193. The Seven Deadly Sins of the Energy Transition
Redefining Energy1 Sep 2025

193. The Seven Deadly Sins of the Energy Transition

Three wise men met and discussed the Seven Sins of The Energy Transition. Laurent, Gerard and Michael dissect seven sectors that have captured attention, investments and public money and are at best dead ends, at worst disasters waiting to happen.
  1. Greed — “Subsidy Mining in a Lab Coat” (Carbon Capture & Direct Air Capture)
    A capital-intensive detour that soaks up public money while delivering trivial abatement at extreme cost, great PR for incumbents, weak climate math.
  2. Gluttony — “Three Kilowatt-Hours to Move One” (Hydrogen-for-Energy)
    An energy-wasting appetite: make H₂ with clean power, then throw most of that power away moving, compressing, liquefying, and reconverting it—useful only in narrow industrial niches.
  3. Sloth — “Always ‘On Time’ by 2040” (Small Modular Reactors)
    Perma-prototype promises that stay years late and dollars short while wind, solar, and storage deploy at scale now.
  4. Pride — “We Will Bottle the Sun” (Fusion Salvationism)
    Technological hubris as strategy: a captivating physics quest, but not a climate plan for the 2030s. Invest in science, don’t budget on miracles.
  5. Lust — “Drop-In Fantasies for Every Engine” (Biofuels-Everywhere)
    The seductive promise of pouring yesterday’s fuels into tomorrow’s problems; keep them for hard-to-electrify edges, not as a universal fix.
  6. Wrath — “Culture War at Sea” (America’s Offshore-Wind Own-Goals)
    Ideological backlash, litigation, and policy whiplash torch viable projects and local supply chains while the rest of the world builds.
  7. Envy — “Green Halo by Checkbox” (ESG Box-Ticking)
    Chasing ratings and labels instead of real-world decarbonization and cash-flow-relevant risk; better to separate E, S, and G and measure outcomes

Episoder(174)

175. Capitalizing on the Infrastructure giants’ Blind Spots - Apr25

175. Capitalizing on the Infrastructure giants’ Blind Spots - Apr25

Capitalizing on the Infrastructure giants’ Blind Spots: How can a specialised PE fund thrive under the new US Administration?The Energy Transition encompasses more than just power and AI. We have chos...

7 Apr 202529min

174. Live from Cambridge – Laurent and Gerard with Pr. David Cebon on Electrifying trucks

174. Live from Cambridge – Laurent and Gerard with Pr. David Cebon on Electrifying trucks

Early March, Gerard and Laurent were invited by the Cambridge University Energy Technology Society (CUETS) for a live session of Redefining Energy.In front of hundreds of attentive students, they had ...

31 Mar 202530min

173. The politization of Critical Materials - Mar25

173. The politization of Critical Materials - Mar25

The XXIst century economy will be powered by 'critical minerals' such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, and rare earths. China has spent the past 20 years building a dominant position across the supply chai...

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172. The new age of Energy Security, Flexibility, and Resilience (with Eurelectric)

172. The new age of Energy Security, Flexibility, and Resilience (with Eurelectric)

Laurent welcomes Kristian Ruby, Secretary General of Eurelectric, to discuss Energy Security, Resilience and Flexibility though the impact of E-Mobility.Energy Security has become a critical issue, es...

17 Mar 202524min

171. PPAs and Tolling: lessons for the future - Mar25

171. PPAs and Tolling: lessons for the future - Mar25

It has become a tradition to welcome Luca Pedretti, Co-Founder of Pexapark, to the show to discuss the evolving PPA market, especially now that Pexapark has released its annual State of the Market rep...

3 Mar 202526min

170. Why is the electricity Supercycle unstoppable? Gerard in Davos

170. Why is the electricity Supercycle unstoppable? Gerard in Davos

As urgent calls for climate change action continue, an energy supercycle is underway, driven by the increasing need for electrification and digitalization, particularly in high-growth sectors like AI ...

24 Feb 202526min

169. 2025 State of play in the battery universe - Feb25

169. 2025 State of play in the battery universe - Feb25

2024 has been another exceptional year for the battery industry. We have invited Aaron Wade to discuss the various technological and economic aspects of this rapidly expanding universe. Aaron is a ris...

17 Feb 202529min

168. "Invest where it hurts!" - Laurent at Pexapark

168. "Invest where it hurts!" - Laurent at Pexapark

While Gerard Reid was at Davos, schmoozing with world leaders, Laurent Segalen was invited by Luca Pedretti on the Pexapark podcast. They had a conversation around where to invest in the Energy Transi...

3 Feb 202517min

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