The Future of Clean Energy: Insights from Michael Liebreich

Michael Liebreich is the host of the podcast Cleaning Up, focused on leadership in the age of climate change. Michael was previously the CEO and founder of Bloomberg New Energy Finance. He has been involved with the organization for 20 years, still serving as a senior contributor. Michael also runs an advisory firm, Liebreich and Associates, focused on clean energy and sustainable development, and he's an advisor to the UK Board of Trade. All of this is just scratching the surface of Michael's background, which also includes having been a member of the British Ski Team and a participant in the 1992 Winter Olympics.

This episode explores Michael’s accomplishments and how he came to focus on climate and clean energy topics, how he started New Energy Finance and the decision to sell the business to Bloomberg, as well as the legacy that he created with the business. Michael and Cody then cover a hit list of topics, including recent climate legislation in the US and the EU, the topic of green protectionism and Michael's “five horsemen” of big challenges the world faces as we try to decarbonize.

This conversation merely grazes the surface of Michael's climate-related interests, including his deep focus on hydrogen. So, for more from Michael, you'll need to check out his conversations on the Cleaning Up podcast.

In this episode, we cover:

[01:58]: Michael's unique background
[06:49]: Transitioning to journalism in the early internet era
[08:48]: Michael's personal climate epiphany in the Swiss Alps
[12:34]: Starting a data-driven media company to fill the clean energy information gap
[18:05]: Pivoting to insight services
[18:57]: Bloomberg's acquisition of New Energy Finance (NEF)
[22:21]: Running Bloomberg NEF as CEO
[25:27]: Stepping away from NEF and growing his professional network
[26:53]: Paid speaking engagements and transitioning to podcasting during COVID
[28:10]: Michael's approach to the Cleaning Up podcast
[36:31]: The struggles and advantages of being generalists
[38:34]: Europe's energy situation over the winter of '22-'23 and the urgent need to address dependence on Russian energy
[40:54]: The role of Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) terminals in Europe
[42:58]: European response to the Inflation Reduction Act and "Green Protectionism"
[48:08]: Caution around the practice of recycling and re-exporting items for credits
[51:22] Michael's main concerns for clean energy deployment, including rare metals and recycling
[52:38] Addressing the speed with which societies can approve and build transmission
[56:43]: Limited access to capital in developing countries
[01:00:41]: Resilience and intermittency issues
[01:03:49]: Closing thoughts and how to follow Michael's work

Get connected:
Michael Liebreich Twitter / LinkedIn
Cody Simms
MCJ Podcast / Collective

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Episode recorded on May 10, 2023

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*Editing and post-production work for this episode was provided by The Podcast Consultant