174. Live from Cambridge – Laurent and Gerard with Pr. David Cebon on Electrifying trucks

Early March, Gerard and Laurent were invited by the Cambridge University Energy Technology Society (CUETS) for a live session of Redefining Energy.In front of hundreds of attentive students, they had a comprehensive debate with Pr. David Cebon about the Electrification of Trucks. What are the issues (technical, economic) and what are the proposed solutions from Electric roads to batteries?We enjoyed sharing with an enthusiastic crowd at St John's College, Cambridge and give a special thanks to Max Krefting for the flawless organisation.  A memorable evening for all participants.  

The XXIst century economy will be powered by 'critical minerals' such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, and rare earths. China has spent the past 20 years building a dominant position across the supply chain for these metals.The rest of the world is finally waking up to the economic and geopolitical challenges that this presents and is actively trying to secure the supplies of critical minerals by creating non-Chinese supply chains.Gerard and Laurent sat down with Richard Tite, Chief Investment Officer of TechMet, a critical minerals investment company that is partially owned by the U.S. Government through a series of equity investments by the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC). TechMet’s portfolio currently includes 10 projects across North America, South America, Africa, and Europe, that produce, process, and recycle critical minerals.How does it work? What are the costs? Can China be countered? Does it succeed?Are Critical Minerals truly critical? They are certainly polarizing.

Laurent welcomes Kristian Ruby, Secretary General of Eurelectric, to discuss Energy Security, Resilience and Flexibility though the impact of E-Mobility.Energy Security has become a critical issue, especially with the recent sabotage of undersea cables in the Baltic Sea by Russian and Chinese vessels, extreme weather events knocking out a third of the Irish Grid, and Russia’s ongoing attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.Kristian shares the story of his harrowing visit to a power plant in Ukraine, where DTEK engineers are bravely working through air raids every day to keep the lights on. The conversation expands to cover all aspects of Energy Security as we enter the Age of Electricity, exploring both cyber and physical measures that can be taken to protect energy systems.The discussion also touches on the latest advancements in E-Mobility, including how Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology can provide additional security and offer consumers a chance to earn more revenue.Eurelectric represents a strong, forward-thinking industry that exemplifies resilience and solidarity in the face of challenges.  Join us at Power Summit Brussels 3 and 4 June to discuss those topics and many othersHome - Eurelectric Power Summit 2025

It has become a tradition to welcome Luca Pedretti, Co-Founder of Pexapark, to the show to discuss the evolving PPA market, especially now that Pexapark has released its annual State of the Market report.Laurent and Gerard are joined by Luca to highlight the key insights from this year’s findings:Corporate PPA demand remains stable, but with new entrantsMore deals, but smaller sizes: The number of transactions increased by 16% (+37 deals), even as total volumes declined.Innovative deal structures on the rise: Hybrid models, such as solar-wind PPAs, multi-buyer/portfolio arrangements, and cross-border agreements, are gaining traction, offering enhanced flexibility and risk-sharing.The continuous rise of 24/7 energy with the need to track and trade GoOsWe also delve into the topic of negative prices, capture prices, and their implications. The conversation extends to Pexapark’s predictions for 2025.Additionally, we explore the growing role of batteries, new tolling agreements, and their impact, along with how batteries are increasingly incorporated into PPAs.Finally, we turn our attention to the US market, discussing Pexapark’s first acquisition of a US company, Renewafi, marking a significant step in Pexapark’s american expansion.    Link to Report: https://pexapark.com/pexapark-renewables-market-outlook-2025/Link to Renewafi: https://www.renewafi.com/

As urgent calls for climate change action continue, an energy supercycle is underway, driven by the increasing need for electrification and digitalization, particularly in high-growth sectors like AI and data centers. Securing a reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy supply to meet this demand is crucial.At the 2025 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting at Davos, Hitachi, Ltd. Executive Chairman Toshiaki Higashihara and Hitachi Energy CEO Andreas Schierenbeck, with Elisabeth V. Vardheim (Statnett) and Gerard Reid (Alexa Capital), participate in a panel discussion on 22 January 2025 to explore the parallels between today’s energy landscape and offer insights into how global stakeholders can drive change to address the climate crises.In summary, how to turn couch potatoes into ironmen.   Laurent’s conclusion is that Davos is a perfect microcosm to capture CEOs’ Zeitgeist. And when you hear a global consensus, like 4 years ago on Net Zero and Climate and this year on AI… then it is probably time to SELL.  This event is part of the Davos Accredited Programme. Full video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIXafAbc1gc

2024 has been another exceptional year for the battery industry. We have invited Aaron Wade to discuss the various technological and economic aspects of this rapidly expanding universe. Aaron is a rising star in the battery world. Not only is a key member of the Volta Foundation, but he is also Business Development Lead at Gaussion, a U.K. start up that improves charging capacities in batteries.The Volta Foundation just released its monumental 516 pages report, covering industry, technology, research, government policy, standards. It is a must read for anybody in the industry.Link to the Volta Foundation report: https://volta.foundation/battery-report-2024With Aaron, we talk about the pivotal role of China, the evolution of the supply chain (do we have enough minerals? Spoiler Alert: Yes), the chemistries, the form factors, recycling and second life. We discuss industry consolidation among the leading suppliers. We dive into the rise of LFP, the divergence between EV and ESS industries, and the expected evolutions of technologies (sodium ion, solid state, semi solid state), Finally we debate about the prices of cells, packs and systems.A great conversation to assess the current state of play in this ultra dynamic sector.------------------------  Beside the Volta Foundation, the 2 must read reports which came out a few weeks agoEmber when it comes to Electricity European Electricity Review 2025Nat Bullard when it comes to Climate and Decarbonisationhttps://ember-energy.org/latest-insights/european-electricity-review-2025/https://www.nathanielbullard.com/presentationsAaron Wade is the Business Development Lead for Gaussion, enhancing battery performance through magneto-enhancement, and a project director for the Volta Foundation. He was previously the head of battery costs at CRU, helping clients understand the ever changing world of battery cost and technology. Aaron has a PhD from University College London, researching the degradation of battery chemistries using X-ray imaging.  Gaussion develop magnetic-enhancement components as a bolt-on for all batteries, unlocking faster charging and longer lifetimes. The solution is chemistry and form factor agnostic, and can result in up to 6x faster charging and up to 8x longer lifetimes.   

While Gerard Reid was at Davos, schmoozing with world leaders, Laurent Segalen was invited by Luca Pedretti on the Pexapark podcast. They had a conversation around where to invest in the Energy Transition. Laurent has designed a typology of possible investments from the least desirable to the essential. 1)      Aspirational2)      Shoehorn3)      Compliance4)      Profitable5)      SalvationLaurent describes his numerous investments and how this framework has helped him deliver consequential returns.

As the price of gas and LNG (Liquified Natural Gas) becomes a key factor for the value of the world’s energy, we have decided to bring in a top gas expert to explain where the market is and how is it going to evolve.Seb Kennedy is a leading market analyst and Founding Editor of Energy Flux (www.EnergyFlux.news), an independent newsletter that analyses global gas and LNG markets through the lens of Europe's energy transition.We review the numerous phases that the market has faced since the beginning of the decade, COVID, post COVID, Russia-Ukraine. We delve into the incredible expansion of US Exports capacity, with 8 terminals now operational and a forecasted growth of another 50% by the end of the decade.We analyse how the market is inherently volatile, which make long term investment difficult but still inside a band. If the LNG gets too high, then consumers will switch; if it gets too low, then some capacity will be shelved.  We focus on Qatar, the world’s lowest cost producer, which will continue to grow no matter what. Seb anticipates a surplus in the coming years with massive extra capacities coming on the market from USA and Qatar. But the role of Iran and Russia, which hold the largest reserves, remain a huge uncertainty. Europe’s attitude towards LNG is a complex web of contradictions, between decarbonisation, security and affordability of supply, and global geopolitics.  In conclusion, a strategic source of energy, but difficult to apprehend.

For the first episode of 2025, Gerard and Laurent have the pleasure of welcoming Shanu Mathew. Shanu is a Senior Vice President at Lazard Asset Management and Portfolio Manager/Analyst on US Sustainable Equity.  We are going to analyse the performance of “Cleantech” Equities throughout 2024 and discuss what to expect for 2025. Let’s be honest: 2024 was an annus horribilis for “Core” Cleantech with major indices (S&P Global Clean Energy Index) down 20%. But 2024 was also an exceptional year for “Periphery” (or adjacent) Cleantech with companies like Siemens Energy and GE Vernova being star performers.Why such a divergence between “Core” and “Periphery”? What fundamentals are sustaining such trends? Beside interest rates, political uncertainties, competition of China, there are some green shoots that certain segments have better captured than others.And of course, we are talking about load growth and the rise of datacenters. A rising tide lift all boats, and Core Cleantech having been so much slaughtered in recent years due to past excesses, we foresee a positive rebalancing in 2025.Overall, a very vast panorama of how the market values the future of the Energy Transition.

Happy new year to all our listeners. It has become a tradition for the first episode of the year: Gerard, Laurent and Michael present their 2025 Predictions in the Energy Transition.Here are the predictions that were made a year ago.1) Stellantis will outsource its EV production in China2) Politics: Elections in 2024 could derail the Energy Transition3) Oversupply of everything energy related – Prices are going down4) Stronger top-down governance of Transmission and Interconnection5) The return of Clean Energy shares6) China will gain massive international market in Wind and EVs  Winner for best predictions is Michael Barnard, and the loser is Laurent (as usual)  And here are our 6 predictions for 20251) Oil production down in the US in 20252) Oil prices will hit 40USD/bl in 20253) Geopolitics, stressed supply chains and Energy bonanza will bring a more innovative and better world4) A bloodbath for Hydrogen in the Transportation sector5) Record installation of Solar (700GW), EVs (20m) and Batteries (200GWh)6) The end of all financial products labelled ESG, Climate and Carbon  We wish all our listeners an excellent year 2025 and we love you all.