logo
episode-header-image
Sep 29
25m 21s

The last coal plant shut down in England...

TED
About this episode

Did you know the UK just closed its last coal plant? Hooray! But after taking a moment to celebrate, Ryan and Anjali reflect on what to do about natural gas – a fossil fuel that the UK isn’t replacing fast enough to meet its climate goals. Fortunately, there are some really smart people coming up with bold solutions. They dive into Amol Fadke's groundbreaking idea to repurpose existing plants – a kind of "Airbnb for the grid" approach that could double transmission capacity, save billions, and accelerate the transition to clean energy.

For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/speed-and-scale-transcript


Interested in learning more about upcoming TED events? Follow these links:

TEDNext: ted.com/futureyou


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Oct 6
How two Girl Scouts started the fight against deforestation in Indonesia
Ten years ago, Indonesia’s forests were being decimated due to a big spike in palm oil production…until two Girl Scouts decided to get involved. Anjali and Ryan uncover the story behind Indonesia's dramatic reduction in deforestation. From grassroots activism to corporate boardro ... Show More
26m 32s
Sep 22
How Texas became America’s biggest producer of wind energy
This is the surprising story of how Texas – rich in oil and gas – became America's biggest producer of wind energy. For our first episode, Ryan and Anjali talk with Pat Wood, once George W. Bush’s right hand man and head of Texas's Public Utility Commission, to uncover the innova ... Show More
26m 28s
Sep 19
Making Cents Out of Watts: What’s Driving Up Your Energy Bills? | Climate One
This is an episode of a podcast we think you'll love, Climate One. A third of Americans say that they've skipped food, medicine, or something else to be able to afford their energy bills. Much of the increase in the cost of electricity is driven by rising demand from artificial i ... Show More
56m 51s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 5
Sunday Pick: How Texas became America’s biggest producer of wind energy | Speed & Scale
This is the surprising story of how Texas – rich in oil and gas – became America's biggest producer of wind energy. For our first episode, Ryan and Anjali talk with Pat Wood, once George W. Bush’s right hand man and head of Texas's Public Utility Commission, to uncover the innova ... Show More
28 m
Oct 5
Sunday Pick: How Texas became America’s biggest producer of wind energy | Speed & Scale
This is the surprising story of how Texas – rich in oil and gas – became America's biggest producer of wind energy. For our first episode, Ryan and Anjali talk with Pat Wood, once George W. Bush’s right hand man and head of Texas's Public Utility Commission, to uncover the innova ... Show More
28 m
Mar 2021
Wind power: turning blue and red into green
You can feel it in the air: the energy transition is already happening. And while fossil fuels make up the largest part of US power, all across the country thousands of windmills are spinning clean energy into the grid. The power is coming from deep in the heartland to off shores ... Show More
10m 13s
May 2025
Is the clean energy economy doomed?
So far, President Trump’s “drill, baby, drill,” agenda has proven to be a sharp turn from Biden-era climate initiatives, including the landmark spending bill the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). And thanks to President Trump’s attempts to claw back control over IRA funds, as well a ... Show More
24m 8s
Feb 2024
The NIMBY war against green energy
With green energy now powering almost 40% of America’s grid, the next few years will be critical. As the need for a cleaner, more resilient power grid intensifies, due in large part to climate change, there have been increasing efforts across the country to block utility-scale wi ... Show More
14m 2s
Jul 2024
141. Texas, California: From Renewable Energy developer to IPP - Jul24
Texas and California have witnessed a crazy growth in Solar and Batteries in recent years. In 2024 California has 24GW of Solar and 9GW of batteries on its grid; Texas has grown even faster with 31GW of Solar and 10GW of batteries. When it comes to the Energy Transition, you can ... Show More
29m 17s
Apr 2024
Throwback/Encore Presentation: Dan Reicher’s Rationally Optimistic Take on Progress and Potential in the Fight Against Climate Change
One of our most popular episodes of 2023 is back, with this encore presentation, just in time for Earth Day!  Dan Reicher’s interest in and advocacy for environmental protection and clean energy began when he was a child and has continued throughout his life.  In addition to teac ... Show More
53m 39s
Sep 23
EQT Says High Power Bills to Drive Energy Development
Anger over rising energy costs will eventually force states to allow more natural gas infrastructure to be built in the US, according to one of the nation’s largest producers of the fuel. “We’ve never produced more energy than we’re producing now, but Americans’ energy bills are ... Show More
12m 7s
Aug 2024
The greenest reason to drill: clean power that's always on
Before he founded the geothermal startup Fervo in 2017, Tim Latimer was a drilling engineer for the oil and gas industry — a job he loved. “Honestly, if it wasn't for climate change, I probably wouldn’t have ever changed my career,” he says this week on Zero. Now Latimer is apply ... Show More
38m 53s
Jul 14
The Big Bill Got Done. Now What?
Now that Congress has passed and President Trump has signed into law the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, we talk about the final language and what it means for the U.S. energy sector on this episode of Political Climate. We discuss short term implications for solar and wind developer ... Show More
41m 23s