

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

Jul 18, 2023 • 13min
Battery metals wanted: The US' race to decarbonize (part 2)
Amid global efforts to decarbonize, US President Joe Biden's administration has set an ambitious goal to have 50% of all new vehicle sales in the US be electric by the end of this decade. However, making this shift will be heavily reliant on securing supply of battery metals. As countries around the globe are racing to electrify, Latin America, with its rich mineral reserves, is set to play a critical role. In the second episode of this special two-part series, S&P Global news and analytics experts Jared Anderson, Justine Coyne, Adriana Carvalho and Jay Hwang discuss Latin America and the role it can play in the US reaching its decarbonization goals. 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 14, 2023 • 21min
Electrifying commercial vehicle fleets, one charger at a time
For major companies with large vehicle fleets, a core tenet of decarbonization efforts can be found in fleet electrification. A host of large corporations including Amazon, UPS, and Walmart have all made EV fleet commitments or signed agreements to purchase electric delivery vehicles. Patrick Sullivan, co-founder and CEO of EV Realty, a California-based company focused on accelerating the adoption of commercial EV fleets and building out their charging infrastructure, joined Energy Evolution to talk about fleet electrification and the challenges of constructing a charging network to support it. 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 To read more about the California Public Utilities Commission report on distribution grid constraints and utility upgrade costs through 2035, click: https://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Efile/G000/M508/K423/508423247.PDF To read the California Energy Commission’s assessment of EV charging infrastructure requirements in the state, click: https://www.energy.ca.gov/data-reports/reports/electric-vehicle-charging-infrastructure-assessment-ab-2127

Jul 11, 2023 • 21min
Battery metals wanted: The US' race to decarbonize (part 1)
Amid global efforts to decarbonize, US President Joe Biden’s administration has set an ambitious goal to have 50% of all new vehicle sales in the US be electric by the end of this decade. However, making this shift will be heavily reliant on securing supply of battery metals. As countries around the globe are racing to electrify, Latin America, with its rich mineral reserves, is set to play a critical role. In the first episode of this special two-part series, S&P Global news and analytics experts Jared Anderson, Justine Coyne, Adriana Carvalho and Jay Hwang discuss the state of lithium and battery metals supply and pricing, power pricing impacts, and the outlook for the US reaching its goals. 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 7, 2023 • 22min
Crux startup aims to unlock hundreds of billions in clean energy tax incentives
In this episode of Energy Evolution, co-host Taylor Kuykendall talks with Alfred Johnson, co-founder and CEO of Crux, about funding energy transition projects. Johnson, the former deputy chief of staff to U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, discusses the Inflation Reduction Act, which makes tax credits available to companies producing clean power and materials, and how Crux provides an ecosystem for developers, tax credit buyers, and financial institutions to manage and transact these transferable tax credits. 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

Jun 30, 2023 • 36min
Mining industry increasingly a larger part of the energy transition discussion
This episode of Energy Evolution by S&P Global Commodity Insights discusses the mining sector's importance in the worldwide shift to greener energy. The materials that make up energy transition technologies are often mined materials and the demand for minerals is expected to increase by as much as six times what our use is today by 2040. The podcast features interviews with Tony Sage, executive chairman of Critical Metals Corp.; Rebecca Campbell, who leads the Global Mining and Metals team at international law firm White & Case; and David Kanagy, executive director and CEO of the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration. Our guests discuss the potential for bottlenecks in the supply chain for clean energy due to permitting, China's claim to much of the minerals and processing of minerals used for clean energy and what some believe are outdated regulations in the industry. 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

Jun 28, 2023 • 24min
Vast CEO aims to bring concentrated solar power tech back into focus
Vast has developed concentrated solar power that can capture, store and deliver dispatchable solar power and heat on a 24/7 basis. It recently proved its technology with a grid-connected project in Australia. Vast CEO Craig Wood joins Energy Evolution to talk about the revival of concentrated solar power technology and the role it can play in the energy transition. 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

Jun 23, 2023 • 21min
Wind turbine makers' peril and what size has to do with it
Renewables enjoy unprecedented momentum, but the makers of wind turbines have suffered major losses due to supply chain disruption and high commodity prices in recent years. A voracious race for ever-larger turbines may have also played a role, argues Hans Martin Smith, chief financial officer of the world's largest turbine maker Vestas Wind Systems, in an interview with energy correspondent Camilla Naschert. Sector expert Andrei Utkin of Commodity Insights puts the sector's headwinds and opportunities into perspective. 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!

Jun 21, 2023 • 25min
Commodity trading giant Trafigura shares a path to greener shipping
Global commodities trader Trafigura released a report in May showing that shipping is responsible for around 3% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. The report also found a lot of opportunities to reduce those emissions while increasing economic opportunities for countries that step up to supply low-emission fuels to the industry. In this bonus episode, in addition to our typical weekly programming, Energy Evolution speaks with Margaux Moore, head of Trafigura’s energy transition research group, and Rasmus Bach Nielsen, the company’s head of fuel decarbonization. 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

Jun 16, 2023 • 19min
24/7 Clean energy: How hourly matching enables big energy buyers to go carbon-free
Large energy buyers, including governments and corporations, are embracing a concept known as hourly matching, or 24/7 carbon-free energy. In this episode, Energy Evolution is joined by Nate Hausman, clean energy markets manager for World Resources Institute, for an update on the concept and challenges ahead. 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

Jun 9, 2023 • 28min
Crafting tomorrow’s electric vehicle battery chemistries
As electric vehicle manufacturers prepare for a demand surge, many are looking to novel battery chemistries that cut back on materials that may be costly, difficult to access, or that come with labor and environmental concerns. Energy Evolution correspondent Camellia Moors spoke with Reed Blakemore, deputy director with the Atlantic Council Global Energy Center, and Mujeeb Ijaz, CEO at battery developer Our Next Energy, about today’s battery landscape and the market for battery chemistry innovation. 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! To read the Battery Next series from S&P Global Commodity Insights’ metals and mining team, click the following: Metal supply concerns push EV makers to new battery chemistries: https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/news-insights/latest-news-headlines/battery-next-metal-supply-concerns-push-ev-makers-to-new-battery-chemistries-75884340 EV makers use Model T playbook due to metal supply fears: https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/news-insights/latest-news-headlines/battery-next-ev-makers-use-model-t-playbook-due-to-metal-supply-fears-75880328 Emerging chemistries create trade-offs in cost, performance: https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/news-insights/latest-news-headlines/battery-next-emerging-chemistries-create-trade-offs-in-cost-performance-75866899 EVs to use silicon, solid state for next-generation batteries: https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/news-insights/latest-news-headlines/battery-next-evs-to-use-silicon-solid-state-for-next-generation-batteries-75864189 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