Switched On

As demand for lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles and stationary energy storage increases, a lot more lithium, cobalt, and nickel will be needed. This week on Switched On we talk with Sophie Lu about BNEF's battery metals forecast to 2030 and some of the political, environmental, and economic challenges of getting these critical metals out of the ground and into the factory.This episode is based on a report titled 2H 2019 Battery Metals Outlook: Demand Realities. BNEF clients can access this report on bnef.com or BNEF Mobile, or at BNEF<GO> on the Bloomberg Terminal.If you want to read more about the Wedderburn meteorite mentioned at the top of the show, have a look here, or here. Switched On is hosted this week by Mark Taylor and Dana Perkins.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hydrogen has been in and out of fashion several times over the years. But now its potential to decarbonize long-haul trucking, and industrial processes that have been hard to reach with renewables and batteries, mean hydrogen could be back for good.This week on Switched On we'll kick off the discussion about hydrogen with some basics, and start to get into the economics. We'll open the discussion with Albert Cheung, Global Head of Research for BloombergNEF who will introduce the topic and why BNEF is looking at it. Then we'll go into further detail with Kobad Bhavnagri and Martin Tengler about a report they wrote titled Hydrogen: The Economics of Storage. This report is the first in a series BNEF is doing on hydrogen, and can be found at: https://www.bnef.com/core/insights/21015BNEF clients can access this report on bnef.com or BNEF Mobile, or at BNEF<GO> on the Bloomberg Terminal.  Switched On is hosted this week by Mark Taylor and Dana Perkins.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sure, a Tesla has zero tailpipe emissions, but it charges from the grid, and the grid is powered by coal, so it can't really be considered clean, right?  Today on Switched On we talk with Logan Goldie-Scot, who leads energy storage coverage for BloombergNEF, and BNEF Energy Storage Analyst James Frith. We'll discuss the CO2 footprints of electric vehicles and the batteries that go into them. EVs generally produce fewer lifetime emissions than vehicles with internal combustion engines, but there's a bit of nuance to this. It turns out it matters a lot where you are. James and Logan will explain this and the findings that throw BNEF squarely into the debate about whether EVs are actually clean.  This episode is based on a report titled Lithium-Ion Battery Manufacturing Emissions, which can be found at:  https://www.bnef.com/core/insights/20953  BNEF clients can access this report on bnef.com or BNEF Mobile, or at BNEF<GO> on the Bloomberg Terminal.  Switched On is hosted this week by Mark Taylor and Dana Perkins.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Light-up your dryer, TV, dishwasher, microwave, air conditioner, and maybe even mine some bitcoin, all at dinnertime, because it's all-you-can-eat electricity. Today on Switched On we talk with Jame Sprinz, Head of Decentralized Energy for BNEF, about the raft of new business models being applied to retail electricity. Never think about your bill and don't want to? There's a company that'll help you do that. Want to take control of your bill to get the best price, or pool electricity with other solar panel owners in your neighborhood? Someone wants to help you there, too. James will walk us through these business models, the start-ups testing them out, and the incumbents scoping their next moves.  This episode is based on a report titled Company Profiles: New Residential Retail Models that can be found at:  https://www.bnef.com/core/insights/20973  BNEF clients can access this report on bnef.com or BNEF Mobile, or at BNEF< GO> on the Bloomberg Terminal.  Switched On is hosted this week by Mark Taylor and Dana Perkins.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hong Kong taxi drivers are getting older. What happens when they retire? Is a busy city like Hong Kong ready for driverless cars? Insurance and insurability in a climate change world, and what companies are doing about it. And how climate change is all most of us have ever known. This week on Switched On we have a wide-ranging discussion with Nathaniel Bullard, BNEF's Head of Executive Insights and author of a weekly opinion piece called Sparklines.  This episode is based on the weekly Sparklines series from Bloomberg Opinion, by Nat Bullard. You can sign-up here:  http://link.mail.bloombergbusiness.com/join/4wm/sparklines-signup&hash=b9b2681361bede0e1069ca238efb1ec2  Or on Bloomberg Anywhere at NI BULLARD<GO>.  Switched On is hosted this week by Mark Taylor and Dana Perkins.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Switched On we talk with Hannah Davinroy and Claire Curry about oil companies going after digital technologies. Whether it is to make their operations more efficient or help them expand into new areas, oil companies are developing digital capabilities via work in-house, acquisitions, or partnerships with big tech. Is it all just PR or are oilcos making meaningful steps to becoming more dynamic and sustainable organizations? It kind of depends. Listen to Hannah and Claire discuss oilco modernization efforts and how companies have different personalities or traits that lead them to different digital strategies.  This episode is based on:  Digitalization Strategies of Oil Majors: Company Profiles -- https://www.bnef.com/core/insights/20883  BNEF clients can access this report on bnef.com or BNEF Mobile, or at BNEF<GO> on the Bloomberg Terminal.  Switched On is hosted this week by BNEF Head of Product, Mark Taylor.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week on Switched On we talk with Meredith Annex, who leads BNEF's coverage of heating and cooling. Making buildings warmer or cooler accounts for 21% of global energy consumption, and a considerable share of CO2 emissions. Listen to Meredith explain why this is the missing piece to the energy and emissions puzzle. We will discuss the different ways of decarbonizing this sector, one so far driven by scrappy startups and generational players.  This episode was based on two reports:  The Greening of Heat --  https://www.bnef.com/core/insights/20787 Decarbonizing U.S. Heat: Getting Started -- https://www.bnef.com/core/insights/20779  BNEF clients can access these reports on bnef.com or BNEF Mobile, or at BNEF< GO> on the Bloomberg Terminal.  Switched On is hosted this week by Mark Taylor and Dana Perkins.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on Switched On we talk with BNEF Wind Industry Analyst Tom Harries, about floating and airborne wind power. These applications are still in their infancy but show promise. Floating turbines can open up new market territory for offshore wind power, allowing for placement in waters too deep for fixed-bottom kit. And airborne wind could potentially provide quick deployment in disaster locations to power relief efforts. But first, costs have to come down at sea and in the air. Switched On is hosted this week by BNEF's Head of Business Development, Dana Perkins.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today on Switched On we talk to Dr. Julia Attwood, Head of Advanced Materials for BNEF about bioplastics. Bioplastics comprise just about 1% of the plastics market right now, but its share is growing. Concern about plastic waste in the environment, climate change, and product sustainability has driven interest in bioplastics, though additional capacity has been slow-going.  Julia walks us through the basics and what could push bioplastics to be a more significant part of our daily lives.  Switched On is hosted this week by Mark Taylor and Dana Perkins.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Air conditioning already accounts for 9% of electricity consumed globally, and that demand is set to grow substantially in the coming decades. While many living in hot climates need it just for comfort, others see it as a status symbol – their ticket to the middle class. For businesses, it may underpin worker productivity. BNEF's Seb Henbest and Matthias Kimmel join the show today to discuss the effect of the ever-louder hum of aircon units on global electricity demand.  Switched On is hosted this week by Head of Business Development Dana Perkins.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.