PODCAST: The energy transition in the Middle East, VPPs in Italy and coal’s diminishing status

January 20, 2020
LinkedIn
Twitter
Reddit
Facebook
Email
Image: Scatec Solar.

In today’s episode, ESN’s Andy Colthorpe and Liam Stoker explore the way grids are changing in the Middle East to accommodate clean energy, the role virtual power plants are playing in Italy, and the contrasting role coal is playing in Germany and bush fire-stricken Australia.

The podcast can be streamed below:

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Try Premium for just $1

  • Full premium access for the first month at only $1
  • Converts to an annual rate after 30 days unless cancelled
  • Cancel anytime during the trial period

Premium Benefits

  • Expert industry analysis and interviews
  • Digital access to PV Tech Power journal
  • Exclusive event discounts

Or get the full Premium subscription right away

Or continue reading this article for free

Alternatively, you can subscribe and listen to the podcast on the Solar Media Editor’s Channel, which is now on all popular audio channels, including;

17 March 2026
Sydney, Australia
As we move into 2026, Australia is seeing real movement in emerging as a global ‘green’ superpower, with energy storage at the heart of this. This Summit will explore in-depth the ‘exponential growth of a unique market’, providing a meeting place for investors and developers’ appetite to do business. The second edition will shine a greater spotlight on behind-the-meter developments, with the distribution network being responsible for a large capacity of total energy storage in Australia. Understanding connection issues, the urgency of transitioning to net zero, optimal financial structures, and the industry developments in 2026 and beyond.

Read Next

Premium
February 27, 2026
We caught up with the CEO of owner-operator BW ESS, Erik Strømsø, about the firm’s next deployment plans, tolling trends, procurement and LDES, with its 11.5-hour Bannaby BESS in Australia further proof of lithium-ion’s long-duration potential.
February 26, 2026
The US Department of Energy (DOE) has closed a US$26.5 billion loan package to two wholly owned subsidiaries of utility Southern Company, in Georgia and Alabama, US.
February 26, 2026
Large-scale renewable energy power plant developers in the Philippines have been instructed to integrate energy storage into their proposed facilities.
February 26, 2026
MGA Thermal has secured AU$3.25 million in funding from ARENA to conduct up to five FEED studies for its thermal energy storage technology.
February 25, 2026
Experts at the ongoing Energy Storage Summit 2026 have cautioned against treating co-located storage as a “silver bullet” to prop up commercially underperforming solar assets.