Energy Transitions Enlit Europe

In this episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast, Danielle Merfeld, Global Chief Technology Officer at Hanwha Qcells, provides insights into these expansion plans, highlighting the success of their Dalton factory, one of the largest manufacturing plants of its kind in the Western Hemisphere.
In 2023, Hanwa Qcells, founded in Germany and headquartered in South Korea invested $2.5 billion in starting a US supply chain.
In this episode, insights will be provided into:


The capital and technical know-how needed to create a complex solar supply chain

How Q Cells fosters innovation by centralising production processes

Why the US market is a strategic focus for Qcells

The importance of partnerships and investing in other suppliers to stimulate growth

How the US policy landscape is facilitating growth and participation from European companies

Why Europe has lost its first-mover advantage over the US when it comes to solar

Why there is still room for innovation and disruption in the mature solar market

How effective data management can lead to greater efficiency


Merfeld will be speaking at the World Energy Congress taking place in Rotterdam 22-25 April.

In this episode of the Energy Transitions podcast, Dr Sama Bilbao y Leon, Director-General of the World Nuclear Association, delves into how the sector is implementing the lessons learned over past decades to become more cost and energy-efficient.
She also explains why she believes nuclear power is critical to providing energy security and resilience in our energy system.
In this episode you will gain insights into:

The nuclear projects coming online around the world, including China, UAE and Bangladesh.
Why nuclear power is critical for decarbonising industry, heating and cooling.
New reactor technologies and why old-school, big builds are still needed.
How innovation, digitalisation and AI are making nuclear power plants more cost-effective and efficient.
How the nuclear power sector is embracing circular economy.
The Net Zero Nuclear initiative and its role in ushering in the next generation of nuclear power through supporting policy and supply chain growth.
What the sector is doing to increase diversity, as well as attract and retain women.

This episode is brought to you in partnership with the World Energy Council leading up to the 26th World Energy Congress in Rotterdam, 22-25 April 2024.Register to be a part of the conversation

Rotterdam, a Dutch city with one of the biggest ports in the world, is notorious for its polluting industry. In fact, the city's harbour is responsible for 20% of all emissions in the Netherlands and has more work to do than most cities to achieve climate neutrality.

However, there is hope on this emissions-heavy horizon, according to Rotterdam Vice Mayor, Chantal Zeegers.

In this episode of the Energy Transitions podcast, Zeegers, who considers herself a proud 'Rotterdammer', spoke to Pamela Largue about how this city is becoming a trendsetter in terms of implementing net-zero strategies.

Zeegers shares the positive progress being made across Rotterdam industry and society and answers the following questions:



How is Rotterdam balancing industrial growth with achieving energy transition?

How is the city ensuring its citizens participate in and profit from the sustainability agenda?

What policies are being employed to achieve deep decarbonisation?

How is the national government collaborating with industry for green operations?

Which clean energy technologies, resources and projects are making the biggest impact in Rotterdam?

How are strong "conviction and cooperation" turning this city from an underdog into a trendsetter of energy transition in the Netherlands and Europe?


Rotterdam is the host city for the World Energy Congress taking place from 22-25 April 2024. According to Zeegers, the city is well suited to such an event as it showcases innovative solutions to all aspects of the energy transition and the impacts of climate change.
Register to be a part of the conversation

Addressing the energy trilemma of security, affordability and sustainability, while ensuring a healthy planet and better life for its inhabitants, will require more than good leadership.

It will require great leadership and collaboration, which we have never seen before.

In this episode of the Energy Transitions podcast, Dr Angela Wilkinson, Secretary General and CEO of the World Energy Council, maps a divergent, uncomfortable but critical path to great leadership in energy and beyond.

Dr Angela Wilkinson shares her multi-dimensional and people-centred insights by answering the following questions about leadership in energy:



How does the leadership in the energy transition differ from traditional leadership qualities?

What are the differences between good leadership and great leadership?

Why is it important to recognize emerging leaders who may not be well-known or celebrated in the energy transition space?

How can leadership qualities in the public, private, and civic sectors be blended to drive effective energy transitions?

What does it mean to have a "communal cookery kitchen" approach to leadership?

How can the energy transition be redesigned for people and the planet?

How does the people-centric approach to energy transition align with the goal of engaging a wider and more diverse pool of leaders and participants?

Why is it important to include future generations in the dialogue and decision-making processes surrounding energy transitions?

What role does emotional intelligence play in effective leadership?

How can the energy transition movement promote collaboration and diverse perspectives to drive meaningful change?

This episode is brought to you in partnership with the World Energy Council leading up to the 26th World Energy Congress in Rotterdam, 22-25 April 2024. Register to be a part of the conversation

A just transition to decarbonisation is more than merely an abstract concept. It’s a complex issue based on human rights and if ignored will result in real world consequences for vulnerable people and species.In fact, many scholars refer to this as a ‘wicked problem’ – a problem that is incredibly difficult to solve because of the very complex and often undefined nature of it. In this episode of the Energy Transitions podcast, Susie Ho, Director of the Monash Innovation Guarantee, Monash University and Gerry Nagtzaam, Associate Professor at Monash University, unpack what it means to achieve a just transition to decarbonisation. They elaborate on the different groups that will be most impacted by climate change and the critical importance of agreed definitions to achieve policy cohesion and ensure no one is left behind. They describe the concept of climate justice and its various forms, with Ho explaining that there are many different forms of justice, such as inter generational justice, something the youth are championing. “Today’s youth are going to see more severe climate impacts than any generation before and as custodians of the future what is our responsibility to them not only in terms of protecting earths life support systems and their health and wellbeing but also in terms of preparing them to lead through this change.” Added Nagtzaam: “When we have this debate we often characterise it as we did with sustainable development, as a human problem, but it isn’t. There are myriad other species on the planet that climate change is going to affect as well.” Both Ho and Nagtzaam also speak to the recent big issue at COPs being loss and damage, with Ho highlighting that while a great deal of funding has been mobilised, “the money that’s been pledged so far is several magnitudes short of where we should be”. Susie Ho and Gerry Nagtzaam have coauthored a book with Diane Kraal, Katie O'Bryan and Jadranka Petrovic titled: A Just Transition to Decarbonisation: Themes of Loss and Damage, Transport, Nature and Youth. This Palgrave Macmillan title tackles the challenge of a just transition to decarbonisation based around four UN COP themes.

A minimum of controls and a maximum of simplicity used to be the defining characteristics of wind turbines. However, over the past few decades, turbines have become highly sophisticated and are now the world’s biggest rotating machines. In this episode of the Energy Transitions Podcast, Pamela Largue speaks to two pioneers of the wind industry. Referred to as the Godfathers of wind, Denmark’s Henrik Stiesdal and Britain’s Andrew Garrad, winners of the 2024 Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering, describe how turbines have advanced over the years. From building turbines in their parent’s fields in the 70’s, these two stalwarts have been on the boundary of what is possible, contributing to and witnessing wind turbines become an important contributor to the electricity supply and having a greater impact on the grid. “Gradually, as the turbines got bigger and bigger, they also became more and more complicated…going from something like a tractor in the early 80’s to more like a giant helicopter now,” explained Garrad. The old turbines were heavier, whereas now they are lighter and smarter with enhanced controls, said Stiesdal. “They did not become more complicated just because engineers like to make them like that…they got more complicated partly because we needed them to change their behaviour,” he added. Stiesdal and Garrad explain why bigger isn’t always better and why the industry now needs to focus on increasing efficiency and reliability rather than size. They also discuss why floating offshore wind will provide the next quantum leap in wind turbine technology.