As geopolitical tensions once again send shockwaves through global energy markets, the pressure to accelerate the energy transition has rarely been greater. In this episode of The smarter E Podcast, we explore how digital technologies and electrification are reshaping the energy system—and why smarter, more connected grids are becoming essential in navigating today’s crisis.
Our first guest, Simon Evans, Global Digital Energy and Digital Twin Leader at Arup, explains what digitalization really means for electricity networks. As renewables, rooftop solar, EVs, and distributed assets multiply across the grid, traditional operating models are becoming increasingly complex. Digital technologies, including improved data sharing to digital twins and machine learning, can help system operators manage this growing complexity. But as Evans argues, the biggest hurdles are not technical. Regulatory frameworks, trust between stakeholders, and new approaches to secure data exchange will ultimately determine how quickly digitalization can scale.
We also explore how smarter networks could unlock flexibility across the system like coordinating EV charging and distributed storage and reducing renewable curtailment. In some cases, digital tools could even help direct excess renewable generation toward households facing energy affordability challenges.
In the second half of the episode, Bloomberg climate reporter Akshat Rathi joins the podcast to unpack the geopolitical context behind today’s volatile energy markets. As disruptions to oil and gas supply chains push prices higher, governments are once again confronting energy security concerns. But unlike past crises, there is now a third option: accelerating electrification and renewable energy deployment.
From digital grids to geopolitics, this episode looks at how today’s energy shocks could reshape the power system and why smarter infrastructure may be key to building a more resilient, electrified energy future.
About The smarter E Podcast
The smarter E podcast is all about the current trends and developments in a renewable, decentralized and digital energy industry. Our host welcomes and interviews personalities who shape our industry and drive developments forward. A new episode is published bi-weekly on Thursdays.
Simon Evans is the Global Digital Twin Leader and Global Digital Energy Leader at Arup, a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, and chairs the Gemini Call for the Centre for Digital Built Britain (CDBB) National Digital Twin program.
Akshat Rathi is an award-winning senior climate reporter for Bloomberg News and a recognized authority on the energy transition, known for his work in journalism, his podcasting, and his authored books. He is best known for exploring how climate change is reshaping the world and for promoting the concept of "Climate Capitalism".