logo
episode-header-image
Sep 2020
50m 11s

Renewables Beat Fossils on Europe's Grid

Wood Mackenzie
About this episode

In the first half of 2020, renewables beat out fossil fuels on the grid in Europe for the first time. They didn’t only beat out coal -- they beat out all fossil fuels put together. We’ll look at what the milestone means.

Then, 30 major companies have come together in a new joint lobbying organization to flex united power for clean energy. Will it make renewables a bigger political force? And what will they be fighting for?

Then, your view of Texas is probably out-of-date. We look at the dawn of Big Solar in Texas and peek at the ERCOT interconnection queue -- it’s almost all green.    

Recommended reading:


The Energy Gang is brought to you by KORE Power. Based in the U.S., KORE Power is situated to meet the growing global demand of the energy storage market. In fact, KORE Power is building a large-scale battery cell manufacturing facility here in the U.S. Once it’s operational, the 1 million square foot facility will have 12 gigawatt-hours of scalable manufacturing capacity. Learn more

The Energy Gang is also brought to you by Sungrow, the leading global supplier of inverter solutions for renewables. During these uncertain times, Sungrow is committed to protecting its employees and continuing to reliably serve its customers around the world. Sungrow has also leveraged its extensive network across the United States to distribute face masks to communities in need.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Up next
Jul 8
Inside the ‘crazy grid’: why the future of energy needs everything, everywhere, all at once
Building out the electricity grid was traditionally a predictable and straightforward business. Now it’s like trying to land a jet on a moving aircraft carrier in the dark. That’s a quote from this week’s guest Quinn Nakayama. He’s the senior director of Grid Research and Innovat ... Show More
1h 12m
Jul 3
The Big Beautiful Bill is close to passing. What would it mean for clean energy in the US?
This week the US budget reconciliation legislation, dubbed the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’, squeaked through the Senate on a 51/50 vote. The bill has wide-ranging implications for energy in the US, including an imminent end to tax credits for wind and solar power. To discuss what th ... Show More
1h 9m
Jun 24
EBOS: the unsung hero that’s accelerating clean energy deployment | How Shoals is improving utility-scale solar performance
Sponsored content from Shoals Technologies Group.EBOS – electrical balance of systems – includes everything that carries electricity from solar panels to the grid: wiring, switches, connector boxes and other components. It might not grab headlines, but it’s the backbone of every ... Show More
27m 16s
Recommended Episodes
Sep 2023
New frontiers of clean energy emerge
Renewables and electric vehicles are on a tear, and they’ll soon likely attract $2 trillion in yearly investment. But global emissions have not peaked. So what are the new frontiers of technology that will make renewables and storage more valuable – and draw down emissions at the ... Show More
1h 7m
Apr 2022
Redefining Energy Storage
When the sun stays out for a few extra hours in summer, where do we store the excess energy? This is one of the biggest challenges facing the renewable energy industry. When looking at countries like Norway, which is currently powered by 50% renewable energy, mostly coming from H ... Show More
1h 1m
Jan 2020
Germany’s Energy Transition
Germany has long been considered a leader in renewable energy – a model even for others to follow with its subsidies for wind and solar. Householders were encouraged to put solar panels on their rooves as early as two decades ago. But its so-called “Energiewende” or “energy trans ... Show More
26m 28s
May 2023
The Four Horsemen of the Energy Transition: Where’s The Money Going?
Solar, wind, hydrogen and nuclear – we need more investment in these renewables, but where can the money come from? In 2022, worldwide investment in renewables hit almost half a trillion dollars. Investment in solar – the largest sector - jumped 36% to 308 billion. Investment in ... Show More
55m 28s
Jun 2023
2418: British Gas Zero: The Technology Building a Sustainable Energy Future
Andrew Middleton from British Gas Zero joins me on this episode of Tech Talks Daily.  Andrew plays a pivotal role in a venture dedicated to installing, managing, and supporting EV chargers, heat pumps, and smart home technologies. These innovations are helping pave the way to a d ... Show More
24m 33s
Mar 2023
Google Shakes Up Corporate Renewable Energy Purchasing
Renewable energy power purchase agreements have been integral to many companies’ sustainability strategies. Google was early to enter this space and is now thinking about how to take its targets a step further with around-the-clock carbon-free energy. But what differentiates Goog ... Show More
49m 24s
Apr 2024
Episode 82
The Angry Clean Energy Guy on two recent, and historic, renewable energy milestones many thought impossible. First, solar, wind and hydro power exceeded 100% of California's electricity demand on an almost daily basis over a sustained period of several weeks. Second, also in ... Show More
20m 47s
Jun 2024
Rapid Response: Power moves for the planet, w/GE Vernova CEO Scott Strazik
Can nuclear energy, solar and wind farms, and carbon capture scale fast enough to save the planet? GE Vernova CEO Scott Strazik joins Rapid Response host Bob Safian on stage at the Climatech conference in Boston to detail how green energy is evolving in 2024. GE Vernova is a new ... Show More
23m 10s
Feb 2021
Covid Gave Us a Glimpse of the Future [Special Content from Wartsila]
What if we could see into the future? In 2020, we got our clearest view yet.Last March, lockdowns swept across Europe, forcing an eerie silence on some of the world’s most iconic and bustling cities. It caused a steep drop in electricity consumption -- putting pressure on thermal ... Show More
15m 57s