

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

Jun 24, 2022 • 12min
'The next OPEC' – Battery materials startup 6K on risks of US import dependence
The U.S. is highly dependent on other countries for lithium-ion batteries and materials. Aaron Bent, CEO of lithium-ion battery materials startup 6K, told Energy Evolution that could change with new technologies. Energy Evolution co-hosts Dan Testa, Allison Good and Taylor Kuykendall are veteran journalists with broad expertise covering the utility, oil and gas and mining sectors. Subscribe to Energy Evolution on your favorite platform to catch our latest episodes! Inside Koch Industries' push into solar, batteries and electric cars: https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/news-insights/latest-news-headlines/inside-koch-industries-push-into-solar-batteries-and-electric-cars-69705159

Jun 15, 2022 • 31min
Crunch time for EU carbon market reform as legislators finalise negotiating positions
Attempts to overhaul the EU Emissions Trading System have entered a crunch period as the European Parliament and European Council aim to finalise their negotiating positions by the end of June. The EU Parliament rejected draft legislation proposed by lawmakers in its plenary vote on June 8, but is preparing for a second vote on June 22. EU ETS revisions are being considered against a backdrop of very high energy prices, surging inflation and a military conflict on Europe’s eastern flank. S&P Global Commodity Insights' Frank Watson and Michael Evans take a deep dive into the key elements in the negotiations and why they matter for carbon prices and other energy commodity markets in Europe. Tell us more about your podcast preferences so we can keep improving our shows. Take our two-minute survey here: https://bit.ly/plattspod22

Jun 13, 2022 • 24min
Path to net-zero: How large companies across sectors are tackling emissions
S&P Global Commodity Insights reporters dove into the net-zero goals of companies in the energy, mining, technology and communications, insurance and banking sectors. Several journalists who worked on the project joined us for this episode to discuss what they discovered. The first article in the series is available here: https://www.spglobal.com/marketintelligence/en/news-insights/latest-news-headlines/path-to-net-zero-as-regulators-step-in-push-for-climate-disclosure-intensifies-70485484 Energy Evolution co-hosts Dan Testa, Allison Good and Taylor Kuykendall are veteran journalists with broad expertise covering the utility, oil and gas and mining sectors. Subscribe to Energy Evolution on your favorite platform to catch our latest episodes!

Jun 3, 2022 • 19min
‘TiVoing electricity’: How Wärtsilä is solving renewable energy’s biggest problem
Energy storage is a crucial piece of technology for advancing the energy transition. Andrew Tang, vice president of energy storage and optimization with Wärtsilä, joins Energy Evolution to talk about how batteries can overcome intermittency — the "Achilles heel" of renewable energy sources. Energy Evolution co-hosts Dan Testa, Allison Good and Taylor Kuykendall are veteran journalists with broad expertise covering the utility, oil and gas and mining sectors. Subscribe to Energy Evolution on your favorite platform to catch our latest episodes!

May 31, 2022 • 21min
US ethanol industry eyes CCS to boost long-term demand
As the US ethanol industry pursues carbon capture and sequestration projects, producers are looking at the effects of lower carbon intensities in markets with low carbon fuel standards and in future industries like sustainable aviation fuel produced from ethanol. The voluntary carbon credit market for technology-based carbon capture could also attract interest given high prices but hurdles could keep ethanol producers focused on regulated markets. S&P Global Commodity Insights' Americas biofuels manager Josh Pedrick talks through the evolving CCS interest in US ethanol with low-carbon lead Arsalan Syed and biofuel analytics manager Corey Lavinsky. This Future Energy podcast was produced by Felix Fernandez in London.

May 24, 2022 • 17min
How has China's 'zero-COVID' strategy impacted battery supply chains?
China's "zero-COVID" strategy saw the country entering multiple provincial lockdowns. While this has hit electric vehicle production, the impact on battery materials production has been limited. Prices of battery metals, especially lithium, have fallen for the first time in 18 months. What implications do such events have on an already stressed supply chain, EV production costs and overall EV adoption? S&P Global Commodity Insights’ Henrique Ribeiro discusses these issues with pricing specialist Leah Chen and analyst Lucy Tang. Related feature: COVID-19 outbreak in China dents battery metals demand

May 20, 2022 • 28min
Examining the energy implications of Russia's war on Ukraine
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has major consequences for the energy transition in Europe, from cutting reliance on Russian gas to accelerating renewable deployment to extending the lives of coal and nuclear plants. Joining us to discuss these issues are Kristian Ruby, secretary general of Eurelectric, the trade group for European utilities; Roman Kramarchuk, head of future energy analytics at S&P Global Commodity Insights; and Florian Widdel of BEE, the German renewable energy federation. Energy Evolution co-hosts Dan Testa, Allison Good and Taylor Kuykendall are veteran journalists with broad expertise covering the utility, oil and gas and mining sectors. Subscribe to Energy Evolution on your favorite platform to catch our latest episodes!

May 17, 2022 • 22min
How Putin’s war in Ukraine is accelerating hydrogen in Europe
When Putin invaded Ukraine in February, the industry wondered whether it would set back Europe’s ambition to develop a low-carbon hydrogen market. Already, we have seen quite the opposite. The EU, member states and other countries are doubling down on clean energy commitments, with hydrogen at their heart. S&P Global Commodity Insights’ James Burgess discusses recent developments with pricing specialist Jeff McDonald and analyst Matthew Hodgkinson. Learn more about our Hydrogen Markets Europe Conference in Amsterdam this September on: https://plattsinfo.spglobal.com/HydrogenMarketsEurope2022.html Tell us more about your podcast preferences so we can keep improving our shows. Take our two-minute survey here: https://bit.ly/plattspod22

May 3, 2022 • 13min
Understanding methane one commodity at a time
Methane is everywhere, but it poses a particular problem in natural gas production. Head of Low Carbon Commodities Deb Ryan is joined by Emmanuel Corral and Paula VanLaningham to discuss the unique problems posed by methane emissions in the fight against climate change, and S&P Global Commodity Insights’ new Methane Intensity assessments. Using a top-down approach to measuring methane intensity through satellite data and the pricing transparency generated by the Methane Performance Certificate market, Commodity Insights has brought new transparency to the cost of methane emissions generated through natural gas production.

Apr 25, 2022 • 12min
The consumer side of the energy transition
In this episode, Taylor talks with Aaron Berndt, head of energy industry partnerships at Google, who works with utilities to distribute the Nest home automation system, which can conserve energy by controlling thermostats, smart light bulbs and more. Energy Evolution co-hosts Dan Testa, Allison Good and Taylor Kuykendall are veteran journalists with broad expertise covering the utility, oil and gas and mining sectors. Subscribe to Energy Evolution on your favorite platform to catch our latest episodes!


