The ReVolting Podcast
The ReVolting Podcast is a series about what it really takes to challenge convention and drive transformation across the energy sector.
Hosted by Úna Brosnan and John MacAskill, each episode dives into the ideas, tensions, and turning points shaping real change - from boardrooms to offshore platforms and everywhere in between.
With candid conversations and honest reflections from industry voices, ReVolting explores why innovation so often meets resistance, and how progress demands more than new technology - it calls for courage, collaboration, and a willingness to get a little uncomfortable.
The ReVolting Podcast
Africa’s Energy Transition: Leapfrogging the Fossil Fuel Ladder
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In this episode of The ReVolting Podcast, Úna Brosnan and John MaCaskill are joined by Dr Rebekah Shirley, Deputy Director for Africa at the World Resources Institute, for a wide-ranging conversation on how energy transitions are unfolding across the African continent.
Together they explore whether Africa is quietly rewriting the rules of the energy transition. From bottom-up transport electrification to the rapid emergence of electric cooking solutions, the discussion challenges the long-held assumption that countries must climb a traditional “fossil fuel ladder” before reaching clean energy.
Rebekah shares insights from her work across African energy systems, explaining why electrification is often happening first in fleets, buses, and two-wheelers rather than private cars, and how distributed energy solutions are reshaping access and affordability.
The conversation also tackles the harder political economy questions surrounding oil and gas producing countries such as Nigeria, Angola, Ghana, and Mozambique, examining how energy transition pathways differ when national revenues are tied to hydrocarbons.
A thought-provoking episode on leapfrogging, grid economics, and why energy transitions may look far less linear than traditional models suggest.
Links
- Rebekah Shirley website: https://rgshirley.com
- WRI profile: https://www.wri.org/profile/rebekah-shirley
- TED Talk - Rebekah Shirley: The clean energy hub of the future: https://www.ted.com/talks/rebekah_shirley_the_clean_energy_hub_of_the_future
- Skindred band: https://youtu.be/DSFnygzsLnk?is=8QIxfKxkjfchGZZz
Reading List
- Integrated energy in action: Practical learnings from integrating centralized and decentralized energy delivery models in Uganda - ScienceDirect - https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2589004225025374#abs0020
- Managing grid impacts from increased electric vehicle adoption in African cities | Scientific Reports - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-75039-3
- Leapfrogging the darkness: contextualising the meaning of energy transitions for African countries - IOPscience - https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/2516-1083/ad31b7/meta
- The evolving just transition: definitions, context, and practical insights for Africa - IOPscience - https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/2634-4505/ac9a69
- Charging Ahead: Managing Grid Impacts from Widespread EV Adoption in African Cities - Energy for Growth Hub - https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/#inbox/FMfcgzQfCMqcqCsQbHvMLnMRlkBJCtDw
- Electric transport offers Kenya a way out of its fuel crises - Business Daily - https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/bd/opinion-analysis/columnists/electric-transport-offers-kenya-a-way-out-of-its-fuel-crises-3786420#google_vignette
- Three Recommendations for Meaningful Africa-Europe Partnership on Energy Transitions - Energy for Growth Hub - https://energyforgrowth.org/article/three-recommendations-for-meaningful-africa-europe-partnership-on-energy-transitions/