Energy Gang
Wood Mackenzie
Covering breaking news in clean tech, going deep on global energy policy, and debating the levers that need to move to accelerate the energy transition. Energy Gang is the podcast covering clean energy technology, renewable energy, and the environment. The world of clean energy moves fast, and you need a reliable source to stay on top of the news that matters. You’ll find it on Wood Mackenzie’s Energy Gang.How will changes to the US government affect decarbonisation and energy security? When will hydrogen, nuclear and carbon capture deploy at scale? Where’s the money for the energy transition green finance coming from and how much more is needed? What’s the outlook for EVs? What are the energy predictions for solar energy? What's the latest on climate change?Get answers to questions like these, bi-weekly on Tuesdays at 7am ET. Plus, get special live episodes recorded at the biggest climate and energy events throughout the year, like COP30 and Climate Week NYC. Don’t worry if you can’t make it in person, Energy Gang brings you all the updates on energy policy, energy finance and energy innovation you need to hear.Energy Gang is presented by Wood Mackenzie and hosted by Ed Crooks, Vice-Chairman of Energy at Wood Mackenzie and a former Financial Times and BBC News journalist. Regular guests are Amy Myers-Jaffe (Director of NYU’s Energy, Climate Justice and Sustainability Lab), and Dr Melissa Lott (Partner at Microsoft) – plus a roster of industry leaders and policy influencers, like Jigar Shah (Industry figurehead and former director of the Loan Programs Office in the US Department of Energy), Caroline Golin (Head of North America, Global Energy Market Development and Policy at Google) and Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt (Former Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources).If you like The Energy Transition Show, Catalyst with Shayle Kann, The Big Switch from Columbia University, Open Circuit with Stephen Lacey or The Green Blueprint, you’ll enjoy Energy Gang.Want to get involved with the show? Reach out to podcasts@woodmac.com to:Bring Energy Gang to your eventBe a guest on the showSponsor an episodeAsk a question to Ed Crooks or one of our guestsCheck out another leading clean tech global podcast by Wood Mackenzie, Interchange Recharged: https://www.woodmac.com/podcasts/the-interchange-recharged/Wood Mackenzie is the leading global data and analytics solutions provider for renewables, energy and natural resources. Learn more about Wood Mackenzie on the official website: https://www.woodmac.com/
Episodes
Mentioned books
Oct 14, 2016 • 1h 4min
Live From SXSW Eco
This week, we present our live conversation from SXSW Eco.
We're really sorry for the audio quality. There were some technical difficulties, and we did our best to clean up what we had.
We'll be back with a normal show next week.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Oct 7, 2016 • 54min
Inside the Minds of Solar Consumers
With over 1 million residential solar systems in the U.S., photovoltaics are entering mainstream. But how do installers sell the next 10 million systems while giving consumers a good experience?
This week, we're talking about what consumers are looking for when solar shopping.
We'll talk with Vikram Aggarwal, the CEO of EnergySage, about the company's latest Solar Market Intel report that tracks buying habits and sales tactics. We'll explore the trends covered in the report.
Then, we discuss South Australia’s state-wide blackout. Was wind power to blame?
And finally, New York City’s solar market is taking off. Now it wants to do the same for storage. How did the city turn its solar market around so quickly?
This podcast is sponsored by Mission Solar Energy, a producer of American-made solar cells and modules: http://www.missionsolar.com/
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Sep 27, 2016 • 52min
Donald Trump’s Energy Delusion
Last night, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton squared off on the presidential debate stage -- coming face-to-face for the first time in the campaign.
Almost immediately, the candidates debated over energy and climate change.
Clinton started the debate with a direct swing at Trump’s climate denial and dismissive comments on renewables.
“Some country is going to be the clean-energy superpower of the 21st century. Donald thinks that climate change is a hoax perpetrated by the Chinese. I think it's real,” said Clinton.
Trump swung back with an an awkward attempt to conjure up Solyndra, the government-backed solar company that went bust in 2011.
“She talks about solar panels. We invested in a solar company, our country. That was a disaster. They lost plenty of money on that one,” said Trump.
In the days leading up to the debate, more details emerged on Trump’s energy transition team. And during the debate, voters got a few additional hints at his worldview. This week, we’re going to square Trump’s stances on energy with, well, reality.
Then, we’ll have an update on Obama’s signature climate rule that is now stuck in court.
Finally, GM is getting ready to roll out its 2017 all-electric car, the Bolt. Is this the affordable EV we’ve all been waiting for?
Links:
Our sponsor, Mission Solar Energy: http://www.missionsolar.com/
Solar Market Insight conference: http://www.greentechmedia.com/events/live/us-solar-market-insight-2016 (Use the code ENERGYGANG for a 15% discount.)
Bill Holmberg obituary: http://www.biofuelsdigest.com/bdigest/2016/09/08/bioenergy-legend-bill-holmberg-dies-at-88/
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Sep 23, 2016 • 54min
Breaking Diesel Dependence on Small Island Nations
Renewables like wind and solar are largely not linked to oil prices. But there are markets where the success of renewables is more closely tied to oil: islands.
Or, more specifically, small island developing states, which make up 20 percent of UN member countries.
These small island states are dangerously dependent on diesel -- causing energy prices to fluctuate wildly and forcing many people into fuel poverty. That makes them perfect candidates for renewables.
In this week's show, we talk to Leslie Labruto, director of the islands energy program at the Clinton Climate Initiative, about why opportunities in island markets are expanding, even in the face of low oil prices.
Then, a pivotal moment for nuclear. After much scrutiny, the UK government approved the 3.2-gigawatt Hinkley Point C nuclear expansion. We'll discuss this historic test case for the competitiveness of nuclear.
Finally, a pivotal moment for America’s solar industry. We’ll dig into a debate about where the country’s biggest solar lobbying group needs to turn its attention.
Thanks to Mission Solar for sponsoring the show. Check out Mission's American-made solar panels: http://www.missionsolar.com/
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Sep 13, 2016 • 36min
America's Local Solar Politics
This week, we hop around to a few U.S. states where there’s been a lot of action: Nevada, California and Florida.
Julia Pyper, GTM’s senior reporter, joins us for the discussion.
In Nevada, we’ll look at the continued fallout after the decision to end net metering last December.
In California, we’ll discuss the unprecedented amount of activity on climate and energy at the end of the legislative session.
And in Florida, we’ll talk about the ballot initiative battle that has pitted the state’s utilities against a broad coalition of solar supporters.
This week's show is sponsored by Mission Solar Energy. Find out more about Mission's solar cells and modules, made in the USA: http://www.missionsolar.com/
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Sep 1, 2016 • 49min
Are We Making Global Energy Poverty Worse?
Big development banks are pouring billions in energy projects in developing countries. Between 2000 and 2014, the World Bank Group alone invested $63.5 billion in electricity access. But we still have more than 1.5 billion people without access to energy services. What is the disconnect?
This week, we'll talk about one of the biggest institutional barriers to energy access –- why multilateral development banks are not set up to solve energy poverty quickly.
We'll talk to Aaron Leopold, the deputy director for global advocacy at the Power for All campaign, about how to speed up energy access by changing the way we think about traditional investment.
Then, are prominent business journalists willfully ignoring the growth in U.S. clean energy jobs?
Finally, America is now dealing with its first set of climate refugees in Alaska and Louisiana. A sign of things to come?
This week's podcast is brought to you by SolarEdge and Mission Solar Energy.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Aug 26, 2016 • 48min
Is an Offshore Wind Boom Coming for America?
America’s first offshore wind project, the 30-megawatt Block Island Wind Farm off the coast of Rhode Island, is almost complete. The developer, Deepwater Wind, is already eyeing much bigger projects off the Atlantic coast.
Meanwhile, following the federal government’s attempts to make offshore leasing easier, a number of East Coast states are adopting policies to encourage new projects. These developments have onlookers excited about the prospects for offshore wind in the U.S.
Is America set to follow Europe, which has built many thousands of megawatts of projects? We'll discuss all the latest developments for offshore wind in the country.
Later in the show, we'll discuss Bill McKibben’s latest piece on WWIII mobilization for cleantech. Finally, we’ll look back on the last ten years for the Northeastern regional carbon trading market, called RGGI.
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Aug 23, 2016 • 30min
Extra: Wind Technology Trends
Wind keeps getting cheaper and cheaper. According to the latest wind technologies report from the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab, the average price of new U.S. wind contracts came in at 2 cents per kilowatt-hour last year.
That coincided with record installations, record generation and continued improvements in technology design.
All of those trends were documented by our guest, Ryan Wiser, a senior scientist at Berkeley Lab, along with his colleague Mark Bollinger. In this week's show, we'll talk with Wiser about record installation numbers, technology improvements, and the competitiveness of wind after federal tax credits phase out.
This Squared content has been unlocked by ABB Automation & Power World. ABB has a virtual conference coming up in September, called Risk, reliability & recovery. This free online event will focus on the real-world solutions to the challenges that utilities face: shrinking budgets, aging assets, new regulations and a host of new distributed energy assets. Register here: new.abb.com/apw/gtm2
If you sign up for ABB’s conference, you will also get $100 off a new GTM Squared membership. If you’re not already a Square and you want to be, now is the time.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Aug 11, 2016 • 29min
Extra: The Commercial Storage Market Is Getting Interesting
A growing number of businesses are using behind-the-meter batteries to cut utility fees. In the U.S., the commercial storage market is still small (36 megawatts in 2015) but it is growing quickly for demand charge management.
And it is now starting to grow beyond anchor markets like California, New York and Hawaii.
In this episode, we look at how use cases for commercial and industrial battery storage projects are getting more attractive. Ravi Manghani, the director of GTM research’s storage practice, joins us for the conversation.
We’ll also going to talk about some new offerings from up-and-coming storage providers, and talk about how Tesla’s planned acquisition of SolarCity would impact C&I storage.
This episode is brought to you by ABB Automation & Power World.
ABB has a virtual conference coming up in September, called Risk, Reliability & Recovery. This free online event will focus on the real-world solutions to the challenges that utilities face: shrinking budgets, aging assets, new regulations and a host of new distributed energy assets.
Register here: new.abb.com/apw/gtm.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Aug 9, 2016 • 39min
A Brief History of Solar Research With SunPower Founder Dick Swanson
SunPower founder Dick Swanson is an icon in the American solar industry –- an elder statesman, if you will.
Swanson led groundbreaking solar research in the 70s, experimented with all kinds of solar cell types, broke efficiency records, and helped make SunPower one of the most successful solar companies of all time.
Oh, and he’s also known for Swanson’s Law – even though he didn’t actually create the law.
In this bonus episode of the Energy Gang, we feature a wide-ranging conversation with Swanson about the early days of solar research, the difficulties in building a solar manufacturing business, and what the future holds for photovoltaics.
This podcast is sponsored by SolarEdge, a leader of the DC optimizer market and a leading supplier of inverters to the U.S. residential market.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
