Ep 3 | Can We Meet Rising Energy Demand?

In this episode of Energy Transition Talk, we explore the broader topic of energy supply and demand.

Justine and Paulina start by speaking with Dr. Don Paul, an engineering professor at USC and Executive Director of the USC Energy Institute. They talk about energy demand and supply trends globally and in California, what it takes to fully electrify our power grid, the impact of renewable energy on energy prices, the implications of the Russia-Ukraine war and the COVID-19 pandemic for the global energy ecosystem and energy security, the role of intelligent energy, and the behavioral changes that we as a society will be challenged to make in a changing energy landscape.

Jim then speaks with Dr. Junyi Lv, a Postdoctoral Fellow for the Center for the Study of Contemporary China at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Lv describes her comparative study of two communities in eastern Kentucky and northern China whose economies have focused on coal. She explains the challenges that both communities are facing but also the ways they are building resilience as they transition away from their coal-dominated past, and concludes by commenting on the opportunities for cross-collaboration among local communities.

2:12 Interview with Dr. Paul

37:29 Interview with Dr. Lv

1:00:04 Concluding Remarks

Don’t forget to subscribe to our podcast so you can automatically get access to our new episodes – you can find us on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. And we would appreciate it so much if you could leave a rating and review. Special thanks to our guests for today and Abhi, our technical guru, for their important contributions to today’s episode. This podcast is sponsored by the USC Ershaghi Center for Energy Transition.

Disclaimer: The views, information, or opinions expressed during the Energy Transition Talk series are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of the Ershaghi Center for Energy Transition (E-CET) or the producers of this podcast.

Additional Resources:

• IEA: “Where things stand in the global energy crisis one year on,” Feb 2023

• IEA 2022 World Energy Outlook, Executive Summary

• World Nuclear Association, “Where does our electricity come from?”

• Brookings Institution, “Why are fossil fuels so hard to quit?”, June 2020