Energy Enablers: The FORESIGHT podcast with those making a difference in the energy transition

Digital twins have long been used to help monitor renewable energy generation assets. But with the growth of new digital tools able to support the use of this data, digital twins are becoming vital tool to maximise production. Joining David on Energy Enablers this week is Werner Coppye, co-founder and CTO at 3E, a provider of digital solutions for renewable energy projects. They discuss how digital twins have developed over recent years and look at how new technologies like artificial intelligence are changing the way digital twins are being used. Enjoy the conversation and share your thoughts in the contribution section below.Want to join the conversation? Sign up, download the award-winning app and enjoy complimentary access to all exclusive features for one month. Click here to access.

The shift towards a future where electric vehicles (EV) rule the road seems inevitable. As a result, grid operators, consumers and software companies can now concentrate on taking advantage of the new business models that are emerging in this market. Such models were not possible in a market dominated by internal combustion engines. In this episode of Energy Enablers, David speaks with Torben Fog, chief innovation officer at Danish EV charging platform provider Spirii. Torben discusses some of these new opportunities including demand response and frequency regulation services. They also touch on the barriers that are delaying the growth of these models, such as a lack of transparency and grid constraints. Enjoy the conversation and share your thoughts in the contribution section below.Want to join the conversation? Sign up, download the award-winning app and enjoy complimentary access to all exclusive features for one month. Click here to access.

Digitalisation is playing an ever-growing role in how we operate systems and processes. None more so than in the industrial sector, where digital tools are helping to accelerate and economise processes. In this episode of Energy Enablers, Babara Frei, executive vice president of Industrial Automation at Schneider Electric, tells David about how a new generation of digital technologies, dubbed Industry 4.0, are improving the industrial sector’s decarbonisation efforts. Barbara was keen to point out that the new technologies will provide workers and technicians with opportunities rather than replace the jobs. Enjoy the conversation and share your thoughts in the contribution section below. Want to join the conversation? Sign up, download the award-winning app and enjoy complimentary access to all exclusive features for one month. Click here to access.

The sheer number of electric vehicles on our roads today means the storage capacity that is being connected to the grid is also growing. If grid operators were able to access and manage that capacity—of course, without impacting the vehicle owners—it could go a long way in supporting the energy transition. In this episode of Energy Enablers, David is joined by Stefan Perras, head of predevelopment & innovation for e-mobility charging at Siemens Smart Infrastructure. They talk about the primary benefits of bi-directional charging for EVs for users and the broader electric grid and how bi-directional charging might shape the evolution of electric mobility in the coming years. Want to join the conversation? Sign up, download the award-winning app and enjoy complimentary access to all exclusive features for one month. Click here to access.

Insurance is often seen as a necessary evil. It’s a cost that is often only beneficial when the worst happens. But the sector is trying to reposition itself as much more as an enabler for the energy transition. In this episode, recorded on the fringes of the Green Zone at COP28 in Dubai, David speaks to Andy Cox, head of energy transition at insurance broker Howden. Andy puts forward how insurance can play a vital role in creating safe, bankable projects and how it can support the carbon credit and offset markets. Howden recently introduced a new insurance facility to mitigate the risks associated with carbon dioxide leakage from commercial-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) facilities. The facility, crucial for the financial viability of CCS projects, covers liabilities related to carbon credits and allowances, aligning with the growth of the global carbon market.Want to join the conversation? Sign up, download the award-winning app and enjoy complimentary access to all exclusive features for one month. Click here to access.

With greater attention falling on the use of aviation for travel and the movement of goods, the shipping sector has escaped a lot of scrutiny. This is changing fast, however, as more decarbonisation focus is being placed on supply chains and the so-called Scope 3 emissions. With many alternative propulsion options available to sea-faring vessels, a major hurdle is deciding which technologies are viable. Danish chemicals engineering firm Topsoe is pursuing ammonia - produced using renewable energy - as one such option. David met up with Topsoe’s chief commercial officer Elena Scaltritti at the COP28 event in Dubai to learn more about the company’s work in this area and why it could be a contender in the shipping sector. Want to join the conversation? Sign up, download the award-winning app and enjoy complimentary access to all exclusive features for one month. Click here to access.

At the COP28 talks in Dubai last December, the clean energy sector was enthused by the commitment to “triple up” renewables capacity. But the other half of the campaign was to “double down” on energy efficiency measures. Minimising energy usage through efficient and sustainable programmes will make the renewable energy target much easier—and cheaper—to achieve, while lowering customers’ energy bills. In this episode of Energy Enablers, David catches up with Mike Umiker, managing director of the Energy Efficiency Movement, an industry-led association supporting greater efficiency in the industrial sector.Recorded on the fringes of the COP28 discussion in Dubai, Mike makes the case for greater energy efficiency for the industrial sector and how businesses can take advantage of these measures today. Want to join the conversation? Sign up, download the award-winning app and enjoy complimentary access to all exclusive features for one month. Click here to access.

Grid congestion and permitting are nearly always cited as the main culprits to the expansion of clean energy on our power system. Earlier this year, German energy company E.ON and Afry Management Consulting co-authored a report about how to tackle the tricky yet vital problem of infrastructure buildout to support the energy transition. In this episode of Energy Enablers, we discuss why the issue has reached where it is today—a bottleneck to decarbonisation—and the best next steps. David is joined by Thomas Boermans of E.ON and Helge Barlen from Afry. Enjoy the conversation! For the best possible audio experience, listen to Energy Enablers in the FORESIGHT app. This requires a membership to FORESIGHT Climate & Energy. If you want to know if your company/organisation is a member of FORESIGHT and would like a reminder of your login details, email info@foresightdk.com. If you have any thoughts or questions about anything that has been discussed in this week’s episode, you can reach us at our social media accounts: Helge Barlen: https://www.linkedin.com/in/helgebarlen/ Thomas Boermans: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-boermans-07701a5/ David Weston: https://twitter.com/DaveW_FORESIGHT @EnergyEnablers: https://twitter.com/EnergyEnablers FORESIGHT Climate & Energy: https://twitter.com/FORESIGHTdk Listen and subscribe to Energy Enablers wherever you get podcasts. Follow us on Twitter at @EnergyEnablers or email us at show@energyenablers.com. You can also find FORESIGHT Climate & Energy on LinkedIn. TRY FULL ACCESS TO FORESIGHT CLIMATE & ENERGY FOR €1 A DAY Join over 100,000 policymakers, energy experts in business, finance, and academia, city leaders, and leading NGOs in having access to FORESIGHT Climate & Energy GET YOUR 30-DAY TRIAL: www.foresightdk.com/subscribe/.

In this episode of Energy Enablers, Viggo Aavang from Better Energy discusses the issues facing electricity markets today and the impact the energy transition may have on them. From FORESIGHT Climate & Energy, Energy Enablers is a podcast in which we speak to those who are making a difference in the race to a decarbonised economy. For the best possible audio experience, listen to Energy Enablers in the FORESIGHT app. This requires a membership to FORESIGHT Climate & Energy. If you want to know if your company/organisation is a member of FORESIGHT and would like a reminder of your login details, email info@foresightdk.com. Joining David Weston on Energy Enablers is joined by Viggo Aavang, vice president of power solutions at Danish renewables developer Better Energy. Viggo tells David why electricity prices remain high despite the growing influence of renewables on today’s western grids and how these markets are adapting to the rise of new price models like power purchase agreements (PPAs) and Contracts for Difference (CfDs) If you have any thoughts or questions about anything that has been discussed in this week’s episode, you can reach us at our social media accounts: Viggo Aavang: https://dk.linkedin.com/in/viggo-aavang-8124264 David Weston: https://twitter.com/DaveW_FORESIGHT @EnergyEnablers: https://twitter.com/EnergyEnablers FORESIGHT Climate & Energy: https://twitter.com/FORESIGHTdk Listen and subscribe to Energy Enablers wherever you get podcasts. Follow us on Twitter at @EnergyEnablers or email us at show@energyenablers.com. You can also find FORESIGHT Climate & Energy on LinkedIn. TRY FULL ACCESS TO FORESIGHT CLIMATE & ENERGY FOR €1 A DAY Join over 100,000 policymakers, energy experts in business, finance, and academia, city leaders, and leading NGOs in having access to FORESIGHT Climate & Energy GET YOUR 30-DAY TRIAL: www.foresightdk.com/subscribe/.