
S4E01: Accelerating the energy transition: why systems thinking changes everything
From Talking Infrastructure by AECOM
January 31, 2025 · 54 min · Season 4 · Episode 1
About this episode
The episode discusses the importance of a systems thinking approach to accelerate the energy transition and tackle challenges in clean energy.
"We’ve got to think about this all together as a whole-systems holistic solution, whether it’s a single rural community or whether that’s at an industrial cluster level. It’s the same—the whole nation is a system in itself. So, we’ve got to have that whole-systems approach from the top down, whether that’s transmission networks right the way down to [...] the final mile on the grid." – Kate Gilmartin, British Hydropower Association For too long, we’ve tackled energy challenges in isolation—treating renewables, grid capacity and infrastructure as separate pieces of the puzzle. But real progress demands a systems approach—one that connects people, politics, places and portfolios. In this first episode of Talking Infrastructure’s Season 4, our host Toby Sadler is joined by Kate Gilmartin (CEO, British Hydropower Association), Dan Nicholls (Chief Product Officer, SNRG) and Sarah Falconer (Energy Planning, Consenting and Development Lead, AECOM) to discuss why systems thinking is key to delivering a successful transition to clean energy. They cover topics such as: How local energy solutions like microgrids could shift power back into the hands of communities The role of hydropower in…
People in this episode
Host: Toby Sadler
Guests: Kate Gilmartin, Dan Nicholls, Sarah Falconer
Topics covered
- energy transition
- systems thinking
- clean energy
- local energy solutions
- hydropower
- policy alignment
- workforce development
Keywords
- energy transition
- systems thinking
- clean energy
- microgrids
- hydropower
- policy
- infrastructure
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: British Hydropower Association, SNRG, AECOM
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- S5E04: Northern Powerhouse Rail: the choices that will shape delivery · May 21, 2026 · 39 min
- S5E03: Then, now, next: lessons in building lasting communities · May 21, 2026 · 44 min
- S5E02: Private finance as a catalyst for infrastructure growth: the airport advantage · April 14, 2026 · 48 min
- S5E01: The resilience test: is our infrastructure climate-ready? · March 17, 2026 · 41 min
- S4E03 :Future-ready infrastructure: Addressing the STEM skills crisis · July 25, 2025 · 38 min
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