Summary: Whose job is it to lead the energy transition?<br> <br> In previous episodes, we’ve talked about <a href="https://xenetwork.org/ets/episodes/episode-105-can-competition-decarbonize-electricity/">how markets can guide the transition</a>, especially after <a href="https://xenetwork.org/ets/episodes/episode-90-how-will-decarbonized-power-markets-work/">targeted reforms</a>. We’ve considered the <a href="https://xenetwork.org/ets/episodes/episode-43-legal-challenges-of-purpa/">role of regulators</a>, and the <a href="https://xenetwork.org/ets/episodes/episode-198-the-coal-trap/">problems</a> of <a href="https://xenetwork.org/ets/episodes/episode-73-regulatory-capture/">regulatory capture</a> and <a href="https://xenetwork.org/ets/episodes/episode-177-utility-corruption/">corruption</a>. We’ve asked how <a href="https://xenetwork.org/ets/episodes/episode-175-community-support-and-opposition/">local community leaders</a> and <a href="https://xenetwork.org/ets/episodes/episode-164-political-economy-of-energy-transitions/">elected officials</a> can lead the energy transition from the <a href="https://xenetwork.org/ets/episodes/episode-94-integrated-decentralized-power-systems/">bottom up</a>, and conversely, how local activists can <a href="https://xenetwork.org/ets/episodes/episode-50-siting-long-distance-transmission-lines/">hinder</a> and <a href="https://xenetwork.org/ets/episodes/episode-98-why-building-transmission-is-so-hard/">undermine</a> the energy transition. We’ve also looked at the <a href="https://xenetwork.org/ets/episodes/episode-137-energy-and-climate-in-the-biden-administration/">role of governments</a>, particularly <a href="https://xenetwork.org/ets/episodes/episode-181-command-capitalism/">where no one else seems able</a> to meet a particular challenge, or where that challenge <a href="https://xenetwork.org/ets/episodes/episode-185-designing-the-mid-transition/">isn’t really anyone’s responsibility</a>.<br> <br> In this episode, we try to knit together these disparate threads with veteran regulator Audrey Zibelman, who has held senior roles at both utilities and regulatory bodies for more than 30 years. Audrey shares some deep thoughts about why regulators and governments will have to play much more creative, courageous, and ambitious roles in the future to contend with the challenges of the energy transition.
