Abstract: The Sun frequently accelerates near-relativistic electron beams that travel out through the solar corona and interplanetary space. Interacting with their plasma environment, these beams produce type III radio bursts, and our close proximity to the Sun makes them the brightest astrophysical radio sources detected by humans. With the launch of Solar Orbiter and Parker Solar Probe we now have the chance to measure these electron beams close to the Sun and compare their properties to estimations made from numerical simulations of electron transport, and from analysing type III radio bursts. I will discuss some of the work that my collaborators and I have done that predicts electron beam properties in the solar corona and solar wind, along with properties of the background plasma these electron beams travel through, including the intensity and spectrum of compressive density fluctuations. I will also discuss some energetic electron measurements that have been done using Solar Orbiter and their connection to type III radio bursts.