High Energy Planet

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A podcast on how to end energy poverty and power prosperity for everyone.

Katie Auth & Rose Mutiso


    • Apr 16, 2025 LATEST EPISODE
    • monthly NEW EPISODES
    • 34m AVG DURATION
    • 33 EPISODES


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    Latest episodes from High Energy Planet

    Ken Opalo: Why Growth Must Be at the Center of Africa's Future

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 16, 2025 39:48


    Ken Opalo, associate professor at Georgetown University and author of An Africanist Perspective, joins the show to discuss what's really behind chronic underinvestment in Africa's power sector, what US policymakers are missing, and what gives him hope for the future of African development.

    Katie and Rose on the Future of Foreign Aid

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 21, 2025 63:09


    Rose and Katie unpack the fallout from the Trump administration's dismantling of USAID and what it means for global energy investment and energy access. Drawing on their experience in US government, they explore the ripple effects of these cuts, the impact on local and international partners, and the broader shifts in development assistance. They also reflect on the role of public service, the evolving nature of US engagement abroad, and how to navigate this new reality.

    Kanika Chawla: Clean Energy for Development, Not Just Decarbonization

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 27, 2025 39:15


    Kanika Chawla, Chief of Staff at SEforALL, joins Rose and Katie to discuss what to expect from the 2025 SEforALL Global Forum, how SEforALL builds trust with governments, and what's next for SDG7. Plus, why she calls London her favorite Indian city (yes, really).

    Faten Aggad: Building Africa's Policy Negotiation Power

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 5, 2025 36:27


    Faten Aggad, the founder and executive director of the African Future Policies Hub, discusses the future of climate diplomacy, Africa's green industrialization, and how she's helping build Africa's policy negotiation capacity. Visit our website for more information, including the full show notes and transcript. Follow us on LinkedIn, X/Twitter and subscribe to our newsletter.

    Special Episode: Ramsey Day on the Future of Energy Poverty Under Trump

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 22, 2025 31:47


    What might a second Trump presidency mean for energy access and energy investment? In this special episode, we share a recent conversation between Katie and Ramsey Day, former Trump official and current Hub advisor, on the future of US development assistance and energy poverty. Visit our website for more information, including the full show notes and transcript. Follow us on LinkedIn, X/Twitter and subscribe to our newsletter.

    Mark Thurber: Renewables Are Changing the Rules of the Game

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 8, 2025 48:32


    Mark Thurber, associate director of the Program on Energy and Sustainable Development, comes on the show to discuss the unique challenges of integrating renewables in energy markets, why he believes we should all take bigger risks, and how he uses an online game to teach market dynamics. Visit our website for more information, including the full show notes and transcript. Follow us on LinkedIn, X/Twitter and subscribe to our newsletter.

    Kate Steel: On a Mission for Universal Energy Access

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 5, 2024 35:56


    Kate Steel, co-founder and CEO of Nithio, a start-up focused on financing clean energy companies and informing climate investments in Africa. In this episode, Kate talks with Katie and Rose about how we can fund universal energy access, the off-grid sector and its trajectory, and what she learned from launching Nithio. Visit our website for more information, including the full show notes and transcript. Follow us on LinkedIn, X/Twitter and subscribe to our newsletter.

    Joel Nana: There Is No One-Size-Fits-All Energy Transition

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 13, 2024 37:28


    Joel Nana, program manager at Sustainable Energy Africa and Hub fellow, joins the show to talk about climate action planning, the importance of energy planning at a subnational level, and Africa's solar revolution. Visit our website for more information, including the full show notes and transcript. Follow us on LinkedIn, X/Twitter and subscribe to our newsletter.

    The High Energy Rewind: Season 3 Highlights with Katie and Rose

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 16, 2024 39:20


    Welcome to the last episode of Season 3! Hosts Rose Mutiso and Katie Auth sit down together to revisit their favorite moments from the past season. They share standout clips from this season's interviews, highlighting conversations with this season's guests on everything from Nigeria's net zero model to the importance of humility. Listen in to relive the laughter, lessons, and unforgettable conversations of this season of High Energy Planet. Visit our website for more information, including the full show notes and transcript. Follow us on LinkedIn, X/Twitter and subscribe to our newsletter.

    Benjamin Attia: Why We Want Climate Finance to Be Boring

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 10, 2024 34:57


    Benjamin Attia, energy transition researcher, energy systems modeler, and long-time Hub fellow, joins the show to talk about his career as a professional researcher, explain why blended finance is more than a buzzword, and help us nerd out on climate finance. Visit our website for more information, including the full show notes and transcript. Follow us on LinkedIn, X/Twitter and subscribe to our newsletter.

    Sheila Herrling: Culture Is Everything

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 10, 2024 40:20


    Sheila Herrling, the Energy for Growth Hub's first Board Chair and expert in international development, US foreign policy, entrepreneurship, and philanthropy joins Rose and Katie for this episode of High Energy Planet. This episode explores challenges in development finance, why supporting diverse entrepreneurship is critical to creating change, and how Sheila approaches building organizational culture. Visit our website for more information, including the full show notes and transcript. Follow us on LinkedIn, X/Twitter and subscribe to our newsletter.

    Murefu Barasa: Everyone Has a Role in the Energy Transition

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 13, 2024 42:45


    Murefu Barasa, founder and managing partner at EED Advisory, comes on the show to discuss starting one of the only Pan-African energy consulting firms, how the energy sector has changed for the better (and worse) in the last decade, and the differences between the energy transition in Africa and the US. Visit our website for more information, including the full show notes and transcript. Follow us on LinkedIn, X/Twitter and subscribe to our newsletter.

    Hannah Ritchie: From Climate Anxiety to Data-Driven Optimism

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 21, 2024 35:47


    Hannah Ritchie, Deputy Editor and Lead Researcher at Our World in Data, joins Rose and Katie to explore why ending energy poverty is a top strategy for adapting to climate change, the role of scientists in activism, and the importance of data quality and availability. Hannah’s book, Not the End of the World, is out now. Visit our website for more information, including the full show notes and transcript. Follow us on LinkedIn, X/Twitter and subscribe to our newsletter.

    Ask Me Anything with Katie and Rose

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 7, 2024 53:01


    Welcome to our first ever Ask Me Anything episode! Hosts Katie Auth and Rose Mutiso sit down together to answer listeners’ questions on topics including Kenya’s role as an African clean energy leader, advice for young professionals working in energy, dream music festival lineups, and much more. Visit our website for more information, including the full show notes and transcript. Follow us on LinkedIn, X/Twitter and subscribe to our newsletter.

    Tisha Schuller: Bridging Divides on Our Path to Decarbonization

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 17, 2024 38:09


    Tisha Schuller, founder & CEO of Adamantine Energy, joins the show for a conversation on her unique perspective as an oil & gas expert working towards decarbonization, how to build trust and common ground in high-conflict situations, and why a soft heart is a super power. Visit our website for more information, including the full show notes and transcript. Follow us on LinkedIn, X/Twitter and subscribe to our newsletter.

    Habiba Ahut Daggash: The Energy Transition Needs New Ideas

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 13, 2023 33:03


    Habiba Ahut Daggash, Senior Associate with the Africa Energy Program at the Rocky Mountain Institute, discusses Nigeria’s energy transition, how climate change is more than a scientific problem, and why we need new ideas to approach development and energy poverty. Visit our website for more information, including the full show notes and transcript. Follow us on LinkedIn, X/Twitter and subscribe to our newsletter.

    Tim McDonnell: Reporting on Climate and Energy With Empathy

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 30, 2023 29:21


    Tim McDonnell, Climate & Energy Editor at Semafor, joins Rose and Katie for a conversation about his approach to climate reporting for varied audiences, the role of renewables in Ukraine’s energy security, and how he went from geotagging rattlesnakes to reporting on all things climate and energy. Visit our website for more information, including the full show notes and transcript. Follow us on LinkedIn, X/Twitter and subscribe to our newsletter.

    Vijaya Ramachandran: Every Country Has the Right to Its Own Energy Choices

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 15, 2023 30:29


    Welcome to Season 3 of High Energy Planet! Vijaya Ramachandran, Director for Energy and Development at the Breakthrough Institute, explains what sparked her interest in energy, talks rich country hypocrisy, and demystifies climate finance. Visit our website for more information, including the full show notes and transcript. Follow us on LinkedIn, X/Twitter and subscribe to our newsletter.

    Ashvin Dayal: We Need to Redefine Energy & Development Progress

    Play Episode Listen Later May 10, 2022 30:55


    Dayal, Senior Vice President of Power & Climate and The Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet at The Rockefeller Foundation, discusses how he got into working on energy, why he believes in raising the definition of energy access, and the power of philanthropy.

    Moussa Blimpo: Energy is Not the Answer to Everything

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 21, 2022 34:53


    Blimpo, Senior Fellow at the University of Toronto's Munk's School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, discusses his experiences turning policy into real-world impact, his evolving views on dominant development narratives, and what climate justice means to him.

    Uzodinma Iweala: Climate Justice Demands New African Narratives

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 6, 2022 39:17


    Iweala, CEO of The Africa Center, discusses the experiences and identities that led him to narrative work, how narratives are formed and how we can shape them in the development and climate justice realm, and what his definition of climate justice means for Africa.

    Jay Taneja: Using Machine Learning to Inform Energy Access Solutions

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 23, 2022 28:45


    Taneja, Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, discusses his work on creatively accessing data in data-poor environments, the challenges in electrification via grid connections, and his work as an engineer and professor in the development sector.

    Katie Hill: The First Pillar of Decarbonization Needs to be Green Growth

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 8, 2022 26:51


    Hill, Partner & Associate Director at Boston Consulting Group, talks about the future of African cities, the imperative for green growth in low-income countries on the global path to net zero, and her outlook on scaling enterprise and service delivery in Africa.

    Sudeshna Ghosh Banerjee: Decarbonization is a Very Long Game

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 28, 2022 30:03


    Banerjee, practice manager in the Energy and Extractives Global Practice at the World Bank Group, talks with Katie and Rose about whether net zero makes sense for Africa, what development organizations get wrong about energy access & women, and why hydrogen could be the next solar.

    Damilola Ogunbiyi: Putting People at the Center of Energy Transitions

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 31, 2022 29:02


    The CEO of Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) on whether the international community is failing on SDG7, what she thinks net zero means for Africa & how she challenges the stereotype of what an African leader looks like.

    Rebekah Shirley Lukera: Small Island Nations are Hypervisible & Hyper Invisible

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 6, 2021 26:20


    The director of research, data & innovation for WRI Africa talks with Katie & Rose about climate justice and building resilient energy infrastructure in small island developing states, why climate finance pledges don't always translate to reality, obstacles to electrical vehicle uptake in Africa, and Nairobi's reggae scene.

    Arvind Subramanian: We Have to Fight Carbon Imperialism

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 21, 2021 33:16


    The former chief economic advisor to India's government on how climate policy has become disconnected from energy needs of poorer countries, the politics of India's electrical tariffs and why he thinks renewable energy has yet to be proven economically viable there.

    carbon imperialism arvind subramanian
    Ken Caldeira: Let's Align Self-Interest with Global Climate Interest

    Play Episode Listen Later Jun 7, 2021 27:36


    One of the world's most visionary climate scientists tells Katie & Rose why he thinks nuclear energy is key to quelling climate change and delivering prosperity to the developing world, why he's gone all-positive on Twitter, why considering solar geoengineering won't stop us from addressing climate change, and what he learned from pumping crocodile stomachs as a grad student.

    Mimi Alemayehou: Climate Justice Means Africa Needs More Energy Investment

    Play Episode Listen Later May 21, 2021 27:30


    The former OPIC, African Development Bank and Black Rhino Group official tells Katie & Rose why she's frustrated with energy and climate finance double standards for Africa, how she would advise President Biden on climate & Africa, & why it's unethical to argue Africa must stay poor to reduce climate change impacts. Plus: Katie tells Rose why she's Amped Up about Richard Branson's Global Cooling Prize.

    Rachel Pritzker: Poverty's Not My Favorite Climate Change Solution

    Play Episode Listen Later May 7, 2021 26:36


    The globally recognized climate & energy philanthropist on loving cities, funding overlooked technologies & why optimism is the best approach to tackling climate change.

    Trailer Episode

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 27, 2021 1:51


    Hosts Katie Auth & Rose Mutiso on why High Energy Planet isn't your usual global energy podcast.

    Zainab Usman: What Does Net-Zero Mean for Africans?

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 26, 2021 36:15


    The new director of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace's Africa Program on why resource curse thinking is wrong, politics is integral to policy & we should stop saying "leapfrogging."

    Mohamed Rali Badissy: Power-Sector Transparency & Energy Access

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 22, 2021 41:14


    Mohamed explains why transparency is an overlooked issue in addressing energy poverty, why he thinks decarbonization will increase public demands for more energy transparency, and the one crucial thing about energy poverty nobody's talking about.

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