In the next episode of the Energy Connects podcast, Chiranjib Sengupta sat down with Gauri Singh, Deputy Director-General of International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), to explore the pathway to tripling global renewable energy capacity by 2030. That was the target committed to by world leaders at COP28 in Dubai, a historic agreement that was in line with recommendations by IRENA on how to close the energy transition gap and stay on a 1.5°C pathway. 

Singh discusses the progress made on that journey and outlines actions for the global energy community to ensure we are on track with this target. She also highlights how consistently decreasing cost of renewables is helping speed up their deployment across the industry, and why the World Utilities Congress in May will help propel the industry towards a sustainable future.

IRENA’s roadmap to tripling global renewables capacity

Discover key takeaways from Ember's groundbreaking Global Electricity Review 2025! A major milestone has been reached: low-carbon sources now generate over 40% of global electricity. This track breaks down what this pivotal shift means for the worldwide energy transition, our journey towards sustainability, and the accelerating decarbonization of our power systems.

Key Insights from Ember's Global Electricity Review 2025:

🌍 A Historic Turning Point: Over 40% Low-Carbon Power Globally
In 2024, low-carbon power (renewables like solar & wind, plus nuclear) achieved a landmark 40.9% share of global electricity. This is its highest proportion since the 1940s, a remarkable feat considering today's electricity system is 50 times larger. This signals clear and accelerating momentum in global power sector decarbonization.

☀️ Solar Power: The Undisputed Engine of the Energy Transition
Solar energy is the primary force driving this transformation. It was the largest source of new electricity generation globally for the third year running, adding an impressive 474 TWh in 2024 (a 29% year-on-year growth), and has been the fastest-growing electricity source for two decades. Solar generation has doubled in just three years to 2,131 TWh (enough to power all of India!), with global solar capacity hitting 2 Terawatts (TW). Solar is critical for meeting rising demand and displacing fossil fuels.

📈 Rising Demand & New Structural Drivers: A Complex Energy Landscape
While clean energy surges, global electricity demand also grew significantly by 4.0% in 2024, exceeding 30,000 TWh. This growth is driven by heatwaves and, increasingly, by new structural factors: the expansion of Electric Vehicles (EVs), heat pumps, and energy-intensive data centers (for AI and cryptocurrency), whose combined impact on demand growth has more than doubled in just five years. The energy transition must rapidly adapt to these evolving consumption patterns.

⛽ The Fossil Fuel Outlook: Nuance and an Approaching Decline
Global fossil fuel generation rose by 1.4% in 2024, leading to record power sector emissions. However, Ember's report clarifies this was primarily due to hotter temperatures increasing cooling demand. Without this weather impact, the rise would have been minimal (0.2%), as clean energy (927 TWh new generation in 2024) covered 96% of other demand growth. The crucial insight: fossil fuel generation faces a structural decline. Ember’s Managing Director states, "the era of fossil growth is coming to an end."

🔋 The Path Forward: Flexibility, Advanced Storage, and Global Collaboration
Integrating more variable renewables like solar and wind requires enhanced flexibility. Battery storage is a key enabler, with costs falling (lithium-ion pack prices down 20% in 2024) and record installations (69 GW in 2024, nearly doubling total capacity). This makes concepts like 24-hour solar power more feasible. The clean energy deployment in major economies like China and India is also pivotal for a sustained global decline in fossil fuel use.

💬 Reflecting on Our Energy Future
Ember's 2025 review highlights significant progress, especially from solar, but also considerable challenges from rising demand and the need for global cooperation. The fossil fuel era is waning, but our choices today will determine the pace and success of this vital transition.

🔗 Learn More & Explore the Data:
Read the Full Ember Global Electricity Review 2025 Report: https://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/global-electricity-review-2025/
Discover AI-powered Cleantech Insights with SolarShift GPT: https://chatgpt.com/g/g-681ef70b99188191a492878edde49e60-solarshift-gpt-ai-powered-cleantech-insights

Clean Power Reaches 40% Global Electricity Review 2025

In the next episode of the Energy Connects podcast, Chiranjib Sengupta sat down with Claudio Golino, Partner at Deloitte, to discuss the critical role of utilities in decarbonisation and shaping the energy transition. Claudio explained how electricity is becoming an increasingly major part of the energy mix, and the key forces of change shaping the energy value chain: decentralisation, democratisation and digitisation. He also discussed Deloitte’s perspective on how the energy transition is evolving across the different parts of the power value chain, the dynamics of rising power demand and its influence on the strategies of utilities, and the way forward for energy companies to navigate this complex and fast-evolving landscape.

Utilities at the forefront of powering a low-carbon future

A new research project is putting ‘virtual energy networks’ for households and businesses to the test. Virtual energy networks (VENs) allow consumers to buy solar energy directly from their neighbours, or sell excess rooftop solar to someone across town, or even interstate, all through an online platform. VENs are already used by some councils, schools and businesses with multiple sites, for instance to share solar generated on a community centre with an office or depots. But most energy retailers haven’t extended this system to households. Dr Andrea La Nauze, an Associate Professor of Economics at Deakin University, is leading a study to look at how the use of VENs can be extended, and is now recruiting participants for the trial.

If you’d like to take part in the virtual energy network study, you can email the team at ven@deakin.edu.au or just search “Deakin Virtual Energy Network” in your browser.

Trading solar: buying and selling solar power with neighbours and friends

In this episode, we bring you the highlights from our Investment conference: Markets, MAGA and Megatrends. Covering topics such as:

-	Macro-economics, geopolitics and deglobalisation
-	Strategic asset allocation powered by demographics
-	How does USS, one of the UK’s largest pension funds integrates climate and demographics into its investment strategy
-	Investing in the energy transition

We chat to guests and speakers to bring you the highlights of the conference, their key takeaways and new investment ideas. 


S6 Ep.23: Markets, MAGA and Megatrends

A growing movement of Australian farmers is stepping up to tackle climate change head-on. Climate change is already hitting agriculture hard with drought, floods, and extreme weather costing farmers tens of thousands each year. Born from a meeting of 30 frustrated farmers tired of being ignored about climate change a decade ago, Farmers for Climate Action has grown into a national force representing more than 8,000 farmers committed to climate solutions. From carbon-neutral beef production to farmers installing solar and batteries to reduce emissions and take pressure off the grid, renewables present an opportunity for regional communities, not just for cutting emissions and costs, but for boosting farm incomes, strengthening local economies, and creating a more equitable energy future. Natalie Collard is the CEO of Farmers for Climate Action.

The future of farming - how renewables can reshape agriculture

In this first episode of a four-part special podcast series with Siemens, Chiranjib Sengupta sat down with John Nixon, Vice President for Global Strategy in Energy, Chemicals, and Infrastructure, and Mike Houghton, Global Head of Sales at Siemens Digital Industries Software, to discuss how incorporating digital twins into oil and gas operations can unlock unique efficiencies and also make the industry more sustainable. As the global energy infrastructure landscape faces up to the realities of ageing assets, decarbonisation and the urgent need for digitalisation, leaders across energy, chemicals, and urban systems are confronting a main challenge: how to make infrastructure more intelligent, adaptive, and resilient. John and Mike discuss how the fusion of digital twins, artificial intelligence, and industrial software is changing the way energy infrastructure is designed, operated, and optimised. They explore how digital twins are evolving into living models that replicate real-time conditions, enabling predictive maintenance, risk mitigation, and system-wide efficiency at unprecedented levels. They also highlight how at Siemens, these capabilities are no longer experimental, but an essential part of their portfolio as industrial operators seek to future-proof assets against climate disruption, resource constraints, and operational efficiency.

Siemens: pioneering intelligent operations with digital twins

New modelling from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis shows we’ve been looking for solutions to rising electricity prices in the wrong places. The real key to slashing household energy bills isn’t more power plants or political debate over gas vs renewables. And it’s not one-off bill rebates either. It’s targeted energy upgrades in our homes. Efficient electric appliances, rooftop solar, home batteries, and thermal upgrades could slash bills by 80 to 90%, with the biggest savings in cities like Sydney. These upgrades not only reduce household energy use and bills but also cut demand on the broader grid, benefiting everyone by lowering peak demand and gas reliance. But what will it take to make these savings a reality? Jay Gordon is an Energy Finance Analyst at IEEFA and author of the new report.

We’ve been trying to fix rising electricity prices the wrong way

Tonight, Wednesday, July 30th, at 6 pm on The Brian Crombie Hour I interview ✅ Charles St-Arnaud. ALL my 🎤 podcasts and 🎦 video casts can be accessed any time on my web site https://briancrombie.com which holds repository of all my shows. 📌 Charles St-Arnaud, chief economist at Alberta Central credit union, brings over 17 years of experience in public and private sector economics across Canada and globally, with roles in New York, London, and Hong Kong. During the global financial crisis, he advised top officials at the Department of Finance in Ottawa and has also held positions at the Bank of Canada and Morgan Stanley. During our discussion, St-Arnaud explores Alberta’s separatist sentiment, drawing comparisons to Quebec and Brexit. He argues Alberta’s push is driven more by economic frustration than cultural identity, much like Brexit. He warns, however, that Alberta may be overlooking how much the global energy landscape has shifted since the early 2010s—making another boom like 2010 unlikely. 

📺 Videos: https://briancrombie.com/video-gallery
🎧 Podcasts: https://briancrombie.com/podcasts-the-brian-crombie-hour
📻 The Brian Crombie Hour airs nightly at 6 PM on Sauga960AM
📌 Subscribe to Brian’s YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/2Oioec8

#briancrombie #AlbertaEconomy #CharlesStArnaud #CanadaPolitics #EnergyTransition #BrexitParallels #WesternAlienation #EconomicPolicy

Charles St-Arnaud | Alberta Separation

Tonight, Wednesday, July 30th, at 6 pm on The Brian Crombie Hour I close the show with some of my own thoughts on ✅ separation desires in Quebec, Brexit, Alberta and even Peel. ALL my 🎤 podcasts and 🎦 video casts can be accessed any time on my web site https://briancrombie.com which holds repository of all my shows.

📺 Videos: https://briancrombie.com/video-gallery
🎧 Podcasts: https://briancrombie.com/podcasts-the-brian-crombie-hour
📻 The Brian Crombie Hour airs nightly at 6 PM on Sauga960AM
📌 Subscribe to Brian’s YouTube Channel: https://bit.ly/2Oioec8

#briancrombie #AlbertaEconomy #CanadaPolitics #EnergyTransition #BrexitParallels #WesternAlienation #EconomicPolicy #Alberta

Brian Crombie | Alberta

Join Anne Delaney as she tracks the electrification of everything with people at the forefront of the electrification transition.

🎙️ From Sound to Systems: The Journey from Music to Artificial Intelligence

Music has always played a central role in my life. I started playing guitar at 19—not to become a musician, but to connect with creativity in a hands-on way. That same curiosity now drives my work in artificial intelligence, engineering, and technological innovation.

What began as a private SoundCloud account for listening and inspiration is now transforming into a platform for something new:
The launch of my AI & Technology Podcast.

🎧 New Podcast on Artificial Intelligence, Engineering & the Future of Work

As an AI engineer and systems thinker, I explore the deep transformation underway at the intersection of:

Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning

Digital Engineering & Cloud Technologies

Sustainable Innovation & Future Skills

Neuroscience, Creativity & Human Potential

The podcast—available here on SoundCloud and on Spotify—features thought leadership, expert interviews, and practical insights for engineers, technologists, and future-minded thinkers.

Whether you're interested in:

Real-world AI use cases,

How to thrive in a world shaped by automation,

Interdisciplinary insights from engineering, psychology, and design.

Or building a future where tech serves people, not the other way around –
this podcast is designed for you.

🌐 Who am I?

AI Engineer | Cloud Architect | Battery Tech Innovator

Deep interest in cognitive science, systems thinking, and transformational technologies.

Passionate about bridging human values and technological progress.

Brian Crombie has 20 years of corporate experience, a depth of knowledge in all facets of finance, strategic planning and corporate / business development for a wide breadth of companies in several industries. Brian has deep political, community and charitable involvement as well.

Investment Uncut is a podcast about investing. In each episode, hosts Mary Spencer, Laetitia Anstee-Parry and Jacob Shah are joined by guests to cut through the noise in the world of investing, bringing clarity to your investment decisions. LCP’s investment team advise large institutional investors including pension funds with billions of pounds of assets under management. 

Look out for new episodes every other Wednesday.

A trusted source delivering fresh perspectives and exclusive insights that shape the future of energy.

New tracks tagged #energytransition