Zero: The Climate Race What climate tech is overhyped and what's not
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Oct 16, 2025 Shayle Kann, a venture capitalist at Energy Impact Partners and host of the Catalyst podcast, dives into the climate tech landscape. He and Akshat Rathi explore which technologies are genuinely promising and which are just talk. They discuss distributed energy resources as underappreciated, the hype around onsite gas generation for data centers, and the bottlenecks in transmission deliverability. They also dissect sodium-ion batteries and advanced geothermal's overhyped status in the U.S., offering insights into the complex world of climate innovation.
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Distributed Energy Resources Are Underused
- Distributed energy resources (DERs) include behind-the-meter generation, storage, and load shifting like rooftop solar and batteries.
- Shayle Kann and Akshat Rathi agree DERs are currently underhyped for meeting near-term load growth despite rising attention in niche energy tech circles.
Octopus Uses EVs As Virtual Power Plants
- Akshat describes Octopus Energy's BYD lease program that uses EVs as part of a virtual power plant.
- He receives messages offering free electricity during low-demand windows to encourage flexible charging.
Onsite Generation Won't Be The Default
- Co-locating generation like gas turbines with data centers is feasible but will be a minority approach.
- Shayle warns co-location hype exaggerates how widespread on-site generation will be for new data centers.