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)

151. Peak Fossil Fuels - Sep24

151. Peak Fossil Fuels - Sep24

ExxonMobil forecasts 2050 Oil demand be the same as today. We believe that they are just “talking their books.”To discuss the future of the Energy system as well as the fight against Climate Change, w...

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150. The new Valuation of Wind Assets

150. The new Valuation of Wind Assets

As Europe has reached 270GW wind power (vs 150GW USA), corresponding to a value of 500bnEUR, we dig into the value of those assets. Gerard being out, Laurent brought his friend Mortimer Menzel, Managi...

16 Sep 202413min

149. Hydropower in a 24/7 Clean Energy System - Sep24

149. Hydropower in a 24/7 Clean Energy System - Sep24

As wind and solar become ubiquitous, the value of hydropower goes up. Hydropower is becoming the ultimate clean energy, as it is flexible and easily dispatchable.Hydropower is concentrated in certain ...

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148. Batteries: the Great Consolidation

148. Batteries: the Great Consolidation

“Summer has come and passed / The innocent can never last / Wake me up when September ends”. Like John Wick, Laurent thinks he is back.So we have a very energetic Minutes to start September. With Gera...

2 Sep 202412min

147. Decarbonising buildings - Aug24

147. Decarbonising buildings - Aug24

How to decarbonise buildings? That’s an important topic because that sector accounts for 37% of all emissions, making it one of the three pillars of decarbonisation next to electricity generation and ...

26 Aug 202431min

146. NREL: “Our Renewable Energy Future” - Aug24

146. NREL: “Our Renewable Energy Future” - Aug24

A special interview with one of the great minds of the Energy Transition. Dr. Doug Arent is the Executive Director of Strategic Public– Private Partnerships at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory...

19 Aug 202431min

145. Clash of Titans (Barnard vs Martin) – Industrial Heat Redefined

145. Clash of Titans (Barnard vs Martin) – Industrial Heat Redefined

During Summer season, we bring you back the best of our sister show, Redefining Energy TECH, where host Michael Barnard invites Paul Martin for a very long and geekie conversation about innovative sol...

12 Aug 20241h 29min

144. Bill Gates and Energy (2/2) – the Investments / Breakthrough Energy Ventures

144. Bill Gates and Energy (2/2) – the Investments / Breakthrough Energy Ventures

In episode 143, Gerard, Laurent and Michael have discussed the philosophy of Bill Gates when it comes to the Energy Transition, and the root causes of his flawed thesis. Let see now if this transpires...

4 Aug 202418min

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