The smarter E Podcast

In this episode of The smarter E podcast, we unpack how bidirectional EV charging is reshaping Europe’s energy and mobility landscape, from market signals to real-world deployment at scale.

We begin with a policy perspective, speaking with Adriana Fricke from Hubject – a company that is working at the intersection of e-mobility, regulation, and energy systems.

As Europe pushes toward electrification, regulatory standardization and cross-industry alignment are emerging as critical enablers of bidirectional charging. And with hundreds of billions already invested into the EV ecosystem, the sector is moving beyond theory to now positioning EVs as the mobile energy assets that will support grid stability, cut system costs, and strengthen energy resilience across Europe.

In the second part of the episode, we speak to Robin Berg, the Founder and CEO of We Drive Solar, about the shift from concept to practice by exploring how V2G is being deployed on the ground. We look at the rapid scale-up of bidirectional EV fleets in the Netherlands and what they reveal about the future of distributed storage.

Fleet vehicles – stationary for most of their lifetime – are proving uniquely suited to providing grid flexibility, helping manage winter demand peaks and absorb excess solar during high generation periods. As projects scale from pilots to hundreds of vehicles, they are offering a glimpse of how V2G could become a core part of future power systems.

These conversations show how V2G is transitioning from experimentation to commercial rollout – and why standards and policy clarity will be crucial to shaping how fast it scales.

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After a prolonged period of rock-bottom prices and manufacturing oversupply, solar PV pricing is starting to shift – and the implications could ripple across the global industry in 2026.

In this episode of The smarter E podcast, host Jonathan Gifford digs into what’s changing beneath the surface of the PV supply chain, and why pricing dynamics are becoming impossible to ignore.

In the first part of the episode, Jonathan is joined by Alex Barrows, Head of PV at CRU, and Molly Morgan, Senior Analyst, for a deep dive into the forces reshaping module costs. From surging silver prices to China’s VAT rebate changes, they unpack how upstream pressures are feeding through to cells, modules, and manufacturer margins – and what this means for technology choices in the years ahead.

The conversation also explores the evolving competitive landscape between TOPCon, heterojunction, and back-contact cell architectures, and asks whether pricing discipline can realistically return to a sector still wrestling with structural overcapacity.

In the second segment, recorded in London, Jonathan speaks with Sonia Dunlop, CEO of the Global Solar Council, to zoom out to the global deployment picture. They discuss the rapid rise of residential solar-plus-storage, the political power of distributed energy, and the market and grid reforms needed to unlock the next phase of solar and battery growth worldwide.

Follow The smarter E podcast for expert insight into solar, storage, and the global energy transition — and don’t forget to rate and review if you enjoy the show.

Big batteries are taking off in Europe and are set to become a major contributor to the energy transition worldwide.

In Europe, deployment has now reached a critical inflection point. Annual utility-scale BESS installations doubled between 2024 and 2025, while cumulative capacity surpassed 100 GW for the first time over the same period.

These insights come from new analysis by Wood Mackenzie, led by EMEA principal analyst for energy storage Anna Darmani. Anna joined The Smarter E podcast to reflect on recent developments – and what’s next for utility-scale BESS deployment heading into 2026.

Join host Jonathan Gifford for an overview of the key utility-scale battery trends and their impact on Europe’s energy markets.

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Home may be where the heart is – but it’s also becoming a major player in the energy transition.

In this episode of The smarter E Podcast, we explore how smart home energy management systems (HEMS) help households get the most out of distributed energy assets such as rooftop solar, home batteries, EV chargers, and heat pumps – making for lower energy bills, deeper decarbonization, and meaningful support for the wider energy system.

Our first guest on this week'a pod, Irene Guerra Gil, Energy Market Expert at gridX, joins host Jonathan Gifford to break down the latest HEMS legislation in Europe and explain the real-world impact these technologies can have.

We also turn to the commercial sector, where office buildings represent a huge opportunity for savings. Mark Bruno, CUBE Competition Chief Ambassador and Partner at Ampersand Partners, shares how behavioural change – and a bit of friendly competition – can drive major energy reductions and bring teams together.

If you’d like to learn more about the CUBE Competition, you can reach out to Mark directly at [email protected].

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UNSW has played an outsized role in the development of crystalline-silicon solar technology and the modern solar industry. Through its leadership of the Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics (ACAP), it continues to help shape the future of solar innovation.

ACAP brings together leading Australian solar research programs, works across the entire solar value chain, and collaborates closely with major global manufacturers – including industry giants in China.

In this episode, UNSW researcher and ACAP Executive Director Professor Renate Egan joins host Jonathan Gifford to share the latest developments in solar research and discuss how technology will continue driving the PV industry in 2026.

Follow The smarter E podcast for more global insights into the clean energy transition – and don’t forget to rate and review if you enjoy the show!