Electricity has become one of the defining economic and political issues of our time. In this episode, Brynne Kennedy and Chris Skidmore unpack the growing pressure around power prices in the US and UK, the urgent need for grid modernization, and why on-site generation, storage, and smarter forecasting are becoming essential as demand surges.

They are joined first by Dave Easton, Partner on the Growth Equity Team at Generation Investment Management, who explains how Generation’s research-led “roadmap” approach helps identify where value will accrue across sustainability themes before the market fully catches on. He shares why the collision between AI and energy has been visible for years to those paying attention, why sustainable investing is simply best-practice investing, and why the next decade could create more opportunity in energy technology than the last hundred years combined.

In the second half, Sean Kelly, co-founder and CEO of Amperon, explains how his Houston-based company built an AI-powered electricity forecasting platform now operating across 24 countries. Sean shares how Amperon helps traders, utilities, and grid operators navigate a more volatile, renewable-heavy power system through better demand, generation, and price forecasting — and why AI-driven forecasting is becoming critical infrastructure in its own right.

From electricity prices and storage to AI adoption and grid reliability, this episode explores the technologies, business models, and investment themes shaping the future of energy.

This week, Brynne Kennedy and Chris Skidmore speak with two leaders shaping the future of digital infrastructure, AI, and industrial energy systems: Tomas Lamanauskas, Deputy Secretary General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) at the United Nations, and Fredrik Isler, CFO of ETH Zurich spin-out ANYbotics.

Brynne and Chris open with a discussion on how geopolitics, energy security, and AI are increasingly intertwined. They explore the shift from carbon-centric narratives toward cost, sovereignty, and competition for electrons and molecules, the implications of AI-driven electricity demand for grids and consumers, and why hyperscalers are being pushed toward behind-the-meter and co-located power solutions.

Tomas Lamanauskas reflects on his journey from telecom regulation across multiple continents to shaping global digital policy at the ITU. He explains how AI and connectivity can reduce emissions through smarter networks, grids, and cities, while also addressing the growing footprint of digital infrastructure itself. Tomas shares insights into the ITU’s Green Digital Action agenda, including standards-based approaches to sustainable data centers, AI-enabled efficiency, early warning systems, and integrating sustainability into next-generation technologies.

Fredrik Isler discusses how ANYbotics is bringing AI into the physical world through autonomous inspection robots deployed across energy and industrial environments. He explains why robotics is becoming essential infrastructure for asset monitoring, safety, and operational efficiency, how certification unlocks adoption in regulated industries, and why Switzerland’s ETH and EPFL ecosystems are producing globally competitive deep-tech scale-ups.

This week, Brynne Kennedy and Rt Hon Chris Skidmore OBE speak with two leaders shaping global climate policy and the future of on-site power: Catherine McKenna, former Canadian Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Chair of the UN Net Zero Expert Group, and Shannon Miller, Co-Founder and CEO of Mainspring Energy.

Brynne and Chris discuss the key outcomes from COP in Brazil, the rising strain between AI-driven electricity demand and grid capacity, and the renewed focus on nuclear power as clean baseload. They examine how geopolitics, permitting, and implementation are now central to the energy transition.

Catherine McKenna reflects on her path from negotiating the Paris Agreement to defining global net-zero standards at the UN. She outlines what drives real climate action today: credible regulation, pricing climate risk, ending public fossil fuel finance, and ensuring policy certainty for investors.

Shannon Miller explains how Mainspring’s linear generator technology delivers reliable, fuel-flexible on-site power for data centers, industrial users, and logistics hubs. She highlights deployments with partners like Prologis and utilities, showing how microgrids and modular systems are accelerating clean, resilient power where it’s needed most.