Wired to save the planet: rethinking energy in an electrified world

As the world races toward net zero, electricity systems are under pressure like never before. The push for cleaner power collides with soaring demand – driven by electrification, population growth, and energy-hungry technologies such as artificial intelligence and data centres. Can we keep the lights on, cut emissions, and keep energy affordable all at once?

This panel brings together experts from academia, industry, and the policy world to debate the forces reshaping the grid of the future. Speakers from LSE, government, and the private sector will explore how digitalisation, renewable integration, and evolving market structures are transforming the way we generate, trade, and consume electricity.

Together, we'll ask: what does a truly sustainable and intelligent grid look like and who gets to design it?

Meet your speakers and chair

Min-kyeong (Min) Cha is a LSE-Newcleo Fellow in Energy Economics and Policy in Environmental Economics in the Department of Geography & Environment. She draws on her interdisciplinary background to examine topics such as renewable energy policy, electricity markets, the adoption of clean energy technologies, and energy consumption behaviour.

Theresa Chambers is a senior analyst and public sector leader, currently working in the UK government's Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, where she leads on power sector analysis. Her team applies analytical, economic and systems‑thinking approaches to some of the most complex challenges facing the energy system. Theresa has previously served as Operational Research Head of Profession in three major government departments and was instrumental in establishing the Home Office Data Analytics Centre. Her career spans strategic leadership, applied analysis and embedding evidence‑driven decision‑making at scale, with a consistent focus on improving policy outcomes and public value.

Mete Coban (@metecoban92) MBE became the Deputy Mayor of London for Environment and Energy in July 2024, overseeing the Mayor’s world-leading climate action plan for the capital. Before becoming Deputy Mayor, Mete was a Councillor and Cabinet Member for Climate Change, Environment, and Transport in the London Borough of Hackney, delivering a £61 million Green New Deal to tackle the climate crisis. He is best known for pioneering Hackney’s Community Energy Fund, providing clean, green, community-owned energy to 39 not-for-profits. Mete is widely credited with making politics more accessible to young people as the Founder of the youth-led charity My Life My Say. He led the Give an X voter registration campaign, which resulted in over 488,000 newly registered voters ahead of the UK General Election in July 2024.

Tim Heal is the Chief Strategy Officer at Octopus Energy and a member of the group leadership team. At Octopus he is responsible for global strategy and M&A, including international expansion. Tim led go to market for Kraken, Octopus's proprietary utility software platform, for its first 4 years, including sales and commercial strategy. During that period he delivered enterprise software deals representing more than 50 million end utility customers. Since 2017, Tim's teams have delivered more than 40 strategic deals and joint ventures in energy and technology businesses.

Shefali Khanna is an LSE Fellow in Energy Economics and Policy in the Department of Geography and Environment at the London School of Economics.

More about this event

This event is part of the LSE Festival: How to save the planet running from Monday 15 to Saturday 20 June 2026. This year's Festival explores how existential threats including the climate crisis, conflict and AI are affecting all parts of the world, transforming the way and where we live, and how our societies function. With a series of events asking what can we be doing to save the Earth, its people and environment? Booking for all Festival events will open on Monday 18 May.

The Department of Geography and Environment (@LSEGeography) is a centre of international academic excellence in economic, urban and development geography, environmental social science and climate change.

Hashtag for this event: #LSEFestival

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