The Energy Transition Show with Chris Nelder
Longtime energy expert Chris Nelder interviews some of the smartest and most knowledgeable people in energy, exploring global infrastructure and markets during the ongoing transition away from fossil fuels and toward renewables. Designed to stimulate discussion about the difficult questions rather than reinforce preconceived answers, the Energy Transition Show covers oil, gas, coal, solar, wind, emerging renewables, nuclear, grid power, transportation systems, macroeconomics, and more, including the latest news and research, policy developments, and market events.
Episodes
[Episode #279] – Debottlenecking Europe’s Grid
Why is so much wind, solar and battery capacity stuck in connection queues across Europe’s distribution grids?
[Episode #278] – Enhanced Geothermal Energy
Is enhanced geothermal energy finally ready to be a significant commercial technology?
[Episode #277] – Just Transition in South Africa
South Africa’s economic development now depends heavily on leaving behind its coal-fired legacy electricity system and making a “just transition” to renewables.
[Episode #276] – Electricity Reform in South Africa
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.
[Episode #275] – The Cost of Delay
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.
[Episode #274] – Global Electricity Review 2026
In 2025, renewables generated more electricity globally than fossil fuels for the first time in the modern era, causing power sector emissions to fall.
[Episode #273] – Solar and Batteries Can Power the World
Can solar and batteries power the world cost-effectively? A new model says yes.
[Episode #272] – Global Energy Crisis 2026
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.
[Episode #271] – China Update 2026
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?
[Episode #270] – View from the Energy Transitions Commission
Lord Adair Turner shares his global perspective on the state of the energy transition, as seen from the Energy Transitions Commission.
[Episode #269] – Trump’s War on the Energy Transition
Can the energy transition in the US survive President Trump’s attacks on it?
[Episode #268] – Activism 101
What do aspiring energy transition advocates need to know to become effective changemakers in their communities?
[Episode #267] – Japan: Petrostate or Electrostate?
As one of the most energy vulnerable countries on earth, Japan faces a difficult choice: join the petrostates, or the electrostates?
[Episode #266] – Global Electricity Review 2025 (Lagniappe edition)
Global carbon emissions from the power sector may be close to peaking thanks to an accelerating energy transition.
[Episode #265] – IEA World Energy Outlook 2025
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.
[Episode #264] – History of the Transition in South Africa
A history of South Africa’s energy transition in the power sector kicks off a new Energy Transition Show miniseries on the African country.
[Episode #263] – The Role of Distribution Utilities
What is the role of distribution utilities in the energy transition?
[Episode #262] – All Transitions are Local
What are the key elements to a successful energy transition project where you live?
[Episode #261] – The Case Against Climate Doom
We review some examples of social, political, and technological approaches to climate change mitigation that should give us reason to be optimistic.
[Episode #260] – China Energy Transition Review 2025
China has far surpassed the West to become the undisputed global leader in the energy transition.
[Episode #259] – 10th Anniversary: New Marching Orders
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.
[Episode #258] – Alaska’s Railbelt Utilities
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.
[Episode #257] – Remote Microgrids in Alaska
In remote, off-road communities of Alaska, microgrids supplied by renewables aren’t just economic; they’re what keep people alive.
[Episode #256] – Electric Farming in New Zealand
What can the world learn about the potential for the energy transition from the world’s first all-electric farm in New Zealand?
[Episode #255] – Dwellings in Alaska
What architectural and construction techniques are best for creating comfortable, healthy, and affordable buildings in Alaska? Part 1 of a miniseries on Alaska.
[Episode #254] – Global Electricity Review 2025
Global carbon emissions from the power sector may be close to peaking thanks to an accelerating energy transition.
[Episode #253] – Bioenergy Illusions
Are biofuels and other forms of bioenergy truly ‘renewable’ and ‘carbon neutral?'
[Episode #252] – Steelmaking in the Mid-Transition
How can a country replace a critical technology like blast furnaces with a low-carbon alternative while preserving national security and jobs?
[Episode #251] – South Australia on Point
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?
[Episode #250] – Russia Revisited
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?
[Episode #249] – Solar Innovation in Australia
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.
[Episode #248] – The Future of Geothermal
What will it take to make next-generation geothermal energy economically competitive and commercially available all over the world?
[Episode #247] – Energy Innovations in Australia
Numerous energy innovations in Australia help to integrate DERs, VPPs, microgrids, advanced solar and grid technologies, efficient buildings, and more.
[Episode #246] – Meeting Australia’s 2030 Target
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?
[Episode #245] – Evolving the UK Energy System Part 3
How is Great Britain developing a coordinated plan to evolve all of its energy networks toward complete decarbonization?
[Episode #244] – Rethinking Industrial Strategy
What makes for good, effective, and enduring green industrial policy?
[Episode #243] – Decarbonizing Heating
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.
[Episode #242] – IEA Outlook 2025
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?
[Episode #241] – Evolving the UK Energy System Part 2
In this second part of a miniseries on how the UK is evolving its energy system, we discuss innovations on the electricity grid.
[Episode #240] – Evolving the UK Energy System Part 1
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.
[Episode #239] – Making Sense of Chaos
Why have most economic models consistently underestimated the actual speed of the energy transition?
[Episode #238] – Transition in Europe 2024
Europe’s energy transition is still gathering momentum and moving ahead according to European energy expert Jan Rosenow.
[Episode #237] – Why Nuclear?
Why do governments continue to push nuclear power when it is the most expensive, risky, and slow way to decarbonize the power grid?
[Episode #236] – Zero Carbon Industry
What are the specific industrial sectors and processes that produce greenhouse gas emissions, and how can we decarbonize them?
[Episode #235] – China, India and Australia 2024 Update
Is China relying on coal to power its growth, or renewables? Are their emissions on track to increase, decrease, or go flat? We review the facts!
[Episode #234] – Transition in Australia 2024
Chris travels to Australia and interviews Giles Parkinson, a longtime journalist and observer of the energy transition Down Under.
[Episode #233] – Ending the Monopoly Utility
Is it time to break up the utility monopolies in the US and turn ownership and control of the grid over to the public?
[Episode #232] – Smart Meters and Appliances
What will it take to make the vision of “smart homes” and smart appliances real?
[Episode #231] – Five Times Faster
Why haven’t our climate policies been more effective at stopping carbon emissions, and what kinds of policies would work better?
[Episode #230] – EV Charging Blues
How is the public EV charging sector evolving, and what is needed to make it more usable and affordable for EV drivers?
[Episode #229] – US Distributed Solar Potential
What is the full potential for distributed solar power in the US?
[Episode #228] – Public Persuasion
What kinds of messages resonate with people and get them interested in taking action on climate and participating in the energy transition?
[Episode #227] – FERC Order 1920
What is the new FERC Order 1920, and how can it help pave the way for more transmission capacity to unlock the potential of wind and solar in the US?
[Episode #226] – Load Growth Shenanigans
Should we believe projections of surging electricity demand from data centers, crypto miners and AI? And are new gas plants the best way to meet new demand?
[Episode #225] – Demand Side Solutions
What is the role and potential of demand-side solutions in the energy transition?
[Episode #224] – US Hydrogen Tax Credits
Will the final proposed rules for the US 45V hydrogen production tax credit stimulate a vibrant green hydrogen industry without increasing carbon emissions?
[Episode #223] – Fiscal Implications of the US Transition
As we phase out fossil fuels, can the revenues they have supplied to some communities be replaced by revenues from clean energy projects?
[Episode #222] – Green Industrial Policy
How can green industrial policy harness the tools of capitalism and growth to make the energy transition successful?
[Episode #221] – Fossilflation
What causes inflation? And how is it connected to the energy transition?
[Episode #220] – Climate Capitalism
Author Akshat Rathi shares key insights from his new book, Climate Capitalism, about how the private sector provides scalable solutions to climate change.
[Episode #219] – Nuclear Illusions
Nuclear power’s long track record of failure, including that of small modular reactors (SMRs), shows why it will not contribute to the energy transition.
[Episode #218] – Accelerating Decarbonization in the US
A new report details policies that can accelerate the decarbonization of the entire US economy, along with the risks and barriers to their implementation.
[Episode #217] – Passivhaus in Scotland
Retrofitting buildings to the Passivhaus standard can make them far healthier and more comfortable, while consuming far less energy than conventional buildings.
[Episode #216] – COP28 and the Outlook for Oil
What will cause global demand for oil to peak and decline until it reaches zero by 2050?
[Episode #215] – IEA’s New Oil & Gas Outlook
How must the oil and gas industry prepare for the world to stop using their products entirely by 2050?
[Episode #214] – Countering Climate Doomerism
Climate scientist Dr. Michael E. Mann answers some of the hottest questions today about climate science.
[Episode #213] – Offshore Wind in the UK
Is offshore wind dead in the water, or just facing some temporary turbulence? Chris Nelder reports on the offshore wind sector from the UK.
[Episode #212] – Transition in Eigg
A small island in Scotland became the world’s first community to launch an off-grid electric system powered by wind, water and solar. Here’s how they did it.
[Episode #211] – Doomers vs. Transitionistas
Why do some people believe we should accelerate the energy transition, while others claim that it will never work and advocate for things like degrowth policies instead?
[Episode #210] – Transportation Transition Update
Are EV sales about to go through a rapid adoption phase, portending a peak in global oil demand before the end of this decade?
[Episode #209] – End of the Nuclear Age
Contra the new pro-nuclear zeitgeist that has bamboozled climate hawks, nuclear power is not at the dawning of a new age, but at the end of its old age.
[Episode #208] – Vernacular Architecture
Can ancient architectural and building techniques be used today to help keep buildings comfortable without using energy?
[Episode #207] – 8th Anniversary Show
Energy researcher Jonathan Koomey rejoins us to review the major stories we have covered over the past year and see how the energy transition has progressed.
[Episode #206] – Regulatory Capture in Texas
Regulatory capture is rife in Texas, and it explains a lot about how the losers of the energy transition have rigged the state’s systems in their favor.
[Episode #205] – Rebuilding the Grid from the Bottom-up
How can we maximize the role of distributed energy resources as we rebuild the power grid using a decentralized architecture?
[Episode #204] – Regulatory Reform
What do regulators and governments need to do differently to lead the energy transition?
[Episode #203] – The Case for Climate Optimism
Why does so much media focus on unlikely, pessimistic climate scenarios when our progress should make us optimistic about combating global warming?
[Episode #202] – UK’s Green Day
Simon Evans of Carbon Brief reviews the highlights of the UK’s latest policy proposals, including how the government plans to meet its emissions-reduction goals.
[Episode #201] – India Update Part 2
In this second part of the interview from Ep. 199, we see how India’s energy transition is changing its oil and gas, grid power, cooling, and mobility sectors.
[Episode #200] – ETS Retrospective
The Energy Transition Show marks its 200th regular episode with a look back at the progress of the energy transition and of the show since it launched in 2015.
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