Renewable Rides Ep 89: A New Suite of Solutions for the New World: Our Talk with Ember’s Kingsmill Bond on Electrotech and Energy Security
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Jun 3, 2025 
Kingsmill Bond, an energy strategist at Ember and author of 'Energy Security in an Insecure World,' discusses the urgent shift toward electrotech. He explains how renewables like solar and wind are outpacing fossil fuels in cost and reliability. Bond highlights the rising risks for countries dependent on fossil fuel imports and advocates for pragmatic electrification. He also explores how distributed solar can enable leapfrogging in development, and warns against expensive carbon capture technologies, emphasizing the need for intelligent policy to lower electricity costs.
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Durable Hardware Reduces Import Risk
- Solar panels and batteries create durable capacity unlike consumable fossil fuels, so supply interruptions are less catastrophic.
- A panel lasts decades, replacing repeated annual fossil purchases and cutting import dependency long-term.
Renewables Outstrip Global Demand
- Global solar and wind potential far exceeds current energy demand even under conservative land assumptions.
- This abundance makes local electrotech deployment a rapid path to energy independence for many countries.
Global South Is Already Leapfrogging
- Kingsmill describes rapid leapfrogging where parts of the global South already exceed US solar/wind shares.
- He notes 2022 as the year Asia overtook Europe and the US in electrification share.
