The trouble with transformers
The Energy Gang
Wood Mackenzie
4.6 • 1.3K Ratings
🗓️ 29 October 2024
⏱️ 83 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Electricity grids rely on transformers. Shortages are slowing down the transition to clean energy.
Transformers are such commonplace pieces of local infrastructure that most people barely notice them. In America, they include those dustbin-shaped objects on poles for power lines, and in the UK they are those rectangular boxes on the pavement. But transformers have a critical function in making the electricity grid work, and they also play a vital role in the energy transition, too. If you want to add new generation to the grid, or increase local power supplies so people can charge their EVs, very often you are going to need transformers. And right now, getting hold of them is not easy.
So why are these crucial pieces of kit in short supply? And how can we get more of them?
To discuss this critical question, host Ed Crooks is joined by his Wood Mackenzie colleague Xizhou Zhou, Head of Power and Renewables. Xizhou has a whole lot of data on the scale of the problem, including how long you have to wait to get hold of a transformer, and how much prices have been going up.
They are joined by Energy Gang regular Melissa Lott, who until very recently was a professor at Columbia University’s climate school. And we also have a newcomer to the show: Travis Edmonds, the Head of Supply Chain Management for North American Transformers at Hitachi Energy. Working out how to get transformers to people who need them is how he spends his days, so there is no-one really better qualified to explain the realities of the shortage and suggest ways to fix it.
It's a complicated subject, with many different aspects to it and many different perspectives on the problem. And it is one of the issues that will decide the future of clean energy, in America and around the world. The Energy Gang break it down, make sense of it all, and explain where they think the industry is headed now.
Keep listening to the end of the episode to find out about Melissa’s new job!
For more information on the Wood Mackenzie multi-client study ‘Making the Connection: Meeting the electric T&D supply chain challenge’, visit: https://www.woodmac.com/products/supply-chain-intelligence/multi-client-study-meeting-electric-td-industry-challenges/
This episode is brought to you by Enbridge. Listen to Enbridge and GZERO’s podcast Energized: The Future of Energy at GZEROmedia.com/theenergygang
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Looking to understand the economics, technologies, policies and communities shaping our energy future? |
| 0:07.0 | Check out a new podcast series, Energize the Future of Energy, from G0 Media's Blue Circle Studio, co-hosted by J.J. Ramberg and Greg Ebel, CEO of Enbridge. |
| 0:16.2 | They explore the energy transition by digging into the biggest challenges of AI, food waste, community impact and policy, |
| 0:22.4 | with experts like Pulitzer winner Daniel |
| 0:24.2 | Jurgen, Microsoft's Ulrich Omen, and Impact Technologies's Ryan Beggin from Divert. |
| 0:28.7 | Listen on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts or visit G0 Media.com the Energy Gang a discussion show from Wood Mackenzie about the fast-changing world of energy. |
| 0:58.6 | I'm Ed Crooks and on today's show we're going to be talking about Transformers. |
| 1:03.0 | They're pieces of equipment that are absolutely critical for the energy transition, |
| 1:06.0 | and getting hold of one at the moment is often not at all easy. |
| 1:10.0 | And that's really the issue we're going to be talking about on this show, what the problems are in the supply chain. |
| 1:15.3 | The supply chain for equipment in general, but very specifically for Transformers in particular, |
| 1:20.3 | and also possible solutions and what can be done to improve matters and to make it easier to get hold of these critical bits of equipment. |
| 1:27.5 | Now to talk about this issue we have the best possible set of guests. |
| 1:30.5 | We have Travis Edmonds, who's the head of supply chain management of the |
| 1:33.6 | North American Transformers at Hitachi Energy. Travis welcome to the show. |
| 1:37.0 | Hey thanks Ted happy to be here. So it's great you could join us I mean just |
| 1:41.0 | perhaps tell us a little bit about Hitachi |
| 1:43.0 | and where you operate in the transformer industry. You're one of the |
| 1:46.2 | world's leading manufacturers, right? We are. Hitachi Energy is the world's |
| 1:50.1 | largest transformer manufacturer, not just from an installed-based perspective, but also from our range of portfolio. |
| 1:57.0 | Manufacturing capacity and the markets served all around the world. |
| 2:01.0 | We have operations in every region around the world and over |
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