Energy Gang

Wood Mackenzie

Episodes

Mentioned books

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Feb 25, 2016 • 35min

Troubles at Google-Owned Nest?

Nest, the smart home company acquired by Google in 2014, is under scrutiny. In the wake of multiple glitches that screwed with Nest thermostats this winter, there are now reports of unrest within the company. But are these issues really that big of a deal for the maker of smart home devices? We’ll dissect the speculation about "internal problems" and ask whether recent bugs will impact Nest's position in the market. Then, we’ll look at what the sudden death of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia means for President Obama’s climate plan. We’ll end with a heated conversation about whether solar is really capable of helping developing countries leapfrog the grid. Check out our Grid Edge Customer Network here: www.greentechmedia.com/customernetwork See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Feb 18, 2016 • 52min

Silicon Valley's Conflicted Relationship With Cleantech

In 2012, Wired magazine ran a prominent feature on why "the cleantech boom went bust." A couple years later, after a slew of venture investment failures in the industry, 60 Minutes ran a major story on "the cleantech crash." The stories were widely criticized by cleantech experts as incomplete or inaccurate (the Energy Gang even ran its own critique of the 60 Minutes story). But they did reveal some hard truths: venture investors lost a lot of money on clean energy investments. There was indeed an investment bubble -- and it popped. Over the last couple of years, investors have taken on a more capital-lite, software-dominant approach to cleantech. But now some of the biggest companies in Silicon Valley are taking on one of the most capital-intensive industries of all: automobiles. So what are we to make of the venture investment climate? This week, we'll talk with Katie Fehrenbacher, a senior writer at Fortune, about trends she's seeing in the sector. Later in the show, we'll take a look at SunEdison's latest troubles. And we'll end with a discussion about the recycling industry's economic woes. The Energy Gang is produced by Greentechmedia.com. The show features weekly discussions between energy futurist Jigar Shah, energy policy expert Katherine Hamilton and Greentech Media Editor Stephen Lacey. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Feb 11, 2016 • 48min

Adapt or Die? National Grid's Plan to Embrace the Future of Energy

What does it take to truly change a large utility? Not just cosmetic changes to branding -- but true structural changes around distributed energy deployment and customized offerings for customers. In this week's show, we’ll talk with an industry veteran who’s trying to usher in those changes. Ed White, vice president of New Energy Solutions at National Grid, joins the Gang to discuss the utility's new plan to integrate solar, efficiency, storage, electric cars and grid automation all into one area of the business. It's not an easy task. But we'll talk with White about how he hopes to pull it off. Later in the show, we'll discuss two major Supreme Court decisions on demand response and Obama's landmark climate rule. And we'll finish with a quick discussion of the positive outcome of California's net metering debate. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Feb 4, 2016 • 38min

Is Rooftop Solar Screwed in Nevada?

Nevada's sweeping changes to net metering last December shook the solar industry. And the drama continues in 2016. Our GTM editorial and research team has been consumed by the situation in the state. Will consumers start defaulting on their PPAs? Will solar companies permanently leave the state? Will it make solar a bigger national political issue? In this bonus episode, we'll bring on GTM Senior Writer Julia Pyper to dissect the situation in Nevada. We'll get a detailed update on one of the most controversial stories in solar. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Jan 22, 2016 • 42min

Hawaii's Unique Approach to Funding Cleantech Startups

Many states prioritize tech incubators for a variety of economic reasons. The Energy Excelerator in Hawaii has a much more specific mission: tie support for startups to a 100% renewable energy target set by the state last year. That mission guides the way Energy Excelerator funds projects, chooses awards, and works with incumbents. This week, we'll talk with Dawn Lippert, the organization's co-founder and director, about how Hawaii plans to support innovation in distributed energy. Later in the show, we'll look at where Generate Capital (where co-host Jigar Shah acts as president) is deploying $150 million for "infrastructure-as-a-service" projects in underserved markets. We'll finish with a look at the political prospects for a carbon tax in 2016. The Energy Gang is produced by Greentechmedia.com. The show features weekly discussions between energy futurist Jigar Shah, energy policy expert Katherine Hamilton and Greentech Media Editor Stephen Lacey. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Jan 14, 2016 • 46min

Diversifying Cleantech: Race and Class in the Energy Transition

In 2012, an NAACP analysis found that Americans living within three miles of a coal plant are disproportionately low-income and disproportionately non-white. The report echoed government studies from the 1980s showing how toxic waste facilities and power plants were overwhelmingly located in communities of color across the U.S. -- studies that helped spark the environmental justice movement. Today, environmental justice isn't just about fighting toxic facilities. It's about ensuring the transition to clean energy is fair, inclusive and economically beneficial. In this week's show, we'll talk with Jacqueline Patterson of the NAACP about what clean energy can learn from the environmental justice movement. In the second part of the show, GTM's Eric Wesoff joins us to talk about his analysis of Vinod Khosla's venture investments in biofuels, batteries, solar and materials. We'll finish by talking about the natural gas leak outside Los Angeles that has forced thousands of people from their homes. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Jan 7, 2016 • 51min

Should We Be Optimistic or Pessimistic About the Future?

The final month of 2015 was one of the best in recent memory for climate action. The world's carbon emissions dipped for the first time during a period of economic growth. The Paris climate talks ended with a global agreement to reduce greenhouse gases. And America extended key tax credits for renewables that will ensure strong growth in the years ahead. Some are cheering. But others are not so sure we should be optimistic. Brad Plumer, a senior editor at Vox, shares the cautious view on these developments. In this week's show, we'll talk with Plumer about the hard work that comes after Paris if world leaders are serious about decarbonizing the global economy. Later in the show, we'll talk with GTM Senior Reporter Julia Pyper about how electric cars and autonomous vehicles are playing into the Consumer Electronics Show. We'll wrap up with a discussion about Nevada's controversial decision to slash net metering for all solar customers in the state. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Dec 22, 2015 • 40min

2015: The Year In Review

For our last podcast of the year, we offer up our picks for the top stories from the last 12 months. In the first segment, we'll get Katherine's take on policy developments for climate and clean energy. In the second segment, Jigar will describe why he thinks the R&D versus deployment debate has been resolved. And in our last segment, Stephen will talk about the dislocation for public solar companies. This podcast is sponsored by Huawei Technologies, a leading global ICT solutions provider. Huawei is proud to offer its FusionSolar PV solution -- a unique approach to integrating, optimizing and digitizing solar-power plants. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Dec 17, 2015 • 1h

Autonomous Cars and the Future of Mobility

The world’s biggest automakers are suddenly under threat from consumer technology companies in Silicon Valley. Are they up to the threat? This week, we talk with Anand Shah, the leader of the autonomous mobility unit at Albright Stonebridge Group. Anand worked previously at Audi and the BMW group, where he analyzed all the forces changing the auto industry. We’ll discuss those forces, which include autonomous driving, electrification and ride sharing. In the second half of the show, we’ll talk about some positive developments for renewable energy tax credits. We’ll also look at the details of the international climate deal signed in Paris. This podcast is sponsored by Huawei Technologies, a leading global ICT solutions provider. Huawei is proud to offer its FusionSolar PV solution -- a unique approach to integrating, optimizing and digitizing solar-power plants. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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Dec 11, 2015 • 46min

Get a Job in Cleantech

There are roughly 8 million jobs globally in the renewable energy sector. A lot of people -- both young students and those with established careers -- want to know how they can be one of them. In this week's podcast, we'll talk with Dawn Dzurilla, founder of Gaia Human Capital Consultants, about best practices in job hunting: Should you get a graduate degree? What kind of skills are employers looking for? How do you keep yourself relevant during a long job search? In the second half of the show, we'll discuss the deep troubles at Abengoa. We'll end with a brief synopsis of what's happening during the final hours of the Paris climate talks. This podcast is sponsored by Huawei Technologies, a leading global ICT solutions provider. Huawei is proud to offer its FusionSolar PV solution -- a unique approach to integrating, optimizing and digitizing solar-power plants. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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