Episode
111

The Energy Transition

January 24, 2024
|
Duration:
1363902
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In This Episode:

Join energy coaches David Arkell and John Pooley, producer Lysandra Naom, with guest Gary Holden, Managing Director at Lodestone Energy. This episode features why an energy transition, New Zealands transition, lessons learned, key players, and more. Check out our 360 Carbon Excellence Program.

Highlights

  • Energy Transition as Evolution: Holden describes the energy transition as a long-term, evolutionary process involving shifts from hydro to coal, nuclear, gas, and now renewables, shaped by regulatory and technological advances.
  • New Zealand’s Market Model: New Zealand’s energy transition is largely market-driven, with no subsidies, allowing consumers to choose renewables and making it a model of how policy and deregulation can facilitate a sustainable energy system.
  • Carbon Pricing’s Role: The inclusion of a carbon price has been critical in promoting clean energy alternatives, as it financially disincentivizes carbon-intensive power generation.
  • Distributed Renewable Energy: Holden envisions a future where localized solar and battery installations support distributed, community-based power solutions, minimizing dependence on centralized, carbon-heavy plants.

Key Insights

  • Policy Framework as Enabler: Effective policies and regulations that foster competition and consumer choice are crucial for enabling clean energy transitions without direct government intervention.
  • Flexibility in Gas and Hydro Systems: Regions with adaptable gas and hydro resources can integrate renewables more effectively, using these flexible systems to balance intermittent solar and wind power.
  • Barriers to Transition in Fossil-Heavy Regions: Areas like Alberta, with a legacy of base-load fossil fuel infrastructure, face unique challenges but can reorient by combining flexible gas and renewables with regulatory adjustments.
  • Utilities as Adaptable Stakeholders: For a successful transition, utilities must shift from controlling energy to facilitating it, with regulators encouraging innovative, market-aligned approaches rather than maintaining the status quo.
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