In this episode, host Eklavya Gupte sits down with Matt Hoisch, senior price reporter at Platts, to explore how the energy-intensive fertilizer industry is navigating extraordinary turbulence, from supply chain shocks to spiralling energy costs, while potentially becoming an enabler of the energy transition itself. They look at ammonia's pivotal role as both a key ingredient in nitrogen fertilizer production and a potential game-changer for clean energy storage and transport. Hoisch also discuss...
Jul 08, 2025•21 min
In this episode of Energy Evolution, host Taylor Kuykendall speaks with Gerard Barron, CEO of The Metals Co. Barron and his company are looking to mine the ocean floor for metals like cobalt, nickel, and rare earth elements as demand for the materials surges due to the rise of renewable energy technologies and electric vehicles. Barron discusses the potential of polymetallic nodules found in the depths of the Pacific Ocean, the technology used to mine the ocean and the environmental implications...
Jul 01, 2025•27 min
The global energy transition was already facing headwinds even as trade tensions and geopolitical uncertainty escalated. Supply chain disruptions, elevated interest rates, and persistent inflation have created additional hurdles for renewable projects. But could rising resource nationalism paradoxically accelerate the transition by spurring countries to prioritize domestic renewable energy development? In this episode, host Eklavya Gupte and Commodity Insights journalist James Burgess explore th...
Jun 24, 2025•27 min
In this episode of the Energy Evolution podcast we delve into the emerging field of carbon removal technologies and their role in the fight against climate change. The discussion highlights various methods, including both technology-based solutions like direct ocean capture and nature-based approaches such as reforestation. Our guests on this week's episode are Jan-Willem Bode, President, Puro.earth, and Steve Oldham, CEO, Captura. Captura is a start-up company focused on capturing carbon dioxid...
Jun 17, 2025•31 min
Clean energy buyers are facing new challenges and opportunities in the face of a shift in US politics and rising demand for electricity to power energy-hungry data centers. Rich Powell, CEO of the Clean Energy Buyers Association, joins Energy Evolution to talk about how his organization, representing over $15 trillion in market cap and contracts for 84 gigawatts of new clean energy, is tackling the complexities of changing energy policy, the potential repercussions of tax incentive changes, and ...
Jun 10, 2025•26 min
A blackout of historic proportions on the Iberian peninsula April 28 has sparked a debate on responsibility and prevention, while the investigation into the causes is ongoing. One undeniable conclusion is that investments in grids are becoming more important, S&P Global Commodity Insights analysts Kerry Thacker-Smith and Alexandre Mace explain on this episode of Energy Evolution. Albéric Mongrenier , executive director of think tank European Initiative for Energy Security, argues that grids ...
Jun 03, 2025•33 min
This episode of Energy Evolution examines the complex trade relationship between the US and China, with a focus on how ongoing tariff measures are reforming Chinese energy markets. Host Eklavya Gupte speaks with Ivy Yin , energy transition market specialist at S&P Global Commodity Insights, who explains how China is shifting toward a more inward-looking energy strategy by boosting domestic gas production to reduce LNG import dependency. She also talks about how Chinese cleantech manufacturer...
May 27, 2025•26 min
In the latest episode of Energy Evolution, host Eklavya Gupte speaks with Daniel Klier, CEO of South Pole, a key player in the carbon markets. As the industry grapples with a credibility crisis, Klier shares insights on the various initiatives the voluntary carbon market is undertaking to restore trust and foster a more resilient and robust ecosystem. He also discusses how South Pole has adapted its strategy to place a greater emphasis on compliance markets and Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, ...
May 20, 2025•22 min
In this episode of Energy Evolution, Taylor Kuykendall interviews Jonathan Silver, chair of the Global Climate Council at Apollo Global Management and co-founder of the new advisory firm Multiplier. Silver, who was executive director of the US Department of Energy's Loan Programs Office during the Obama administration, shares insights on the current clean energy financing landscape and discusses his work with sustainability-focused startups. Silver emphasizes the importance of helping early-stag...
May 13, 2025•21 min
In this episode of Energy Evolution, host Eklavya Gupte speaks with Tim Gould, chief energy economist at the International Energy Agency (IEA). Gould shares his insights on how the expansion of renewables, coupled with geopolitics and evolving economic policies, is reshaping energy security. Gould explains the need to adapt energy supply security measures as the growth of clean energy leads to new risks, such as those arising from critical minerals and supply chain vulnerabilities. He also tells...
May 06, 2025•18 min
In this episode of Energy Evolution, host Taylor Kuykendall moderates a panel discussion at the Tom Tom Festival in Charlottesville, Virginia, focusing on the question of how to fund solutions to climate change. The panelists highlighted the current challenges faced by climate tech companies in securing funding, particularly in a volatile political and economic landscape. Their conversation delves into the complexities of measuring climate impact, the importance of transparency in forecasting, a...
Apr 29, 2025•25 min
The International Maritime Organization recently agreed to a global deal to tackle shipping emissions after over a year of tense and fraught talks, with the US dramatically exiting discussions. The agreement includes mandatory marine fuel standards and a carbon trading mechanism. It will need to be adopted in October, but some countries still vocally oppose the measures. In this episode of Energy Evolution, host Eklavya Gupte speaks with Commodity Insights journalist Max Lin, Edmund Hughes from ...
Apr 22, 2025•23 min
Efforts to simplify the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism reflect a broader struggle within the bloc to balance environmental goals with economic realities. In this episode of Energy Evolution, host Eklavya Gupte speaks with Commodity Insights senior director Coralie Laurencin , Dan Maleski of Redshaw Advisors , and Nick Ogilvie of CarbonChain , who dig deep into what these proposed changes mean for both the EU’s industrial and climate strategy and the broader global energy transition. The...
Apr 15, 2025•39 min
This episode of Energy Evolution focuses on the recent executive order signed by President Donald Trump to boost domestic mineral production in the US. This order seeks to reduce reliance on foreign mineral supplies, particularly from China, which dominates the mining and refining sectors for critical minerals. Lithium, cobalt, nickel, and rare earth elements are just a few materials essential for energy transition technologies, including batteries for electric vehicles and renewable energy stor...
Apr 08, 2025•29 min
Having ramped down imports of Russian gas at the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, the European Union may need to answer industry calls for higher imports if peace or a ceasefire are achieved. But will politicians be comfortable with this, and what about the damaged Nord Stream pipelines? And how does the US approach the topic, having become a major LNG supplier to Europe in the past few years? Laurent Ruseckas , executive director for gas at S&P Global Commodity Insights, shares his analysis...
Apr 01, 2025•18 min
As global competition and trade tensions rise, the EU Commission has pledged to create a supportive business environment for cleantech manufacturing and deployment, including €100 billion in support for manufacturing. But will this be enough to stave off the risk of deindustrialization? In this episode of Energy Evolution, podcast correspondent Camilla Naschert explains the EU’s latest legislation on competitiveness, the Clean Industrial Deal. Guest Ben McWilliams, affiliate fellow at think tank...
Mar 25, 2025•22 min
In this episode of Energy Evolution, host Taylor Kuykendall chats with Ernest Moniz, founder and CEO of the EFI Foundation and the former US Department of Energy Secretary during the Obama administration. We'll also talk to Vast Energy CEO Craig Wood and Plug Power Chief Strategy Officer Sanjay Shrestha. The discussions, held on the sidelines of the CERAWeek by S&P Global conference, focus on innovations in energy technology, particularly the role the Department of Energy plays in early inve...
Mar 21, 2025•39 min
In this episode of Energy Evolution, host Taylor Kuykendall engages with more industry leaders at CERAWeek, including Maria Pope, CEO of Portland General Electric; John Pettigrew, CEO of National Grid; and Rebecca Kujawa, CEO of NextEra Energy. The discussion revolves around the rapid growth of datacenters and the evolving energy landscape. Pope highlights the significant role of semiconductor manufacturing and AI in shaping energy consumption patterns. Pettigrew discusses National Grid's ambiti...
Mar 20, 2025•32 min
In this episode of Energy Evolution, co-host Taylor Kuykendall delves into developments in battery technology with Pure Lithium founder and CEO Emilie Bodoin and explores methods for extracting lithium with International Battery Metals CEO Iris Jancik from the sidelines of the CERAWeek by S&P Global conference. The episode also addresses electric vehicle adoption, the impact of changing political climates on incentives, and the need for innovation in the face of a looming natural resource cr...
Mar 19, 2025•24 min
In this episode of Energy Evolution, host Taylor Kuykendall sits down with Hannah Hauman, head of carbon trading with multinational commodities company Trafigura, to learn more about the world of carbon markets. After a brief overview of carbon markets, listeners will learn more about the impacts of geopolitical changes, artificial intelligence and more shaping carbon trading. Hauman emphasized the importance and complexities of carbon accounting and the need to recognize that carbon markets are...
Mar 18, 2025•22 min
As CERAWeek by S&P Global wraps up, Taylor Kuykendall sits down with Commodity Insights co-president Dave Ernsberger , LNG news reporter Corey Paul and power news reporter Kassia Micek to tease out the interesting themes and moments from the conference. With the AI race front and center at CERAWeek, some of the biggest conversations revolved around powering datacenters, and with a new Trump administration looming large as the backdrop, the spotlight shifted from decarbonization and clean tec...
Mar 17, 2025•23 min
Grid planning and capacity optimization in the US have much room for improvement, for instance through new AI capabilities, Arshad Mansoor , president and CEO of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), says on the sidelines of the CERAWeek by S&P Global conference. Increased flexibility could stave off the potential of rising power bills for general consumers in light of the country's rapid load growth, he tells Energy Evolution host Taylor Kuykendall. While the US is blessed with abun...
Mar 14, 2025•31 min
“One difficulty may be the wind side,” says Rich Voorberg, president of the North America hub of energy equipment provider Siemens Energy, on the sidelines of the CERAWeek conference in Houston. Meanwhile, the gas turbine and grids divisions are struggling to keep pace with surging demand, Voorberg tells Energy Evolution host Taylor Kuykendall. When it comes to the impact of tariffs, Siemens Energy and its competitors sit in the same boat, with limited relative competitive impact, Voorberg notes...
Mar 13, 2025•16 min
As power demand rockets thanks in part to datacenter operators, the US grid needs more dispatchable power, FERC chairman Mark Christie tells Energy Evolution host Taylor Kuykendall on the sidelines of the CERAWeek by S&P Global conference in Houston. Taylor will be hosting additional episodes in addition to Energy Evolution's typical weekly schedule for the next several days, featuring guests attending CERAWeek.
Mar 12, 2025•15 min
In this episode of Energy Evolution, host Taylor Kuykendall speaks with Mark Brownstein, leader of energy transition efforts at the Environmental Defense Fund about environmental and climate priorities related to the energy transition in 2025. They discuss the evolving geopolitical landscape impacting energy policies, the role of market forces in advancing clean energy technologies, and private sector adaptation amidst changing political support. The conversation also touches on the need for col...
Mar 11, 2025•16 min
In this episode of the Energy Evolution podcast, host Taylor Kuykendall discusses the upcoming CERAWeek conference, scheduled for March 10-14 in Houston. He is joined by Ken Downey, Executive Director of Innovation Agora at CERAWeek, and Naki Mendoza, director of CERAWeek Programs at S&P Global. Key topics for this year's conference include the changing geopolitical landscape, especially in light of recent elections. Mendoza and Downey said energy leaders will also be focused in on supply ch...
Mar 04, 2025•13 min
On Energy Evolution this week, Eklavya Gupte and Rosemary Griffin examine the often-overlooked environmental ramifications of military conflicts as we mark the third anniversary of the Russia-Ukraine war. Lennard de Klerk, who has studied the climate impact of this war, gives us some insights into how warfare, fuel consumption, forest fires, attacks on energy infrastructure and the estimated costs of rebuilding Ukraine have led to a surge in greenhouse gas emissions. As concerns around the clima...
Feb 25, 2025•31 min
On this week’s episode, we explore how the rapid evolution of AI technologies such as DeepSeek is reshaping how experts think about the energy landscape and what it means for sustainability and power systems. Guests on to talk about artificial intelligence and power demand include: Neil Chatterjee, former FERC chairman and current chief government affairs officer at energy tech company Palmetto; Vic Shao, founder and CEO of DC Grid; Jonathan Schroth, a research analyst on the 451 Research Datace...
Feb 18, 2025•40 min
On this week’s episode of Energy Evolution, we lay out why grid equipment has become a bottleneck in the deployment of renewables, and why it takes time to ramp up manufacturing. Andreas Schierenbeck, CEO of equipment provider Hitachi Energy, shares industry perspectives on investment trends and the operational realities of scaling up industrial manufacturing of transformers, while S&P Global Commodity Insights analyst Cormac Gilligan explains why demand for grid infrastructure has outpaced ...
Feb 11, 2025•28 min
With new tariffs anticipated and a domestic manufacturing sector just ramping up, US solar manufacturers are facing trade headwinds as well as opportunities. Meanwhile, prices for modules in the US are substantially higher than in China and Europe. S&P Global Commodity Insights analysts Joe Steveni and Edurne Zoco lay out what to watch in the US solar supply chains and discuss the future of the Inflation Reduction Act and trade restrictions. Price reporter Karen Rivera describes what makes U...
Feb 04, 2025•29 min
