Skip to content
Sign inOpen the app
Artwork for Cleaning Up: Leadership in an Age of Climate Change
Cleaning Up: Leadership in an Age of Climate Change · July 29 · 1 hr 8 min

The Crisis Forcing An Energy Revolution | Ep268: Jonathan Maxwell

The UK is heavily exposed to global energy markets and has some of the highest electricity prices in Europe. At the same time, vast amounts of heat generated across industry and infrastructure go unused. Whether it should be called "waste" is a matter of debate, but could making better use of the energy we already produce be one of the biggest untapped opportunities in the energy transition? This week, Michael Liebreich is joined by Jonathan Maxwell, founder and CEO of SDCL, a specialist investment firm focused on energy efficiency. They explore why energy efficiency should be treated as a strategic resource, why “waste” heat could become one of Europe's most overlooked energy resources, and how Europe and the UK can strengthen its energy resilience following renewed tensions in the Strait of Hormuz. They discuss the economics of gas versus electricity, the rapid growth of AI-driven data centres and their power requirements, and how long-term infrastructure investment can help build a more resilient, affordable and efficient energy system. Topics covered in this episode: The Strait of Hormuz and Europe's energy security The UK's energy system and the cost of electrification Gas versus electricity pricing Debating “waste” heat and energy efficiency AI, data centres and growing power demand Powering and cooling next-generation infrastructure Infrastructure investment and portfolio management Europe's energy transition beyond the AI boom Leadership Circle: Cleaning Up is proud to be supported by its Leadership Circle. The members are Actis, Alcazar Energy, Arup, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, Cygnum Capital, Davidson Kempner, EcoPragma Capital, EDP, Eurelectric, the Gilardini Foundation, KKR, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, National Grid, Octopus Energy, Quadrature Climate Foundation, Schneider Electric, SDCL and Wärtsilä. For more information about the Leadership Circle, visit cleaningup.live Links: Jonathan Maxwell’s bio: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathan-maxwell-a121a533/ Jonathan on Cleaning Up 2024: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vN2YWPqBPHk Jonathan on Cleaning Up 2023: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OTbyOxYUpg Jonathan on Cleaning Up 2020: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wqrtr2lePM8 Jonathan’s substack: https://jonathanmaxwell.substack.com/ The Edge by Jonathan Maxwell: https://the-edge-book.com/product/the-edge-by-jonathan-maxwell/ SDCL: https://www.sdclgroup.com/ Ed Conway on Cleaning Up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhvEExdYeEU Robert Dunn on Cleaning Up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juAyLAUmU3w Subscribe to our newsletter: https://cleaninguppod.substack.com/ Acronyms: LNG: Liquified Natural Gas JCPOA: Joint and Comprehensive Plan of Action CHP: Combined Heat and Power PUE: Power Usage Effectiveness CCHP: Combined Cooling Heat and Power EBITDA: Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation Chapters: 00:00 - Europe's Energy Security 05:11 - Strait of Hormuz Impact 15:39 - Electrifying the UK 23:14 - Gas vs Electricity 28:56 - Waste Heat Debate 32:14 - Powering Data Centres 42:20 - AI Investment 46:42 - Cooling Data Centres 52:16 - Managing Energy Assets 01:06:47 - Outro

0:00-1:08:56
Play in podnod

transcript

No transcript — this publisher did not publish one.

show notes

The UK is heavily exposed to global energy markets and has some of the highest electricity prices in Europe. At the same time, vast amounts of heat generated across industry and infrastructure go unused. Whether it should be called "waste" is a matter of debate, but could making better use of the energy we already produce be one of the biggest untapped opportunities in the energy transition?

This week, Michael Liebreich is joined by Jonathan Maxwell, founder and CEO of SDCL, a specialist investment firm focused on energy efficiency. They explore why energy efficiency should be treated as a strategic resource, why “waste” heat could become one of Europe's most overlooked energy resources, and how Europe and the UK can strengthen its energy resilience following renewed tensions in the Strait of Hormuz.  

They discuss the economics of gas versus electricity, the rapid growth of AI-driven data centres and their power requirements, and how long-term infrastructure investment can help build a more resilient, affordable and efficient energy system.

Topics covered in this episode:

  • The Strait of Hormuz and Europe's energy security
  • The UK's energy system and the cost of electrification
  • Gas versus electricity pricing
  • Debating “waste” heat and energy efficiency
  • AI, data centres and growing power demand
  • Powering and cooling next-generation infrastructure
  • Infrastructure investment and portfolio management
  • Europe's energy transition beyond the AI boom

Leadership Circle:

Cleaning Up is proud to be supported by its Leadership Circle. The members are Actis, Alcazar Energy, Arup, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, Cygnum Capital, Davidson Kempner, EcoPragma Capital, EDP, Eurelectric, the Gilardini Foundation, KKR, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, National Grid, Octopus Energy, Quadrature Climate Foundation, Schneider Electric, SDCL and Wärtsilä. For more information about the Leadership Circle, visit cleaningup.live

Links:

Acronyms:

  • LNG: Liquified Natural Gas
  • JCPOA: Joint and Comprehensive Plan of Action
  • CHP: Combined Heat and Power
  • PUE: Power Usage Effectiveness
  • CCHP: Combined Cooling Heat and Power
  • EBITDA: Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation

Chapters:

  • 00:00 - Europe's Energy Security
  • 05:11 - Strait of Hormuz Impact
  • 15:39 - Electrifying the UK
  • 23:14 - Gas vs Electricity
  • 28:56 - Waste Heat Debate
  • 32:14 - Powering Data Centres
  • 42:20 - AI Investment
  • 46:42 - Cooling Data Centres
  • 52:16 - Managing Energy Assets
  • 01:06:47 - Outro
links10

more episodes

All episodes