In this episode, Dr. Aidan Rhodes, Research Fellow at Imperial College London and Energy Policy Briefing Papers Fellow at Energy Futures Lab, is joined by Tom Luff, Practice Manager at Energy Systems Catapult. Together, they explore the crucial role of consumers in shaping the transition to a net-zero energy system.

Topics covered:

• How consumer participation can drive Net Zero efforts
• The impact of flexibility measures like smart appliances, time-of-use tariffs, and renewable assets on energy costs
• Addressing equity, trust, and the needs of vulnerable consumers in the energy transition

Chapters & Timestamps

00:00 - Introduction and episode overview

01:10 - Meet the guests: Dr. Aidan Rhodes and Tom Luff

02:35 - Mission 2030: The UK’s ambitious Net Zero target

05:55 - Challenges and opportunities in decarbonizing the energy system

09:00 - Balancing supply and demand: Too much vs. not enough electricity

13:28 - Planning challenges: How do we bring communities along?

18:15 - Consumer participation: Why it’s essential for Net Zero

21:48 - Energy flexibility: Smart tariffs, EVs, and demand shifting

29:00 - The role of smart meters in energy transition

34:07 - Energy market reform and locational pricing

38:50 - Emerging business models: Peer-to-peer energy trading and energy-as-a-service

44:06 - Future outlook: The most exciting changes in the next five years

45:20 - Where to learn more

Tom’s links

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tom-luff-aa6aa279/?originalSubdomain=uk

Energy Systems Catapult

https://es.catapult.org.uk/

Aidan’s links

• Imperial profile: https://profiles.imperial.ac.uk/aidan.rhodes
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aidan-rhodes-06b16030/?originalSubdomain=uk

Produced by Jonny Prest

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonnyprest/

Additional links

ESME (Energy System Modelling Environment)

https://es.catapult.org.uk/tools-and-labs/our-national-net-zero-toolkit/energy-system-modelling-environment/

Living Lab

https://es.catapult.org.uk/tools-and-labs/living-lab/

Dunkelflaute

https://www.sunsave.energy/blog/dunkelflaute

Ofgem

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/

Octopus Agile

https://octopus.energy/smart/agile/