Iran, energy shocks, and the case for distributed power
About this episode
The episode discusses the impacts of President Trump’s war with Iran on global energy markets and explores the potential shift towards distributed energy solutions.
President Trump’s war with Iran has rattled global energy markets. Oil prices have surged, LNG markets are tightening, and shipping through the Strait of Hormuz — a chokepoint that carries roughly 20% of the world’s oil supply — has been severely disrupted. Tankers are stalled, shipping costs are soaring, and energy markets are bracing for one of the largest oil supply disruptions in history. The result: higher fuel prices, rising electricity costs, and a reminder of how vulnerable modern economies still are to fossil-fuel geopolitics. This week, we look at the wide-ranging impacts of the shock, from global oil and LNG markets to electricity prices and grid security. We’ll also ask the question: will this accelerate the shift toward clean, distributed energy or just push countries toward more coal? Or both? That leads us to a big idea that is getting a lot of attention: the “bring your own distributed capacity” model where large electricity customers help unlock grid headroom through demand response, efficiency, batteries, and other distributed resources. Guest co-host Julia Hamm joins us to talk about how the concept works, why it’s gaining traction among utilities and…
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