

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

Sep 22, 2023 • 27min
How does the Biden administration plan to fix permitting?
In this episode of Energy Evolution, co-host Taylor Kuykendall interviews Eric Beightel, the executive director of the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council. The council was established in 2015 to improve the transparency and predictability of the federal environment review and authorization process for certain critical infrastructure projects. Beightel discusses the challenges of permitting reform and the need for more resources, staff, and funding for agencies charged with the permitting process. He also emphasized the importance of early stakeholder engagement and community outreach to reduce the risk of litigation and improve the efficiency of the permitting process. 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!

7 snips
Sep 19, 2023 • 25min
Carbon credits seek to regain credibility amid growing scrutiny
The podcast discusses the decline in credibility of voluntary carbon markets and the initiatives taken to restore trust. It explores the challenges and trends in carbon credit prices, as well as the uncertainties and risks faced by the market. The chapter descriptions provide an overview of the topics covered, including integrity initiatives, challenges in the market, and the need for clarity.

Sep 15, 2023 • 27min
Artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency guzzle electricity, but can they also support the grid?
As it gets harder for bitcoin miners to access power, some say mining is a balancing opportunity for the grid. We speak to mining startup founder Andrew Webber about his vision for data centers in grid flexibility and look ahead at the scaling of AI computing. Could data centers using AI algorithms become flexibility assets, and if so, which use cases could be suitable? On that, we hear from S&P Global tech analyst Jonathan Schroth and professor Ben Lee of the University of Pennsylvania.

Sep 12, 2023 • 22min
Unpacking Big Oil’s risky bet on German offshore wind
The hefty premiums paid by BP and TotalEnergies in Germany’s latest offshore wind auction reflect the value these companies place on diversification – but do the economics stack up? Competition for offshore concessions has been fierce, but the sector is also under extreme cost pressure from stressed supply chains and rising inflation. S&P Global Commodity Insights’ news editors Henry Edwardes-Evans, Andreas Franke and Alex Blackburne discuss these issues with S&P Global analyst director colleague Coralie Laurencin. Explore our interactive Renewable Energy Price calculator Related price assessment: WDETF00 - German Offshore Wind Renewable Capture Price Related stories: Germany sells four offshore wind concessions for $14 bil to BP, TotalEnergies Germany awards 1.8 GW offshore wind concessions for Eur784 million Offshore wind industry weighs consequences of 'seismic' German auction

Sep 8, 2023 • 21min
Supporting community efficiency with the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund
In this episode of Energy Evolution, guest Jahi Wise, senior adviser to the administrator and acting director of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund at the EPA, joins us to talk about a $27 billion grant program under the Inflation Reduction Act and efforts to use the funding to support the National Clean Investment Fund and efficiency improvements across the country, especially in disadvantaged communities. 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!

Sep 1, 2023 • 12min
Mining the magnet minerals key to decarbonization
In this episode of Energy Evolution, guest Tom Schneberger, CEO of USA Rare Earth, joins us to talk about rare earths supply chains and the production of rare earth magnets key to energy transition technologies like electric vehicles and wind turbines. 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 29, 2023 • 18min
Renewable natural gas is headed for the moon
The podcast discusses the growing demand for Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) as a lower-carbon alternative to fossil natural gas. It explores the pricing and future growth of RNG, including the challenges of selling landfill gas RNG in the California market. The podcast also highlights the potential of RNG in various sectors, the interest from major oil and gas companies, and its role in achieving decarbonization goals.

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: