GridCrux is a technology and power infrastrucure company that develops, engineers, finances and deploys alternative energy solutions to the unserved and underserved segments of the African continent. The company's solutions leverage existing technology, primarily multiple energy management systems, as a means of delivering optimized energy solution…

Odyssey's mission is to accelerate the clean energy transition in emerging markets. The Odyssey platform connects financiers, solar companies and equipment suppliers in one place to facilitate transactions, streamline processes and scale investment into distributed renewable energy. Financiers use Odyssey to source and manage deals, solar companies…

Founded in 2010, Persistent Energy is Africa’s Climate Venture Builder and a leading investor. The company provides essential support including finance, strategic guidance, governance, technical and legal expertise to early-stage companies committed to creating sustainable impact. They have developed and deployed an interesting venture building mod…

In the eighth and final episode of the Distributed Energy For People & The Planet series, we are joined by Henok Assefa - Founder and Managing Partner at PRECISE, and Dr. Paul Yillia - COO and Technical Advisor, TENN to find out how policy design and finance go hand-hand in ensuring that farmers in rural communities can afford their energy needs fo…

In the seventh episode of the Distributed Energy For People & The Planet series, we are joined by Anshul Ojha - Founder and Principal anchor for the Desert Resource Center, and Ralph Roothaert - Principal Investigator of – Veggies 4 Planet & People (V4P&P) Project and Country Director – of Kenya Eastern and Southern Africa. This series is hosted by…

In this episode, we discuss the intricacies of the landmark $10M partnership between Crossboundary Access (CBA) and Mobile Power–a partnership that promises to unlock energy access for over 300,000 people within Nigeria. CrossBoundary is an investment firm focused on unlocking capital for sustainable growth and strong returns in underserved markets…

In the sixth episode of the Distributed Energy For People & The Planet series, we are joined by Nirmita Chandrashekar a licensed architect and Senior Program Manager with SELCO Foundation in India, and Bijal Brahmbatt from the Mahila Housing Trust or MHT, a non-profit that was selected as a Women Changemakers India Fellow by Womanity Foundation. In…

In the fifth episode of the Distributed Energy For People & The Planet series, we continue our conversation from the last episode of the series joined by Shweta Narayan from the India-based NGO "Health Care Without Harm", and Shri Ram Kumar S, IAS - Project Director of the Meghalaya Health Systems Strengthening Project (MEGHSSP). This series is hos…

Donor-funded catalytic capital has been an integral part of the growth of the off-grid energy sector in Sub-Saharan Africa by de-risking new technologies and business models. David Arinze joins us in this episode to discuss the ecosystem impact and growth of projects funded by catalytic capital and how it is allowing organizations to scale enough t…

In the fourth episode of the Distributed Energy For People & The Planet series, we are joined by Rachita Misra - Associate Director of Knowledge and Advocacy with SELCO Foundation in India, and Heather Adair-Rohani - Acting Head of Air Quality, Energy and Health at the World Health Organization (WHO) to discuss the energy and health nexus. Focusing…

In the third episode of the Distributed Energy For People & The Planet series, we are joined by Supriya Gowda - Project Manager of Agriculture for the SELCO Foundation, and Makena Ireri - former Director of Clean Energy Access Research at CLASP to discuss distributed energy for agriculture in the Global South, focusing on small-hold farmers in Indi…

In the second episode of the Distributed Energy For People & The Planet series, we are joined by Ganesh Neelam-Director of Collectives for Integrated Livelihood Initiatives (CInI) and Huda Jaffer-Director of SELCO Foundation to discuss how improving access to clean affordable energy and energy efficient equipment & services is critical for small an…

In the first episode of the Distributed Energy For People & The Planet series, we are joined by Harish Hande: founder of SELCO Foundation, and Gauri Singh: Deputy Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) to discuss the important role that policy and innovation plays in ensuring equitable outcomes in the push towards SDG…

CrossBoundary is an investment firm focused on unlocking capital for sustainable growth and strong returns in underserved markets. Identifying Africa as one of the critically underserved markets a decade ago, CrossBoundary began its operations on the continent as an investment advisory for businesses and projects. A few years later, the firm identi…

In 2019, Eric Steinberger acted upon the frustrations he encountered when searching for digestible, entry-point resources on climate change and its solutions. Together with Isabel Key, he founded ClimateScience--a platform that took its first steps on Instagram. A couple of months after launch, the ClimateScience page went from a few hundred follow…

Green steel is metal manufactured using a hybrid process powered by hydrogen, as opposed to fossil fuels. Mainstream adoption of green steel could be as far as 2026 and will significantly decarbonize heavy industries. Niklas Wahlberg, Vice-President of Societal Changes and Solutions at the Volvo Group, joins us this week to discuss the development …

Uli Lehr, Head of Socio-Economics at the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), joins us this week to discuss the human costs of decarbonizing heavy industries and the role governments and multi-national organizations need to play in the push for a just and equitable transition in the industry sector. Recommended Reading World Energy Transi…

Building low-carbon infrastructure and enabling industries to support their growth is becoming increasingly challenging. Lagos Deep Offshore Logistics Base (LADOL), a free trade zone in Nigeria with a world-class integrated logistics base, is at the center of this challenge in West Africa. In this episode we're joined by Dr. Amy Jadesimi, LADOL's C…

Saralyn Thomas & Miguel Trenkel-Lopez, members of the Nuclear Institute's Young Generation Network, join us to discuss the role of nuclear energy in the energy transition and their plans for COP26 (United Nations Climate Change Conference) in Glasgow, Scotland this November. _ Learn more about Net Zero Needs Nuclear Connect with Saralyn & Miguel on…

Heavy industries are responsible for about a quarter of the world's greenhouse gas emissions and re-imagining of the physical infrastructure of energy is the challenge that Kanin Energy aims to solve through its 'hardware-as-a-service' business model. Janice Tran, CEO of Kanin Energy, joins us to discuss the challenges and opportunities her company…

Enabling economic growth and development through access to energy is at the heart of Em-One Energy Solutions' work. Since it was founded, Em-One has electrified rural healthcare centers and communities, government offices, schools, and much more. Mir S. Islam, CEO at Em-One, joins us this week to discuss their most recent project: a 1.5 MW / 2.28 M…

Afnan is the CEO of Okra Solar, which aims to unlock the potential of villages and microentrepreneurs with Internet-of-Things controlled smart microgrids. While other companies looked to ride out the pandemic conservatively, Afnan took a 3 week trip to Nigeria to partner with local companies and attract investments to Okra. Recommended Reading Schn…

Oolu Solar raised an $8.5 million Series B funding round in 2020 led by RP Global and including All On, Doseke Akporiaye is leading their expansion into Nigeria. Recommended Reading West African solar startup secures $8.5-million RP Global And OOLU Solar Partner To Launch Westa.Solar, A New Commercial & Industrial Solar Venture In West Africa Guest…

Arnergy and Auxano Solar have raised a combined total of $10.5 million in funding to build renewable businesses. In this episode, we speak to the founders of the 2 companies to understand the unique challenges of building and scaling renewable energy businesses in Africa. Femi Adeyemo is the Founder and CEO of Arnergy, in June 2019 the company rais…

For every two hours, staying by a kerosene lantern is the equivalent of smoking two packs of cigarettes. When Habiba discovered this fact, she searched for solutions to solving the problem of indoor air pollution. That search led her to start Sosai Renewable Energies, which provides clean cooking stoves, mini-grids, and solar home systems to rural …

With about 80 million Nigerians completely off-grid and another 40 million with less than four hours of power a day the estimated cost to fix Nigeria's power problems today is $200 billion. This week we're joined by Dr. Wiebe Boer, CEO of All On - an impact investing firm that was founded and funded by Shell, focused on Nigeria's off-grid energy se…

"Achieving universal access to electricity by 2030 is estimated to require an investment of USD 187 billion (EUR 163bn) in mini-grids globally, and sub-Saharan Africa is the main destination." Humphrey Wireko, Associate Principal at CrossBoundary - an investment firm focused on unlocking capital in underserved markets - joins us this week to discus…

Hydrogen's role in the energy transition has gained popularity as new use cases (and markets) open up, but concerns around distribution and storage have affected its real-world applications. Jared Moore joins us this week to discuss the potential for the hydrogen economy and the challenges it faces. Hydrogen is an energy carrier, not an energy sour…

Careers in energy along with other industries have many challenges, this week we speak with Mervin Azeta who started her career as a field engineer at Schlumberger. A highly technical field that has very low female participation. Support Indian organizations working on Covid relief (Special thanks to Isha Kulkarni for help putting together this lis…

The job market has never been so competitive and the energy sector is no exception, how can you stand out in an ever-growing pool of applicants? Dr. Amanda Rico is a career expert that specializes in helping experienced oil and gas workers transition into other sectors, mostly renewables and tech. She joins us this week to share advice and best pra…

Sustainable Development Goal 7 is one of 17 Sustainable Development Goals that aims to "Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for all" by 2030. About 800 million people worldwide do not have access to energy, the majority of which live in Sub-Saharan African countries. With a rapidly growing population and a huge fin…

Energy is a vital part of our lives but most times appears invisible to us, in large parts because we are disconnected from the key infrastructures and processes that are responsible for generating energy and delivering it to our home. Dr. Aimee Ambrose joins us this week to explain how the concept of 'energy invisibility' inspired her research int…

The Global Youth Energy Outlook (GYEO) is an initiative from Student Energy, this week we are joined by two of the program's regional coordinators to discuss the aim of the initiative and how you can get involved. Paola Flores Carvajal is from Bolivia and currently serving as the regional coordinator for Latin America, and her colleague Syed Faisal…

Jim joins us this week to discuss the role oil & gas companies will play in the energy transition, and how this will affect the workforce especially young people as large companies race to decarbonize and digitize their global operations. We are organizing a Q&A session as a follow-up to this episode, where you can ask Jim (or other Bain experts) y…

The Rhodes Scholarship is one of the most competitive international postgraduate awards for students to study at the University of Oxford. Joining us this week is Godwin Nwangele who will share his story of being awarded the scholarship after a last-minute submission and how he started a renewable company prior to this award while in the final year…

Generation 2050 is an initiative by the Energy Institute that aims to create space for young professionals in the energy sector to call for governments and energy leaders to take more decisive action on both universal energy access and climate change mitigation. This week, Sinéad Obeng - Chair of the Energy's Institute Young Professional Council an…

Lack of access to clean cooking disproportionately affects women in developing countries, aside from emission - use of biomass fuels in enclosed spaces have been tied to adverse health effects. Joining us this week to guide us through the conversation about clean cooking and its real-world effects is Raffaella Bellanca, she will provide us with the…

Jigar Shah joins us this week to discuss renewable energy being "the largest wealth creation opportunity of our lifetime", and it's role in delivering sustainable energy generation to billions of people. Jigar guides us through a conversation about challenges in the industry and models for financing renewable energy projects around the world. Jigar…

Nigeria's oil and gas reserves have contributed to it being Africa's largest economy, but how will the economy fare in the context of a global energy transition and an international push away from fossil fuels. In this episode, we discuss developments in Nigeria's on-grid energy sector which is still reliant on fossil fuels (natural gas), and the e…

Congratulations on making it past 2020 and thank you for all your support, we are looking forward to sharing more stories and growing this platform with your help. New podcast episode going live tomorrow (14th January 2021). The Energy Talk Team. Support us on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/theenergytalk Subscribe to our Newsletter: https://mailc…

Lithium-ion batteries are used in tech gadgets and electric vehicles, but the high cost of lithium extraction and ambiguous mining practices for several key components has led the industry to look for alternative technologies for energy storage. James Quinn is the CEO of Faradion and guides us this week through a conversation about energy storage. …

As of December 6, 2020, over 9,279 fires have burned 4,359,517 acres, more than 4% of California's roughly 100 million acres of land, making 2020 the largest wildfire season recorded in California's modern history. This has also led to large-scale power shutoffs. Shawn Adderly, Chief of Staff & Principal Program Manager at Pacific Gas & Electric co…

The Middle East has a long history with the energy sector, with many countries in the region benefitting from the prosperity in the oil and gas sector for decades - but how will the rapid growth of the region cope with the energy transition? This week, Colman Hands joins us to discuss the country of Qatar and how it is positioning itself with its n…

The Middle East has a long history with the energy sector, with many countries in the region benefitting from the prosperity in the oil and gas sector for decades - but how will the rapid growth of the region cope with the energy transition? This week, Sudharsan Sarathy joins us to discuss the implications that policy and investments in alternative…

Thank you for supporting us this far, we look forward to 50 more and beyond! In this episode: Olu, Jennifer, and Oghosa run through our first 4 episodes of season 3 and our Campfire series that ran through the summer. Reflecting on what we learned and stories that have inspired us. We also announce the start of our fundraising drive, we have adapte…

Global oil prices have been pushed under $40 per barrel over the last few months in large parts due to the pandemic, this will have lasting impacts on the industry and would potentially take years to rebound. Fraser Cowie is the Eastern Hemisphere Sales Manager at Gyrodata, he joins us this week to discuss how the pandemic is affecting the oil and …

Monika is the Founder & Managing Director of Energy Dialogues, a platform that unites the energy industry through dialogues and serves as inspiration for our podcast. This week, Monika guides as we explore how conversations around energy have evolved over the years as a direct result of climate change and the energy transition, and what this would …

Nuclear energy produces clean electricity, but why isn't it considered as a main energy generation source to address climate change? Matthew and Amanda join us this week to answer our questions and discuss the role of nuclear in the energy transition. They are both active members of NAYGN (North America Young Generation in Nuclear). NAYGN provides …

This is part 2 of a 2 part series. A Japanese bulk carrier ran aground on coral reefs of Mauritius on 25 July 2020. The ship began to leak fuel oil (nearly 4000 tonnes) in the following weeks. Our guest this week is Yuvan Beejadhur, a blue economy expert who has worked with the UN and the World Bank. Yuvan is also a Mauritian, and in this episode, …

A Japanese bulk carrier ran aground on coral reefs of Mauritius on 25 July 2020. The ship began to leak fuel oil (nearly 4000 tonnes) in the following weeks. Welcome to the first episode of season 3. Our guest this week is Yuvan Beejadhur, a blue economy expert who has worked with the UN and the World Bank. Yuvan is also a Mauritian, and in this ep…