https://media.blubrry.com/extraenvironmentalist/xepodcasts.com/assets/podcasts/energytransitionshow/ETS-263-distributionutilities-mini.mp3 Free mini-episode Length: 19:24 __ __ 0:00 -19:24 1.0x 0.5x 1.0x 1.25x 1.5x 2.0x ____ __ Share URL Copy https://media.blubrry.com/extraenvironmentalist/xepodcasts.com/assets/podcasts/energytransitionshow/ETS-263-distributionutilities-mini.mp3 Full episode Length: 1:16:20 __ __ * Join for full episodes * Buy this episode: $7 What is the role of distribution utilities in the energy transition? Consider this paradox: Marc England, CEO of Australian distribution utility Ausgrid, has two batteries at his home but no solar panels. Instead, he buys grid power at 5 cents per kilowatt-hour during midday solar surplus, stores it, and then sells it back to the grid when prices are high, sometimes making $100 profit in a single day. Similarly, over 100,000 customers in Australia have installed batteries in their homes under a federal incentive program in just the past three months. But commercial players aren't building battery arrays on his network, despite slashing connection charges. And every time he flies into Sydney, he sees miles of empty warehouse rooftops that could host far more solar capacity if tariffs and other regulatory structures were reformed. These market dislocations are part of an ongoing debate about who should build and own distributed energy assets (DERs). Should distribution utilities do it in order to maximize their integration? Or should they primarily provide a platform for consumer-owned DERs to connect and transact on an equal footing with utility-scale systems? Is it more practical and cost-effective for distribution utilities to build assets like battery storage systems and public EV chargers, especially where private-sector companies are not, or would it be cheaper and faster to maximize customer investment and rebuild the grid from the bottom-up? For this conversation, Chris traveled to Sydney, Australia to debate these questions with Marc England in person. As Chris discussed with grid expert Lorenzo Kristov in Episode #205 and our Australia 2024 miniseries, there's no perfect answer, but these market structure questions will partly determine the speed of our response to climate change. **Guest:** **Marc England** is CEO of Ausgrid, Australia’s largest electricity network, based in New South Wales. Marc joined Ausgrid as CEO in 2023, bringing a wealth of global experience spanning the energy, oil and gas and automotive industries. Throughout his career, Marc has held a number of executive positions. Prior to joining Ausgrid, Marc was the CEO of Genesis Energy in New Zealand, delivering significant transformation and growth to a business that was at the forefront of the energy transition. Marc also held Executive roles at AGL Energy where he was responsible for the establishment of the company’s New Energy Arm to deliver distributed energy resources to customers. Prior to that, Marc spent six years at British Gas in a range of leadership roles driving impactful commercial and operational outcomes. On LinkedIn: **linkedin.com/in/marc-england-9147711** On the Web: Ausgrid.com.au **Recording date:** October 31, 2025 **Air date:** November 19, 2025 **Geek rating:3** ### Share this: ____ __

https://media.blubrry.com/extraenvironmentalist/xepodcasts.com/assets/podcasts/energytransitionshow/ETS-262-alltransitionsarelocal-mini.mp3 Free mini-episode Length: 19:36 __ __ 0:00 -19:36 1.0x 0.5x 1.0x 1.25x 1.5x 2.0x ____ __ Share URL Copy https://media.blubrry.com/extraenvironmentalist/xepodcasts.com/assets/podcasts/energytransitionshow/ETS-262-alltransitionsarelocal-mini.mp3 Full episode Length: 1:11:16 __ __ * Join for full episodes * Buy this episode: $7 Successful energy transition projects are not one-size-fits-all. They are attuned to the local needs of their communities, and allow community priorities to shape resilience, affordability, and equity outcomes. In today's conversation, Nadia Ahmad, Professor of Law at Barry University in Florida, shares findings from a three-year study of clean energy transitions in Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, and Pennsylvania. Based on more than 100 stakeholder interviews, the research exposes a troubling paradox. Florida suffers from frequent hurricanes, tropical storms, and flash floods, but a utility structure dominated by investor-owned companies actively prevents the community microgrids that would build resilience. Ahmad explains how legal, policy, and regulatory frameworks at county, municipal, state, and federal levels can support community-driven clean energy transitions. She shares important insights on designing approaches to accelerate the energy transition where you live, including the seven legal elements her team identified for successful projects and the pitfalls to avoid. For instance, Florida's challenges contrast with Germany's success, where nearly half of renewable energy capacity became citizen-owned by the 2010s. **Guest:** **Nadia B. Ahmad** is a Professor of Law at Barry University School of Law. Professor Ahmad’s research explores the intersections of energy siting, the environment, and sustainable development and draws on international investment law and corporate social responsibility. She currently serves as Vice Chair of the ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice’s Environmental Justice Committee, and the ABA Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources’ Superfund and Natural Resource Damages Litigation Committee. She is an official expert for multilateral development organization, International Bamboo and Rattan Organisation (INBAR) Taskforce on Bamboo for Renewable Energy (TFB4RE), which promotes environmentally sustainable development using bamboo and rattan. Professor Ahmad is a member of the state bars of Florida and Colorado. On Twitter: @nadiabahmad On Bluesky: @nadiabahmad.bsky.social On LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nadiabahmad/ On the Web: Nadia’s faculty page at Barry University School of Law **Recording date:** October 14, 2025 **Air date:** November 5, 2025 **Geek rating:4** ### Share this: ____ __

Google plans to put datacentres in space to meet demand for AI | Google | The Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2025/nov/04/google-plans-to-put-datacentres-in-space-to-meet-demand-for-ai

As one long-running hip-hop smash goes recurrent on the chart, the Hot 100’s top 40 does not boast a single rap song, ending a streak that’s lasted for over 35 years.

Heavy rains have caused major flooding in central Vietnam, submerging homes, farmland, and tourist spots like Hue and Hoi An.

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It’s our 10th Anniversary! To mark the occasion, we are rejoined by Kingsmill Bond and Daan Walter of @emberclimate for 2.5 hrs of deep thoughts on what the past decade of our work has been about, and what the next ten years will require. https://xenetwork.org/ets/episodes/episode-259-10th-anniversary-new-marching-orders/

https://www.thecanary.co/skwawkbox/2025/09/23/drax-15/ “We were pre-emptively arrested under a law written by a right wing think tank bought and paid for by fossil fuel money.”