Global demand for lithium and other materials used in electric vehicle batteries, consumer electronics and myriad other applications is rapidly increasing. And as demand for those commodities grows, so do prices. An orderly energy transition from fossil fuels to cleaner energy resources will require a steadily rising supply of critical metals to keep pace with demand and keep prices at affordable levels. S&P Global Commodity Insights writers Jared Anderson and Nick Lazzaro speak with EnergyX CEO Teague Egan about the tech company’s plans to increase lithium supplies with an innovative extraction technology that could also be used to increase lithium-ion battery performance. They also sit down with S&P Global low carbon transportation analyst David Capati to discuss supply, demand and pricing dynamics unfolding within these metals markets. This Future Energy podcast was produced by Jennifer Pedrick in Houston.

Asia’s carbon markets are on a trajectory of rapid growth as demand for carbon offsets rises and regional governments work towards net-zero commitments. While turmoil in global energy markets has temporarily shifted attention to energy security, commodity trading hubs like Singapore are pushing ahead with plans to become a carbon trading powerhouse.  Eric Yep and Roman Kramarchuk of S&P Global Commodity Insights discuss with Mikkel Larsen, CEO of Climate Impact X, a Singapore-based carbon exchange, on what lies ahead for Asia's carbon markets.

Battery metal prices have been escalating, placing price pressure on battery pack costs and overall EV adoption. Furthermore, buying practices and the make up of long term contracts have experienced radical changes in the past 18 months, including the adoption of indexation mechanisms. In this episode of the Platts Future Energy podcast, S&P Global Commodity Insights pricing specialists Scott Yarham, Henrique Ribeiro and Michael Greenfield explore the lithium and cobalt markets, with both exhibiting their own unique dynamics and signs of breaking from traditional practices. Tell us more about your podcast preferences so we can keep improving our shows. Take our two-minute survey here: https://bit.ly/plattspod22

The addition of nuclear and natural gas to the EU’s sustainable finance taxonomy provoked a furious response from dissenting quarters. S&P Global Platts analysts detail the proposals, discuss their likely significance and crucially, look at future gas and nuclear investments through the prism of today’s highly unstable markets. Tell us more about your podcast preferences so we can keep improving our shows. Take our two-minute survey here: https://bit.ly/plattspod22

For the first time in over a decade, battery pack costs started to increase —even in the low cost segment. Battery packs are the main cost component in an electric vehicle (EV), meaning that this uptrend should either squeeze manufacturers’ margins or lead to higher EV price tags. Henrique Ribeiro (S&P Global Platts) and Alice Yu (S&P Global Market Intelligence) discuss how surging battery metals prices, particularly lithium, are playing a key role in the recent battery market developments. Tell us more about your podcast preferences so we can keep improving our shows. Take our two-minute survey here: https://bit.ly/plattspod22

The growth in renewable generation is the central plank in meeting Europe’s 2050 carbon net-zero targets, but as more wind and solar assets come on line and as more are exposed to merchant prices, the price cannibalization risk for these assets increases. In the latest episode of the Platts Future Energy podcast, our experts take a closer look at both Platts Historical Renewable Capture price index and Platts Analytics’ new European wind and solar capture price forecasts. They discuss how these innovations will track the level of price cannibalization as it evolves in Europe’s largest power markets and what the outlook is for the relative profitability of merchant renewables in the coming years. S&P Global Platts Renewable Capture Price indices provide the market with an independent and transparent view on how merchant renewable revenues are changing through time as the energy transition accelerates and wind and solar plants make up a greater share of the generation mix.

In addition to powering electric vehicles, batteries will play an essential role in the energy transition story by optimizing intermittent clean energy sources such as wind and solar. But what happens to batteries in their end-of-life? Although it can still be optimized, battery recycling technology already exists; but despite its potential to alleviate battery metals’ tightness in the future, can it really replace lithium, cobalt and nickel mining?

Hydrogen has received extraordinary policy support over the past year, with nations worldwide racing to publish national hydrogen strategies. These roadmaps provide a decade-long pathway to developing wide-scale utilization of low-carbon hydrogen as a means to achieving deep decarbonization in otherwise problematic sectors. In this episode of the S&P Global Platts Future Energy podcast, our experts discuss the hurdles hydrogen still faces on the path towards a future fuel.

Recycled plastics has become a hot topic recently with soaring demand driven by legislation, corporate commitments and increasing consumer awareness across the globe. There are raising questions on how the current recycling mechanisms could cope with such rapid-changing market dynamics to drive the sustainable growth of recycled plastics industry. Which option is better – mechanically or chemically recycled plastics? In the latest Platts Future Energy podcast, our experts take a closer look at both plastics recycling mechanisms, how they work, and what what role they play in the industry at large.

The landmark Paris Agreement was agreed back in 2015 with 29 different Articles. Almost all have been fleshed out, agreed upon and finalized - but Article 6 has not – given ongoing debates. And this Article’s text will prove critical to how international voluntary carbon markets develop going forward – with these markets seeing unprecedented growth and interest as corporates take steps to address their carbon footprints.