Where are we at with the renewable energy transition? How can we accelerate it? What is the impact of the current energy crisis? And what are the social and economic implications of the transition? Join this seminar to learn about these questions and more.

The energy sector today is dominated by fossil fuels, making it the largest source of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions around the world, accounting for 73% of them. To address this, we need to shift to renewable energy sources including solar, wind, and hydropower. This transition has the opportunity to not only address the climate crisis, but also to create new jobs and harvest social and health benefits.

Dzhordzhio Naldzhiev

Dzhordzhio Naldzhiev is the Head of Decarbonisation at the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) - the government regulator for the electricity and downstream natural gas markets in Great Britain. In 2020, they published a Decarbonisation Action Plan setting out the actions they would take to enable the journey towards net zero, including reviewing price controls, setting up regulatory funds, and collaborating to expand an offshore grid. In July 2022, they also released a Net Zero Britain paper sharing Ofgem’s view on key aspects of Great Britain’s energy system that require significant reform to deliver a resilient, low cost, low carbon power sector, as well as a proposed framework of consumer interests to help focus their actions. Dzhordzhio also works as a guest lecturer and researcher at UCL, and he was previously the Head of Science Strategy & Operations at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

Hlib Mikhno

Hlib Mikhno is a trainee at the European Committee of the Regions and #EUClimatePact Ambassador at the European Commission. He works in these EU institutions to promote policies towards energy transition and climate neutrality, as well as Ukraine's integration to the EU. Recently, Hlib represented Ukraine during high-level policy dialogues with Executive Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans and Commissioner for the Environment Virginijus Sinkevičius. Hlib will explore the energy transition through the prism of the Russian war against Ukraine with a focus on the constant shelling of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure.

This seminar has been co-organised with and will be hosted by Cecile Lau, English and French Law student at King's College London and supply chain coordinator for the King's Climate Action Network.

This seminar is part of a series which runs monthly between October ‘22 and June ’23 covering some of the biggest topics in sustainability. If you would like to stay in the loop about upcoming seminars, please sign up here. These seminars are linked to an online Sustainability & Climate module - you can enrol on the module here (currently only open to the King's community).

The renewable energy transition: justice, crises and opportunities