

Energy Evolution
S&P Global Commodity Insights
Interviews, analysis and reporting from S&P Global Commodity Insights on energy and commodities' transition to a cleaner future. Hosts Taylor Kuykendall and Eklavya Gupte speak with policymakers, industry professionals and SPGCI in-house experts worldwide on topics related to decarbonization, climate, emerging fuels and energy sources, and the outlook for commodity markets from oil to power to metals. The Energy Evolution podcast has merged with the Platts Future Energy podcast as of January 2025.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Aug 29, 2023 • 18min
Renewable natural gas is headed for the moon
Renewable Natural Gas – also known as RNG or biomethane — has gained attention in recent years as a lower-carbon replacement for conventional fossil natural gas. Rising demand for RNG has helped push prices for the associated environmental attributes up to anywhere from five to forty times the price of physical natural gas. As the market has grown, so has the need for transparent pricing. In response, S&P Global Commodity Insights launched first-of-kind pricing for landfill gas RNG for the California and outside-of-California markets in May. What supports those premiums for RNG and how does S&P Global see demand for this low-carbon gas alternative developing in the future? Kelsey Hallahan, team lead for low carbon commodities, discusses with low carbon pricing analyst Hope Raymond, senior biofuels analyst Jamie Dorner, and senior director for the S&P Global Hydrogen and Renewable Gas Forum Alex Klaessig. Inflation Reduction Act: A Pragmatist's Guide Prices in this episode: North America Renewable Natural Gas Premium (California) - AEWAA00 EU Biomass Guarantees of Origin (GO) Current Yr Eur/MWh -- EBGY200 Low Carbon Fuel Standard Carbon Credits Front Quarter -- AAXYA00

Aug 25, 2023 • 32min
Energy transition drives a jobs and manufacturing boom in the US
On this episode of Energy Evolution, our guests discuss the recent boom in jobs and manufacturing in the renewable energy sector in the United States. The one-year-old Inflation Reduction Act drives much of this growth, which is leading to significant cost savings projected for wind and solar developers using U.S.-made components. Today's guests include Matthew Rand, managing director, research and analytics, at Link Logistics, and Ben Beachy, manufacturing and industrial policy vice president, at the BlueGreen Alliance, a coalition of labor and environmental organizations. CORRECTION: A previous version of these notes misidentified Matthew Rand's current job title. The episode misidentifies Rand's title at the time of the interview. Matthew Rand is the managing director, research and analytics, at Link Logistics. The episode also mentions that Link "estimates that renewable energy companies currently drive 5-10% of its leasing volumes." This figure represents specific markets rather than the company's national portfolio, in which Rand said it represents "2.3% to 3% of leasing activity." Energy Evolution co-hosts Dan Testa and Taylor Kuykendall are veteran journalists with broad expertise covering the energy and mining sectors. In addition, Camellia Moors and Camilla Naschert, reporters who write about mining and power issues, are correspondents for Energy Evolution and regularly contribute to the show. Subscribe to Energy Evolution on your favorite platform to catch our latest episodes! We want to hear about your podcast preferences so we can keep improving our shows. Take our podcast survey here and share your thoughts: https://www.surveylegend.com/s/4xyz

Aug 18, 2023 • 20min
Brewing up sustainability: Decarbonizing beer and other industries reliant on steam
In this episode of the Energy Evolution podcast by S&P Global Commodity Insights, we discuss decarbonizing New Belgium's beer brewing operations. In addition to speaking with Andy Collins, the utilities and carbon neutral engineer at New Belgium, podcast host Taylor Kuykendall interviews Addison Stark, the CEO of AtmosZero. Backed by the U.S. Department of Energy, AtmosZero recently introduced a carbon-neutral electrified boiler that decarbonizes process steam used in various industrial applications across multiple industries. Energy Evolution co-hosts Dan Testa and Taylor Kuykendall are veteran journalists with broad expertise covering the energy and mining sectors. In addition, Camellia Moors and Camilla Naschert, reporters who write about mining and power issues, are correspondents for Energy Evolution and regularly contribute to the show. Subscribe to Energy Evolution on your favorite platform to catch our latest episodes! We want to hear about your podcast preferences so we can keep improving our shows. Take our podcast survey here and share your thoughts: https://www.surveylegend.com/s/4xyz

Aug 16, 2023 • 18min
Decarbonization efforts in India: how ready is the steel industry?
India has an ambitious target to double the steel production capacity by 2030 from current levels. While the steel industry gears up for this expansion, concerns of higher carbon emissions loom large amid India lacking a distinct roadmap for decarbonization and its carbon neutrality target set as far ahead as 2070. At the same time, Europe is gearing up to implement the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which is expected to affect the sources and prices of steel imports. How is Indian steel industry going to be impacted by CBAM and how is India faring in its decarbonization journey? S&P Global Commodity Insights Senior Editor covering the Asia ferrous metals market, Rituparna Nath spoke with Rohan Somwanshi, Managing Editor for Asia Metals News, Agamoni Ghosh, Managing Editor of the Global Compliance Carbon markets and Paul Bartholomew, Senior Metals Analyst to discuss. Related content: How is Europe’s steel industry rising to the challenge of energy transition We want to hear about your podcast preferences so we can keep improving our shows. Take our podcast survey here and share your thoughts: https://www.surveylegend.com/s/4xyz More listening options:

Aug 11, 2023 • 11min
Possibilities for generative AI to transform energy sector 'nearly endless'
Artificial intelligence has captured the interest of the world in recent months, particularly as advances in generative AI continue to push the envelope. In this episode of the Energy Evolution podcast, Hussein Shel, director, chief technologist for energy and utilities at Amazon Web Services, discusses the $100 million Generative AI Innovation Center launched by AWS. The program aims to help enterprises develop and experiment with generative AI. Energy Evolution co-host Taylor Kuykendall asked Shel about using artificial intelligence to optimize energy production. Energy Evolution co-hosts Dan Testa and Taylor Kuykendall are veteran journalists with broad expertise covering the energy and mining sectors. In addition, Camellia Moors and Camilla Naschert, reporters who write about mining and power issues, are correspondents for Energy Evolution and regularly contribute to the show. Subscribe to Energy Evolution on your favorite platform to catch our latest episodes! We want to hear about your podcast preferences so we can keep improving our shows. Take our podcast survey here and share your thoughts: https://www.surveylegend.com/s/4xyz

Aug 4, 2023 • 26min
How renewables supported the Texas grid through intense heat
In this Energy Evolution episode, we talk about how renewable energy resources played a critical role in supporting Texas' electricity grid during a recent heat wave. Our guests discuss the importance of a mix of renewable energy sources, battery storage, and reforms that will support developers and make it easier to develop renewable energy projects. Our hosts are joined by Katya Ghosh, a business strategist at Kayrros, who used satellite imagery to forecast and monitor the progress of solar capacity additions in Texas. They also talk to Michael Lee, the CEO of Octopus Energy, and Devrim Celal, the CEO of KrakenFlex, about the importance of demand response programs, which incentivize customers to reduce their energy consumption during periods of high demand and high energy prices. Energy Evolution co-hosts Dan Testa and Taylor Kuykendall are veteran journalists with broad expertise covering the energy and mining sectors. In addition, Camellia Moors and Camilla Naschert, reporters who write about mining and power issues, are correspondents for Energy Evolution and regularly contribute to the show. Subscribe to Energy Evolution on your favorite platform to catch our latest episodes! We want to hear about your podcast preferences so we can keep improving our shows. Take our podcast survey here and share your thoughts: https://www.surveylegend.com/s/4xyz

Aug 3, 2023 • 22min
Finding the metals critical to an energy transition
Kwasi Ampofo, Head of metals and mining at Bloomberg NEF, discusses the readiness of global economies to boost critical mineral supply. The report ranks countries based on factors like sector strategy, political stability, talent, and environmental and social frameworks. BNEF places Australia, Canada, and China on the top. The podcast also explores the importance of metals like lithium, nickel, copper, and aluminum in an energy transition and discusses challenges in resource extraction, updating US mining laws, and China's dominance in the metals and mining space.

Aug 1, 2023 • 21min
How is Europe’s steel industry rising to the challenge of energy transition
The European steel industry is at the forefront of developing a market for lower CO2 emission steel. New production processes are being implemented, new products are being offered, but the green steel market is lacking standardization at the same time. Standardization of carbon-accounted products is one of many items on the European Commission’s energy transition to-do list. The next action item is going to be the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), which is expected to affect the sources and prices of steel imports. What do we know about the CBAM and how is Europe’s steel industry navigating the uncharted waters of green steel trading? S&P Global Commodity Insights Managing Editor Ferrous Metals EMEA Laura Varriale spoke with Senior Editor Flat Steel Europe Maria Tanatar and Head of Future Energy Outlooks Roman Kramarchuk. Related content: EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism to raise $80B per year by 2040 Europe's decarbonization focus sets region's steel sector in motion Related price symbols: EHRSA00 - Platts European HRC Carbon-Accounted Steel Premium Eur/mt EHRSC00 - Platts Northwest Europe HRC Carbon-Accounted Steel Price Eur/mt We want to hear about your podcast preferences so we can keep improving our shows. Take our podcast survey here and share your thoughts: https://www.surveylegend.com/s/4xyz

Jul 28, 2023 • 38min
Supporting rooftop solar power for rentals and apartments
Residential rooftop solar is booming in popularity as policy incentives, driven by decarbonization goals, encourage homeowners to install panels of their own. But for those who rent their home or live in multifamily dwellings like apartment buildings, installing solar panels and accessing their financial benefits may be more complicated. In this episode, Mel Bergsneider, executive account manager at Allume Energy, and Jan Osenberg, policy adviser at SolarPower Europe, join Energy Evolution to talk about some of the challenges and solutions to expanding solar access in rentals and apartment buildings in the US, Europe, and elsewhere. Energy Evolution co-hosts Dan Testa and Taylor Kuykendall are veteran journalists with broad expertise covering the energy and mining sectors. In addition, Camellia Moors and Camilla Naschert, reporters who write about mining and power issues, are correspondents for Energy Evolution and regularly contribute to the show. Subscribe to Energy Evolution on your favorite platform to catch our latest episodes! We want to hear about your podcast preferences so we can keep improving our shows. Take our podcast survey here and share your thoughts: https://www.surveylegend.com/s/4xyz

Jul 21, 2023 • 20min
Grid operator PJM navigates surge in renewables and rapid fossil retirements in the US
The PJM Interconnection, the nation's largest electricity grid operator, is working to alleviate a logjam of renewable projects waiting to be connected to its system, while also warning in a recent analysis that thermal generation retirements could outpace these new intermittent resource replacements. Darren Sweeney, a senior reporter at S&P Global Commodity Insights, joined Energy Evolution for this episode to share interviews with James Wilson, an economist who has critiqued PJM's energy transition analysis, along with Sierra Club senior attorney Casey Roberts and Todd Snitchler, president and CEO of the Electric Power Supply Association. Energy Evolution co-hosts Dan Testa and Taylor Kuykendall are veteran journalists with broad expertise covering the energy and mining sectors. In addition, Camellia Moors and Camilla Naschert, reporters who write about mining and power issues, are correspondents for Energy Evolution and regularly contribute to the show. Subscribe to Energy Evolution on your favorite platform to catch our latest episodes! We want to hear about your podcast preferences so we can keep improving our shows. Take our podcast survey here and share your thoughts: https://www.surveylegend.com/s/4xyz