AI, and the battle for energy in 2026. What clean energy sources are going to meet demand?
Interchange Recharged
Wood Mackenzie
4.8 • 535 Ratings
🗓️ 13 January 2026
⏱️ 30 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
AI is changing the energy system faster than almost anything we’ve seen in decades. Interim host, engineer and energy analyst Bridget Van Dorsten is joined by Ed Crooks, host of Energy Gang and Vice-chair of the Americas at Wood Mackenzie, for a wide-ranging conversation about what’s really driving energy decisions in 2026. From data centres and “speed to power” to energy affordability and US energy dominance, they unpack why reliability, cost and scale are now front of mind for governments, utilities and technology companies.
Bridget and Ed discuss which technologies could step up to meet the demand, from long-duration storage and advanced nuclear to geothermal and grid-enhancing technologies, and whether AI itself could help accelerate innovation across the energy system. Then they debate the costs; how much does AI really cost us in emissions and capital that could arguably be better spent elsewhere. Are data centres out-competing the energy transition for capital and grid access? And what happens if today’s AI investment boom starts to cool, or the bubble bursts?
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Speed to power, getting as much data center capacity online as quickly as possible, making |
| 0:07.5 | progress with the AI technology. |
| 0:10.8 | Those are their priorities. |
| 0:12.5 | That's what everyone is worrying about most at the moment. |
| 0:15.9 | Which is all led by a market, us, you and me, that says that we want low carbon energy, but actually |
| 0:22.9 | what I really want is like a chatbot that's going to help me rewrite a recipe or something. |
| 0:28.9 | Am I optimistic? Would I be reasonably positive about the impact of AI in general on the |
| 0:36.7 | energy sector? I think that the answer is yes, I would be. |
| 0:39.3 | Positive within reason is also like energy transition in terms of vagueness of language. |
| 0:45.6 | I like that. |
| 0:46.2 | I'm going to start using that. |
| 0:50.3 | Wood McKenzie's Solar Energy and Storage Summit is back in Denver on the 29th and 30th of April |
| 0:56.6 | 26. It's co-located with the brand new North American Power and Renewables Forum, which |
| 1:02.6 | features senior speakers from across the U.S. power sector. Come and join over 450 senior |
| 1:08.6 | leaders from U.S. power developers, utilities, and independent power |
| 1:13.2 | producers to tackle the industry's biggest challenges. From navigating life after tax credits |
| 1:19.5 | to capturing the load growth boom, discover how the energy mix is evolving and how the U.S. |
| 1:24.6 | is going to meet that power demand. Seats are limited, so register now at |
| 1:29.1 | woodmack.com. Welcome back to the interchange recharged. It's a new year. It's the first episode |
| 1:37.0 | of the year, and it is my first episode, really. As a reminder, my name is Bridget Van Dorsden. I'm an interim |
| 1:43.4 | host before Sylvia's back by the end of summer. |
| 1:46.4 | And today I'm joined by a very special guest, my fellow woodmaker, a podcast idol. |
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