A Weekly Podcast
The tech, finance, and politics
powering the energy transition.
Each week, Dr. Charlotte Kirk and Lucy Shaw bring deep industry insights and unique insider knowledge to the biggest stories shaping energy markets, climate technology, and transition policy.
From geopolitics and grid modernisation to critical minerals and clean firm power—no topic is off limits.
Recorded 12th July. This week we explore how extreme heat is reshaping electricity systems around the world, and why one of the biggest opportunities is improving how we use the infrastructure we…
Recorded 30 June – We explore how engineering, software and market design are reshaping AI infrastructure and electricity systems. Charlotte examines three stories linked by a common theme: making…
Recorded 21st June. Lucy joins from a sweltering London, while Charlotte records from Lake Tahoe after racing the Broken Arrow Skyrace with The North Face team. We cover three stories spanning UK…
Recorded 14th June - Part 2: This episode was so packed that we’re releasing it in two parts, so we don’t have to cut any of the good bits. Here in Part 2, Lucy picks up the theme of state…
Recorded 14th June: Charlotte and Lucy are both in the US this week - Charlotte in San Francisco and Lucy in Boston. This episode was so packed that we’re releasing it in two parts, so we don’t have…
Recorded 7th June. In this episode, we catch up after Charlotte’s set the record for the Fastest Known Time running the Camino de Santiago, and Lucy being elected as a local councillor. We then dive…
This week on Power Plays (recorded May 13th, 2026), we are joined by a guest co-host, Henry Sanderson, while Charlotte completes an epic run in Spain. Henry is the author of Volt Rush, former…
Recorded 2nd May 2026: This week we explore the forces reshaping distribution level power systems, the UK's new energy policy announcements, and the progress of fossil fuel phase-out after a historic…
Recorded 18th April 2026: This week we explore the forces reshaping heavy industry in the energy transition — from the role of of coal in global power systems to the rapidly evolving race to build…
Recorded Sunday 12th April. we look at three forces reshaping the battery industry: Sodium-ion as a new chemistry moving toward commercialization, a new infrastructure model enabling heavy transport…
Recorded Sunday 29th March. Two very different stories highlight the complexity of the energy transition - from industrial decarbonisation in steel and cement to the increasingly political battle…
Live from Octopus Energy HQ: Over-hyped, Under-hyped, or Hyped-Just-Right? Introducing the origin story of Power Plays and celebrating with a live audience event hosted by Octopus Energy in London…
Recorded Sunday 15th March – In this episode we examine how the escalating Middle East conflict is moving beyond oil and gas headlines into the wider industrial systems that underpin the global…
Recorded Sunday 8th March – In this episode we examine the energy implications of the escalating Middle East conflict and the dynamics often missing from mainstream coverage. We explore how energy…
Recorded on Monday 2nd March. We discuss the first energy market reactions to the escalating Middle East conflict and what it reveals about global supply chains. We also explore Google’s new…
Recorded 22 February 2026. Episode Discussion Points: Two solid-state transformer startups raised major funding this week Why transformers are a critical bottleneck in grid expansion and amidst…
Recorded 15th February. Delivering the energy transition increasingly depends on the inputs required: materials availability, processing capacity, & the industrial policy that determines what…
Recorded Feb 6th 2026. Access to electricity and speed to power remain defining challenges, but the deeper issue emerging is how to ensure deliverable capacity at the exact moment demand peaks, which…
Recorded 30th January 2026. With AI, hyperscalers, and the broader ‘electrification of everything’ accelerating demand for clean, firm, and reliable power, capital markets are beginning to reopen to…
Recorded Jan 16th 2026. Exponential demand growth and AI mean the 2026 conversation is shifting from simply ‘power and data centres' to who can actually build what and when, as clean, reliable…
Climate-Tech Investor
Charlotte is a climate-tech investor specialising in industrial decarbonisation and energy transition. She previously served as Head of Technology at Fortescue and led European investments at Clean Energy Ventures. She holds a PhD in Chemistry from Oxford, was the first female in the British Army's infantry, and is a North Face-sponsored endurance athlete.
Energy Investor & Writer
Lucy is an energy investor, writer, and policy researcher currently writing a book examining coal dependency. She previously worked at Blackstone, BCG, the United Nations, and the IFC across six continents. She earned an MBA and MPA from Harvard as a Fulbright Scholar and studied mechanical engineering at the University of Melbourne.
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lshaw@gordonmgmt.co.uk