Energ’Ethic - Climate Justice and Energy Transition

Marine Cornelis
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Energ’Ethic is a podcast exploring the human, institutional, and ethical dimensions of the energy transition. Hosted by Marine Cornelis, Energ’Ethic brings together policymakers, regulators, industry leaders, city practitioners, researchers, and civil society voices to examine what makes energy transitions succeed—or fail—in the real world. Beyond technology and targets, the podcast focuses on trust, power, consumer rights, digitalisation, and energy justice. Each conversation connects policy and market design with lived experience, unpacking how decisions taken in boardrooms and institutions translate into everyday realities for people and communities. Energ’Ethic is not about slogans or quick fixes. It is a space for rigorous, grounded conversations about resilience, legitimacy, and the social conditions required for lasting climate and energy strategies. Listen to Energ’Ethic to: Hear first-hand perspectives from those shaping energy and climate policy from the inside Understand how governance, regulation, and technology affect consumers and communities Explore energy and climate justice through practical, experience-based insights Energ’Ethic speaks to an engaged audience of decision-makers and practitioners working at the intersection of policy, markets, cities, and society. Organisations can partner with Energ’Ethic to support high-quality dialogue and reach a thoughtful, policy-literate audience committed to a fair and resilient energy transition. Listen, subscribe, and join the conversation. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

  1. Solar Is Easy. Neighbours Are Not.

    FEB 24

    Solar Is Easy. Neighbours Are Not.

    I installed balcony solar panels at home. They work. They reduce my electricity bill. They also revealed something structural. Solar is technically simple. Scaling it is not. In Vilnius, I explored what happens when decentralised energy meets multi-apartment governance. In Central and Eastern Europe, 60% of people live in multi-family buildings. These buildings concentrate energy poverty, fragmented ownership, tight budgets and collective decision-making. Technology is progressing: Panels are lighter. Batteries are modular. Sodium-ion storage is emerging as a lower-cost option. Lithuania already counts 170,000 consumer-generators, with 12% of electricity production in 2025 coming from consumers. And yet, every time solar approaches a multi-family building, coordination begins. Who carries liability?Who guarantees mounting safety?Who stays present when after-sales disappears? This episode explores: Why 50% neighbour approval for shared solar is a relational threshold, not a technical one How standards on power limits, mounting systems and documentation reduce uncertainty Why flexibility policy collapses without visibility and information symmetry How the revised EPBD and the upcoming Citizens Energy Package will depend on building-level coordination Multi-family buildings are the proving ground. If decentralised energy depends on exceptional motivation, scaling will fragment.If governance absorbs friction, trust accumulates. From plug and play to trust and repair, this is the real work of the energy transition. Energ' Ethic goes out every other week.Keep up to date with new episodes straight from your inbox Reach out to Marine Cornelis via BlueSky or LinkedInMusic: I Need You Here - KamariusEdition: Podcast Media Factory  Support Energ'Ethic on Patreon © Next Energy Consumer, 2026 Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

    24 min
  2. The Modernisation Fund: A Structural Blind Spot in EU Climate Policy

    FEB 10

    The Modernisation Fund: A Structural Blind Spot in EU Climate Policy

    The Modernisation Fund is often treated as a technical financing tool. In reality, it is one of the most structural instruments in EU climate policy. In this episode, Marine Cornelis speaks with Morgan Henley, campaigner at CEE Bankwatch, about how the Modernisation Fund shapes energy systems in Central and Eastern Europe. Drawing on concrete examples from district heating, the conversation shows how funding design and governance choices lock in infrastructure pathways for decades. The episode examines why the Fund’s low political visibility enables priority drift, how limited scrutiny reinforces incumbent interests, and why these dynamics matter most in countries with constrained fiscal space. Rather than focusing on technologies, the discussion centres on power, accountability, and the long-term consequences of how climate money flows. This is a conversation about why climate credibility is built through governance, not announcements. Topics covered The Modernisation Fund as a structural EU instrument Governance gaps and low political visibility Priority drift and incumbent advantage District heating as a long-term system choice Why funding design determines transition outcomes CEE Bankwatch report on the Modernisation Fund (2026) Energ' Ethic goes out every other week.Keep up to date with new episodes straight from your inbox Reach out to Marine Cornelis via BlueSky or LinkedInMusic: I Need You Here - KamariusEdition: Podcast Media Factory  Support Energ'Ethic on Patreon © Next Energy Consumer, 2026 Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

    37 min
  3. Heat Pumps, Systems, and People: Why Clean Heating Needs Alignment

    JAN 27

    Heat Pumps, Systems, and People: Why Clean Heating Needs Alignment

    Europe has set ambitious targets for clean heating. Heat pumps are central to that strategy. Yet deployment continues to slow, especially in multi-apartment buildings and social housing. In this episode, Marine Cornelis explores why. Joined by Vladimir Gjorgievski and Louise Meister, the conversation moves beyond technology to examine how clean heating actually works in real buildings. Drawing on experiences from North Macedonia and Austria, the episode looks at: why heating and cooling must be planned together, how sector coupling translates into comfort, resilience, and bill stability, why upfront costs and risk allocation remain major barriers, and how business models and coordination determine success in collective housing. The discussion also reflects on lessons from contexts with limited gas infrastructure, the role of energy communities and flexibility, and what alignment means for EU and national policy frameworks. A grounded, systems-level conversation on scaling clean heating without shifting cost and risk onto residents. Energ' Ethic goes out every other week.Keep up to date with new episodes straight from your inbox Reach out to Marine Cornelis via BlueSky or LinkedInMusic: I Need You Here - KamariusEdition: Podcast Media Factory  Support Energ'Ethic on Patreon © Next Energy Consumer, 2026 Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

    46 min
  4. Energy Customers Do Not Need More Explanations, Sean Layerle

    JAN 13

    Energy Customers Do Not Need More Explanations, Sean Layerle

    Why does the energy sector keep trying to explain, rather than designing better? In this episode of Energ’Ethic, Marine Cornelis speaks with Sean Layerle, Managing Partner at Baalbek Insights, about a stubborn reflex in the energy transition: the belief that low adoption can be fixed by better explanations. With 14 years in Silicon Valley and experience across five continents, Sean has worked at the forefront of digital energy products, demand-side management, and behavioural science, including roles at Opower and EnerNOC. Today, he supports energy and tech companies as electrification, flexibility and distributed energy resources accelerate. Together, they unpack why tech-first thinking persists, how behavioural biases quietly shape energy decisions, and why collecting more data rarely leads to better customer understanding. The conversation moves from early lessons in demand response to today’s challenge: designing digital products that align with real human motivations, not expert assumptions. Energ' Ethic goes out every other week.Keep up to date with new episodes straight from your inbox Reach out to Marine Cornelis via BlueSky or LinkedInMusic: I Need You Here - KamariusEdition: Podcast Media Factory  Support Energ'Ethic on Patreon © Next Energy Consumer, 2026 Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

    44 min
  5. Stitching the Energy Transition in Cities - Eduardo Blanco

    12/16/2025

    Stitching the Energy Transition in Cities - Eduardo Blanco

    Cities are on the front line of the energy transition. They are also where energy poverty is most visible. In this episode of Energ’Ethic, Marine Cornelis talks with Dr Eduardo Blanco from Energy Cities, coordinator of the POWER UP project. The episode covers: Social energy players and new local business models Municipal leadership and public risk-taking Neighbourhood-scale solutions Concrete lessons from European pilot cities Eduardo explains why building fair energy systems looks less like engineering and more like embroidery. Slow, precise and deeply human. Energ' Ethic goes out every other week.Keep up to date with new episodes straight from your inbox Reach out to Marine Cornelis via BlueSky or LinkedInMusic: I Need You Here - KamariusEdition: Podcast Media Factory  Support Energ'Ethic on Patreon © Next Energy Consumer, 2025 Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

    42 min
  6. Heat, Light, Silence: What I Needed to Say About Europe and Energy Vulnerability

    12/02/2025

    Heat, Light, Silence: What I Needed to Say About Europe and Energy Vulnerability

    This episode is a departure — in the best possible way. Instead of an interview, Energ' Ethic host Marine Cornelis takes listeners inside the speech she delivered in Besançon for the French Day against Energy Poverty. A space filled with people who meet energy vulnerability every day: social workers, housing professionals, energy advisers, local officials. People who understand the transition not as a strategy, but as the temperature inside a room, the state of a wall, the anxiety behind an energy bill. The speech is in French, Marine’s mother tongue, because some truths land differently when spoken in the language where they were first felt. In this reflection, Marine revisits ten years of European policy through the lens of the people these laws are meant to protect. She digs into what happens when efficiency outruns dignity, why energy vulnerability has nothing to do with a simplistic income line, and how equity reshapes the right to energy in a continent living through rising bills and increasingly hostile summers. You will hear stories from homes across Europe, observations from the frontlines, and a clear-eyed look at what rebuilding trust actually requires: proximity, responsibility, and the ability to confront vulnerability without looking away. This episode invites you to slow down.To feel the spaces where policy becomes life.To remember that energy justice is not decorative language — it is the condition for a society that holds. A different format for Energ’Ethic.And a necessary one. Listen to the full speech. Energ' Ethic goes out every other week.Keep up to date with new episodes straight from your inbox Reach out to Marine Cornelis via BlueSky or LinkedInMusic: I Need You Here - KamariusEdition: Podcast Media Factory  Support Energ'Ethic on Patreon © Next Energy Consumer, 2025 Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

    48 min
  7. Better Buildings, Better Neighbourhoods, Better Lives - Erman Erogan

    11/18/2025

    Better Buildings, Better Neighbourhoods, Better Lives - Erman Erogan

    Erman Erogan, Policy and Campaign Officer at CAN Europe, joins Energ’Ethic to discuss the Build Better Lives campaign and Europe’s race to deliver affordable, energy-efficient homes. Europe’s homes tell a story — one of rising bills, cold rooms, and missed opportunities for fairness and comfort. But a new chapter is being written. The EU is reshaping its housing future through the Affordable Housing Dialogue, the first European Affordable Housing Plan, the Affordable Housing Initiative, and the New European Bauhaus, which reimagines places that are sustainable, beautiful and inclusive. At the heart of this transformation stands the Build Better Lives campaign, coordinated by CAN Europe. Bringing together over 95 organisations from across housing, social justice, youth, and climate movements, it calls for renovation that delivers affordable, energy-efficient, and people-centred homes. In this episode, Erman Erogan shares how renovation becomes powerful when it moves beyond walls — when it starts with people and spreads across neighbourhoods: “This is more than just adding a layer of insulation. This talks about your home, your comfort place, your relationship with your neighbours and your community.” Erman explains why district-level renovation can accelerate the energy transition and strengthen local trust. Drawing from cases across the EU, he shows how integrated planning can combine energy efficiency, affordability, and inclusion. “A good 40 percent of all waste generated in Europe is building waste. We need a culture shift that makes renovation the norm.” We discuss how circular construction, reuse of materials, and fair labour conditions can make the upcoming EU policies deliver lasting change. From Swedish projects that trained residents to German schemes that froze heating costs, the conversation reveals what equitable renovation looks like in practice. For Erman, success depends on aligning EU frameworks around ambition and justice. The goal: better buildings that create better neighbourhoods, and better neighbourhoods that sustain better lives. European Citizens' Initiative HouseEurope! Power to Renovation Energ' Ethic goes out every other week.Keep up to date with new episodes straight from your inbox Reach out to Marine Cornelis via BlueSky or LinkedInMusic: I Need You Here - KamariusEdition: Podcast Media Factory  Support Energ'Ethic on Patreon © Next Energy Consumer, 2025 Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

    44 min
  8. To Build Fast, You Need Fair, with Arthur Hirsch

    11/04/2025

    To Build Fast, You Need Fair, with Arthur Hirsch

    Europe knows it must move fast on renewables and grid infrastructure. But speed without fairness only builds friction. In this episode, Marine Cornelis speaks with Arthur Hinsch, Senior Expert at ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, about the Fast and Fair Renewables & Grids Initiative — a first-of-its-kind European consensus on how to scale up solar, wind, and grid projects while ensuring that local communities see real benefits and have a voice. Endorsed by a broad alliance — from WindEurope and SolarPower Europe to Energy Cities, REScoop.eu, CAN Europe, EEB, and the European Youth Energy Network — the initiative sets out five principles defining what “fair” looks like on the ground. Arthur shares what it took to reach agreement among actors who rarely sit at the same table. He explains how fairness is not a barrier to progress, but a condition for it — and how a new checklist for local governments can help mediate tensions, bring transparency, and get projects off the ground faster. He also reflects on his own path from studying Japanese culture to shaping European energy diplomacy, and why, after steering this landmark collaboration, he’s taking a sabbatical in Japan to reconnect with long-term thinking. Highlights: Why fairness and speed are inseparable in Europe’s energy transition. The five principles behind the Fast and Fair Renewables & Grids Initiative. How local mayors can use the new checklist to talk with citizens and developers. What makes this cross-sector agreement unique — and replicable. Arthur’s reflections on collaboration, balance, and what Japan might teach Europe. Explore the initiative: https://fastandfairenergy.eu Energ' Ethic goes out every other week. Keep up to date with new episodes s=1">straight from your inbox Reach out to Marine Cornelis via app/profile/marinenextenerg. bsky. socia">BlueSky or LinkedInMusic: I Need You Here - KamariusEdition: Podcast Media Factory  Support Energ'Ethic on com/Energethic">Patreon © nextenergyconsumer. eu/">Next Energy Consumer, 2025 Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

    52 min
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Energ’Ethic is a podcast exploring the human, institutional, and ethical dimensions of the energy transition. Hosted by Marine Cornelis, Energ’Ethic brings together policymakers, regulators, industry leaders, city practitioners, researchers, and civil society voices to examine what makes energy transitions succeed—or fail—in the real world. Beyond technology and targets, the podcast focuses on trust, power, consumer rights, digitalisation, and energy justice. Each conversation connects policy and market design with lived experience, unpacking how decisions taken in boardrooms and institutions translate into everyday realities for people and communities. Energ’Ethic is not about slogans or quick fixes. It is a space for rigorous, grounded conversations about resilience, legitimacy, and the social conditions required for lasting climate and energy strategies. Listen to Energ’Ethic to: Hear first-hand perspectives from those shaping energy and climate policy from the inside Understand how governance, regulation, and technology affect consumers and communities Explore energy and climate justice through practical, experience-based insights Energ’Ethic speaks to an engaged audience of decision-makers and practitioners working at the intersection of policy, markets, cities, and society. Organisations can partner with Energ’Ethic to support high-quality dialogue and reach a thoughtful, policy-literate audience committed to a fair and resilient energy transition. Listen, subscribe, and join the conversation. Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

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