On 30 October 2025, ETH Zurich hosted a compelling edition of its Global Lecture Series: Powering Change – The Energy Transition in Practice. Moderated by Chris Luebkeman from ETH Zurich’s Strategic Foresight Hub, the discussion brought together two inspiring women speakers: Bettina Bachmann, a veteran energy executive with over three decades of experience at Shell and an advocate for Women in Tech, and Lint Barrage, ETH economist specialising in climate and energy policy.

The conversation went far beyond technicalities. It explored the realities behind the energy transition, challenging assumptions and highlighting what truly matters: adding energy to meet global demand, driving innovation beyond technology, and ensuring equity across nations. Here’s more in the shape of 5 key takeaways and stand-out quotes from our guest speakers:

Energy Transition: More Than Replacement

“Adding energy is often forgotten in this conversation,” Bachmann reminded the audience. “We cannot just replace fossil fuels; we have to grow at the same time.” Her point was clear: with global energy demand rising, the transition is not a simple swap—it’s an expansion.

Urgency and Continuum

Barrage offered a sobering perspective: “We’ve been too slow for decades. If we had started gradual action earlier, the same level of climate protection could have been achieved at a much lower cost.” Climate action, she stressed, is not binary. Every tonne of emissions avoided today reduces future harm tomorrow.

Innovation Beyond Technology

Both speakers agreed that technology alone won’t solve the problem. “We’re not waiting for a silver bullet,” Bachmann said. “We have the technologies—we need to scale them up and integrate them.” Barrage added that innovation must extend to finance, policy, and behaviour: “People respond to incentives. We need to make clean tech massively more profitable to redirect R&D.”

Global Equity

The panel underscored the ethical dimension: developing nations must leapfrog polluting paths. “We have a duty to ensure they don’t have to go the same hard, slow path that we did,” Bachmann said. Barrage pointed to creative financial instruments as key: “We need smarter ways to leverage private investment and reduce risk.”

No-Regret Actions

Both experts closed with practical advice. Bachmann urged: “Think hard before you replace something—whether it’s clothing or heating systems. Avoid waste.” Barrage’s top three? “Invest massively in innovation, provide better information on energy use, and price carbon where feasible.”

Check out the pictures from the event here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/meeteth/albums/72177720329550116/

And in case you missed, watch the talk here:

If you enjoyed this post and the lecture, you may be interested in the upcoming Energy Week at ETH Zurich: https://esc.ethz.ch/events/energy-week.html

Join Jan Heldmann and Alejandro Christlieb as they share their experience of the Energy Summer School 2025.

After months from applying, we set off for Ascona for the Energy Summer School 2025, organised by the Energy Science Center and the Institute of Science, Technology and Policy. The setting at Monte Verità, overlooking Lago Maggiore, immediately made the week feel special. The main theme — “Navigating the Energy Transition in an Insecure World” — felt especially timely within today’s geopolitical context. Coming from a technical background, this was a great opportunity to expand on the sociopolitical dimensions of the energy transition. 

In the first days, everyone presented their research posters, covering topics from technological solutions to their economic and social feasibility. A big shout-out to the winners of the best poster awards! Their work offered an inspiring glimpse into the research shaping the field.

Each day featured lectures by academics and industry speakers from around the world. Kaja Hollstein of Swissgrid offered a technical view on demand flexibility and energy balancing, while Professor Florian Egli highlighted the economic side of the transition. A key insight stuck with us: OECD countries are investing more in renewables, but non-OECD countries lag due to higher upfront costs and borrowing rates. With most population growth occurring in non-OECD countries, it was a harsh reminder that the energy transition remains a global challenge.

Midweek, we set out on an excursion. Jan joined a hike in the scenic Verzasca Valley, stopping at the impressive Contra Dam designed by the legendary engineer Giovanni Lombardi. During the hike, I (Jan) could talk with Professor Bri-Mathias Hodge about his lecture on power system stability, discussing the importance of reactive power in renewable-heavy systems. As an electrical engineer, I really enjoyed exchanging ideas with a world-renowned expert. 

Meanwhile, Alejandro visited Giubiasco’s massive waste-to-energy plant, which handles 180,000 tons of waste a year to produce heat and power. We saw the crane and furnace in action – an experience that felt straight out of the Toy Story 3 landfill scene. What first sounded like a less appealing visit, turned out to be surprisingly fun and enriching.

No academic event is complete without group work. Split into teams, we wrote policy briefs with strategic recommendations for a country’s energy future. Jan’s group analysed Ukraine’s energy crisis after Russia’s invasion, while Alejandro’s focused on South Africa’s aging, coal-heavy system.

The week ended with creative presentations: AI-generated songs, mock trials, and acted power outages. This mix of playful delivery and serious analysis perfectly captured the spirit of the week: working hard, learning deeply, and having fun together. 

From day one, the group vibe was extraordinary. As our new friend Charalambos said: “I never clicked with so many people in such a short time.”

We left Ascona recharged — with fresh energy, new perspectives, and friendships for life.

I am approaching the conclusion of an experience, or rather a dream, that has seen me spend 5 months in the wonderful Brazil. My name is Federico Sartore, a student of “Energy Science and Technology” at ETH Zurich, and for my internship, I decided to work at the ITAIPU BINACIONAL dam, in the state of Paraná, Brazil.

ITAIPU BINACIONAL is the second-largest dam in the world, the greatest energy producer in human history, born from an ambitious binational project at the border between Paraguay and Brazil. It supplies up to 90% of Paraguay’s electricity demand and up to 20% of Brazil’s, despite the differences between the two countries in terms of electric frequency, time zone, language, culture, and social and economic fabric. Beyond energy production, ITAIPU reinvests much of its revenue in local community development, biodiversity, and ambitious projects for Brazil. I had the honour of being involved in projects focused on optimizing the dam’s management and green hydrogen production, particularly aimed at the sustainable development of remote areas like the Amazon.

In Brazil, I found great professionalism and exceptional working conditions, aimed at a harmonious balance between work and life. I worked within a natural park, surrounded by greenery, where encounters with capybaras, jaguars, and tropical birds are common, just half an hour away from one of the seven wonders of the world, the Iguaçu Falls. Lunch breaks here are two hours long, giving workers time to go home and be with their families. People here live with a smile on their faces; on Friday mornings, everyone has breakfast together at work, and evenings are lived to the rhythm of music. The person comes before the product, which translates into great commitment.

Brazil welcomed me like a son, and having learned Portuguese well, I could fully appreciate the emotional warmth that characterizes these wonderful people. I had the honour of working at the border with Argentina and Paraguay, meeting people and cultures from all over South America. I was fortunate to receive permissions to travel around Brazil, because here, internships are seen as personal growth, not just for the engineer, and they knew I was here to learn, not just to see. During this experience, unfortunately, there was a flood in the state of Rio Grande do Sul. The Brazilian reaction surprised me; the unity shown and the empathy toward those affected by the flood moved me.

It saddened me to see the excessive admiration for the Western world, idealized as perfect. Our technological progress certainly gives us many assurances, which sometimes are lacking here, and this often translates into limited horizons and broken dreams for young Brazilians, sometimes leading them to violent environments. But this does not exempt us from looking at Brazil as an example of respect for the individual and their freedoms. I tried to inspire my colleagues not to limit themselves and to dream big, as I am fortunate enough to do. They taught me to see in a smile the light to brighten the day.