SAWEM: Can South Africa Build a Competitive Power Market? EP. 294

SAWEM: Can South Africa Build a Competitive Power Market? EP. 294

In this episode of Energy Unplugged, two of Aurora’s energy market experts, Dan Monzani, Managing Director for UK, Ireland and South Africa, and Caroline Still, Market Lead - South Africa, examine one of the most ambitious electricity market reform programmes underway anywhere in the world.  Their conversation examines South Africa’s transition from a vertically integrated, state-led power system towards a competitive wholesale electricity market, and what the launch of the South African Wholesale Electricity Market (SAWEM) could mean for investors, developers and consumers.  Dan and Caroline discuss how spot markets can improve transparency, strengthen investment signals and accelerate private participation in the power sector. They also explore the challenges that remain, from market design and vesting contracts to transmission buildout, coal retirements and maintaining regulatory momentum throughout the reform process.  The discussion highlights how South Africa’s energy transition reflects many of the challenges seen globally, balancing market liberalisation, infrastructure investment and security of supply, while creating new opportunities for renewables, battery storage and innovative power procurement models.  You will learn: * Why SAWEM represents a major milestone in South Africa’s electricity market reform journey  * How spot markets support price discovery, competition and investor confidence  * The key design questions around vesting contracts and market liquidity  * Long-term power price drivers, including demand growth, coal retirements, gas and transmission expansion  * The opportunities for batteries, aggregators and private capital in South Africa’s evolving power market

The Primary Energy Fallacy: Why Electrification Changes Everything, EP. 293

This week on Energy Unplugged, Richard Howard, Aurora Energy Research’s Global Research Director, is joined by Jan Rosenow, Energy Programme Lead, Jackson Senior Research Fellow and Professor of Energy & Climate Policy at Oxford University.  Drawing on his latest research, Jan explores the concept of the “primary energy fallacy” - the mistaken assumption that the clean energy transition requires replacing today’s fossil fuel energy inputs on a one-for-one basis with clean power. Richard and Jan discuss why this view overstates the scale of the challenge, and how electrification fundamentally changes the equation by delivering the same energy services with far less energy input.  The conversation examines how electrification is reshaping transport, buildings, and industry, why electric technologies are often dramatically more efficient than their fossil-fuel counterparts, and what this means for energy demand, system planning, and decarbonisation strategies. From electric vehicles and heat pumps to industrial process heat and thermal storage, the discussion explores the opportunities and barriers that will determine the pace of electrification over the coming decades.  You will learn about:  * Why the “primary energy fallacy” may be causing us to overestimate the scale of the energy transition.   * How electrification can deliver the same energy services with significantly less energy input.   * Why transport is electrifying rapidly, while buildings and industry continue to face economic and policy barriers.   * How technologies such as heat pumps, thermal batteries, and electric process heating are expanding the scope for electrification.   * What governments and energy markets need to do to make electricity the default choice across the economy.  For a deeper dive into the topic, read Jan Rosenow's accompanying article, "Is Electrification Happening Fast Enough?": Is electrification happening fast enough? - by Jan Rosenow [https://janrosenow.substack.com/p/is-electrification-happening-fast]

How Does Germany Fix Its Grid Congestion Problem? EP. 292

This week on the Energy Unplugged podcast, Casimir Lorenz, Managing Director for Central Europe at Aurora Energy Research, is joined by Aurélie Alemany, CEO of enercity, to explore one of the most pressing questions facing Germany's energy transition: how can the country solve its growing grid congestion challenge?  Aurélie became CEO of enercity in July 2024, taking over as Chair of the Board of Management of the Hanover-based energy company. She sees her most important task as advancing the digital energy transition across the Hanover region, Northern Germany and beyond. With more than 15 years of experience in the energy sector, she previously served as CEO of energy solutions provider SENEC and Managing Director of Yello Strom, alongside holding several senior leadership positions within the EnBW Group. Her experience spans renewable energy, battery storage, retail energy and grid operations, providing a uniquely broad perspective on the challenges facing Germany's evolving power system.  Recorded as Germany grapples with rising congestion costs, increasing renewable curtailment and mounting pressure to modernise its electricity market design, the conversation examines the competing approaches being proposed to manage grid constraints and deliver a more efficient energy system. Casimir and Aurélie discuss the role of flexibility, dynamic grid tariffs, regional pricing models and nodal pricing, as well as the practical and political challenges associated with reforming Europe's largest single-price-zone electricity market.  You will learn about:  * Why grid congestion has become one of Germany's most significant energy market challenges.   * The differences between dynamic grid tariffs, regional pricing zones and nodal pricing.   * How flexibility and battery storage can help reduce curtailment and improve grid efficiency.   * Why market design reforms could shape future investment decisions across Germany's energy sector.   * The technical, political and economic barriers to implementing more granular electricity pricing.

Designing Batteries for a Changing Grid, EP. 291

This week on Energy Unplugged, Joshua Margulies, Aurora’s Market Lead for France, is joined by Olivier Jacquemin, Head of Power Revenues at Amarenco, one of Europe’s leading independent power producers focused on solar PV and battery storage. With more than 20 years of experience across the energy sector, Olivier has played a key role in Amarenco’s expansion into the French battery storage market and brings firsthand insight into the operational and commercial realities of battery repowering.  The conversation explores why repowering is becoming an increasingly important part of battery investment strategy as developers adapt to evolving grid needs, changing ancillary service markets, and rapidly advancing battery technologies. Using Amarenco’s Claudia project as a case study, Joshua and Olivier discuss how flexibility, financing structures, and long-term optionality are reshaping the economics of battery storage across Europe.  You will learn about:  * Why battery repowering is becoming part of long-term project design.  * How evolving market structures are changing battery revenue models.  * The key technical and commercial challenges involved in upgrading battery assets.  * Why flexibility and partnership alignment are becoming critical for storage developers.

EP. 290 AI, Flexibility and the Rise of the Autonomous Grid

This week on the Energy Unplugged podcast, Richard Howard is joined by Devrim Celal, Chief Marketing & Flexibility Officer, Kraken to explore how flexibility, AI and distributed energy resources are reshaping the future of electricity systems.  Devrim oversees flexibility and product capabilities at Kraken, the cloud-based platform that optimizes and orchestrates distributed energy resources including EVs, batteries, heat pumps and renewable generation assets. Prior to Kraken, Devrim was CEO of Upside Energy, which was acquired by the company in 2020.  Recorded against the backdrop of rapidly accelerating electrification and growing grid constraints, the conversation explores how electricity systems are evolving from centrally managed networks into highly dynamic, data-driven platforms powered by millions of connected devices. Richard and Devrim discuss the growing importance of flexibility markets, low-voltage network visibility, interoperability standards and real-time optimization in enabling higher penetration of renewable energy while avoiding costly infrastructure upgrades.  The episode also examines the role of AI and automation in future grid operations, the balance between market-based incentives and regulatory intervention, and how increasingly granular data and intelligent orchestration could unlock significantly greater utilisation of existing network infrastructure. The discussion spans everything from virtual power plants and dynamic pricing to locational signals, consumer flexibility and the future role of autonomous “agentic” systems in electricity markets.  You will learn:  * Why distributed flexibility is becoming critical for renewable-heavy electricity systems.   * How AI and device-level data could transform the operation of electricity networks.   * Why low-voltage grid visibility is emerging as one of the industry’s biggest challenges.   * How virtual power plants and intelligent automation are reshaping grid operations.