Best XE Network Podcasts (2025)

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[Episode #263] – The Role of Distribution Utilities 19:24

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14h ago19:24

19:24

What is the role of distribution utilities in the energy transition? Consider this paradox: Marc England, CEO of Australian distribution utility Ausgrid, has two batteries at his home but no solar panels. Instead, he buys grid power at 5 cents per kilowatt-hour during midday solar surplus, stores it, and then sells it back to the grid when prices a…

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[Episode #262] – All Transitions are Local 19:36

14d ago19:36

19:36

Successful energy transition projects are not one-size-fits-all. They are attuned to the local needs of their communities, and allow community priorities to shape resilience, affordability, and equity outcomes. In today’s conversation, Nadia Ahmad, Professor of Law at Barry University in Florida, shares findings from a three-year study of clean ene…

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[Episode #261] – The Case Against Climate Doom 26:40

29d ago26:40

26:40

Recent headlines may create the impression that the energy transition is slowing down, struggling against headwinds, and failing to make the requisite progress against our climate targets. But the reality is that there is enormous progress being made against the climate change challenge, especially if you step back a bit from the daily news flow an…

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[Episode #260] – China Energy Transition Review 2025 22:42

1M ago22:42

22:42

Over the past decade, China has transformed from a heavily coal-fired country to the undisputed global leader in the energy transition. The pace keeps accelerating: In April 2025 alone, China installed more solar than Australia has in its entire history. By 2030, as little as one-seventh of China’s projected spare solar manufacturing capacity could…

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[Episode #259] – 10th Anniversary: New Marching Orders 29:39

2M ago29:39

29:39

For our 10th anniversary, we reflect on our work so far, and consider what the next ten years might require. Whereas we spent the past decade focusing on techno-economic subjects, like explaining climate science and climate policy, and showing that energy transition technologies are practical and affordable, the next decade is likely to be far more…

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[Episode #258] – Alaska’s Railbelt Utilities 21:26

2M ago21:26

21:26

Alaska is an energy superpower with more untapped renewable resources than most countries. Yet its largest population, in the Anchorage area, faces a real risk of blackouts beginning in 2027 due to declining gas supply from the nearby Cook Inlet gas field, which is likely to force this historical major supplier of oil and gas to import LNG to keep …

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[Episode #257] – Remote Microgrids in Alaska 21:31

3M ago21:31

21:31

Most people probably think of a “microgrid” as a campus or neighborhood that can “island” itself and run independently when needed, but otherwise stays connected to the main grid most of the time. But in Alaska’s remote communities that aren’t even accessible by road, residents depend on microgrids for their very survival in extreme conditions. For…

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[Episode #256] – Electric Farming in New Zealand 1:26:07

3M ago1:26:07

1:26:07

In October 2024, Chris visited the world’s first all-electric farm while traveling across New Zealand. In today’s episode, we speak with the farm’s owner and founder, Mike Casey. In addition to operating the farm, Mike is CEO of Rewiring Aotearoa, a sister organization to Rewiring America. Rewiring Aotearoa works to advance New Zealand’s energy tra…

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[Episode #255] – Dwellings in Alaska 23:38

4M ago23:38

23:38

In the summer of 2025, Chris traveled to Alaska to explore the state’s unique energy transition story by interviewing some of its energy experts. Like every place, Alaska has a unique set of challenges and opportunities in the energy transition, and can offer insights drawn from its experience to the rest of the world. Alaska’s extreme conditions a…

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[Episode #254] – Global Electricity Review 2025 27:19

4M ago27:19

27:19

This episode cuts through the noise around energy transition progress with hard data from one of the year’s most important reports. Despite claims from both “fossil gradualists” who would like to see the energy transition fail, and “net-zero puritans” who deny that the energy transition is happening at all because emissions are still rising, the tr…

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[Episode #253] – Bioenergy Illusions 21:23

5M ago21:23

21:23

Are biofuels and other forms of bioenergy truly ‘renewable’ and ‘carbon neutral?'By XE Network

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[Episode #252] – Steelmaking in the Mid-Transition 23:25

5M ago23:25

23:25

How can a country replace a critical technology like blast furnaces with a low-carbon alternative while preserving national security and jobs?By XE Network

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[Episode #251] – South Australia on Point 16:10

6M ago16:10

16:10

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?By XE Network

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[Episode #250] – Russia Revisited 21:09

6M ago21:09

21:09

Will Russia finally get on board with the energy transition, or will it just white-knuckle its energy exports all the way down to zero?By XE Network

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[Episode #249] – Solar Innovation in Australia 16:16

7M ago16:16

16:16

Dr. Martin Green, the “father of solar cells,” recounts the evolution of modern solar PV cells, and we interview the CEOs of two CSP companies in Australia.By XE Network

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[Episode #248] – The Future of Geothermal 16:48

7M ago16:48

16:48

What will it take to make next-generation geothermal energy economically competitive and commercially available all over the world?By XE Network

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[Episode #247] – Energy Innovations in Australia 14:33

7M ago14:33

14:33

Numerous energy innovations in Australia help to integrate DERs, VPPs, microgrids, advanced solar and grid technologies, efficient buildings, and more.By XE Network

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[Episode #246] – Meeting Australia’s 2030 Target 16:12

8M ago16:12

16:12

How is the Australian government is working with the grid power sector to plan and execute its transition away from fossil fuels and toward renewables?By XE Network

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[Episode #245] – Evolving the UK Energy System Part 3 24:09

8M ago24:09

24:09

How is Great Britain developing a coordinated plan to evolve all of its energy networks toward complete decarbonization?By XE Network

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[Episode #244] – Rethinking Industrial Strategy 19:12

9M ago19:12

19:12

What makes for good, effective, and enduring green industrial policy?By XE Network

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[Episode #243] – Decarbonizing Heating 17:40

9M ago17:40

17:40

Heat pumps are a low-cost way to decarbonize space heating. Dr. Richard Lowes explains how to design policies to encourage the adoption of heat pumps.By XE Network

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[Episode #242] – IEA Outlook 2025 20:40

10M ago20:40

20:40

What are the implications of the IEA’s view that world demand for all fossil fuels will peak and begin a slow decline within the next five years?By XE Network

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[Episode #241] – Evolving the UK Energy System Part 2 18:35

10M ago18:35

18:35

In this second part of a miniseries on how the UK is evolving its energy system, we discuss innovations on the electricity grid.By XE Network

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[Episode #240] – Evolving the UK Energy System Part 1 22:19

11M ago22:19

22:19

In this first part of a miniseries on how the UK is evolving its energy system, we discuss its world-leading efforts to meet its decarbonization goals.By XE Network

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[Episode #239] – Making Sense of Chaos 16:27

11M ago16:27

16:27

Why have most economic models consistently underestimated the actual speed of the energy transition?By XE Network