Switched On

Global nuclear industry aims to triple capacity by 2050 despite hurdles. Small modular reactors offer solutions. Fluctuations in enriched uranium prices affect enthusiasm. Analyst Chris Gadomski discusses feasibility of industry comeback. Focus on challenges and opportunities of nuclear energy, including SMRs, advanced technology, hydrogen production, and fusion advancements.

Sanjeet Sanghera, BloombergNEF’s Head of Grids and Utilities, and Felicia Aminoff discuss Europe's innovative local flexibility markets to manage grid constraints. They cover mechanisms to create flexibility markets, potential scale, required technology, and regulatory models. The podcast explores the challenges of aging infrastructure, the rise of local flexibility markets, tenders in the energy sector, achieving net zero targets, and the impact of electric vehicles on grid flexibility.

Australia is making strides in renewable energy with rooftop solar leading to negative power prices. The country aims to be a leader in green hydrogen while still relying on coal and natural gas exports. The podcast explores the challenges and opportunities in Australia's energy transition.

Dana discusses the decline in funding for self-driving vehicles with BloombergNEF's Andrew Grant. They cover Tesla's robotaxi launch, industry's use of lidar technology, and the levels of autonomy being pursued. The podcast delves into the challenges of investment in this capital-intensive sector and the trends shaping the transition to a lower-carbon economy.

Maia Godemer, senior associate at BloombergNEF, discusses the rise of sustainable finance policies in 2024, EU's CSR Directive, US anti-ESG laws, and challenges for sustainability reporting standards. The podcast delves into conflicts between fiduciary duty and ESG, impacts on financial institutions, state-level debt, and navigating the ESG investment landscape amidst evolving guidelines.

Brazil's potential in green hydrogen production, EV adoption, and Amazon forest's role in carbon markets are discussed by BloombergNEF's James Ellis and Vinicius Nunes. Brazil's clean energy goals, investments, and influence in the global energy transition sector are highlighted, along with insights on renewable energy policies, Amazon preservation, carbon markets, and sustainable business models.

Discussion on US hydrogen tax credit rules and their impact on green hydrogen production. Panelists debate if rules hinder or help investment. Lack of demand incentives in US compared to EU. Role of nuclear in hydrogen sector's future highlighted.

Experts Daisy Robinson and Rose Oates discuss the challenges and progress of sustainable aviation fuel industry, including supply scarcity and resource competition. They delve into regional policies driving cleaner jet fuels, feedstocks for SAF production, and the greenium SAF faces compared to traditional fuels.

China is churning out clean energy technology at a breakneck pace, driving down prices on everything from solar panels to lithium ion batteries. With supply far exceeding demand, the timing couldn’t be worse for the many countries that are looking to onshore clean-tech equipment manufacturing. On today’s show, Dana is joined by BloombergNEF’s Head of Trade and Supply Chains, Antoine Vagneur-Jones. They discuss the impetus behind the Chinese government’s drive to dominate the clean-tech export sector, the sheer scale of the global manufacturing overcapacity and whether it’s already sufficient to meet net-zero goals, and the US reaction to Chinese companies potentially offshoring production to countries like Mexico. Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF<GO> on the Bloomberg Terminal or on bnef.com Links to research notes from this episode: China’s Clean-Tech Overcapacity Threatens Onshoring Dreams - https://www.bnef.com/insights/33543 Mexico Won’t Be China’s EV Export Hub to US Anytime Soon - https://www.bnef.com/insights/33761See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Layla Khanfar and Kyle Harrison discuss the growth and challenges of voluntary carbon markets, different types of offsets available, and private companies' role in filling regulatory gaps. They explore BNEF's long-term carbon-market scenarios and the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy, emphasizing the need for quality standards and collaboration to enhance market cohesion.