Global installed capacity of solar photovoltaics has grown at an extraordinary pace in recent years as countries strive to meet approaching decarbonisation targets, meaning that the technology is having an ever-increasing part in electricity mixes worldwide. In this episode of the Platts Future Energy Podcast, solar market reporter Lena Dias Martins is joined by associate director for solar research Josefin Berg to discuss the growth of solar globally, installation forecasts and how this technol...
Aug 13, 2024•24 min
“Green steel” is becoming an increasingly desirable product around the world as more end users establish decarbonization goals and legislation like the EU’s carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) goes into effect. But with no single definition, steel market participants are having to come up with their own standards as they pursue lower-carbon steelmaking. In this episode, Laura Varriale, managing editor of the ferrous metals team, EMEA, at S&P Global Commodity Insights and Guido Kerkhoff...
Aug 09, 2024•43 min•Ep. 139
Vacuuming CO2 out of the atmosphere may be possible, but at a cost of nearly $1,000 per metric ton of carbon captured and stored. Nevertheless, direct air capture is attracting serious investment from the US government, oil and gas companies and Microsoft. In this episode of Energy Evolution, hosts Taylor Kuykendall and Dan Testa and reporter Siri Hedreen discuss what the public and private sectors are doing to make this nascent technology a large-scale commercial reality. First, they hear from ...
Aug 02, 2024•15 min•Ep. 138
In this episode of Energy Evolution, host Taylor Kuykendall and S&P Global Commodity Insights climate and energy reporter Karin Rives discuss the increasing involvement of state lawmakers in electric utility regulations and their impact on the power industry and ratepayers. Guests on today's show are Lillian Federico, a research director with Commodity Insights, California state Senator Josh Becker and Paul Alvarez with the consulting firm Wired Group. They highlight how the energy transitio...
Jul 26, 2024•16 min•Ep. 137
In this episode of the Energy Evolution podcast, host Taylor Kuykendall interviews William "Bill" Daley, who was White House Chief of Staff under President Barack Obama and Commerce Secretary during the administration of President Bill Clinton. Daley joined Taylor to discuss the role of climate technologies in driving economic growth and job creation. Daley explained the work of Crux Climate, a sustainable finance technology company, and how they facilitate the transferability of energy credits....
Jul 19, 2024•22 min•Ep. 136
In this episode of Energy Evolution, host Taylor Kuykendall is joined by Tom Dichristopher, senior reporter at S&P Global Commodity Insights, to discuss the movement to ban new gas hookups and require all-electric construction for new buildings. In 2023, a court struck down a gas ban in Berkeley, California, which was the first of its kind in the nation. The decision came as part of a legal settlement with the California Restaurant Association, and Berkeley will no longer enforce the ban whi...
Jul 12, 2024•26 min•Ep. 135
Electric vehicles are growing in popularity in the US, but purchasing one can come with a host of hurdles to navigate, from tax credits to charger availability. In this episode of Energy Evolution, correspondent Camellia Moors interviews Bryan Birsic, CEO of Motor, about the challenges faced by EV drivers and headwinds to wider EV adoption. Backed by The AES Corp. and Mitsubishi Corp., Motor provides services designed to help drivers discover, switch to, and stick with EVs. Subscribe to Energy E...
Jul 05, 2024•17 min•Ep. 134
Also known as 'forever chemicals', PFAS materials can be found in frying pans and rain coats, but also in hydrogen electrolyzers and batteries. After a group of countries proposed a ban on PFAS chemicals in the EU in 2023, legislators are expected to restrict their use. On this episode, correspondent Camilla Naschert hears from scientists Christina Jönsson (Research Institutes of Sweden) and Karsten Pinkwart (Fraunhofer Institut) about how this ban could work and what the energy sector now needs...
Jun 28, 2024•28 min•Ep. 133
A first wave of subsidy auctions for green hydrogen production in Europe has revealed early price signals and could kick-start the market after a long period of policy and investment delays. The recent European Hydrogen Bank auction results were much lower than expected, but will renewable hydrogen be much cheaper than previously thought, or will consumers have to pay a large premium to secure offtake? Senior energy transition reporter James Burgess discusses these topics and more with senior hy...
Jun 25, 2024•24 min
In this episode of Energy Evolution, the teams is joined by two special guests: Jigar Shah, the director of the Loan Programs Office of the US Department of Energy, and Jonathan Evans, the President and CEO of Lithium Americas. The US Department of Energy has shown interest in the metals and mining space, particularly in critical mineral mining and extraction projects. Additionally, the DOE's Loan Programs Office has committed to providing a $2.26 billion loan to Lithium Nevada Corp. for the con...
Jun 21, 2024•32 min•Ep. 132
Hydrogen fuel is gaining traction as a promising solution for decarbonizing the transport sector, particularly in challenging areas like aviation where electrification is limited. US government subsidies for low-carbon hydrogen production and the establishment of the Department of Energy’s seven hydrogen hubs are expected to drive low-carbon hydrogen production at scale. However, the aviation industry awaits regulatory guidance from the Federal Aviation Administration to provide clarity on the p...
Jun 18, 2024•27 min
Right-wing parties have made gains in the EU parliamentary elections this past week, but a coalition of centrists remains likely. Correspondent Camilla Naschert tells host Taylor Kuykendall what the result means for energy policymaking in the 27-member bloc. The main message: Net zero is still on, but the pace of climate lawmaking may slow in coming years. Subscribe to Energy Evolution to stay current on the energy transition and its implications. The show is co-hosted by veteran journalists Dan...
Jun 14, 2024•17 min•Ep. 133
In this episode of Energy Evolution, host Taylor Kuykendall interviews Dan Brdar, the CEO of Ideal Power. Ideal Power is developing a bidirectional semiconductor power switch with a wide range of applications, including electric vehicles, renewable energy and datacenters. The technology enhances energy efficiency and is starting to gain traction in the industry. Ideal Power is partnering with Stellantis, an automotive giant, to develop a custom power module for use in next-generation electric ve...
Jun 07, 2024•14 min•Ep. 132
Today's episode of Energy Evolution, your podcast for all things energy transition, focuses on small micronuclear reactors and their role in the energy transition. Our guest, Jay Yu, is the founder of Nano Nuclear Energy. Their products include microreactors, which produce one to 20 megawatts of thermal energy that can be used directly as heat or converted to electricity. They are compact, modular, and can be deployed in various locations, including remote areas. They offer a reliable and sustai...
May 31, 2024•18 min•Ep. 131
In this episode of Energy Evolution, host Taylor Kuykendall sits down with Emily Easley, CEO of Novus Energy Advisors. Emily, who hails from the Texas oil and gas fields, now works in the world of renewable energy. During their conversation, Taylor and Emily delve into the topic of bridging the gap between conventional fuels and new energy technologies. They explore the lessons that can be learned from both sides of the energy spectrum and how these insights can be applied to drive innovation an...
May 24, 2024•24 min•Ep. 130
In this episode of Energy Evolution, Taylor Kuykendall interviews Bruno Arcadier, head of Vale Ventures, the venture capital arm of international mining giant Vale. Vale Ventures aims to invest in cutting-edge technologies that will revolutionize the mining industry and make it more sustainable. The mining sector plays a critical role in the energy transition because metals like copper, nickel and cobalt are essential components in renewable energy technologies. The challenges in promoting the e...
May 17, 2024•27 min•Ep. 132
As utilities grapple with how best to expand the US electric grid to improve reliability and support technologies like electric vehicles, they’re turning to a host of technologies like grid storage and AI that can help with planning and managing new demands. On this week’s episode, co-host Taylor Kuykendall and correspondent Camellia Moors speak with guests Anthony Allard, executive vice president and head of North America at Hitachi Energy, Josh Brumberger, CEO of Utilidata, Robert Piconi, chai...
May 10, 2024•31 min•Ep. 131
Sulfur is a crucial input for the fertilizer market. But, this byproduct of the oil and gas industry is also increasingly in-demand for processing key metals needed for the energy transition, such as copper and nickel. In this episode of the Platts Future Energy podcast, sulfur and sulfuric acid market reporter Matt Hoisch is joined by sulfur and sulfuric acid Analyst, Yuya Pan, and senior copper analyst, Ruilin Wang, for a deep dive into how a transition to greener energy sources is expected to...
May 08, 2024•17 min
Capturing solar energy in space promises 24/7 renewable energy at a competitive cost. But to get space solar to scale, scientists and engineers need to tackle questions around technology management in space, social acceptance of power beaming and ground infrastructure, as well as financing hurdles. On this week's episode of Energy Evolution, reporter Camilla Naschert discusses all of this with Sanjay Vijendran, who leads the European Space Agency's space solar program, and Martin Soltau, founder...
May 03, 2024•34 min•Ep. 130
A maritime law from 1920 prevents non-US ships from operating in and out of US ports. The problem for offshore wind? There are no large turbine installation ships under US flag yet. In this episode of Energy Evolution, we hear from industry experts how the Jones Act affects a fledgling offshore wind buildout and how developers found workarounds to get turbines offshore. Guests are Dominion Energy SVP Mark Mitchell, Ørsted SVP Troy Patton and S&P Global Commodity Insights analyst John Murray....
Apr 26, 2024•24 min•Ep. 129
Cyber threats are mounting for utilities' critical infrastructure assets globally. If used by savvy hackers, AI also provides new tools for those trying to disrupt power supply or extract data. Decentralization of assets through the rollout of renewables is growing the attack vector for malign actors, NERC SVP Manny Cancel tells Energy Evolution correspondent Camilla Naschert. Cybersecurity expert Andrew Ginter of Waterfall Security lays out the threat landscape and why IT teams and engineers ne...
Apr 19, 2024•26 min•Ep. 128
India's energy transition strategy encompasses greater adoption of a wide range of renewable fuels to go with baseload coal for decades to come, with new policies on CCUS, carbon markets and power reforms set to play a role in the decarbonization of the third largest greenhouse gas emitter of the world. In this Platts Future Energy podcast, Consulting Executive Director, Energy Transition Gauri Jauhar, Managing Editor, Global Compliance Carbon Pricing Agamoni Ghosh, and Associate Director, Resea...
Apr 17, 2024•36 min
Wrapping up the series of episodes featuring interviews gathered at CERAWeek by S&P Global, co-host of Energy Evolution Taylor Kuykendall shares bits of conversations with executives from new, innovative companies across different parts of the battery materials supply chain. Guests on this episode are: Gabi Knesel, a senior vice president at Locus Fermentation Solutions; Mahesh Konduru, CEO of Momentum Technologies; Srini Godavarthy, CEO of Li Metal; and John Busbee, the CEO and co-founder o...
Apr 12, 2024•24 min•Ep. 127
Energy Evolution continues to showcase interviews with influential leaders in the energy transition after co-host Taylor Kuykendall returned from CERAWeek 2024 by S&P Global, the company's flagship energy conference. In this episode of the Energy Evolution podcast, Maria Pope, President and CEO of Portland General Electric, and John Pettigrew, CEO of National Grid, discuss the future of energy and the challenges facing the industry in the coming years. PGE provides electricity to a service a...
Apr 05, 2024•34 min•Ep. 126
Energy Evolution continues to showcase interviews with influential leaders in the energy transition after co-host Taylor Kuykendall returned from CERAWeek 2024 by S&P Global, the company's flagship energy conference. For this episode, Taylor sat down with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America CEO Takajiro Ishikawa and Svante President and CEO Claude Letourneau about the past and future of carbon capture projects. Carbon capture is a key technology for reducing emissions, particularly for hard-...
Apr 03, 2024•35 min•Ep. 125
Energy Evolution continues to showcase interviews with influential leaders in the energy transition as co-host Taylor Kuykendall returns from CERAWeek 2024, by S&P Global, the company's flagship energy conference. In this episode, we talk with Hunter Armistead, the CEO of Pattern Energy. Pattern Energy is developing SunZia Wind and Transmission to capture energy from the winds of New Mexico to power three million Americans in the western US. Hunter and Taylor talk about the challenges and op...
Mar 29, 2024•25 min•Ep. 124
Energy Evolution continues to showcase interviews with influential leaders in the energy transition as co-host Taylor Kuykendall returns from CERAWeek 2024, by S&P Global, the company's flagship energy conference. On this episode, we start with a chat with Ernest Moniz, former US energy secretary under the Obama administration, and now president and CEO of the Energy Futures Initiative think tank. Then, we talk to Michał Kurtyka, a fellow with the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center, the f...
Mar 27, 2024•38 min•Ep. 123
This week, Energy Evolution reports from CERAWeek, S&P Global's flagship energy conference. Today’s conversation is with Colin Parfitt, vice president of Midstream at Chevron Corporation. Parfitt discussed Chevron’s approach to cutting carbon emissions intensity in the oil and gas business amid growing energy demand, the role of liquified natural gas in the energy space, and the pace of energy sector decarbonization with podcast co-host Taylor Kuykendall on the sidelines of the event. Subscr...
Mar 22, 2024•18 min•Ep. 122
This week, Energy Evolution reports from CERAWeek, S&P Global's flagship energy conference. Today’s conversation is with Meghan Nutting, executive vice president of Government and Regulatory Affairs at Sunnova Energy. Virtual power plants (VPPs) can help manage grid demand and support electrification, Nutting told podcast co-host Taylor Kuykendall on the sidelines of the event. She also talked about Sunnova’s Project Hestia, how VPPs may fit in with large conventional power plants, and polic...
Mar 21, 2024•15 min•Ep. 121
This week, Energy Evolution reports from CERAWeek, S&P Global's flagship energy conference. While the event has become increasingly focused on the energy transition, one commodity trading house says the good times for fossil fuels are far from over. Demand for oil and gas, as well as key metals such as copper, is set to grow across most global markets, Trafigura chief economist Saad Rahim tells Taylor Kuykendall on the sidelines of the event. Subscribe to Energy Evolution to stay current on ...
Mar 20, 2024•39 min•Ep. 120
