Why the Energy Transition is Still an Electricity Turnaround Worldwide

The smarter E Podcast Episode 28 | November 26, 2020

The expansion of renewable energies in the electricity sector is progressing worldwide. However, according to a report by the international network for renewable energies of the 21st century (REN 21) little progress is still being made in the heat and transport sectors.

In the latest episode of The smarter E Podcast, CEO Rana Adib talks about why, if you look at the numbers, the world wide energy transition, effectively is only an electricity turnaround, what role economic stimulus packages play to improve this situation and if hydrogen is the or only one solution.

The smarter E podcast is all about the current trends and developments in a renewable, decentralized and digital energy industry. Our moderators Tobias Bücklein and Zackes Brustik welcome and interview personalities who shape our industry and drive developments forward. A new episode is published every Thursday.

Click on the logo to listen to the podcast on the platform of your choice.

Rana Adib, Executive Director of REN21

Rana Adib is the Executive Director of REN21. REN21 is a global public-private multi-stakeholder network on renewable energy headquartered at the United Nations Environment Programme in Paris/France. Before Rana worked in private industry and applied research to continuously advance sustainable development and address climate change.

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Off-grid solar systems are often the least expensive option for rural electrification. Solar home systems can power individual households, while mini-grids can supply entire villages. Each comes with its own advantages, disadvantages, and challenges. The aim of this session is to explore challenges as well as success stories. It takes well-functioning components such as battery systems, charge management and inverters to make projects successful. Proper system sizing, maintenance and repair management, as well as a robust financial concept are also necessary. If one of these elements is missing, the electrification will not be sustainable. This session will focus on the aspects mentioned above. The speakers will present successful and unsuccessful approaches and discuss what can be learned from them.

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Discover how next-gen distribution grid technologies are addressing the challenges of renewable integration and dynamic energy demands. This session offers insights into the latest developments in AI-driven data analytics and the transformative role of IoT in grid management.

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Photovoltaic prices have fallen continuously in recent years - a trend that should translate into a growing market for off-grid solutions. Declining costs are crucial for rural electrification in particular, making sustainable energy supply economically viable in remote regions. However, so far many of these price advantages have not yet reached the people that need them most. Do existing framework conditions to foster rural electrification still work in this new market reality? Which measures are needed to ensure that cost reductions reach our target group? This session discusses strategies for improving the availability of low-cost off-grid solutions, financing and innovative business models. A look at successful practical examples shows which political, economic and technological levers need to be pulled to make off-grid PV accessible on a large scale.

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