PODCAST · news
Power Plays
by Dr Charlotte Kirk and Lucy Shaw
Join us - Dr Charlotte Kirk and Lucy Shaw - as we dive into the tech, finance and politics powering the energy transition each week. We'll unpack what happened, why it matters, and what you need to know. With deep industry insights and unique insider knowledge, we'll keep you up to date with all the Power Plays.
Episodes
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Can America secure its renewable energy future without making it more expensive? With Oliver Badenhorst, VP at Solar Landscape
Recorded 25 August 2026. This week, we’re joined by Oliver Badenhorst, Vice President of Strategy and Business Operations at Solar Landscape. Drawing on his experience in commercial rooftop solar, energy strategy and US offshore wind, Ollie joins us in his personal capacity to discuss three major...
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Can Microreactors Deliver on the Nuclear Hype? With Guy Cohen from Currence
Recorded on 21 August 2026 with this week’s co-host, Guy Cohen, who leads clean-firm-power analysis at Currence. There have been 2 recent news stories in the micro-reactors: Valar Atomics raised a $1 billion Series B, while Antares announced a $370 million Series C. We examine why investors are...
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Can the world copy Australia's data centre & renewables policy, with Hamish McKenzie from the Grattan Institute
Recorded on 13 August in California / 14 August in Australia. Excited to have Hamish McKenzie as our co-host this week. He is Deputy Director of Climate Change and Energy at the Grattan Institute, and previously worked in the private sector and parliament. This week we focus on 3 stories shaping...
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How Battery Swapping Could Transform Electric Trucking, with Will Rowe, CEO of Swaptopus
Recorded 3 August 2026 This week, Charlotte and Lucy are joined by Will Rowe, Founder and CEO of Swaptopus, the joint venture between Octopus Energy Generation and CATL, building a battery-swapping network for electric HGVs across the UK and Europe. Story 1: Swaptopus & the future of electric...
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What Miatta Fahnbulleh means for UK energy, with Sulaiman Ilyas-Jarrett
Recorded on 29 July. We're excited to welcome our second-ever guest host—and our first-ever triumvirate recording. Joining Charlotte and Lucy is Sulaiman Ilyas-Jarrett, former government advisor at the UK Deparment for Energy, Head of Renewable Delivery Policy & Strategy at DESNZ, senior energy...
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Carbon Reimagined: eSAF Approval, On's Low-Carbon Running Shoes, CO₂ Electrolysis in India & Europe's €100 Billion Industrial Bet
Recorded 23rd July: First Charlotte explores how carbon is shifting from being viewed solely as a waste product to becoming a valuable industrial feedstock. From sustainable aviation fuel and captured-carbon running shoes to low-carbon chemicals and Europe's latest industrial policy, the episode...
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From heatwaves to hidden capacity: How extreme heat is reshaping the electricity grid
Recorded 12th July. This week we explore how extreme heat is reshaping electricity systems around the world, and why one of the biggest opportunities is improving how we use the infrastructure we already have. We begin by examining the record-breaking heatwaves across Europe, where soaring...
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Can AI heat your home instead of overloading the grid?
Recorded 30 June – We explore how engineering, software and market design are reshaping AI infrastructure and electricity systems. Charlotte examines three stories linked by a common theme: making existing infrastructure dramatically more productive. From NVIDIA's warm-water cooling technology…
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Will Burnham be good for UK energy policy? And how a US rule change could unlock distributed energy
Recorded 21st June. Lucy joins from a sweltering London, while Charlotte records from Lake Tahoe after racing the Broken Arrow Skyrace with The North Face team. We cover three stories spanning UK energy politics, FERC 2222, and rare-earth supply chains: Andy Burnham, Labour and the Future of UK...
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Part 2: Should the state intervene more in energy?
Recorded 14th June - Part 2: This episode was so packed that we’re releasing it in two parts, so we don’t have to cut any of the good bits. Here in Part 2, Lucy picks up the theme of state intervention in energy markets - looking at where governments are trying to shape, correct or accelerate the...
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Part 1: The Supply Chains Behind Nuclear Growth - From Critical Minerals Recovery to Uranium Enrichment, plus Energy Storage updates
Recorded 14th June: Charlotte and Lucy are both in the US this week - Charlotte in San Francisco and Lucy in Boston. This episode was so packed that we’re releasing it in two parts, so we don’t have to cut any of the good bits. Here in Part 1, Charlotte dives into the nuclear supply chain - not...
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Nyobolt's ultra-fast charging batteries, Antora's giant thermal battery, and Trump's attempted coal revival
Recorded 7th June. In this episode, we catch up after Charlotte’s set the record for the Fastest Known Time running the Camino de Santiago, and Lucy being elected as a local councillor. We then dive into four major energy stories spanning cutting-edge battery technologies, industrial...
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Trump's trip to China on rare earths, electricity market reforms in the US, and the evolving Chinese EV market
This week on Power Plays (recorded May 13th, 2026), we are joined by a guest co-host, Henry Sanderson, while Charlotte completes an epic run in Spain. Henry is the author of Volt Rush, former journalist at Bloomberg and the Financial Times, and fellow at RUSI and Oxford Institute for Energy...
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The Renewable Grid (DERs, VPPs, and the Grid Edge), plus the UK’s Cost Reduction Policies
Recorded 2nd May 2026: This week we explore the forces reshaping distribution level power systems, the UK's new energy policy announcements, and the progress of fossil fuel phase-out after a historic conference in Colombia. Part One: DERs, VPPs, and the Grid Edge Stories from Octopus Energy,...
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Heavy Industry and the Energy Transition: From Mining inputs and Coal, to Green Iron and Steel projects
Recorded 18th April 2026: This week we explore the forces reshaping heavy industry in the energy transition — from the role of of coal in global power systems to the rapidly evolving race to build low-carbon steel. In this episode: What the latest data says about global coal demand Why mining…
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Power Plays Live at Octopus HQ: Over-hyped, Under-hyped or Hyped-just right
Live from Octopus Energy HQ: Over-hyped, Under-hyped, or Hyped-Just-Right? Introducing the origin story of Power Plays and celebrating with a live audience event hosted by Octopus Energy in London. We gave the audience six recent talking points in energy and asked them to vote: over-hyped,...
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Secondary Energy Commodities: Refined Fuels, Fertilizers, Helium, and Sulphur, and the UK’s Energy Resilience Response
Recorded Sunday 15th March – In this episode we examine how the escalating Middle East conflict is moving beyond oil and gas headlines into the wider industrial systems that underpin the global economy. We focus on how disruption is transmitted through refined fuels, fertilizers, industrial gases...
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Energy Geopolitics: Global Market & Regional Trade Exposures, Foreign Exchange Pressures, and Crisis-Driven Electrification
Recorded Sunday 8th March – In this episode we examine the energy implications of the escalating Middle East conflict and the dynamics often missing from mainstream coverage. We explore how energy shocks move through global markets - from shipping insurance and LNG logistics to foreign exchange...
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Resilience: Google’s interconnection strategies, Form’s LDES commercialization, Iranian energy implications, and distributed battery benefits
Recorded on Monday 2nd March. We discuss the first energy market reactions to the escalating Middle East conflict and what it reveals about global supply chains. We also explore Google’s new data-centre energy strategy, Form Energy’s push to commercialise 100-hour batteries, and how distributed...
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Modernising the Grid: Solid-State Transformers, How coal is being co-opted for defence, and Space-Based Tech
Recorded 22 February 2026. Episode Discussion Points: Two solid-state transformer startups raised major funding this week Why transformers are a critical bottleneck in grid expansion and amidst modernisation pressures Differences between traditional iron-core transformers and solid-state...
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Critical Minerals: Microgrids, Rare-Earths, Copper recycling, and European Industrial Policy for Iron & Steel
Recorded 15th February. Delivering the energy transition increasingly depends on the inputs required: materials availability, processing capacity, & the industrial policy that determines what actually gets built. Rising demand for critical minerals is driving supply-security concerns, strategic...
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Deliverable Capacity: Flexibility, Storage, and the dark side of Data Centres Going Off-Grid
Recorded Feb 6th 2026. Access to electricity and speed to power remain defining challenges, but the deeper issue emerging is how to ensure deliverable capacity at the exact moment demand peaks, which is increasingly critical for grid reliability. With transmission projects often taking a decade,...
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Clean Firm Power: Geothermal matures, Fusion tests the market, and the UK's Warm Homes Plan
Recorded 30th January 2026. With AI, hyperscalers, and the broader ‘electrification of everything’ accelerating demand for clean, firm, and reliable power, capital markets are beginning to reopen to fund it. As speed-to-power becomes the decisive factor, strategy is moving upstream toward how...
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Repricing Electricity: Tech to Deliver AI infrastructure, and the UK's Renewable Auctions
Recorded Jan 16th 2026. Exponential demand growth and AI mean the 2026 conversation is shifting from simply ‘power and data centres' to who can actually build what and when, as clean, reliable electrons grow scarce. We track this shift through the week’s deal headlines, which show how electricity...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Join us - Dr Charlotte Kirk and Lucy Shaw - as we dive into the tech, finance and politics powering the energy transition each week.
We'll unpack what happened, why it matters, and what you need to know.
With deep industry insights and unique insider knowledge, we'll keep you up to date with all the Power Plays.
HOSTED BY
Dr Charlotte Kirk and Lucy Shaw
CATEGORIES
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Power Plays have?
Power Plays currently has 26 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Power Plays about?
Join us - Dr Charlotte Kirk and Lucy Shaw - as we dive into the tech, finance and politics powering the energy transition each week. We'll unpack what happened, why it matters, and what you need to know. With deep industry insights and unique insider knowledge, we'll keep you up to date with all...
How often does Power Plays release new episodes?
Power Plays has 26 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Power Plays?
You can listen to Power Plays on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Power Plays?
Power Plays is created and hosted by Dr Charlotte Kirk and Lucy Shaw.
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