Energy Gang

Bidenomics’ is the new buzzword that the US administration is using to brand its industrial strategy. What does it mean for energy in the US, and around the world?Last week, President Joe Biden spoke in South Carolina about his economic vision: a strategy that he is calling “Bidenomics”, with the energy transition is right at the heart of it. By “turning the climate crisis into an opportunity”, the White House says, the US can create good-paying jobs in clean energy while also bringing down consumers’ energy costs. When the president and his administration talk about their energy policies, the focus is generally on jobs, investment, and the international race to lead in the technologies of the future, not the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.The Inflation Reduction Act was the legislative core of this plan, with its array of incentives for low-carbon-energy, and for US-produced equipment in particular. As we approach a year since it was passed, there is plenty of evidence that it is contributing to upturn in US manufacturing. Spending on new factories has been tracking at a rate of about $190 billion a year, triple the average rate of the 2010s. But are there dangers in the administration’s drive to create new domestic industries in low-carbon technologies?To discuss that question and more, host Ed Crooks is joined by regulars Melissa Lott and Amy Myers-Jaffe. Melissa is Director of Research at Columbia University’s Centre on Global Energy Policy, and Amy is Director of the Energy, Climate Justice, and Sustainability Lab at New York University.One of the biggest issues in terms of international tensions around renewable energy manufacturing is China, which is currently the dominant producer for products and components such as batteries and solar panels. At the same time as it is trying to wrest global leadership from China in some of those key sectors, the US is also arguing that the two countries need to work together to tackle the threat of climate change. Melissa was in China last week – as was US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen – and shares her insights on the implications of two countries’ energy strategies.One new development is that China is restricting exports of gallium and germanium, which are used in semiconductors, fibre-optic cables, and some electrical equipment. Amy discusses what these restrictions might mean for energy producers. And the gang discuss the question: what does this new trade flare-up teach us about how much countries need to work together to make the progress we need in developing clean energy? If our world’s greatest challenges, including climate change, can only be solved through co-operation, does competition between countries risk pushing us off course?Join the discussion on Twitter – we’re @theenergygang, or visit woodmac.com/podcasts for more.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This year’s climate talks have already drawn widespread criticism. Can they make progress?COP28, this year’s Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, is still five months away, but the discussion around it is already intense. The conference is being held in Dubai, a choice that has drawn criticism because the United Arab Emirates is one of the world’s leading oil-producing countries. Last year’s COP27, held in Egypt, was widely considered a failure. There was a lack of new commitments to cut emissions, and many analysts have concluded that the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees C is now slipping out of reach. Environmental groups have warned that the influence of fossil fuel producers could mean that COP28 marks another year without real progress.On the other hand, there is an argument that the effort to tackle climate change has to be global, involving every country in the world, even if not every country makes the same contribution. Oil-producing countries, and the countries that use that oil, have to be included in the negotiations. If they are not, the effort to cut global emissions will fail.Joining host Ed Crooks to explore the issues around COP28 is Emily Grubert, Associate Professor of Sustainable Energy Policy in the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame. They are joined by Joseph Majkut, Director of the Energy, Security and Climate Change Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.  The gang also discuss battery technologies for long duration energy storage. As wind and solar now, there’s a greatly increased need for more solutions to help manage the stability of the grid, and companies are now coming forward with commercially viable long duration batteries to meet that need.What are the new technologies beyond the lithium ion batteries used in everything from phones to EVs? How can our electricity systems be made more resilient with the help of batteries that can deliver power not just for a few hours, but for several days? As grids across North America are challenged by heatwaves and wildfires, it is an increasingly urgent question.Follow the show on Twitter – we’re @theenergygang and subscribe so you don’t miss an episode.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The north-eastern US has taken on a post-apocalyptic appearance recently, blanketed by smoke from wildfires in Canada. Host Ed Crooks and regular guest Melissa Lott, Director of Research at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy, are both based in New York and saw first-hand the extent of the fires that have been burning in Quebec. In recent years we have seen huge fires up and down the west coast of North America, in Siberia, in central Greece, to name just a few regions that have been affected. The gang discuss the implications of the fires for human health, for the energy system, and for our understanding of climate change.The big news from Washington has been that the US has averted a global financial crisis, thanks to Congress and President Joe Biden coming together to make a deal over the ceiling on the country’s national debt. The agreement suspends the debt ceiling to January 2025, meaning the US can avoid defaulting on its debts, at least for a while. The legislation also had some important implications for energy. The generous tax credits for low-carbon energy included in last year’s Inflation Reduction Act had been in danger, as Republicans in the House of Representatives moved to repeal them, but in the final deal they were saved.One initiative with plenty of support from both Republicans and Democrats did make progress: the legislation included moves to streamline permitting for infrastructure projects, which could help clear a path for low-carbon energy investments. To make sense of it all the Energy Gang enlisted Robbie Orvis, Senior Director for Modelling and Analysis at the Washington-based think-tank Energy Innovation. Is the legislation that’s just been passed going to make a significant difference to the speed at which we can build put low-carbon infrastructure? Robbie’s initial reaction is that it’s a small step on the way, but it’s incremental. Meanwhile, there is a raft of new regulations coming from the Environmental Protection Agency, intended to cut emissions from light and heavy road vehicles, and from power generation. Together the gang examine the proposed rules. What impact will they have? And are new regulations basically an irrelevance in industries that are changing dramatically anyway? Plus: the inauguration of the first ever Energy Gang Book Group. We are picking a book to read together, and the gang will discuss it at the end of the summer.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

More money will be invested this year in the solar industry than in oil production. So said Faith Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency, last week. Amy Harder, executive editor of Cipher, attended the Cleanpower 2023 event in New Orleans and experienced at first-hand what it means for the Big Green energy industry to be rivalling the scale of Big Oil. The event has been dubbed the ‘Coachella of clean energy’ and as Amy recounts walking the half-mile long hall, full of clean energy businesses looking to capitalise on the booming industry, that comparison certainly seems appropriate. Amy Myers Jaffe, director of NYU’s Center for Global Affairs, is also on the show this week. She says that what was once seen as a huge divide between the high-carbon and low-carbon energy industries is now being bridged. But she argues there is still an important role for governments in supporting the growth of newer energy technologies that would otherwise find it too difficult to break into markets dominated by old energy incumbents.After discussing how the emergence of the Big Green industry relates to US permitting reforms that could affect all energy infrastructure projects, the gang turn their attention to the G7. The recent summit in Hiroshima included some important discussions of the climate and energy, with world leaders repeating their commitments to accelerating the phase-out of fossil fuels, but also acknowledging the case for increased gas production to replace Russian supplies.Finally, whatever happened to alternative protein? Impossible Foods, Beyond Meat and some of the other companies in the sector have been cutting jobs. Beyond Meat’s share price, which peaked at about $235 in the summer of 2019, is about $10 this week. Impossible Foods has been talking about an IPO, but now says it is not going to happen this year. It’s clear that if you can cut the emissions from food production, and from beef in particular, the climate benefits could be huge. Should changing diets play a bigger role in climate strategy?Subscribe to the show so you don’t miss an episode and follow us on Twitter, we’re @theenergygang   Wood Mackenzie’s Solar & Energy Storage Summit is back,taking place at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco on June 21 and 22. Joinexpert solar and storage analysts for discussions with leading grid-scaleutilities, solar and energy storage developers and federal policy makers.    How is the IRA catapulting the development of solar and storagein North America? How can we continue to build a productive environment forsolar and energy storage as we move forward with the energy transition? What isrequired to nurture the development of a thriving localized storage componentsupply chain?    Expect two days of panel discussions, presentations andworkshops, as we explore the opportunities for solar and storage in the comingdecades.    If you are interested in sponsoring or attending find out moreon woodmac.com/events/solar-energy-storage-summit  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The excitement around ChatGPT and other large language models has put AI firmly in the spotlight in recent months. Public perception is that we’re entering a new age of AI; it is a brand-new technology that promises to change our lives. In the world of energy, though, AI is not a new concept. GE was developing its AI capabilities more than a decade ago. BP invested in an AI company in 2017 to support oil exploration and production. And so far, although you can see the impact of AI in many parts of the world of energy, it has not exactly transformed the fundamentals of the industry. So when people get excited about AI in energy today, and expecting revolutionary change, are they just buying into some well-orchestrated hype?Amy Myers-Jaffe is Director of the Energy, Climate Justice and Sustainability Lab at New York University. She joins Ed and explains the real-world benefits of automation and AI for electricity networks. Automating home energy use and business operations in conjunction with power supplies could have huge implications for energy. The gang is also joined this week by Michael Webber. Michael is the Josey Centennial Professor in Energy Resources, in the Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering at The University of Texas. He’s also CTO of Energy Impact Partners, a cleantech venture fund.Together, the team examine whether AI will transform energy and our lives in the same way the internet did. And they assess the question: is AI the tool that will ultimately open the door to a net zero energy system? Subscribe to the show so you don’t miss an episode and follow us on Twitter, we’re @theenergygang  Wood Mackenzie’s Solar & Energy Storage Summit is back, taking place at the Palace Hotel in San Francisco on June 21 and 22. Join expert solar and storage analysts for discussions with leading grid-scale utilities, solar and energy storage developers and federal policy makers.    How is the IRA catapulting the development of solar andstorage in North America? How can we continue to build a productive environmentfor solar and energy storage as we move forward with the energy transition?What is required to nurture the development of a thriving localized storagecomponent supply chain?    Expect two days of panel discussions, presentations andworkshops, as we explore the opportunities for solar and storage in the comingdecades.     If you are interested in sponsoring or attending find outmore on woodmac.com/events/solar-energy-storage-summit See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On the Energy Gang this week, Ed Crooks is joined by Dr. Melissa Lott, the Director of Research at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, and Amy Duffuor, who is a General Partner at Azolla Ventures, a climate-focused investment firm.  In this week’s episode, the gang start of by discussing the recent outcry over the possible impact of offshore wind development on whales. Although there is no evidence connecting the wind industry’s activities to the rise in whale deaths, people are worried that there could be a link. It’s an example of the broader issue in energy investment: there can often be tensions and conflicts between what we need to do to tackle the threat of climate change and the interests of local communities and eco-systems. The transition to a low-carbon energy system means building a huge amount of stuff, from wind farms to power lines to lithium mines to flood defenses. The industry is under intense scrutiny to show that it can develop the infrastructure we need in a responsible way. Also on this show: “electrify everything” has been a slogan in the clean energy movement for a long time. Now it is becoming a reality, and gathering momentum. Taking just a couple of recent examples: Poland is building new factories to produce heat pumps that will replace gas boilers for home heating; and the state of California has announced that it wants to move to zero emission vehicles not just for passenger cars and light trucks, but for heavy trucks as well, by the end of 2035. These shifts to use electricity for heating and transport and going to increase the load and strains on grids around the world. How can we make sure that electricity systems can keep up?Finally, Amy’s firm Azolla is part of a new coalition called the Venture Climate Alliance, designed to accelerate progress towards net zero emissions. Why do we need yet another group in the financial sector working on climate and emissions? And what is the role of venture capital in the transition to a clean energy system?Subscribe to the show so you don’t miss an episode and follow us on Twitter, we’re @theenergygang    The Energy Gang is brought to you by Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati—the premier legal services provider to technology, life sciences, and clean energy enterprises. Wilson Sonsini has built a leading energy and climate solutions practice and its team is dedicated to a single goal: advancing what’s next in the energy industry.  For more information about Wilson Sonsini’s energy and climate change team, visit wsgr.com See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It’s a special edition of the Energy Gang this week. New York University’s 2040 Now event is an initiative focused on addressing the challenges posed by climate change, and this week the Energy Gang joined in. As part of the week of exercises, talks, exhibitions and discussions, regular Energy Gang member Amy Myers-Jaffe led a workshop on building energy transition scenarios, looking for ways to deepen our understanding of the present and strengthen our predictions about the future. The Energy Gang was there to record live in the Kimmel Center for University Life at NYU. Scenario analysis is particularly useful for analyzing the energy transition, because its trajectory is still uncertain, and a large number of variables can influence outcomes. Some of the most important of those variables are qualitative rather than quantitative, making them hard to analyze in a computer simulation such as an energy systems model. Thinking about a wide range of scenarios is a vital tool for testing assumptions and highlighting alternative possibilities. Amy and host Ed Crooks were joined by Energy Gang regular Robbie Orvis, Senior Director of Modelling and Analysis at the think-tank Energy Innovation, and by Erin Coughlan de Perez, Dignitas Associate Professor at Tufts University. With contributions from NYU professors, students and invited guests, they discussed the aspects of climate, policy, technology and finance that will shape our energy system and climate over the decades to come. And they ask the question: when we try to predict the future of energy, what are we missing?Subscribe to the show so you don’t miss an episode and follow us on Twitter, we’re @theenergygang  The Energy Gang is brought to you by Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati—the premier legal services provider to technology, life sciences, and clean energy enterprises. Wilson Sonsini has built a leading energy and climate solutions practice and its team is dedicated to a single goal: advancing what’s next in the energy industry.  For more information about Wilson Sonsini’s energy and climate change team, visit wsgr.com See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Alternative sources of power are moving into the spotlight.As the share of dispatchable power in our electricity system declines, with coal-fired plants giving way to variable wind and solar, maintaining reliable supplies to keep the lights on becomes more complex. Investment in wind and solar is still vital for making progress towards net zero emissions, but other sources of low-carbon power are also moving into the spotlight. Those can include nuclear and hydrogen generation, as well as wave and tidal power, but there’s another source of renewable energy that’s been attracting a lot of attention recently: geothermal.   Today geothermal accounts for just 0.5% of renewables-based capacity for electricity generation globally, but some think it could play a much bigger role in the future. In the past few years there has been growing interest in geothermal energy, driven by some exciting innovations. Quaise Energy, for example, is developing a millimeter wave drill that they say could enable them to deliver energy at $40 per MWh. Fervo is a startup working on horizontal drilling for geothermal, enabling them to reach more areas and lowering surface footprints.   On the Energy Gang this week, Ed Crooks is joined by Dr. Melissa Lott, the Director of Research at the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, and by Nneka Kibuule, who is a Principal at Aligned Climate Capital and co-founder of GreenTech Noir. They discuss the potential of geothermal as an energy source, and the important questions over its environmental impact. What are the trade-offs when we develop new sources of low-carbon energy that could help tackle climate change, but create local impacts on sensitive ecosystems?There’s a $100 million plan to turn apartments in New York City into Virtual Power Plants, or VPPs. There are now hundreds of VPP projects across the US and Canada, with New York and California being the biggest states. But what exactly are they, and how do they work? In New York City, the plan is to control air-conditioning units in real-time to reduce electricity demand, relieving stress on the grid and helping to cut emissions. Nneka Kibuule explains how Aligned Climate Capital has invested in several businesses developing technologies for VPPs, making it possible to turn homes and businesses into a collective energy resource for utilities and the grid.   Finally, the focus on ESG investing continues. When investors and companies look at ESG scores and ratings, are they getting too hung up on the numbers and not paying enough attention to all the other important factors that are more difficult to measure?Subscribe to the show so you don’t miss an episode and follow us on Twitter, we’re @theenergygang   The Energy Gang is brought to you by Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati—the premier legal services provider to technology, life sciences, and clean energy enterprises. Wilson Sonsini has built a leading energy and climate solutions practice and its team is dedicated to a single goal: advancing what’s next in the energy industry.    For more information about Wilson Sonsini’s energy and climate change team, visit wsgr.com  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

It has been a turbulent month in the financial sector, which could have big implications for the world of energy. Mobilising capital is vital for achieving international goals to curb greenhouse gas emissions and to adapt to the impacts of global warming. As the global banking system shudders from the blow of Silicon Valley Bank collapsing, is long-term climate investment being pushed further to the fringes of the agenda?  The latest Assessment Report from the IPCC has delivered what’s been called a “final warning” on limiting global warming to 1 .5 degrees C, saying we are on course for about 3.2 degrees C of warming by the end of the century. The report, which aims to bring together and summarise the state of the world’s scientific knowledge on climate change, warns that flows of investment, especially to developing countries, “fall short of the levels needed for adaptation and to achieve mitigation goals across all sectors and regions.”  As we learn more about the climate crisis, are we heading for another financial crisis, too? Clean energy share prices have been falling on concerns that the sector will be hit by the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank. Meanwhile, President Biden has used his first veto to protect a government regulation that seeks to encourage the use of ESG (environmental, social and governance) factors in investment decision. The Republicans are leading the charge against ESG investing, arguing that “woke Wall Street” is putting investors’ money at risk.  On the show today: Ed Crooks is joined by Dr Melissa Lott from Columbia University, and Shanu Mathew of Lazard Asset Management, to analyse the financial storm we’ve seen brewing in the past few weeks. What exactly has been going on in the banking system? What are the implications for clean energy as the economic clouds are gathering? Rising interest rates are a big contributor to pressure on the banking system, and also have implications for renewables.  The gang then get on to the ESG backlash: is it real, and what does it mean for investors and for clean energy companies that need capital? Finally, they review the IPCC report: although the problems it sets out look dire, there are solutions, and Melissa and Shanu have some ideas for how to make them happen. Follow us on Twitter – we’re @theenergygangSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Will permitting reforms make it easier to build infrastructure projects?A group called the REPEAT Project at Princeton University calculated last year that to unlock the full emissions reduction potential of the Inflation Reduction Act, the US needed to increase its total high-voltage transmission capacity by about 2.3% a year. That is more than double the pace achieved over the past decade. In Washington, reforms that could make it easier to build all kinds of energy infrastructure, including the grid connections vitally needed for wind, solar and storage, are back on the agenda. Attempts to build bipartisan support for reform in the last Congress failed, but with Republicans, who have control of the House of Representatives, now launching a plan of their own, a window for bipartisan agreement on permitting reform may be opening. Are these the steps needed that will unlock all the investment in renewable energy projects that the US needs?   Also on the show: the impact on energy markets from the war in Ukraine seems to be dissipating, but the concerns around energy security remain as strong as ever. Jens Stoltenberg, secretary-general of NATO, said this recently: “Not so long ago, many argued that importing Russian gas was purely an economic issue. It is not. It is a political issue. It is about our security. Because Europe’s dependency on Russian gas made us vulnerable. So, we should not make the same mistakes with China and other authoritarian regimes.” What lessons have we learned following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine? How concerned should we be about excessive reliance on China for low-carbon technologies?  Ed Crooks is joined by Dr. Melissa Lott, Director of Research at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy and Emily Grubert, Associate Professor of Sustainable Energy Policy, at Notre Dame University, to unpack these topics. They also assess the latest innovations in battery chemistry. The availability of critical minerals including lithium, nickel and cobalt for batteries has long been an area for concern. But technological breakthroughs mean that batteries without nickel or cobalt are now a highly competitive option for electric vehicles. And meanwhile batteries without lithium are starting to emerge as viable possibilities. The gang discuss what these breakthroughs mean for the energy transition. As always, please get in touch and let us know your thoughts. Check out our Twitter to suggest any future topics you want us to discuss. We’re @TheEnergyGang.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.