Factor This

Tell us what you think of the show! Battery storage is booming in the U.S., and for good reason. So much intermittent renewable energy on the grid demands flexible resources to fill gaps. And, short of reverting back to fossil fuels, batteries are the best answer to support the energy transition.Investors have poured billions of dollars into battery storage development to cash in, largely based on speculative opportunities. But there's one problem: markets have been slow to evolve, leading to an uptick in consolidation and growing uncertainty about the path ahead.A battery bubble may be forming. What happens if it pops?Episode 70 of the Factor This! podcast answers that question by taking an intimate look at the two top battery markets in the U.S. — California and Texas — and their diverging trajectories. Guests:Jason Burwen, VP of Policy & Strategy, GridStorCody Hill, SVP, REV RenewablesRenae Steichen, Director of Regulatory Affairs, REV RenewablesWatch the full episode on YouTubeWant to make a suggestion for This Week in Cleantech? Nominate the stories that caught your eye each week by emailing Paul.Gerke@clarionevents.com

Tell us what you think of the show! This Week in Cleantech is a new, weekly podcast covering the most impactful stories in cleantech and climate in 15 minutes or less.This week’s episode features science journalist Maddie Stone who reported in Grist about the challenges facing electric vehicle battery repair.This Week in Cleantech — Dec. 15, 2023This week’s “Cleantecher of the Week” is Robin Laine, co-founder and CEO of renewable SaaS company Transect. 1. Transmission rulings pave path for renewable energy — E&E News2. Tesla recalls nearly all vehicles on US roads over lack of Autopilot safeguards — Reuters3. Solar and Wind to Top Coal Power in US for First Time in 2024 — Bloomberg4. Nations at COP28 Agree for First Time to Transition From Fossil Fuels — Wall Street Journal5. EV battery repair is dangerous. Here’s why mechanics want to do it anyway — GristWatch the full episode on YouTubeHelp make This Week in Cleantech the best it can be. Send feedback and story recommendations to rew@clarionevents.com. And don’t forget to leave a rating and review wherever you get your podcasts.Want to make a suggestion for This Week in Cleantech? Nominate the stories that caught your eye each week by emailing Paul.Gerke@clarionevents.com

Tell us what you think of the show! This Week in Cleantech is a new, weekly podcast covering the most impactful stories in cleantech and climate in 15 minutes or less.This week’s episode features Inside Climate News reporter Dan Gearino who breaks down plummeting prices for batteries, and why it's good news for the climate. This Week in Cleantech — Dec. 8, 2023This week’s “Cleantecher of the Week” is Ryan Quint, Director of Engineering and Security Integration at NERC. You can hear more about Ryan in Episode 67 of Factor This! 1. Hydrogen Industry Signals Alarm Over Proposed US Tax Credits — Bloomberg2. New California rules are crushing the solar industry — PBS3. Treasury Department lays out EV tax credit foreign sourcing rules — Axios4. Congress spent billions on EV chargers. But not one has come online — Politico5. Battery Prices Are Falling Again, and That’s a Good Thing — Inside Climate NewsWatch the full episode on YouTubeHelp make This Week in Cleantech the best it can be. Send feedback and story recommendations to rew@clarionevents.com. And don’t forget to leave a rating and review wherever you get your podcasts.Want to make a suggestion for This Week in Cleantech? Nominate the stories that caught your eye each week by emailing Paul.Gerke@clarionevents.com

Tell us what you think of the show! I first met Dominion Energy CEO Bob Blue at a shipping terminal in Norfolk, Virginia.We stood two years ago at the site that would one day support Dominion's buildout of the first commercial-scale offshore wind project in the U.S.Since then, Siemens Gamesa, the turbine manufacturer plagued by a billion-dollar quality control flop, has pulled out of that project. And Dominion's Coastal Virginia Offshore Wind farm is one of only a few to survive (so far) the rough seas facing the nascent industry.Offshore wind's future, while at times feeling bleak, got me thinking about the evolving role of investor-owned utilities in the energy transition. To be sure, utilities aren't seen as bastions of innovation, and are often criticized for slow-walking the fight against climate change. But maybe no other entity is equipped to shoulder the risk of incubating the raft of emerging technologies we desperately need for decarbonization.Blue joined Episode 69 of the Factor This! podcast to break down Dominion's own ambitious carbon reduction plan, offshore wind's turbulent waters, and why the utility is leaning in on long-duration battery tech.Watch the full episode on YouTubeWant to make a suggestion for This Week in Cleantech? Nominate the stories that caught your eye each week by emailing Paul.Gerke@clarionevents.com

Tell us what you think of the show! This Week in Cleantech is a new, weekly podcast covering the most impactful stories in cleantech and climate in 15 minutes or less.This week’s episode features Associated Press green energy reporter Jennifer McDermott who breaks down a monumental achievement for enhanced geothermal energy. This Week in Cleantech — Dec. 1, 2023 This week’s “Cleantecher of the Week” is Lisa Jacobson, head of Business Council for Sustainable Energy. Send your nominations for "Cleantecher of the Week" to thisweekincleantech@tigercomm.us.1. The Biden Energy Slush Fund — Wall Street Journal 2. How Solar Sales Bros Threaten the Green Energy Transition — TIME3. BP pays £254mn to take full control of solar joint venture Lightsource — Financial Times4. The Salton Sea has even more lithium than previously thought, new report finds — LA Times5. New Google geothermal electricity project could be a milestone for clean energy — Associated PressWatch the full episode on YouTubeHelp make This Week in Cleantech the best it can be. Send feedback and story recommendations to ThisWeekInCleantech@tigercomm.us. And don’t forget to leave a rating and review wherever you get your podcasts.Want to make a suggestion for This Week in Cleantech? Nominate the stories that caught your eye each week by emailing Paul.Gerke@clarionevents.com

Tell us what you think of the show! Jeff Waters is always looking for a challenge. He thrives on chasing growth and the rush that comes by solving hard problems. And a maturing market often signals the need for a fresh start.So it may come as no surprise that Waters found his way to battery storage, and one of its darlings, Oregon-based Powin Energy. The company, with 3 GWh of assets in operation, and another 12 GWh in production, is steadily separating itself from a pack of would-be contenders.Waters got his start in semiconductors and later led solar module manufacturer Maxeon in its spinoff from SunPower into public markets. Only a few months into his new role as Powin's CEO, he's already positioning the company to be "IPO ready" for the time when the right opportunity arises. And it could be soon. On Episode 68 of the Factor This! podcast, Waters highlights opportunities ahead for battery storage, weighs in on concerns of market saturation, and discusses a potential IPO timeline.Watch the full episode on YouTubeWant to make a suggestion for This Week in Cleantech? Nominate the stories that caught your eye each week by emailing Paul.Gerke@clarionevents.com

Tell us what you think of the show! Solar, wind, and battery projects are displacing fossil fuel assets in an urgent push to address the threats of climate change.But the race to decarbonize has created a new problem: In the absence of clear reliability standards, inverter-based resources are misbehaving and messing up the grid, despite repeated warnings. Episode 67 of the Factor This! podcast features Ryan Quint, who oversees engineering and security integration for the North American Electric Reliability Corporation, which manages the bulk power system.Quint shares why the sprint to deploy clean energy assets is leaving the grid vulnerable to reliability failures, and why the U.S. can't slow-walk a fix.Watch the full episode on YouTubeWant to make a suggestion for This Week in Cleantech? Nominate the stories that caught your eye each week by emailing Paul.Gerke@clarionevents.com

Tell us what you think of the show! This Week in Cleantech is a new, weekly podcast covering the most impactful stories in cleantech and climate in 15 minutes or less.This week’s episode features Washington Post climate reporter Shannon Osaka, who reports why car dealer skepticism could be one of the biggest threats to electric vehicle adoption. This week's "Cleantecher of the Week" is Sarah Chatterjee, Director of Electrification Strategies and Programs at Electric Power Engineers. Send your nominations for "Cleantecher of the Week" to thisweekincleantech@tigercomm.us. This Week in Cleantech — Nov. 17, 20231. Is advanced nuclear in trouble? What’s next after NuScale cancellation — E&E News2. Alarmed' By Climate Change, U.S. And China Forge New Partnership To Tackle Fossil Fuels — HuffPost3. Plug Power Shares Tank Most in a Decade on Hydrogen Crunch — Bloomberg4. China’s Spending on Green Energy Is Causing a Global Glut — Wall Street Journal5. Electric vehicles are hitting a road block: Car dealers — Washington PostWatch the full episode on YouTubeHelp make This Week in Cleantech the best it can be. Send feedback and story recommendations to ThisWeekInCleantech@tigercomm.us. And don’t forget to leave a rating and review wherever you get your podcasts.Want to make a suggestion for This Week in Cleantech? Nominate the stories that caught your eye each week by emailing Paul.Gerke@clarionevents.com

Tell us what you think of the show! George Hershman's term as chair of solar's leading trade group began with optimism and excitement.He stepped into the role with the Solar Energy Industries Association, or SEIA, in January 2020, when the industry's meteoric rise was all but cemented. Today, we know the tumultuous stretch that quickly followed.A pandemic, supply chain constraints, and a potentially existential tariff fight made even the "solar coaster" moniker appear ill-equipped to describe the moment. But his tenure also featured a legacy-defining legislative victory in the Inflation Reduction Act.​​​​​​Hershman joined Episode 66 of the Factor This! podcast to take us inside the critical behind-the-scenes deliberations that helped save solar.As he prepares to vacate his chairmanship at the end of the year, Hershman defended SEIA’s not-so-subtle spat with the Biden administration in the Auxin Solar tariff fight, shared the organization's own battle to stay afloat, and laid out his vision for the sector's renewed growth trajectory.Watch the full episode on YouTubeShow notes: -George Hershman appeared on Episode 20 of the Factor This! podcastWant to make a suggestion for This Week in Cleantech? Nominate the stories that caught your eye each week by emailing Paul.Gerke@clarionevents.com

Tell us what you think of the show! This Week in Cleantech is a new, weekly podcast covering the most impactful stories in cleantech and climate in 15 minutes or less.This week’s episode features The Hill energy and environment reporter Zack Budryks for a deeper look at Maine's public power referendum. This Week in Cleantech  — Nov. 10, 2023This week's Cleantecher of the Week is Karl Shinn, the Site GM at Soluna’s Project Dorothy. Karl has led Soluna’s operations team in the company’s flagship green data center, which is helping set the foundation for renewable energy’s future. Project Dorothy has already used and monetized over 4,000 GWh of green energy that would otherwise have been wasted through curtailment. Congratulations to Karl Shinn, our Cleantecher of the Week. 1. Can America’s south-east unseat Detroit as ‘Motown’ of the EV age? — Financial Times2. This wind turbine looks like nothing you've ever seen before — Fast Company3. Who Will Pay For All the Carbon Removal? — WSJ Climate and Energy Newsletter4. How the fossil-fuel lobby weaponized Julia Child's gas stove — Vox5. Mainers vote down ballot measure to create consumer-owned utility — The HillWatch the full video on YouTubeHelp make This Week in Cleantech the best it can be. Send feedback and story recommendations to ThisWeekInCleantech@tigercomm.us. And don’t forget to leave a rating and review wherever you get your podcasts.Want to make a suggestion for This Week in Cleantech? Nominate the stories that caught your eye each week by emailing Paul.Gerke@clarionevents.com