This is Chris Nelder, the Host of the Energy Transition Show podcast. I regret to announce that the show has ended. My statement is here: chrisnelder.com/ets-terminat...
Notice of Termination of the Energy Transition Show podcast
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Data bonanza! In Ep. 280, we review the first complete global energy data set for 2025, from the Energy Institute, @ember-energy.org et al. The #energytransition is still accelerating as renewables meet all new demand and overtake coal, as well as gas in key markets. xenetwork.org/ets/episodes...
[Episode #280] – Statistical Review of World Energy 2026 | The Energy Transition Show
We review the highlights from the Statistical Review of World Energy 2026, offering the first complete look at global energy data for 2025.
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In Ep. 279, @taraconnolly.bsky.social of Beyond Fossil Fuels explains why so many wind, solar and battery projects are backed up in queues waiting to connect to European *distribution* grids, and what can be done to get those projects built and connected. xenetwork.org/ets/episodes...
[Episode #279] – Debottlenecking Europe’s Grid | The Energy Transition Show
Why is so much wind, solar and battery capacity stuck in connection queues across Europe’s distribution grids?
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In Ep. 278, we are joined by Dr. Emily Pope of @c2es.bsky.social to hear about the state of the art in geothermal power generation, and how much of a role it might play in helping to achieve decarbonization goals in the US and beyond. xenetwork.org/ets/episodes...
[Episode #278] – Enhanced Geothermal Energy | The Energy Transition Show
Is enhanced geothermal energy finally ready to be a significant commercial technology?
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In @TransitionShow Ep. 276, we check out one of the most exciting #energytransition stories in the world: South Africa is embarking on a major reform of its electricity system to transition from a state-owned monopoly to a free market, and from coal to renewables. xenetwork.org/ets/episodes...
[Episode #276] – Electricity Reform in South Africa | The Energy Transition Show
South Africa is embarking on a major reform of its electricity system to transition from a state-owned monopoly to a free market, and from coal to renewables.
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In Ep. 275, we review a report from @350.org on the cost of delaying the energy transition, and see how the energy transition is helping countries limit the economic damage they are suffering from the global energy crisis resulting from the war in Iran. xenetwork.org/ets/episodes...
[Episode #275] – The Cost of Delay | The Energy Transition Show
A 350.org report adds up the cost of delaying the energy transition and the benefits of pursuing it, especially for oil and gas importing countries.
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In Ep. 274, @ember-energy.org’s @nicolasfulghum.bsky.social walks us through all the data in their new Global Electricity Review 2026 report. Renewables are finally pushing fossil fuels off the grid and power sector emissions are declining globally for the first time. xenetwork.org/ets/episodes...
[Episode #274] – Global Electricity Review 2026 | The Energy Transition Show
In 2025, renewables generated more electricity than fossil fuels for the first time in the modern era, causing power sector emissions to fall.
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In Ep. 272, Tom Brown @nworbmot.bsky.social shares a new model which shows that by 2030, solar and batteries could supply 90% of electricity to 80% of the global population for less than €80/MWh. It would not only be cost-effective, but also likely cheaper than gas. xenetwork.org/ets/episodes...
[Episode #273] – Solar and Batteries Can Power the World | The Energy Transition Show
Can solar and batteries power the world cost-effectively? A new model says yes.
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In Ep. 272, oil analyst @roryjohnston.bsky.social explains why the Iran war has thrown the world into uncharted territory, with unprecedented high prices ahead. Are you ready for record high gasoline prices? This episode is not paywalled, so enjoy & share widely! xenetwork.org/ets/episodes...
[Episode #272] – Global Energy Crisis 2026 | The Energy Transition Show
The damage to Persian Gulf oil and gas infrastructure and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has thrown the world into a global energy crisis.
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In Ep. 271, @laurimyllyvirta.bsky.social rejoins us to tease apart the complex picture of China’s energy transition. Listen and learn why China’s total CO2 emissions have been falling for the past two years even while it’s building more coal power plants than ever. xenetwork.org/ets/episodes...
[Episode #271] – China Update 2026 | The Energy Transition Show
Why have China’s total CO2 emissions been slowly falling for two years even as it’s building more coal-fired power plants than ever?
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In Ep. 270 Lord Adair Turner, co-chair of the Energy Transitions Commission in London, shares with us his wide-ranging, high-level perspective on the energy transition in the UK and the world. xenetwork.org/ets/episodes...
[Episode #270] – View from the Energy Transitions Commission | The Energy Transition Show
Lord Adair Turner shares his global perspective on the state of the energy transition, as seen from the Energy Transitions Commission.
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In Ep. 269, @aripeskoe.bsky.social rejoins us to review Trump’s attacks on the energy transition in the US and explore the legal options for defending it. Wind farms, solar farms, coal plants, regulations,Venezuela, UN climate bodies, oh my! xenetwork.org/ets/episodes...
[Episode #269] – Trump's War on the Energy Transition | The Energy Transition Show
Can the energy transition in the US survive President Trump’s attacks on it?
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In Ep. 268, veteran organizer @carterlavin.bsky.social joins us to share some of the insights, tactics and lessons learned from his 15 years as a transportation advocate. Listen in and learn how you can help advance energy transition policies in your community! xenetwork.org/ets/episodes...
[Episode #268] – Activism 101 | The Energy Transition Show
What do aspiring energy transition advocates need to know to become effective changemakers in their communities?
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In Ep. 267, former IEA Director Nobuo Tanaka shares his perspectives on the global realignment into “petrostates” and “electrostates” and how US policy is pushing Europe and developing countries closer to China. We also discuss his bold proposals Asian grids. xenetwork.org/ets/episodes...
[Episode #267] – Japan: Petrostate or Electrostate? | The Energy Transition Show
As one of the most energy vulnerable countries on earth, Japan faces a difficult choice: join the petrostates, or the electrostates?
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To close out a huge year, we are lifting the paywall on Episode 254 so that all can enjoy this comprehensive review of the data on the global energy transition with @ember-energy.org's @nicolasfulghum.bsky.social xenetwork.org/ets/episodes... HNY from all of us at @TransitionShow! #lagniappe
[Episode #266] – Global Electricity Review 2025 (Lagniappe edition) | The Energy Transition Show
Global carbon emissions from the power sector may be close to peaking thanks to an accelerating energy transition.
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In Ep. 265, Chris returns to Paris to interview @timgould.bsky.social about @iea.org’s flagship World Energy Outlook 2025 report. We clarify what its scenarios actually mean (and what they don’t), and find the global energy transition very much still going strong. xenetwork.org/ets/episodes...
[Episode #265] – IEA World Energy Outlook 2025 | The Energy Transition Show
Chris returns to Paris to interview co-lead Tim Gould about the new World Energy Outlook 2025 report, and to explore the futures it contemplates.
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In Ep. 264, we kick off a new miniseries on South Africa’s energy transition with one of its key progenitors, Professor Emeritus Anton Eberhard of the University of Cape Town, who has been agitating for power sector reforms there for over 35 years. xenetwork.org/ets/episodes...
[Episode #264] – History of the Transition in South Africa | The Energy Transition Show
A history of South Africa’s energy transition in the power sector kicks off a new Energy Transition Show miniseries on the African country.
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In Ep. 263, @chrisnelder.bsky.social debates the CEO of Australian distribution utility Ausgrid about when and whether it’s best for customers or distribution utilities to own and operate grid assets like battery storage systems. xenetwork.org/ets/episodes...
[Episode #263] – The Role of Distribution Utilities | The Energy Transition Show
What is the role of distribution utilities in the energy transition?
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In Ep. 262, @nadiabahmad.bsky.social explains how creating a successful energy transition project depends on community engagement and the specific legal and regulatory frameworks of a place. xenetwork.org/ets/episodes...
[Episode #262] – All Transitions are Local | The Energy Transition Show
What are the key elements to a successful energy transition project where you live?
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In Ep. 261, @ct-economics.bsky.social shares insights from his book, The Case Against Climate Doom — An Economist’s Guide to Climate Optimism, detailing the ongoing social, political, and technological climate change mitigation efforts that give him hope. xenetwork.org/ets/episodes...
[Episode #261] – The Case Against Climate Doom | The Energy Transition Show
We review some examples of social, political, and technological approaches to climate change mitigation that should give us reason to be optimistic.
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In Ep. 260, Muyi Yang and @sambutl3r.bsky.social of @ember-energy.org detail how China has become the undisputed global leader in the energy transition, and is helping developing countries to decarbonize far more rapidly than the economic powerhouses of the West. xenetwork.org/ets/episodes...
[Episode #260] – China Energy Transition Review 2025 | The Energy Transition Show
China has far surpassed the West to become the undisputed global leader in the energy transition.
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It’s our 10th Anniversary! To mark the occasion, we are rejoined by @kingsmillbond.bsky.social and Daan Walter of @ember-energy.org for 2.5 hrs of deep thoughts on what the past decade of our work has been about, and what the next ten years will require. xenetwork.org/ets/episodes...
[Episode #259] – 10th Anniversary: New Marching Orders | The Energy Transition Show
For our 10th anniversary, we reflect on what the past decade of our work has been about and consider what the next ten years might require.
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In Ep. 258, we explore the only transmission system in Alaska and ask why the utilities that own it are risking blackouts by remaining dependent on declining gas supply instead of transitioning to the vast renewable resources surrounding them. Our longest episode yet! xenetwork.org/ets/episodes...
[Episode #258] – Alaska’s Railbelt Utilities | The Energy Transition Show
Alaska is deeply entwined with the fossil fuel industry, but its major utilities could transition almost entirely to renewables if there was the political will.
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For Ep. 257, Chris traveled to a remote, off-road community in Alaska’s Arctic Circle to see how they are integrating renewables into the microgrid that powers the town. xenetwork.org/ets/episodes...
[Episode #257] – Remote Microgrids in Alaska | The Energy Transition Show
In remote, off-road communities of Alaska, microgrids supplied by renewables aren’t just economic; they’re what keep people alive.
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In Ep. 256, the founder of the world’s first all-electric farm, Mike Casey, explains how farmers can make money and ease grid pressures by adding solar to their farms, and how Rewiring Aotearoa are working to electrify New Zealand. This one is not paywalled so enjoy! xenetwork.org/ets/episodes...
[Episode #256] – Electric Farming in New Zealand | The Energy Transition Show
What can the world learn about the potential for the energy transition from the world’s first all-electric farm in New Zealand?
xenetwork.org
In Ep. 255, we kick off a new miniseries on Alaska by interviewing an expert in building design and construction about the best ways to put up buildings that are comfortable, healthy, and affordable in the frozen north. xenetwork.org/ets/episodes...
[Episode #255] – Dwellings in Alaska | The Energy Transition Show
What architectural and construction techniques are best for creating comfortable, healthy, and affordable buildings in Alaska? Part 1 of a miniseries on Alaska.
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In Ep. 254, @nicolasfulghum.bsky.social joins us for a deep dive into the data in Ember’s Global Electricity Review 2025 report. Not only has the energy transition gone global, it’s accelerating so quickly that global power-sector emissions may be close to peaking. xenetwork.org/ets/episodes...
[Episode #254] – Global Electricity Review 2025 | The Energy Transition Show
Global carbon emissions from the power sector may be close to peaking thanks to an accelerating energy transition.
xenetwork.org
In Ep. 253, @mikegrunwald.bsky.social returns to the show to discuss his new book, “We Are Eating the Earth.” We focus on the bioenergy side of agriculture in this conversation, and ask if any of those solutions are truly ‘renewable’ or ‘carbon-neutral.’ xenetwork.org/ets/episodes...
[Episode #253] – Bioenergy Illusions | The Energy Transition Show
Are biofuels and other forms of bioenergy truly ‘renewable’ and ‘carbon neutral?'
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In Ep. 252, @gruberte.bsky.social and @jlappen1.bsky.social join us to discuss the British government’s takeover of British Steel, and steelmaking in the “mid-transition” amid the geopolitical tensions of a global tariff war. xenetwork.org/ets/episodes...
In Ep. 251, we conclude our 6-part miniseries on Australia with a look at how, by 2027, South Australia Power Networks will operate the first gigawatt-scale grid in the world with a 100% variable renewable energy supply. Listen in and learn how they’re going to do it! xenetwork.org/ets/episodes...
[Episode #251] – South Australia on Point | The Energy Transition Show
How will South Australia maintain stability and reliability as it becomes the world’s first gigawatt-scale grid to operate with a 100% renewable energy supply?
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