Share
Wind Power
Lord Heseltine: "You’re just playing in toy town”
•
Lord Heseltine tells the story of the birth of the European Space Agency. Why post-Apollo, when the US was spending £1.2 billion a year on space, the whole of Europe was spending just £200 million. Why the birth of ESA was driven by the self-interest of three major countries. Why the US general with a $29 billion budget for the Star Wars project wanted to invest in Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh. Why, the idea that Britain could compete alone with the technologies that were accumulated and available to the American capitalist system was “simply laughable”. Why “being European is not selling out British interests”. And why Margaret Thatcher told him: “If you want to get on and put your budget into this, you can, but you're not getting any of mine."
Join Alice and Lord Heseltine as they pick apart the negotiating contrivances and the wheeling and dealing to circumnavigate “turkeys not voting for Christmas” that ultimately put European space on the map.
Contributors:
Alice Bunn, President of UKspace
Dr Alice Bunn OBE FIMechE FRAeS CEng | LinkedIn
Lord Heseltine, Member of the House of Lords
Key topics covered:
- Creation of the European Space Agency (ESA)
- US "Star Wars" program and brain drain
- Geopolitical case for European R&D collaboration
- Impact of Brexit on science and technology
More episodes
View all episodes
6. News review: Floating wind giants | US Merger | Wake effect | Chinese OEMs
20:42||Season 2, Ep. 6Welcome to the Wind Power News Review – hosted by Windpower Monthly's senior reporter, Robyn White, and Windpower Monthly's reporter, Orlando Jenkinson – along with our regular panellist, Sorcha Versteeg.This time, we discuss China’s latest advances in floating offshore wind, as developers unveil increasingly ambitious turbine and platform designs.In the US, plans for a merger between Dominion Energy and NextEra reshape the country’s renewable energy landscape. But what could the deal mean for a wind sector facing continued political uncertainty?Back in the UK, the government has approved the 3GW Dogger Bank South offshore wind cluster despite concerns over wake effects on neighbouring projects. How can developers tackle these disputes going forward?And finally, Chinese wind turbine manufacturers continue to expand their presence in Europe, despite growing political resistance and efforts to strengthen domestic supply chains. Is there still a long-term future for Chinese OEMs in the European market?This episode was produced by Jude Owen and Inga Marsden.
5. Floating wind is 'dangerously close' to being commercially viable
15:57||Season 2, Ep. 5In the final part of a four-episode series recorded at the recent WindEurope conference in Madrid, three floating wind specialists spoke to the Wind Power podcast about the prospects for this technology.Windpower Monthly editor Ian Griggs spoke to two developers, Hugh Kelly, CEO of Simply Blue Energy and Knut Vassbotn, CEO of Deep Wind Offshore, about whether the current auction models are fit for purpose for this emerging technology.Meanwhile, Laurent Verdier, chief development officer for the specialist floating wind technology firm, BW Ideol, discussed the likely consolidation of more than 100 players to the most viable companies in the years to come.This episode was produced by Inga Marsden.
4. RWE onshore chief - Grid-blocking is like putting a towel on a deck chair
13:27||Season 2, Ep. 4In the third of a four-part series recorded at the recent WindEurope conference in Madrid, RWE’s onshore chief, Sopna Sury, spoke to the Wind Power podcast about grid bottlenecks how to engage communities with large energy infrastructure projectsWindpower Monthly editor Ian Griggs also spoke to Sury about the opportunities and challenges of the AI age and what it means for the wind industry – and future electricity consumption.This episode was produced by Inga Marsden.
3. Renewable UK CEO: ‘Drill baby, drill’? I say ‘spin baby, spin’
17:08||Season 2, Ep. 3In the second of a four-part series recorded at last month’s WindEurope conference in Madrid, Tara Singh, CEO of Renewable UK, talks to the Wind Power podcast about the current global energy crisis and how that makes the case for increasing the focus on renewables.Windpower Monthly editor Ian Griggs spoke to Singh about the political outlook for wind power in the UK and about how the industry should respond to anti-wind narratives.Singh also discussed how she would respond to US president Donald Trump’s ‘drill baby, drill’ mantra.This episode was produced by Inga Marsden.
2. Girish Tanti on Suzlon’s return to the European market
13:04||Season 2, Ep. 2In the first of a four-part series recorded at last month’s WindEurope conference in Madrid, Girish Tanti, co-founder and vice chairman of Suzlon, talks to the Wind Power podcast about returning to the European market with the company’s new 'Blue Sky' platform. In an interview recorded only 24 hours after the company launched its new Blue Sky turbine platform, Windpower Monthly editor Ian Griggs spoke to Tanti about how he rated Suzlon’s chances of being chosen by developers to power European projects against the bloc’s established incumbents.Tanti also discussed the specific challenges in the European market and whether the EU is currently a good trading environment for non-western turbine manufacturers.This episode was produced by Inga Marsden.
1. Women in wind power
50:06||Season 2, Ep. 1This time on the Wind Power Podcast, we focus on women in the wind power industry, speaking with three senior figures about progress on gender inclusion and the challenges that remain in the sector.Firstly, Rebecca Williams, deputy CEO of the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), shares a global view of how gender inclusion is evolving across the industry.Meanwhile, Juliette Sanders, chief communications officer at Energy UK – also known by her ‘windfluencer’ alter ego Killah Jules – discusses her career into wind and the day to day challenges women can face.Finally, Jane Cooper reflects on how participation has changed over time and what more can be done to attract and support women in the sector.This episode was produced by Inga Marsden.
71. RWE’s offshore chief on energy security, targets and technology
30:38||Season 1, Ep. 71In a special episode of the Wind Power podcast ahead of next week's WindEurope conference in Madrid, RWE offshore chief Sven Utermöhlen discusses the contribution that wind energy can make to Europe’s future energy security. During this episode, Utermöhlen talked about why avoiding boom and bust cycles – and settling on the correct auction design – is even more important than the overall pace of the energy transition.Also on the agenda was how best to use Europe's wind power manufacturing base and whether there is a part to play for Chinese manfacturers in European wind projects.This episode was produced by Inga Marsden.
70. News review: US offshore wind buyout | Global installations | Iran conflict
28:31||Ep. 70Welcome to the Wind Power News Review – hosted by Windpower Monthly's senior reporter, Robyn White, and Windpower Monthly's reporter, Orlando Jenkinson – along with our regular panellists, Shashi Barla and Sorcha Versteeg.In this episode, we examine the escalating pressure on the US offshore wind sector. TotalEnergies has accepted the US government's $1 billion buyout of its offshore wind projects – what will this mean for the market?We also explore the latest global installation data, where Chinese OEMs have once again dominated annual additions. Do these figures show that Chinese OEMs are now major global players beyond their massive domestic market?Finally, we look at the growing impact of the conflict in Iran. With countries such as the UK and Germany accelerating wind auction plans in response, could other countries follow suit?This episode was produced by Inga Marsden.