to integrate a vast amount of renewables. In this episode of The EU Project Zone Podcast, Areti Ntaradimou talks to project coordinator Igor Steiner about the ways in which GIFT aims to increase the penetration rate of renewable energy sources into the islands’ grid, in order to reduce their needs for diesel generation and decrease the greenhouse gases emissions directly related to it. Within the course of 4 years, the project’s partners will develop and demonstrate solutions in two lighthouse islands. In Hinnøya, which is Norway’s largest island and on the small island of Procida in Italy. At the same time, they will study the replicability of the solutions in two other islands. A Greek and Italian island, respectively Evia and Favignana. One of the focus points of the project and the conversation is that of electric vehicles and the data coming from them. According to Igor, “the countries, especially in the North, are already experiencing issues due to the high number of electrical chargers”. Mainly the fact that all that “should somehow be coordinated and managed to a degree that it causes no bigger issues than it already has”. Another “hot” subtopic of the electric transportation concerning the European islands, is that of electric ferries. A very popular means of transportation between islands and between islands and the mainland in Europe. “When working with ferries, one needs to worry about whether the grid is strong enough to support them. Electric ferries require storage and their batteries can have the power of one megawatt or more. That can be a bit of an issue” says Igor. And of course, all objectives of the GIFT project are only feasible with the support and participation of the people that live on the islands. Indeed, as the projects coordinator says, “the citizens of the islands are an important part of the energy community and as such, they are a priority”. Listen to the full discussion to find out more about this innovative island project.

POLYPHEM is a Horizon 2020 project with the main objective to improve the performance of small-scale Concentrated Solar Power plants and their flexibility, in order to generate power on demand. In this episode of The EU Project Zone Podcast, Areti Ntaradimou talks to project coordinator Alain Ferriere about a new technology that is proposed: a solar-driven combined cycle with integrated thermal energy storage.

Pantera is a Horizon 2020 project that aims at setting up a European forum composed of Research & Innovation stakeholders active in the fields of smart grids, storage and local energy systems. The name itself is an acronym standing for PAN European Technology Energy Research Approach and the vision behind the project is to create, through the EIRIE (European Interconnection for Research Innovation & Entrepreneurship) a multi-functional collaborative platform. According to Venizelos Efthymiou, who is the Project Coordinator “the Pantera project attempts to bridge the gaps that currently exist in the energy field in Europe, between member states regarding research and innovation, and a foot and financial commitment for achieving the strategic objectives of Europe for 2030 and 2050, leading to a low carbon economy in support of them environmental aspirations of humanity”. “Digitalization highly depends on communication infrastructure and related technologies” Venizelos Ethymiou, project coordinator The project is targeting specific areas of smart grids storage and local energy systems. Key objectives in this process is the development of a multifunctional platform to connect the EU research and innovation community and to enhance collaboration. “All contributing entities will benefit through the enhanced connectivity and wider range of services leaving no one behind” says Venizelos. And as far as the diversity of the continents is concerned, the various grades and the peculiarities of each EU member state, securing fair and competitive research and innovation in a Pan European level is one of the objectives of the project. “Diversity is actually a main objective of our project” says the Project Coordinator “and, it is true that we have diversity in the detail of the evolution of systems supporting the energy needs of Europe. And that is both natural and desirable. But that diversity can at times be an obstacle, especially when it comes to rules and regulations. Policy according to Venizelos “is not responding to technology developments fast enough” and in addition “faster adoption of maturing technologies in research and development requires regulations to go a bit faster too”. And Pantera, as a forum, will help unite the various voices of the industry and give them an opportunity not only to be heard, but to collaborate too. Listen to the full discussion and find out also how Pantera assists the EU Commission and the stakeholders of the sector in connecting the dots so as to accelerate the energy transition.

Platone, an acronym for PLATform for Operation of distribution NEtworks, is a four-year Horizon 2020 project. It involves an international consortium of energy and IT experts, which works jointly to develop solutions to make flexible power generation and consumption a tradable good. Unlocking these flexibilities allows integrating more renewable energies while maintaining grid stability. And in consequence to realize an open and non-discriminatory market, linking users, aggregators and operators. Project coordinator Antonello Monti, University Professor and Director of the Institute for Automation of Complex Power Systems at RWTH Aachen University says, “Platone is unique in its approach. While creating open and fair conditions for all the stakeholders in managing flexibility, it promotes a tight interaction between markets and operation. This tight link is critical for the grid of the future where the dynamics will be faster requiring more and more real-time services and a high level of awareness for the operators.” Platone solutions will be implemented and tested in three of the participating countries: In the Italian case, Acea Energia S.p.A., represented by Areti S.p.A., with the support of Siemens, experienced Engineering – Ingegneria Informatica S.p.A. and start-up Apio S.r.l., will implement a local flexibility market in the metropolitan area of Rome. The objective of the German field test is to implement a flexibility management instance balancing generation and demand within an energy community to a virtual island. “The energy transition is only possible if customers are involved. And that's why I wish to emphasize that one key element of the Platone project is to create the condition for customers to be involved in the energy system” Antonello Monti And finally the Greek demonstration will take place in the Mesogeia area, which is considered suitable for demonstration purposes since it has a good penetration of various types of renewable energy sources, provides a mix of rural, urban and suburban areas with a customer mix including households and small, medium and large industries. According to Antonello Monti, “the more renewables we have in the grid, the more flexibility will play a role. And with Platone we wish to create the conditions to access as much flexibility as possible in the distribution grid, as well as to create fair data management”. Moreover, one of the main points of the Platone platform “is to facilitate the better use of the infrastructure we already have”. Listen to the full discussion and find out also how Platone assists both the local DSOs and TSOs by providing them solutions for their ever growing needs.

A critical phase in the life of any start-up is to successfully fundraise sufficient money to maintain its planned growth and development trajectory. One of the most popular options is to raise corporate venture capital (CVC). According to CB Insights, CVC globally hit a record high of $73 billion in 2020, but that figure was exceeded in the first six months of 2021, i.e. $79 billion. From a start-up’s perspective, they get not only funding, but can also benefit from the advice and network and infrastructure of a corporation. Clearly, there are enormous benefits to securing CVC, but It’s not straightforward and should be viewed as a challenging task. To help new ventures get it right, Dr Heather Johnstone speaks with Raamu Moneyam and Olga Jensen from BayWa r.e. Energy Ventures, the ventures arm of BayWa r.e., to get some useful dos and don’ts, and top tips, as well as general guidance. Plus, they share some unique aspects of their approach when it comes to investing in new ventures. Host: Dr Heather Johnstone, Director – Initiate @ Enlit Europe Guests: Olga Jensen, Associate, BayWa r.e. Energy Ventures Raamu Moneyam, Senior Associate, BayWa r.e. Energy Ventures

In this episode of The EU Project Zone podcast, Areti Ntaradimou speaks with Antonis Papanikolaou, Project Coordinator of MERLON and Head of R&D at Hypertech Energy Labs. Listen to the conversation to find out how MERLON assists the local DSOs by providing them with the tools for the provision of added value services to the overlay distribution grid. Host: Areti Ntaradimou, Content Director, Enlit Guest: Antonis Papanikolaou, Project Coordinator of MERLON and also the Head of R&D at Hypertech Energy Labs For more information, visit: https://www.enlit.world/projects-zone/

Nils Røkke, Executive Vice President Sustainability at SINTEF and Chair of EERA (European Energy Research Alliance) talks to Pamela Largue about why the North Sea is often referred to as the “energy Silicon Valley of Europe”. Røkke highlights the great untapped potential of the area and the huge possibility to harvest renewables, while also developing clean energy technologies, such as carbon capture and storage, biomass and hydrogen.

In this episode of The EU Project Zone podcast, Areti Ntaradimou speaks with Peter Kelly-Detwiler, energy expert and author of the book The Energy Switch, about the future of the energy sector. Host: Areti Ntaradimou, Content Director, Enlit Guest: Peter Kelly-Detwiler, energy expert and author of the book The Energy Switch

The energy markets are going through unprecedented volatility. Energy security in Europe is making headlines and everyone is talking about their energy bill. Clearly we need to talk about energy prices and about how they are evolving. To make sense of this we invited Natasha Fielding, European Natural gas specialist for Argus media and her Colleague Justin Colley, specialist in European Electricity markets.

Dr Jill Miscandlon is a Senior Manufacturing Engineer at Strathclyde University’s Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC) in the UK, and is focused on making circularity a reality. One of Jill’s research areas is the development of a more sustainable lifecycle for electrical machines through the use of a variety of circular economy principals. She discusses the key aspects of the research project, including its main deliverables, as well as sharing some of her preliminary findings. Overall, Jill makes a compelling case for why taking a circular approach to addressing the many challenges of building a low-carbon future is not a ‘nice to do’, but is a ‘must do’. Host: Dr Heather Johnstone, Director – Initiate @ Enlit Europe Guest: Dr Jill Miscandlon, Senior Manufacturing Engineer, AFRC, Strathclyde University

Dr Jill Miscandlon is a Senior Manufacturing Engineer at Strathclyde University’s Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC) in the UK, and is focused on making circularity a reality. One of Jill’s research areas is the development of a more sustainable lifecycle for electrical machines through the use of a variety of circular economy principals. She discusses the key aspects of the research project, including its main deliverables, as well as sharing some of her preliminary findings. Overall, Jill makes a compelling case for why taking a circular approach to addressing the many challenges of building a low-carbon future is not a ‘nice to do’, but is a ‘must do’. Host: Dr Heather Johnstone, Director – Initiate @ Enlit Europe Guest: Dr Jill Miscandlon, Senior Manufacturing Engineer, AFRC, Strathclyde University

The annual Dakar Rally is increasingly committed to a more responsible rally raid, focusing on the development of alternative engines and technological innovation. We talk to Steve McEvoy, Automotive Lead at engineering and digital transformation consultancy Expleo about the development of cleaner vehicles powered by hydrogen for the Dakar Rally and discusses hydrogen’s potential in decarbonising the automotive industry at large. Learn more about the hydrogen vehicle being designed by Expleo and racing expertise partner Faster or read about Expleo’s research on the use of hydrogen energy and its impact on the automotive sector.

On a monthly basis, we discuss the Energy Markets in this podcast. In this ‘Energy Markets Talk’, Christian Baer, Secretary General of Europex discusses the current energy prices surges and how the energy market design keeps on evolving.* Europex is the Association of European Energy Exchanges, representing the interests of exchange-based wholesale electricity, gas and environmental markets by focusing on developments of the European regulatory framework for wholesale energy trading. *Recorded prior to the conflict in Ukraine.

In the first of an exclusive nine-part series entitled ‘Future Energy Perspectives’, Karim Amin, Executive Vice-President of Generation at Siemens Energy, spotlights the key factors for reaching a net-zero economy by mid-century. Text: Karim Amin / Siemens EnergyRead by: Philip Gordon This series is brought to you by Power Engineering International and Enlit, in partnership with Siemens Energy. For more information, visit: www.powerengineeringint.com/future-energy-perspectives/

This podcast discussion provides a brief look at the wins and disappointments from the COP26 Climate Summit in Glasgow. We answer the question, what’s next and unpack how Enlit Europe in Milan will capitalise on the current momentum within the energy sector to drive forward Europe’s energy transition. Host: Pamela Largue, Staff Writer, Power Engineering International Speakers: Paddy Young, Director of Enlit Kelvin Ross, Editor-in-Chief, Power Engineering International and Enlit Europe Areti Ntaradimou, Editor, Smart Energy International and Content Direction, Enlit Europe

Marcus Lehmann provides insights on the nascent, yet rapidly expanding field of wave energy in the USA. More specifically, he talks about CalWave Power Technologies’ pilot project, which resulted in wave energy converter technology being deployed off the pier of Scripps Institute of Oceanography in San Diego. This is a long-duration demonstration of a fully submerged wave energy system in California and it's being funded by a US DOE development contract. Host: Pamela Largue, Staff WriterSpeaker: Marcus Lehmann, CEO of CalWave

The Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe recently signed a partnership agreement with UK-based Global OTEC for the deployment of a commercial Floating Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) Platform. We explore this project in more detail, and unpack how this cutting edge technology holds a key to decarbonising small island nations. Host: Pamela Largue, Staff Writer, Power Engineering International Speakers: Dr Tessa Gordelier, Business Research Fellow, Renewable Energy Research Group, University of Exeter Dan Grech, Founder & CEO, Global OTEC

Norway recently announced the Ocean Grid project that will develop new technology, knowledge, and solutions to enable the profitable development of offshore wind on the Norwegian continental shelf - key to achieving climate targets. We unpack how this region, traditionally focused on oil & gas, has made significant progress in the burgeoning offshore wind sector and become a leading force driving Europe’s green energy transition. Host: Pamela Largue, Staff Writer Speaker: John Olav Giæver Tande, Chief Scientist, Research Manager, and Director of NorthWind at SINTEF Energi AS

In the context of Fit for 55, we unpack Poland’s shift away from coal, highlighting the challenges and opportunities of this shift and the importance of ensuring a just transition. Speakers: Michał Motylewski , Managing Counsel, DentonsMichał Motylewski, attorney-at-law, is a managing counsel in Dentons’ Warsaw office and a member of the Warsaw Energy and Natural Resources practice team. Michał specializes in Energy Law and, in particular, in issues relating to the development of the EU’s internal market in electricity and gas and the implementation of power market reforms in Poland, including the current implementation of the Clean Energy for All Europeans package. Joanna Maćkowiak-Pandera, President, Forum EnergiiFounder and leader of Forum Energii - the first Polish energy transition think tank in Poland. She focuses on European energy and climate regulations, electricity markets, renewable energy sources. In the past, she worked at the Ministry of Environment, among others as Deputy Minister responsible for the Polish Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Joanna is involved in global and EU climate negotiations. She has worked at Agora Energiewende – German energy transition think tank and the Danish Oersted.

Listen to this podcast to learn more about the field of perovskites, why it’s causing such a buzz in the solar community and the various applications being tested in labs in the US and United Kingdom.Join Prof Henry Snaith FRS, co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer at Oxford PV and Binks Professor of Renewable Energy in the Physics Department of the University of Oxford; Joseph J . Berry, a Senior Research Fellow at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory; and Laura Schelhas, a research scientist and group manager at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Colorado, USA.

Florence Coullet talks to Sylvia Breukers, Partner and Researcher at DuneWorks, about getting energy communities ready for peer-to-peer energy trading.

With Siemens Energy now operating as an independent player in the energy industry, we ask Executive Vice-President of Generation, Karim Amin, about the role he expects the company to play in the energy transition and how he sees future technologies meeting market needs in sector coupling, energy storage, hydrogen and renewable integration.

Enlit director Paddy Young explores the renewable energy trends set to flourish this year with three energy journalists: Jennifer Runyon of Renewable Energy World; Leigh Collins of Recharge; and Kelvin Ross of Power Engineering International.