Luiza Demôro, the Head of Energy Transitions at BloombergNEF, walks us through a pair of reports that the team at BNEF recently released. One is their annual Power Transition Trends report. And the other is a special look at the state of clean energy funding in emerging markets and developing economies . And now that COP27 is upon us, Luiza also gives us a global perspective on energy trends, with a specific focus on where renewables are making inroads. She also shines a spotlight on some of the...
Nov 07, 2022•27 min•Season 2Ep. 12
Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last year or so, you’ve probably heard about all the money that’s either already been deployed or is on its way toward funding the energy transition. When there are billions and billions in play, it’s not surprising that groups are coming together to lure capital to not only certain technologies, but also certain geographic regions. Jane Stricker is the SVP for Energy Transition at the Greater Houston Partnership . She also serves as the Executive D...
Nov 01, 2022•25 min•Season 2Ep. 11
When a heat wave gripped California a couple of months ago, authorities sent out tweets and texts urging businesses and consumers to reduce their energy use to help utilities and other power providers avoid blackouts. That was an example of demand response. And guess what? It worked. James Muraca, the Chief Technology Officer at Enersponse , joins the show to explain how demand response can be automated and why it doesn't take a heat wave or some other kind of crisis for demand response to pay d...
Oct 25, 2022•21 min•Season 2Ep. 10
A key component of the Biden administration's energy transition plan involves establishing hydrogen hubs at multiple locations across the US. Michael Hecht, president and CEO of Greater New Orleans Inc. , joins the show to share details about H2theFuture , which is a green hydrogen cluster that's being developed in southern Louisiana. H2theFuture was recently awarded $50 million from the US Economic Development Administration to develop a green hydrogen hub that will include everything from R&am...
Oct 19, 2022•24 min•Season 2Ep. 9
This episode is all about the "Blue Economy." Jason Busch is the Executive Director of the Pacific Ocean Energy Trust and he joins the show to talk about the many ways the ocean can power a more sustainable future. Offshore wind energy has certainly been in the headlines as of late, so Jason covers that topic, but he also provides an update on other blue technologies. Technologies like wave energy and tidal energy as well as other ocean-based carbon dioxide removal solutions that can help boost ...
Sep 08, 2022•37 min•Season 2Ep. 8
Joseph Triepke and Daniel Cruise from Lium Research join the show to talk about the many ways the Inflation Reduction Act is poised to shape markets for solar, wind and battery storage. Joseph and Daniel will offer their views from more of an investor and financial market intelligence perspective. And speaking of market intel, don’t miss the nugget Joseph and Daniel share about solarSAT , a new data collection platform the team at Lium recently launched. And in this case, when they say launched ...
Aug 30, 2022•29 min•Season 2Ep. 7
It's all happening! The U.S. Congress finally took action to try to stem the tide of climate change. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) includes $369 billion of climate and clean energy initiatives -- and tax incentives represent a huge chunk of that amount. Lauren Collins , a partner at Vinson & Elkins , joins the show to explain how the plethora of tax incentives in the IRA stand to boost the deployment of renewable energy in the U.S. From Production Tax Credits and Investment Tax Credits t...
Aug 16, 2022•38 min•Season 2Ep. 6
While the comment period for the Securities and Exchange Commission’s proposed rule on climate-related disclosure has been extended into June, the proposal offers a solid hint as to how the final rulemaking might take shape. Jamie Gamble , Managing Director at PwC, and Maggie Peloso , Partner at Vinson & Elkins, join the show to dig into the details of the proposed rule and offer tips on what companies should be doing now … yes, right now … to prepare for the final rulemaking. Sign up for th...
May 17, 2022•32 min•Season 2Ep. 5
John Belizaire , the founder and CEO of Soluna Computing , joins the show to do a deep dive on how cryptocurrency mining and blockchain platforms impact the grid. You’ve probably seen the headlines and the narrative is that the computing power required to run these technologies places a huge strain on the grid. Well, John recently testified before Congress on the topic of cleaning up crypto mining and the energy impact of blockchains … and his opinion might surprise you. In fact, his viewpoint t...
May 04, 2022•32 min•Season 2Ep. 4
Horace Luke, the Founder and CEO of Gogoro , has a vision. It's a vision that involves tackling a huge energy challenge the transportation sector is facing. While companies like Tesla, Rivian and BYD are electrifying four-wheel vehicles, less attention is being paid to electrifying two-wheel vehicles. That's where Luke sees opportunity because two-wheelers account for billions of commuter miles around the world every year. In this episode, Luke explains the basics of battery swapping and outline...
Apr 20, 2022•40 min•Season 2Ep. 3
The term "energy transition" means different things to different people. In this episode, we focus on how "energy transition" means different things to people from different places. Michael Syn , senior managing director and head of equities at the Singapore Exchange (SGX) , joins the show to talk about how markets in Asia are tackling decarbonization and the push to net-zero. Often mistaken as just one big market, individual countries and companies across Asia have a very different history with...
Apr 12, 2022•49 min•Season 2Ep. 2
We're baaaaaaack! After taking a break at the beginning of this year to recharge after a busy and exciting 2021, we’re ready to dive back into telling you stories about the people, technologies and trends that are powering the energy transition. First up is an episode today about money. As in all the money that’s being spent on the energy transition. Joining me is Albert Cheung from BloombergNEF (BNEF) and Danielle Patterson from the law firm of Vinson & Elkins . Both of their organizations ...
Mar 09, 2022•36 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Tax incentives like the Production Tax Credit and the Investment Tax Credit have had a massive impact on the growth of renewables, but the possibility of direct pay also looms on the horizon. Sean Moran , a partner at the law firm of Vinson & Elkins , is here to dive into what lies ahead for the tax side of the renewables industry, particularly as projects expand into the realm of offshore wind. More resources Offshore Wind — The Current State of Affairs Federal Backstop Authority for Transm...
Dec 14, 2021•29 min
As more and more renewables come online, load flexibility is a key component of the grid of the future. John Powers , founder and CEO of Extensible Energy , joins the show to talk about how smart technology is helping building owners and tenants optimize their energy efficiency and save big money. John also outlines the work of the California Load Flexibility Research and Development Hub ( CalFlexHub ), which is a team of experts from across the energy landscape working to develop energy efficie...
Dec 07, 2021•30 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Now that we’ve all caught our breath after the onslaught of news and frenetic finish to COP26, it's time to step back and reflect on the events in Glasgow from a broader perspective. SmartBrief's Karen Kantor and Paula Kiger edit a wide variety of newsletters for SmartBrief -- including topics such as energy, sustainability, government, business transformation and even the United Nations -- so they join the show for a roundtable discussion that highlights the achievements, disappointments and su...
Nov 18, 2021•23 min•Season 1Ep. 18
This episode is a wee bit different from previous shows. With loads of big headlines coming out of the first week of COP26 in Glasgow, it seems like a quick roundup is in order to separate the news from the noise. There were also a few notable quotes (and even one song) that are worth highlighting. I hope this episode helps you get caught up fast! Related links: The Green Grid Initiative Mark Carney and GFANZ SBTi aims to define "net-zero" BlackRock's Larry Fink on greenwashing Global methane re...
Nov 05, 2021•10 min•Season 1Ep. 17
COP26 is finally here! With many countries and companies announcing net-zero goals that target 2035, 2050 or 2060, Tej Gidda joins the show to talk about why the next decade is critical for the energy transition. Tej, a vice president at GHD and also the firm's Global Lead for Future Energy , shares his thoughts on COP26 and what the people gathered in Glasgow need to do to make the next 10 years count. Tej also explains the concept of "The Missing Middle" ... and why policymakers and industry l...
Nov 01, 2021•39 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Few people know more about the policies that shape the US grid than Rob Gramlich , the founder and president of Grid Strategies . With more and more renewables coming online (and interconnection queues getting longer and longer), Rob joins the show to talk about all the challenges the US grid is facing and what can be done to overcome them. Rob also delves into the details of what is in the infrastructure bills currently circulating around Capitol Hill. What are the 'must-haves' that need to be ...
Oct 19, 2021•40 min•Season 1Ep. 15
Bob Yeager , President of Emerson’s Power and Water Solutions , joins the show to outline the three Ds that will play a huge role in future of the energy industry: Decarbonization, Decentralization and Digitalization (3:41). Bob delves into how FERC Order No. 2222 stands to reshape the power sector (12:18), how improved analytics might have reduced the severity of the Texas energy crisis (19:30) and how the process for purchasing energy might one day come to resemble ordering an Uber -- on your ...
Oct 12, 2021•36 min•Season 1Ep. 14
Michael Rucker , founder and CEO of Scout Clean Energy , joins the show to talk about the latest news and trends in renewables. Among the many topics we discuss: A massive backlog of interconnection requests in the US How to communicate clearly in the face of NIMBY sentiments to get projects developed The potential for a federal Clean Energy Standard Carbon tax versus tax credits Lessons learned from operating during a pandemic Michael's experience in the industry spans a couple decades, so we a...
Sep 22, 2021•29 min•Season 1Ep. 13
Janice Lin, the founder and president of the Green Hydrogen Coalition , joins the show to discuss how green hydrogen is poised to play a larger role in everyday energy generation and consumption. From US efforts like HyDeal LA (22:28) and the Western Green Hydrogen Initiative (24:12) to international endeavors like the European Hydrogen Backbone (14:50), Janice outlines how quickly the green hydrogen economy is accelerating. Janice also highlights how green hydrogen as an energy storage solution...
Aug 31, 2021•37 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Green hydrogen's potential to transform energy markets is immense. With the growth of renewables inspiring greater interest in use cases for green hydrogen, Michael Ducker from Mitsubishi Power joins the podcast to outline the state of the green hydrogen market and how it is poised to grow. Ducker explains how green hydrogen differs from other "colors" of hydrogen and also details how the long duration energy storage capabilities of projects like Mitsubishi's Advanced Clean Energy Storage site i...
Aug 17, 2021•36 min•Season 1Ep. 11
Across the U.S., there are 23,000 separate jurisdictions and 3,000 utilities involved in the permitting process for residential rooftop solar installations. Completing the permitting process can take weeks -- or even months. SolarAPP+ is a new tool that can be put to use across the country to reduce that wait time to just minutes. The app is a game-changer. Homeowners receive faster installations and installers enjoy greater certainty about scheduling their projects. Plus, all those government a...
Aug 03, 2021•31 min•Season 1Ep. 10
The upfront costs associated with residential renewables and energy efficient technologies often act as a roadblock to deployment in millions of US homes. Greg Hopkins , a Manager within RMI’s Carbon-Free Buildings Program, joins the show to talk about how green mortgages can play help put those expensive home improvements within the reach of millions of homeowners. Just how much potential is there for green mortgages? Well, as Hopkins explains, tweaks to the housing finance system could grow th...
Jul 07, 2021•34 min•Season 1Ep. 9
Despite the pandemic, the amount of renewable energy deals announced by large-scale buyers set a record in 2020. Miranda Ballentine, CEO of the Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance (REBA), join the show to talk about how corporations are reshaping the large-scale energy procurement market. Ballentine talks about the new kinds of corporate buyers that are entering the market (9:02), how firms have shifted their goal from merely investing in renewable energy to decarbonizing the power system (12:20) a...
Jun 15, 2021•56 min•Season 1Ep. 8
Renewable energy certificates (RECs) are a key financial tool in the renewable energy industry. Steve McComb, senior vice president at IncubEx , joins the podcast to do a deep dive on what RECs are and how they function in the marketplace across different states and regions (2:34). Steve outlines the evolution of states' renewable portfolio standards (12:06), what Texas gets right about RECs (16:32) and how RECs are traded in futures markets (18:03). We also discuss the impact proposals coming o...
Jun 08, 2021•39 min•Season 1Ep. 7
With billions of dollars flowing into ESG investment products, changes are afoot for ESG disclosure best practices and reporting regulations. Maggie Peloso , partner at the law firm of Vinson & Elkins , shares her insights on numerous reporting challenges companies large and small are trying to tackle, including data management (10:20) and determining materiality (16:01). Maggie also outlines how companies can prepare to meet the evolving expectations of investors and changing demands of reg...
May 25, 2021•53 min•Season 1Ep. 6
There's a debate that’s percolating in the residential solar power market that, if it’s not resolved carefully, could end up hammering the renewables industry and the wallets of rooftop solar customers. The debate is about net energy metering . For those of you who don’t know what net energy metering is … don’t worry… Joseph Triepke from Lium Research joins us to explain what net energy metering is (3:38) and why you should care about it … even if you think the rooftop solar market has nothing t...
May 11, 2021•39 min•Season 1Ep. 5
The Leaders Summit on Climate that was organized by the Biden administration just wrapped up a few hours ago. And since that virtual gathering was convened to tackle the climate emergency, we thought we’d respond by convening an emergency podcast! This episode features a conversation with Justin Gerdes , senior correspondent for Energy Monitor , breaking down the key takeaways from the summit. We talk about all the emissions reduction targets (6:01), decarbonizing the transportation sector (8:30...
Apr 24, 2021•26 min•Season 1Ep. 4
The social justice movement that gathered momentum in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder forced many industries, including renewables, to take a long, hard look at their diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. This episode features Kenneth Labeja , the co-founder and CFO of Triple Oak Power , and Dareem David , director of finance at Primergy Solar , discussing the progress the industry has made on DEI initiatives (4:46 and 16:25) and difficult circumstances they've experienced as Black...
Apr 21, 2021•36 min•Season 1Ep. 3
