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Topic: Electricity Grid

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[Episode #274] – Global Electricity Review 2026

Apr 22 2026

For years, transition skeptics have argued that what's really happening globally is "energy addition," where renewables are piling on top of fossil fuels rather than pushing them aside. The data that's just landing from 2025 finally puts that argument to rest.

For the first time, global electricity generation from fossil fuels fell, not because of a pandemic shutdown, recession, or unusual weather, but simply because renewables grew faster than demand. Power-sector emissions dropped along with it, also a first. Solar recorded the largest single-year increase of any electricity source on record, with the exception of coal's rebound as the world re-opened after 2020. And renewable generation surpassed coal in the modern era for the first time.

These are just a few of the important findings in Ember's Global Electricity Review 2026. To unpack what they mean, and what they don't, we welcome back to the program Nicolas Fulghum, Senior Energy and Climate Data Analyst at Ember and one of the report's lead authors. Nic was last on the show in Episode #254 reviewing the 2025 edition of this report, which became our most popular episode of the year, and which we re-released without paywall in Episode #266.

In today's show, we'll see how the structural decline in fossil generation, long-anticipated by transitionistas, finally arrived. We'll hear why solar's growth rate refuses to slow even as the technology matures. And we'll explore how the second fossil fuel shock of the decade, this time from the Iran war we covered in Episode #272, is pushing more countries to accelerate their move off imported fuels. The energy transition isn't coming. It's here, and it's getting more unstoppable every year.

Guest:

Nicolas Fulghum is a Senior Energy and Climate Data Analyst at the global energy think Ember, and one of the lead authors of Ember’s flagship report – the Global Electricity Review.

On Bluesky: @nicolasfulghum.bsky.social

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolas-fulghum/

On Twitter: @nicolasfulghum

Geek rating: 8

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[Episode #273] – Solar and Batteries Can Power the World

Apr 8 2026

Mini Episode

In the sunniest parts of the world, solar and batteries are already the cheapest way to build new power generation capacity on an unsubsidized full system cost basis, and that cost advantage is expanding quickly.

By the end of this decade, solar and batteries could affordably supply 90% of electricity for most of the world's population at less than €80/MWh—that's a full system cost, including fuel-based backup, for about US 8.7¢/kWh. While this is already cheaper than building a new gas-fired grid, given that European gas prices spiked to ten times their normal level during the 2022 energy crisis and remain volatile today, the gap is only likely to widen.

But beyond 2030—well within the lifetime of any new power generation system built today—solar and batteries will almost certainly be the cheapest, most reliable, and least volatile way to expand a power grid. Doubling down on fossil gas generation under these conditions, as many governments are contemplating, would be a terrible mistake, both economically and geopolitically.

That is the central finding of a model developed by Tom Brown, professor for Digital Transformation in Energy Systems at the Technical University of Berlin. Tom also led the development of the open-source toolbox Python for Power System Analysis (PyPSA), and based this analysis on a blog post titled "Solar and batteries can power the world." If you doubt the conclusions, you can run the model and test the assumptions yourself.

In today's episode, we'll dig into how the model works, what happens when you add wind to the mix, and why battery costs could halve again by 2050, making solar-dominated grids dramatically cheaper than anything we can build with gas. We'll also examine the land question and find that powering the world with solar would take just 0.3% of global land, a fraction of what we currently devote to livestock. And we'll revisit how to meet that last 10% of demand, a topic we last explored in Episode #188 with Paul Denholm of NREL, and hear Tom's case for methanol as a surprisingly practical backup fuel.

Guest:

Dr. Tom Brown is professor for “Digital Transformation in Energy Systems” at the Technical University of Berlin. His group researches future pathways for the energy system, with a particular focus on revealing the trade-offs between energy resources, network expansion, flexibility and public acceptance of new infrastructure. His recent research has emphasised the need for an integrated approach to planning for electricity, heat, and molecules as we head to a net-zero economy. Tom is a strong supporter of openness and transparency in research data and software, with the goal to enable a vigorous public debate on the trade-offs necessary to reach climate neutrality. He led the development of the widely-used open-source toolbox Python for Power System Analysis (PyPSA). Before joining TU Berlin in 2021, he led a Helmholtz Young Investigator Group at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. He did his BA and MMath at Cambridge University and his PhD at Queen Mary, University of London.

On the Web:

Personal blog

Department of Digital Transformation in Energy Systems at the Technical University of Berlin

On LinkedIn: Tom Brown

On Bluesky: @nworbmot.bsky.social

On Mastodon: @nworbmot@mastodon.social

Geek rating: 8

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[Episode #258] – Alaska’s Railbelt Utilities

Sep 10 2025

Mini Episode

Alaska is an energy superpower with more untapped renewable resources than most countries. Yet its largest population, in the Anchorage area, faces a real risk of blackouts beginning in 2027 due to declining gas supply from the nearby Cook Inlet gas field, which is likely to force this historical major supplier of oil and gas to import LNG to keep its residents warm and keep the lights on. A key part of getting ahead of the crisis is addressing transmission dysfunction so severe that it turns 6-cent renewable electricity into 20-cent retail power due to 'pancaking' tariffs.

In this episode, we explore Alaska's sole electricity transmission grid, which connects most of the major population centers along what is called the Railbelt. We learn about how Railbelt utilities are part of a system that's overbuilt, unoptimized, unnecessarily expensive, and slow to change. For example, four rural electric cooperatives built more than $1 billion in unnecessary gas generation between 2012-2016 while knowing gas supplies were declining. Despite sitting atop an estimated 18 gigawatts of tidal energy potential in Cook Inlet alone, the four Railbelt cooperatives lack economic dispatch coordination, wasting tens of million annually through inefficient scheduling of gas-fired generation. The Railbelt utilities could transition away from their dependence on gas and toward the vast renewable resources surrounding them, but it would take a kind of political leadership that is currently lacking in the state. We dive into how the regulatory agencies could help Alaska transition to renewables, as well as why they haven't done so thus far.

We also take a quick look at the future of Alaska's famous oil pipeline, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS), and some of the expectations for nuclear power in the state.

This episode is the third and final part of our miniseries about the energy transition in Alaska.

Guest #1:

Chris Rose is the founder and Executive Director of Renewable Energy Alaska Project (REAP), a non-profit coalition of over 60 diverse energy stakeholder organizations working to increase the development of renewable energy and promote energy efficiency across Alaska. REAP has been instrumental in helping to establish and fund clean energy programs and projects across Alaska, including the creation of the state’s Renewable Energy Fund in 2008, the Emerging Energy Technology Fund in 2010, Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy legislation in 2017 and the formation of the Railbelt’s first regional Electric Reliability Organization in 2020 and state green bank in 2024. Before establishing REAP in 2004, Chris had a private law practice for over a decade that included work in remote Northwest Arctic villages and the mediation of a variety disputes around the state. He has written a monthly opinion column for Alaska’s only statewide newspaper, served on various statewide boards and committees, including the state’s Renewable Energy Fund Advisory Committee. Since 2008, that Fund has granted over $330 million to more than 100 renewable energy projects that today are displacing the equivalent of 30 million gallons of diesel fuel each year. Chris also served on the climate action advisory committees for both Governors Sarah Palin and Bill Walker. He lives 65 miles northeast of Anchorage, where he and his partner grow flowers and enjoy the mountains. In his free time, he loves to cook, walk in the Alaska wilderness and visit ancient cultures around the world. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Iowa with a B.A. in Political Science and a Certificate in Global Studies and received his law degree from the University of Oregon, with a Certificate in Environmental and Natural Resources Law.

On the Web: https://alaskarenewableenergy.org/

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-rose-69192251/

Guest #2:

Philip Wight is an Associate Professor of History and Arctic & Northern Studies at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

He is an energy and environmental historian, with a focus on infrastructure, mobility, and climate. He teaches classes in Alaska history, the contemporary history of the circumpolar north as well as energy and climate history.

Wight wrote his doctoral dissertation on the history of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System. He is currently finalizing a book manuscript, Arctic Artery: The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System and the World it Made, based on his doctoral research. Wight’s more recent research examines the historical electrification of Alaska, including studies which examine generation and transmission on the Railbelt, as well as technological and energy policy innovation throughout the state.

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philip-wight-9a90418b/

On Twitter: @PhilWight

On the Web: Phil’s page at the University of Alaska Fairbanks

Guest #3:

Saqib Javed is a Researcher of Mechanical Engineering working on Applied Research for Communities in Extreme Environments at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s (NREL) in Alaska. He has over 18 years of experience in HVAC systems, Geothermal Energy, Ground Source Heat Pumps, Ground Heat Exchangers, Thermal Energy Storage, Environment and Sustainability Interactions, Building Energy Systems, and Engineering Management.

On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saqib-javed-b10a4239/

On the Web: Saqib’s page at NREL

On Google Scholar: Saqib Javed

Geek rating: 8

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[Episode #174] – Decarbonizing Britain’s Grid

Jun 8 2022

Mini Episode

As the energy transition proceeds and variable renewable power from wind and solar displaces conventional generators, strict operational limits for the grid's voltage, frequency, and inertia must be maintained. To do this, grid operators are increasingly procuring so-called “stability services” and making other enhancements to the grid that ensure stability.

In this episode, we take a close look at how Great Britain is undertaking this stability challenge by interviewing Julian Leslie, Head of Networks and Chief Engineer at National Grid ESO, which runs the transmission grid for the country. Not only does National Grid ESO operate the fastest-decarbonizing electricity network in the world, it has also recently achieved several important technical accomplishments for the first time in the world, including implementing cutting edge tools that allow accurate measurements of inertia across its system; using grid-forming inverters to provide synthetic inertia; and using synchronous condensers without an associated prime mover. And in another world-first achievement, the company has actually written the specification for using grid-forming inverters into its grid code.

Julian explains all of these technical concepts in today’s conversation and lays out the deliberate strategy that the company is taking to ensure that it can deliver on Great Britain’s decarbonization objectives while maintaining system stability and saving British consumers a great deal of money.

This is a highly technical episode with a Geek Rating of 9, so if you want to brush up on grid power engineering concepts first before listening to this one, you could start with our Energy Basics miniseries—in particular, Episode #126 about how power generators and the grid works—then move on to Episode #55 on voltage stability, and then Episode #153 on grid-forming inverters. Then return to this one.

Geek rating: 9

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[Episode #70] – Who Should Control Wholesale Markets?

May 30 2018

Mini Episode

As older coal and nuclear generators are pushed off the grid by cheaper, nimbler, cleaner renewables and other technologies, the owners of conventional generators are becoming increasingly nervous about their futures, and seeking new ways to protect their legacy assets. From attempting to change market rules or simply pursuing new subsidies, the effort to retire dirty and unwanted old generators and replace them with newer, cleaner sources of electricity faces a series of challenges. And how those challenges are resolved will have broad implications for how the electric grid of the future will operate, and who will own it.

In this episode we take a deep dive into the intersections between federal authority, wholesale markets, and state policies, explore some of the legal questions therein, and try to understand what they suggest about the process of energy transition, and the pathways for unlocking new ways of using energy and designing electricity markets…and yes, this episode definitely deserves its Geek Rating!

Geek rating: 10

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[Episode #29] – Grid Simulation and Wind Potential

Nov 2 2016

Full Episode

What combination of power generators on the U.S. grid produces reliable power at the lowest cost? Or, what’s the most renewable energy that can be deployed at a given grid power cost, and what kind of transmission capacity is needed to support it? How would the U.S. grid be different if it were one, unified grid with more high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission capacity? What’s the most productive design for a wind farm? How might weather and a changing climate affect future electricity production from wind and solar farms? And how much renewable power is really feasible on the U.S. grid?

These have been devilishly difficult questions to answer, but now advanced mathematical simulations are beginning to make it possible to answer them much more quickly…and if quantum computing becomes a reality, we could answer them instantly.

In an homage to Comedy Central’s Drunk History, this episode features a conversation conducted over several pints of IPA with a mathematician who recently developed such a simulator while he was working at NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) in Boulder, CO. His insights on how the grid of the future might actually function are fascinating, and will likely shatter some of your pre-existing beliefs. It also contains a few nuggets for the serious math geeks out there.

Geek rating: 8

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