How electrification is shaping the smart home ecosystem

Europe's energy system is becoming increasingly decentralised, digitalised and interconnected, and therefore increasingly vulnerable to cyber threats. The energy transition is also bringing new players, technologies and flexibility sources into the electricity ecosystem and many of these new entrants are simply unprepared to defend against increasingly sophisticated cyber-attacks. In this episode of the Energy Transitions podcast, Pamela Largue speaks to Maarten Hoeve, Technology Director at the European Network for Cyber Security (ENCS), about this evolving cybersecurity landscape and what it means for Europe's electricity grid. Hoeve explores the role of AI in cyber defence and cybercrime and unpacks whether European regulation is keeping pace with the rapidly evolving threat landscape. He also shares lessons learned from a recent cyber-attack on Polish renewable energy plants, stressing the need for improved information sharing to prevent worst case scenarios.

Ireland has big ambitions for renewable gas, but how is the country progressing towards making it a reality?Earlier this month, Gas Networks Ireland opened a €32 million central grid injection facility at Mitchelstown, a town in the south of Ireland. The facility can inject up to 700GWh of biomethane annually at full capacity.This is a clear example of infrastructure progress, but it is just one of the puzzle pieces that need to fall in place to set up a viable biomethane industry. In this episode of the Energy Transitions podcast, Nick Bennett, the acting chief executive of Renewable Gas Forum Ireland, talks about what’s holding back biomethane production, what needs to change to get projects moving and how renewable gas could contribute to Ireland’s energy transition and energy security. In this episode, you will learn more about: Ireland's biomethane targets and the progress made so far; What is standing in the way of more projects reaching final investment decisions; The policy progress made in Ireland in the past decade and what policies still need to come through; Where renewable gas can deliver the greatest value; What domestic biomethane could mean for Ireland's energy security; What we can expect from the Irish renewable gas market in 2027. Keep up with the conversations shaping the energy transition. Discover more on Enlit World

Renewable energy has never been more affordable to produce. However, for developers and investors, the economics of building new renewable capacity are becoming increasingly complex. More specifically, negative electricity prices, grid connection queues and rising financing costs are challenging project profitability, forcing the industry to rethink how it creates value. In this episode of the Energy Transitions podcast, Hallvard Granheim, executive vice-president for Markets at Statkraft, explores this situation in more detail. Granheim discussed the changing economics of renewables and what it takes to make projects commercially viable in an evolving energy market. He also examines the growing role of power purchase agreements (PPAs) in balancing risks and meeting the needs of renewable producers and industrial consumers. Ultimately, Granheim argues that the energy transition has moved beyond adding megawatts. It is about developing the right projects, understanding customer needs and ensuring renewable energy remains both competitive and profitable. Keep up with the conversations shaping the energy transition. Discover more on Enlit World

Europe’s recent heatwaves and droughts put the nuclear power sector under pressure, with some reactors forced to curtail output as river flows fell and cooling water became more constrained. The events raised acute concerns about how extreme weather affects critical energy infrastructure and, more broadly, how well the existing nuclear fleet can withstand a changing climate. To gain insight into how resilient the existing nuclear power fleet is and what needs to be done to future-proof the sector’s development, Pamela Largue speaks with King Lee, head of policy and industry engagement, at World Nuclear Association. Lee highlights what needs to happen to ensure nuclear can deliver on growing ambitions to triple capacity and the measures operators and policymakers can take to build resilience. He also discusses the impact of rising electricity demand and how supply chains, financing, skills, and policy need to respond to ensure sustainable growth. Keep up with the conversations shaping the energy transition. Discover more on Enlit World

As Europe electrifies, demand-side flexibility will play an increasingly important role in balancing the electricity system. But how will flexibility markets develop and how can the different signals reaching consumers be coordinated?To find out, Pamela Largue speaks with Michael Villa, executive director of SmartEn, and Riley Behrens, associate consultant at LCP Delta, in this episode of the Energy Transitions podcast. They elaborate on the findings of a new report from SmartEn and LCP Delta, Reflecting on the Future: Medium-Term Evolutions Impacting the Development of Flexible Demand, which explores three possible pathways for the evolution of demand-side flexibility over the next decade. These pathways, or scenarios, are based on five pillars of the electricity system; namely, regulation, markets, demand, generation and networks. According to Behrens and Villa, the gap between these scenarios is significant, and it’s critical to set the direction to the most optimal scenario now. Keep up with the conversations shaping the energy transition. Discover more on Enlit World

The global hydrogen sector appears to be moving beyond ambitious plans and into the build phase, with projects progressing from announcements to final investment decisions, construction and operation.That’s according to Ivana Jemelkova, CEO of the Hydrogen Council, who spoke with Pamela Largue for this episode of the Energy Transitions podcast. Drawing on the Council’s latest Global Hydrogen Compass 2026 report, Jemelkova highlights evidence of a sector increasingly focused on turning ambition into deployment. She takes listeners on a tour of China, Europe and the US, exploring their different approaches to hydrogen development and the critical role of policy in unlocking demand and investment. She also offers a candid look at the challenges facing sectors such as green steel, what project cancellations and consolidation tell us about a maturing market as well as what it will take to build competitive hydrogen ecosystems. Keep up with the conversations shaping the energy transition. Discover more on Enlit World

On April 28, 2025, a large-scale power outage swept across Iberia, disrupting daily life within seconds and exposing the limits of current approaches to grid reliability. The event highlighted both the challenges of managing increasingly decentralised renewable assets and the shortcomings of traditional emergency protocols. According to Adrian Guggisberg, Division President Electrical Distribution Solutions, at ABB, it is a clear sign that the grid has become far more complex, and that our traditional ways of thinking are no longer sufficient. This was one of Guggisberg’s key messages in this episode of the Energy Transitions podcast. He emphasises the need to make better decisions about how we build, operate, and configure the grid to keep pace with its transformation. Guggisberg argues that digitalisation is essential to bringing greater transparency to the decentralised grid, including its configurations and settings. It can also enable more coordinated action across distributed points of the network to balance active and reactive power and manage power quality. Ultimately, utilities, technology providers, and policymakers need to align on planning, standards, and investment. Without greater coordination, he warns, grid resilience will struggle to keep pace with the rapid transformation of the energy system. Keep up with the conversations shaping the energy transition. Discover more on Enlit World

Imagine a home where EVs, solar panels, batteries and other energy technologies work seamlessly together to help households manage their energy, while playing an active role in balancing the grid.That vision is rapidly becoming a reality. As renewables and electrification gather pace, households are moving beyond simply consuming energy to generating, storing, managing and even trading it. The result is a complex home energy ecosystem with the potential to cut costs, improve resilience and provide valuable flexibility to an increasingly decentralised energy system. In this episode of the Energy Transitions podcast, Pamela Largue speaks with Andrew Clint, CEO of UK-based smart energy technology company myenergi, about this shift and what it means for consumers and the wider energy system.He highlights the value to consumers and the grid and also notes the challenges of bringing these technologies together, ensuring they communicate and that consumers can navigate multiple devices, apps and tariffs. Keep up with the conversations shaping the energy transition. Discover more on Enlit World

As renewables expand and electricity markets become more complex, the ability to intelligently optimise energy assets across multiple markets and revenue streams is becoming increasingly important.In this episode of the Enlit Energy Transitions podcast, Pamela Largue speaks with Christian Seitl, senior battery and market strategy expert at CyberGrid, about the growing role of intelligent optimisation in the energy transition.He unpacks how optimisation, automation and artificial intelligence can help unlock more value from batteries, renewables and other flexible assets and how combining forecasting and automation can support real-time decision-making.Seitl also highlights some of the practical barriers holding back fully optimised co-located energy sites, including a lack of standardisation between technologies and the complexity of market rules, accounting and grid tariffs. Keep up with the conversations shaping the energy transition. Discover more on Enlit World

Integration, resilience and competitiveness - three words that capture where Europe’s energy transition stands today and the necessary elements for a secure energy future. Europe’s energy transition has moved beyond simply adding renewable capacity to integrating a complex energy system, building resilience in the face of uncertainty and keeping the European industry competitive. This episode of the Energy Transitions podcast explores this progression through a conversation with Paddy Young, event director of Enlit Europe. From grids, storage and flexibility to energy security, investment and industrial competitiveness, Young shares what he’s hearing across the energy ecosystem and why greater alignment and collaboration are urgently needed. The conversation also looks ahead to Enlit Europe in Vienna, where these themes will take centre stage, alongside a new Finance & Invest focus and the Evolution Talks, which will bring leaders from across the ecosystem together.