Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Europe is curtailing clean power while chasing net zero.
That isn’t a technology failure. It’s a systems failure.
I’m joined by Oonagh O’Grady, Vice President of International Origination at Hydrostor, to unpack why the energy transition is stalling just as renewables become abundant and cheap, and what it will actually take to make clean power systems reliable at scale.
Hydrostor works on long-duration energy storage, specifically advanced compressed air systems designed to deliver eight to twenty-four hours of flexibility, grid stability, and inertia without fossil fuels. This conversation sits squarely at the uncomfortable intersection of climate ambition and physical reality.
Why this matters now:
Across Europe, wind and solar are scaling faster than grids were designed to handle. Curtailment is rising. Negative pricing is becoming routine. Grid congestion is delaying projects that make sense both economically and climatically. At the same time, energy security has moved from a policy footnote to a board-level concern. Without long-duration flexibility, clean power systems hit a ceiling.
What changed my thinking:
This episode clarified why short-duration batteries, while essential, stop solving the problem beyond roughly 40–50% renewables. Oonagh explains why inertia, not just capacity, is becoming critical again, why long-lived storage assets change the economics of decarbonisation, and why waiting for “better tech” is often just another way of locking in delay. It also sharpened my view on policy. If governments want reliable net-zero grids in the 2030s, the decisions have to happen this decade.
What this episode is not:
It’s not a silver-bullet pitch, and it’s not clean-tech theatre.
Who this is for:
Business leaders, policymakers, investors, and engineers trying to cut emissions without breaking power systems.
If you’re working on grid planning, energy policy, climate investment, or infrastructure deployment, I’d genuinely like to hear how this matches what you’re seeing on the ground.
🔗 Podcast website: climateconfidentpodcast.com
🔔 Subscribe for weekly conversations on climate solutions that scale
⏱️ Chapters below
2️⃣ 💡 Chapters / Timestamps
00:00 – Why clean power is being curtailed across Europe
02:10 – When batteries stop being enough
05:30 – The 8–24 hour problem no one planned for
09:40 – Curtailment, negative pricing, and broken incentives
14:20 – Why inertia suddenly matters again
18:50 – Long-duration storage vs batteries and pumped hydro
23:40 – What long-lived assets change about decarbonisation maths
28:10 – Policy signals Europe is still getting wrong
33:40 – Energy security after the blackout era
38:20 – What has to happen this decade
Europe is curtailing clean power while chasing net zero.
That isn’t a technology failure. It’s a systems failure.
I’m joined by Oonagh O’Grady, Vice President of International Origination at Hydrostor, to unpack why the energy transition is stalling just as renewables become abundant and cheap, and what it will actually take to make clean power systems reliable at scale.
Hydrostor works on long-duration energy storage, specifically advanced compressed air systems designed to deliver eight to twenty-four hours of flexibility, grid stability, and inertia without fossil fuels. This conversation sits squarely at the uncomfortable intersection of climate ambition and physical reality.
Why this matters now:
Across Europe, wind and solar are scaling faster than grids were designed to handle. Curtailment is rising. Negative pricing is becoming routine. Grid congestion is delaying projects that make sense both economically and climatically. At the same time, energy security has moved from a policy footnote to a board-level concern. Without long-duration flexibility, clean power systems hit a ceiling.
What changed my thinking:
This episode clarified why short-duration batteries, while essential, stop solving the problem beyond roughly 40–50% renewables. Oonagh explains why inertia, not just capacity, is becoming critical again, why long-lived storage assets change the economics of decarbonisation, and why waiting for “better tech” is often just another way of locking in delay. It also sharpened my view on policy. If governments want reliable net-zero grids in the 2030s, the decisions have to happen this decade.
What this episode is not:
It’s not a silver-bullet pitch, and it’s not clean-tech theatre.
Who this is for:
Business leaders, policymakers, investors, and engineers trying to cut emissions without breaking power systems.
If you’re working on grid planning, energy policy, climate investment, or infrastructure deployment, I’d genuinely like to hear how this matches what you’re seeing on the ground.
🔗 Podcast website: climateconfidentpodcast.com
🔔 Subscribe for weekly conversations on climate solutions that scale
⏱️ Chapters below
2️⃣ 💡 Chapters / Timestamps
00:00 – Why clean power is being curtailed across Europe
02:10 – When batteries stop being enough
05:30 – The 8–24 hour problem no one planned for
09:40 – Curtailment, negative pricing, and broken incentives
14:20 – Why inertia suddenly matters again
18:50 – Long-duration storage vs batteries and pumped hydro
23:40 – What long-lived assets change about decarbonisation maths
28:10 – Policy signals Europe is still getting wrong
33:40 – Energy security after the blackout era
38:20 – What has to happen this decade
