Exploring the advancements in battery recycling, the evolution of recyclers into manufacturers, and the challenges in turning dead batteries into new ones. Delving into the complexities of the modern battery supply chain and the concept of circularity. Visiting a recycling facility and learning about the innovations on the horizon for battery recycling.

This is the fourth episode of a five-part series exploring the lithium-ion battery supply chain. If you haven’t listened to the first three episodes, we recommend you start there.  China has been the world's biggest battery manufacturer for over a decade. Chinese companies got in the game early, building an industry from scratch in the 2000s. By 2022, according to the IEA, China manufactured 76% of the world's batteries. But that’s changing. Battery factories in the U.S. and around the world are running 24/7 to churn out millions of cells – thanks to growing demand for storage all over the world, and government support for local manufacturing. In this episode, we’re exploring the rapid buildout of factories to support the battery economy. We’ll tour a lithium-ion battery factory in upstate NY to see how batteries are made at scale. And we ask where a small US factory fits into a global battery market dominated by China.

This is the third episode of a five-part series exploring the lithium-ion battery supply chain. If you haven’t listened to the first two episodes, we recommend you start there. Batteries can replace gasoline in our cars, or diesel in our generators, with electricity. But batteries and petroleum-based fuels share something in common: they both rely on energy-intensive processes to turn extracted materials into something useful. The middle stage of the lithium-ion supply chain is called processing – and it's a critical one. To make lots of affordable batteries, we have to process a lot of materials. It’s a big, lucrative business with real impacts to local communities and the environment. In this episode, we dig into step two of the supply chain: processing all those minerals into usable ingredients for batteries. Why are countries so keen on building giant processing facilities? And can we process all the minerals we need to fight climate change in a responsible way?

Exploring the complex relationship between lithium mining and the push for sustainable energy transition, the podcast discusses the challenges of balancing growing demand with the impact on indigenous communities and the environment. The episode delves into the ethical dilemmas of mining for critical minerals, shining a light on the Atacama Desert in Chile and the surge in lithium demand. It also touches on responsible mining practices, indigenous rights issues, and the need for transparency and community engagement in the resource economy.

Exploring the transition to battery-based energy, the trillion-dollar supply chain, control of critical minerals, global impacts on trade and climate goals, and the intricate process behind creating lithium-ion batteries.

Batteries are finding their way into everything – from cars to heavy equipment to the electric grid.  But scaling up production to meet the demands of a net-zero economy is complicated and contentious. In this 5-episode season, we’re digging into the ways batteries are made and asking: what gets mined, traded, and consumed on the road to decarbonization?  Season 4 of The Big Switch drops Feb 28th. Listen on Apple podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

This week, we’re running an episode of Degrees: Real talk about planet-saving careers, from our friends at Environmental Defense Fund: “The fastest electric vehicle fleet makeover in the west”. Degrees is an action hub for green job seekers to find career guidance and connect to a community of mentors, especially now that green jobs are among the fastest growing jobs globally, surging over 237% in the past five years.  The new season of Degrees, “How to Green Your Job,” is out now wherever you listen to podcasts. Make sure you check out other Degrees episodes about how the green jobs transformation is shaping the future. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. And as for The Big Switch, we’re working hard on the next season. And – spoiler alert! – we’re looking at the supply chains behind lithium-ion batteries. It’s a technology that could transform the global energy system. In this season, we examine the trillion dollar question — can we make batteries fast enough to put us on track to meet net-zero climate goals? Enjoy and stay tuned for more!   Degrees home EDF Green Jobs Hub

This is the fifth episode of a five-part series exploring the European energy crisis in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. If you haven’t listened to the first four episodes, we recommend you start there. In March of 2022, European officials unveiled a plan to push their energy transition much further, much faster – and rid their dependence on Russian fossil fuels.  REPowerEU was ambitious, but it raised lots of questions about whether it would lock Europe into new dependencies.  In this episode, we take a step back and ask: what are the consequences of the energy crisis for the entire European region? And how might it influence other parts of the world?  First, we explore the push to supercharge wind and solar – and what it says about the benefits and limits of what they can do. Then, we discuss the abrupt shift in where Europe gets the fossil fuels it uses today – and the vision to reuse gas infrastructure for hydrogen. Finally, we end with a conversation about how Europe’s response influenced other regions, particularly developing countries.  

This is the fourth episode of a five-part series exploring the European energy crisis in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. If you haven’t listened to the first three episodes, we recommend you start there. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, many Germans and Poles installed heat pumps and residential solar panels to reduce their dependence on Russian fossil fuels.  But do the countries have the skilled workforce they need to meet rapidly growing demand? In this episode, we examine the role of these technologies in building the net-zero economy—and how supply chain problems and a shortage of trade workers has hindered the mobilization of clean technologies.  Then, we look at the efforts to solve these bottlenecks with campaigns to recruit a new wave of electricians, engineers, and other craftspeople.  

This is the third episode of a five-part series exploring the European energy crisis in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. If you haven’t listened to the first two episodes, we recommend you start there. Even with a plan to phase down fossil fuel use, Poland still gets 70% of its electricity from coal. Can a country so dependent on coal make the transition to green energy effectively—and quickly? In this episode, we explore the consequences of Poland’s historical reliance on coal. It's a story that begins at COP24 in Poland, where a coal miners marching band welcomed climate negotiators from around the world in 2018. From there, we visit a historical coal mining town in southwestern Poland, where we meet a man who digs for coal to sell on the black market in the wake of the Ukraine invasion.  Then, we take a look at the energy source that could help Poland cut the cord with coal: nuclear power. In an effort to gain energy security and reduce emissions, Poland is building its first reactors. But with Russia controlling much of the nuclear supply chain, is Poland trading one dependency for another?