
Energy Evolution
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.
Latest episodes

May 10, 2024 • 31min
Maintaining reliability in the face of an increasingly complex US power grid
As utilities grapple with how best to expand the US electric grid to improve reliability and support technologies like electric vehicles, they’re turning to a host of technologies like grid storage and AI that can help with planning and managing new demands. On this week’s episode, co-host Taylor Kuykendall and correspondent Camellia Moors speak with guests Anthony Allard, executive vice president and head of North America at Hitachi Energy, Josh Brumberger, CEO of Utilidata, Robert Piconi, chairman and CEO of Energy Vault, and Paul Doherty, principal communications representative at PG&E. Subscribe to Energy Evolution to stay current on the energy transition and its implications. The show is co-hosted by veteran journalists Dan Testa and Taylor Kuykendall.

May 8, 2024 • 17min
Why sulfur markets face an upside risk from the energy transition
Sulfur is a crucial input for the fertilizer market. But, this byproduct of the oil and gas industry is also increasingly in-demand for processing key metals needed for the energy transition, such as copper and nickel. In this episode of the Platts Future Energy podcast, sulfur and sulfuric acid market reporter Matt Hoisch is joined by sulfur and sulfuric acid Analyst, Yuya Pan, and senior copper analyst, Ruilin Wang, for a deep dive into how a transition to greener energy sources is expected to impact sulfur supply and demand. Related coverage: Platts launches CFR Southeast Africa sulphur assessment and Middle East-Southeast Africa sulphur freight assessment Our fertilizer services and coverage All our non-ferrous coverage (subscriber link)

May 3, 2024 • 34min
Space-based solar: Vast promises and major challenges
Capturing solar energy in space promises 24/7 renewable energy at a competitive cost. But to get space solar to scale, scientists and engineers need to tackle questions around technology management in space, social acceptance of power beaming and ground infrastructure, as well as financing hurdles. On this week's episode of Energy Evolution, reporter Camilla Naschert discusses all of this with Sanjay Vijendran, who leads the European Space Agency's space solar program, and Martin Soltau, founder and co-CEO of UK startup Space Solar. Subscribe to Energy Evolution to stay current on the energy transition and its implications. The show is co-hosted by veteran journalists Dan Testa and Taylor Kuykendall.

Apr 26, 2024 • 24min
The century-old US law complicating offshore wind goals
A maritime law from 1920 prevents non-US ships from operating in and out of US ports. The problem for offshore wind? There are no large turbine installation ships under US flag yet. In this episode of Energy Evolution, we hear from industry experts how the Jones Act affects a fledgling offshore wind buildout and how developers found workarounds to get turbines offshore. Guests are Dominion Energy SVP Mark Mitchell, Ørsted SVP Troy Patton and S&P Global Commodity Insights analyst John Murray. Subscribe to Energy Evolution to stay current on the energy transition and its implications. The show is co-hosted by veteran journalists Dan Testa and Taylor Kuykendall.

Apr 19, 2024 • 26min
How renewables and AI drive cyber threats for utilities
Cyber threats are mounting for utilities' critical infrastructure assets globally. If used by savvy hackers, AI also provides new tools for those trying to disrupt power supply or extract data. Decentralization of assets through the rollout of renewables is growing the attack vector for malign actors, NERC SVP Manny Cancel tells Energy Evolution correspondent Camilla Naschert. Cybersecurity expert Andrew Ginter of Waterfall Security lays out the threat landscape and why IT teams and engineers need to layer their prevention approaches. Subscribe to Energy Evolution to stay current on the energy transition and its implications. The show is co-hosted by veteran journalists Dan Testa and Taylor Kuykendall.

Apr 17, 2024 • 36min
Navigating the new and old: what lies ahead on India’s energy transition map?
India's energy transition strategy encompasses greater adoption of a wide range of renewable fuels to go with baseload coal for decades to come, with new policies on CCUS, carbon markets and power reforms set to play a role in the decarbonization of the third largest greenhouse gas emitter of the world. In this Platts Future Energy podcast, Consulting Executive Director, Energy Transition Gauri Jauhar, Managing Editor, Global Compliance Carbon Pricing Agamoni Ghosh, and Associate Director, Research Mohd. Sahil Ali, join Editor – Energy Transition Ruchira Singh, to discuss the journey so far and the likely future landscape of policies, market development and trends post the mid-2024 general elections.

Apr 12, 2024 • 24min
Catching up with Innovators throughout the battery materials supply chain
Wrapping up the series of episodes featuring interviews gathered at CERAWeek by S&P Global, co-host of Energy Evolution Taylor Kuykendall shares bits of conversations with executives from new, innovative companies across different parts of the battery materials supply chain. Guests on this episode are: Gabi Knesel, a senior vice president at Locus Fermentation Solutions; Mahesh Konduru, CEO of Momentum Technologies; Srini Godavarthy, CEO of Li Metal; and John Busbee, the CEO and co-founder of Xerion Advanced Battery Corp. Subscribe to Energy Evolution to stay current on the energy transition and its implications. Veteran journalists Dan Testa and Taylor Kuykendall co-host the show.

Apr 5, 2024 • 34min
National Grid, Portland General Electric CEOs share thoughts on the energy transition
Energy Evolution continues to showcase interviews with influential leaders in the energy transition after co-host Taylor Kuykendall returned from CERAWeek 2024 by S&P Global, the company's flagship energy conference. In this episode of the Energy Evolution podcast, Maria Pope, President and CEO of Portland General Electric, and John Pettigrew, CEO of National Grid, discuss the future of energy and the challenges facing the industry in the coming years. PGE provides electricity to a service area with a population of about 1.9 million people. National Grid is a large investor-owned utility with operations in the UK and in the northeastern US. Subscribe to Energy Evolution to stay current on the energy transition and its implications. The show is co-hosted by veteran journalists Dan Testa and Taylor Kuykendall.

Apr 3, 2024 • 35min
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America, Svante CEOs on the future of carbon capture
Energy Evolution continues to showcase interviews with influential leaders in the energy transition after co-host Taylor Kuykendall returned from CERAWeek 2024 by S&P Global, the company's flagship energy conference. For this episode, Taylor sat down with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America CEO Takajiro Ishikawa and Svante President and CEO Claude Letourneau about the past and future of carbon capture projects. Carbon capture is a key technology for reducing emissions, particularly for hard-to-abate sectors such as heavy industry and transportation. These sectors are responsible for significant global carbon emissions and are difficult to decarbonize using conventional methods. Carbon capture technology offers a promising solution by capturing carbon dioxide emissions before they are released into the atmosphere and storing them safely and securely. Subscribe to Energy Evolution to stay current on the energy transition and its implications. The show is co-hosted by veteran journalists Dan Testa and Taylor Kuykendall.

Mar 29, 2024 • 25min
Catching up with the CEO behind the largest clean energy infrastructure project in US history
Energy Evolution continues to showcase interviews with influential leaders in the energy transition as co-host Taylor Kuykendall returns from CERAWeek 2024, by S&P Global, the company's flagship energy conference. In this episode, we talk with Hunter Armistead, the CEO of Pattern Energy. Pattern Energy is developing SunZia Wind and Transmission to capture energy from the winds of New Mexico to power three million Americans in the western US. Hunter and Taylor talk about the challenges and opportunities of renewable energy, the importance of transmission in meeting demand, and the role of green fuels. They also touch on the difficulties of financing large-scale projects like SunZia, as well as the policy changes that could make it easier to build transmission and allocate costs. Subscribe to Energy Evolution to stay current on the energy transition and its implications. The show is co-hosted by veteran journalists Dan Testa and Taylor Kuykendall.