Podcasts about cleantech

What's Next for US Energy Policy?As part of Climate Week in New York, The Energy Gang recorded a special edition in partnership with New York University: an expert panel discussing the future direction of US climate policy and its implications for the energy transition.Amy Myers Jaffe, a regular contributor to The Energy Gang and director of the Energy, Climate, Justice, and Sustainability Lab at NYU, hosted the event, leading a conversation about the key steps that governments, regulators and companies need to take to pave the way to a low-carbon future.Joining her for the discussion were Ana Unruh Cohen, the senior Director for NEPA Clean Energy and Infrastructure at the White House Council on Environmental Quality; Elizabeth Gore, the senior vice president of political affairs at the Environmental Defense Fund; and Rob Gramlich, founder and president of Grid Strategies, LLC.The vital need to strengthen the US power grid was one of the key topics. As Rob Gramlich explains, it is about more than just funding: regulation and policy support are critical, too. The new rule on transmission planning and cost allocation proposed by FERC – the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission – is seen as an essential component of an energy policy suited for the new would of low-carbon power supply.The need for efficient and transparent permitting of new infrastructure projects was also highlighted in the discussion. Building a low-carbon energy system requires massive investment in infrastructure such as power lines and wind farms. The harder it is to get those projects built, the slower the transition to low-carbon energy will be. The panel discuss some of the key issues involved in securing approvals for projects, including the Permitting Action Plan of 2021, the updates to regulations implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and infrastructure buildouts' community benefits.Towards the end of the discussion, the panel shifts its focus towards hydrogen. Is it truly the next frontier for climate solutions, or is it a mere distraction? The US already produces about 10 million metric tons of hydrogen annually, with high carbon emissions, for industrial use. But there is mixed opinion about the potential for much more extensive use of low-carbon hydrogen as a way to cut emissions in sectors where it is not currently used, such as steel-making and power generation. As research and development continues, hydrogen looks set to remain a contentious topic in climate and energy debates in the future.Follow the conversation on X – we're @theenergygang. And subscribe to the show so you don't miss an episode.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dylan Welch, CEO of Green.org, sits down with Karin Burns, CEO of San Diego Community Power to learn about how she went from a Global Finance expert, traveling the world, to a Renewable Energy Executive.Support the show

In this episode, Silas Mahner (@silasmahner) & Somil Aggarwal (@somil_agg) speak with Jeff Erhardt from Mattiq. Jeff had a ton of insights and we are glad to share them with you today. Enjoy the Episode!

This Week in Cleantech is a new, weekly podcast covering the most impactful stories in cleantech and climate in 15 minutes or less. Produced by Renewable Energy World and Tigercomm, This Week in Cleantech will air every Friday in the Factor This! podcast feed wherever you get your podcasts.This week's episode features Bloomberg energy reporter Mark Chediak who breaks down solar's growing pains and experiencing RE+ for the first time. This Week in Cleantech — September 15, 20231. A Huge Lithium Discovery That Economists Were Expecting — Bloomberg2. Carbon-free grid? There may not be enough workers to build it. — E&E News3. Big Batteries Are Booming. So Are Fears They'll Catch Fire — WIRED 4. Update needed for 1872 mining law to boost clean energy, report says — Washington Post5. US Solar's Extraordinary Boom Brings Growing Pains — BloombergWatch the episode on YouTubeHelp make This Week in Cleantech the best it can be. Send feedback and story recommendations to ThisWeekInCleantech@tigercomm.us. And don't forget to leave a rating and review wherever you get your podcasts.Join us every Friday for new episodes of This Week in Cleantech in the Factor This! podcast feed, and tune into new episodes of Factor This! every Monday.This Week in Cleantech is hosted by Renewable Energy World senior content director John Engel and Tigercomm president Mike Casey. The show is produced by Brian Mendes with research support from Alex Petersen and Clare Quirin. You've heard me talk a lot about the GridTECH Connect Forum - Northeast event being held in Newport, Rhode Island Oct. 23-25. Well, registration is now LIVE. We're excited to partner with the DOE to bring together DER developers, utilities, and regulators around the critical issue of interconnection in the Northeast. Click here to register today.

Alight is a company riding the solar-coaster and enjoying the heights.In November 2021, David Banmiller sat down with Harald Overholm, co-founder and CEO of Alight. The focus of that discussion was on the emergence in popularity of Power-Purchase Agreements, in the solar sector. Alight, as one of the biggest providers in the Nordics, was looking to continue expansion throughout Europe. Since then, there's been exponential growth and evolution in solar, and the way businesses and homes source that energy.In November 2022, Alight raised about €150 million to expand their operations. This was a major milestone for the relatively small company at the time. Managing to secure equity in the market, they worked with various partners, ultimately partnering with an infrastructure fund, DIF. DIF, being one of the leading mid-market infra funds specializing in renewables, was instrumental in driving the company to expand its team and strategically take control of certain projects.Alight's key play was transitioning their role from being developers to becoming an independent power producer. As a PPA, Alight gained the ability to select which projects to develop, devise strategies to monetize them, and ultimately derive profit. This significant shift has been a cornerstone of their recent progress.The solar industry, as it expands quickly, provides opportunities, but it also presents potential obstacles. A primary concern, as Harald explores with David, is the heavy reliance on China for polysilicon production, a foundational component of solar cells. This poses potential supply chain risk, fuelling the argument for diversifying polysilicon production.While challenges might lie ahead, the surge of interest from investors, the potential of new enhancing technologies, and the increasingly favourable view of solar power are a key part of the energy transition that keeps the industry optimistic.The key to sustained success lies in the ability of companies like Alight to ride the high times and the low times. With the right balance of financial backing, strategy, and a focused vision, solar energy companies are poised to illuminate the path towards a greener future. For more on this topic, check out the recent episode of the Energy Gang, our sister podcast which you can find here: https://www.woodmac.com/podcasts/the-energy-gang/riding-the-solar-coaster/Subscribe to the Interchange Recharged so you don't miss an episode, out every second Friday at 7am ET. Find us on X – we're @interchangeshowSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode, Silas Mahner (@silasmahner) & Somil Aggarwal (@somil_agg) speak with Saif Hameed, the CEO and Founder of Altruistiq, a leading Carbon Emissions accounting software. The conversation is full of insights because Saif has an incredible background, diverse career exposure, and a very good handle on the overall ESG & Sustainability space. Some of the key topics are, how ESG is an incorrect usage of terminology, how Scope 1,2,3 emissions were created as frameworks for governments, the difficulty of deploying money into non-renewables climate solutions, and a lot more. Enjoy

In this episode Silas Mahner (@silasmahner) & Matt McGraw (@mjm11), Co-Founder and GP of Anthro Ventures. In the ep we cover his story, their focus, why being a VC is a hard job, how ClimateTech is essentially re-industrializing the world & why that's a good thing, he offered his advice to founders, and we closed off by discussing the role of CT startups in the governance and ESG movement towards a more equitable future. Enjoy the Episode!

This Week in Cleantech is a new, weekly podcast covering the most impactful stories in cleantech and climate in 15 minutes or less. Produced by Renewable Energy World and Tigercomm, This Week in Cleantech will air every Friday in the Factor This! podcast feed wherever you get your podcasts.This week's episode features MIT Tech Review climate and clean energy reporter Casey Crownhart, who shares insights around the Biden administration's $400 million loan to alternative battery maker Eos Energy. This Week in Cleantech — September 8, 20231. Texas fracking billionaire brothers fuel rightwing media with millions of dollars — The Guardian2. Batteries helped keep Texas grid afloat, but operators worry ERCOT rules could 'chill' the industry — San Antonio Express-News3. Powered by wind, this $10B transmission line will carry more energy than the Hoover Dam — Associated Press4. White House launches billion-dollar effort to speed EV production — Axios5. Zinc batteries that offer an alternative to lithium just got a big boost — MIT Tech ReviewWatch the show on YouTubeHelp make This Week in Cleantech the best it can be. Send feedback and story recommendations to ThisWeekInCleantech@tigercomm.us. And don't forget to leave a rating and review wherever you get your podcasts.Join us every Friday for new episodes of This Week in Cleantech in the Factor This! podcast feed, and tune into new episodes of Factor This! every Monday.This Week in Cleantech is hosted by Renewable Energy World senior content director John Engel and Tigercomm president Mike Casey. The show is produced by Brian Mendes with research support from Alex Petersen and Clare Quirin. 

Direct air capture and carbon sequestration – is it viable, and scalable?The U.S. Department of Energy announced in late August that it would be investing $1.2 billion in two direct air capture or DAC facilities. Direct air capture technology, which uses either chemical media (such as a liquid solvent or solid sorbents) or physical processes involving filters to remove C02 directly from the atmosphere. Carbon capture technologies - that capture CO2 at emissions point sources, like power plants or steel making - is also an area the DOE will be supporting for demonstration projects.Some environmentalists have sharply criticized the Biden administration for providing financial support for DAC and CCS technologies, arguing not only is the technology expensive and unproven, but that it serves as a false flag mechanism by the oil and gas industry to sanction them to continue emitting greenhouse gases.So should the government be investing billions in these technologies? Can CCS and DAC play a role in decarbonizing hard to abate sectors? To answer these questions and more, guest host Amy Myers-Jaffe steps in for regular host Ed Crooks to anchor the show this week. Amy is Director of NYU's Energy, Climate Justice and Sustainability Lab. She's enlisted two Energy Gang regulars and climate modelling experts to explore the world of carbon capture: Emily Grubert, Associate Professor of Sustainable Energy Policy at the Keough School of Global Affairs at the University of Notre Dame, and Robbie Orvis, Senior Director of Modelling and Analysis at the climate thinktank Energy Innovation.Emily explains the challenges and viability of direct air capture as a technology, while Robbie outlines the modelling that implicates the oil industry in pushing for carbon capture; is it to prolong the lifespan of fossil fuel technologies?It's an episode packed with science and analysis, as well as an in-depth look the socio-political implications of initiatives such as DAC and CCS. There's discussion around NIMBYism, and concern of local communities around the environmental impact of the projects proposed by the DOE.How currently available incentives are structured raises another issue — they incentivize the capture of maximum CO2 for sequestration but neglect to account for how much greenhouse gas is invested in the capture process. This invites operations that can produce large amounts of CO2 to do so as they can more easily remove it from flue gas streams due to higher concentrations resulting from the use of fossil fuels.The team wrap up the show by discussing the point that energy sectors we're dealing with – including cement, steel, and various chemical productions – are mostly old, often outdated. So, is it more feasible to create a billion-dollar investment to build CCS plants on the backends of these facilities, or to invest in newer, greener technologies and start afresh? As more sustainable methods become available, the relevance and usefulness of CCS must continually be re-evaluated. It's all here on this week's episode.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode, Silas Mahner (@silasmahner) & Somil Aggarwal (@somil_agg) speak with Jeff Chapin, the Co-Founder of Haven Energy. We heard how he raised the funding for Haven with 2 pitches. He taught us how the IRA aids home electrification. His thoughts on building IRA-dependent businesses. We finish up with his advice to founders. Enjoy the Episode!

EPISODE 1689: In this special KEEN ON show from the DLD Circular conference in Munich, Andrew talks to Martjin Lopes Cardozo, CEO of the Amsterdam based Circle Economy, about the current state of circular economics. Martjin Lopes Cardoso is an experienced entrepreneur and CEO. He is currently CEO of the Amsterdam based Circle Economy. He has built scalable companies in both the US West Coast and in Europe in Digital and Clean Tech. Thought leader and frequent key note speaker. He is a trusted mentor and board member. He was educated at TU Delft and Harvard. Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting KEEN ON, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy show. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is part of our Capital Series hosted by Jason Jacobs. This series explores a diverse range of capital sources and the individuals who drive them. From family offices and institutional LPs to private equity, government funding, and more, we take a deep dive into the world of capital and its critical role in driving innovation and progress. Ian Smith is the Director of Investments at The Nature Conservancy (TNC), where his primary responsibilities include managing due diligence, research and portfolio oversight across public equity, fixed income, and impact and diversity offerings. TNC is a global environmental nonprofit working to create a world where people and nature can thrive. They were founded in the US through grassroots organizing in 1951, and they've grown to become one of the most effective and wide-reaching environmental organizations in the world. As a formidable force in the NGO world, TNC also has a pretty big endowment and they're investing that endowment as good fiduciaries to generate market-beating returns, but they also have this broader mission to reckon with as an organization. This makes for a fascinating conversation that digs into how TNC handles balancing impact and profit, and how they think about climate investing, private investing, and investing in general. In this episode, we cover: [2:21] An overview of TNC and its investments[5:59] TNC's endowment asset allocation[7:47] Ian's background[11:55] Benefits of TNC's transition from outsourced investing to in-house portfolio management[16:46] Diversification of TNC's endowment capital[19:40] The org's decarbonization strategy[24:29] Integrating sustainability without sacrificing market-grade returns[26:38] TNC's criteria for evaluation[28:49] Ian's assessment of the state of climate tech venture as an investible asset[34:34] How he views and measures impact[37:06] An overview of TNC's privates' portfolio[40:51] Ian's suggestions for balancing investible assets and grant-making[44:25] His thoughts on how the transition is going to pan out[48:09] Why this time is different than Cleantech 1.0[50:53] Ian's thoughts on the term 'impact investor'[52:04] TNC's perspective on carbon capture and the role of big oil in the transition[57:58] How Ian thinks about direct investing[1:02:58] His concerns about climate tech innovation and what he's excited aboutGet connected: Ian Smith X / LinkedInJason Jacobs X / LinkedInMCJ Podcast / Collective*You can also reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded on Aug 9, 2023 (Published Sept 6, 2023) 

This Week in Cleantech is a new, weekly podcast covering the most impactful stories in cleantech and climate in 15 minutes or less. Produced by Renewable Energy World and Tigercomm, This Week in Cleantech will air every Friday in the Factor This! podcast feed wherever you get your podcasts.This week's episode features Reuters correspondent Nichola Groom, who shares insights from a lackluster offshore wind auction in the Gulf of Mexico.This Week in Cleantech – September 1, 20231. Google to begin selling maps data to companies building solar products, hopes to generate $100 million in first year — CNBC2. Tennessee secured $7B in clean energy business this past year — representing nearly 80% of new investments — WPLN News3. MSG Sphere announces plan to power 70% of Las Vegas arena with renewable energy, pending approval — USA Today4. Chemical fertilizer is a climate disaster. Can high-tech biology fix it? — Canary Media5. First US offshore wind auction in Gulf of Mexico attracts paltry interest — ReutersWatch the show on YouTubeHelp make This Week in Cleantech the best it can be. Send feedback and story recommendations to ThisWeekInCleantech@tigercomm.us. And don't forget to leave a rating and review wherever you get your podcasts.Join us every Friday for new episodes of This Week in Cleantech in the Factor This! podcast feed, and tune into new episodes of Factor This! every Monday.This Week in Cleantech is hosted by Renewable Energy World senior content director John Engel and Tigercomm president Mike Casey. The show is produced by Brian Mendes with research support from Alex Petersen and Clare Quirin. 

A new non-linear generator could be the answer to the risks of extreme weather.The prospect of an extended blackout during a heat wave is not only alarming, but a potential public health emergency. According to a recent report in the New York Times, 800,000 residents would require hospitalization if a major heatwave coincided with an extended blackout. The study, conducted by the Journal of Environmental Science and Technology, made clear the need for reliable energy storage. Advancements in technology are helping to mitigate the risk, with modern batteries improving their lifespans from two to four hours to a more robust eight to ten hours. Experts even predict reaching a milestone of 100-hour battery life in the near future. However, nature doesn't keep time like we do, and extreme weather can cause outages that outlast even these improved capabilities. So how can we protect our cities and ensure sustained power during these disruptions? The answer lies in developing technologies that transition long-duration storage capacities from hours to days and beyond. The Mainspring Linear Generator, developed by Mainspring Energy, a Silicon Valley-based startup, could be one of the answers to the storage challenge. David Banmiller is joined by Mainspring CEO Dr. Shannon Miller, a Stanford alumna with a PhD in mechanical engineering.The Mainspring Linear Generator has raised over $530 million in funding from cleantech investors and demonstrates the potential of innovative solutions in accelerating the shift towards a net-zero carbon grid. Shannon explains how it uses different types of fuel - including conventional types like natural gas - and clean fuels such as hydrogen and ammonia. To explore the wider trends and challenges around long-duration storage, Dr Melissa Lott also joins us on the Interchange this week. Melissa is Director of the Center on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University, and she talks about the risks of gaps in power access, energy cost spikes and reliability issues. One of the key changes seen in the storage market is the separation of storage and generation solutions. As fossil fuel-based generators wind down, finding reliable and sustainable alternatives to provide reliable power becomes increasingly important.Incentives and regulatory frameworks are integral to fostering the energy transition. Currently, however, specific types of storage, like electrochemical or thermal storage, are often prescribed in state mandates instead of leaving room for innovative alternatives. Therefore, there's a growing need for technology-neutral policies that accommodate various kinds of storage, including clean fuels.If you haven't already, check out our sister podcast, "The Energy Gang," which offers biweekly insights into the latest and biggest energy stories. Subscribe to the Interchange Recharged so you don't miss an episode, out every second Friday at 7am ET. Find us on X (formerly known as Twitter) – we're @interchangeshowSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Climate change is on the news and in our faces every day, from wildfires to record-breaking heat waves. And today, we are talking to a Rice grad who's working to combat these developments, through clean energy, carbon management and venture capital investments. Phoebe Wang is a cleantech venture capitalist who serves as an investment partner at the Amazon Climate Pledge Fund. Previously, she was an investment director at Shell Ventures where she led investments in early- and late-stage startups working on technologies to accelerate the energy transition, including in the areas of hydrogen, carbon management, energy storage, mobility, and power. During her 10-year tenure as a venture capital investor, Phoebe has invested more than $150 million in frontier technology startups such as Antora, Celadyne, ZeroAvia, and many, many more.In another episode from our 2023 Alumni Reunion series, host Maya Pomroy '22 and Phoebe chat about her passion for fighting climate change for the future generations, her work with Amazon's Climate Pledge Fund, and winning a C3E business award. Owl Have You Know is a production of Rice Business and is produced by University FM.Episode Quotes:Paving the way for a sustainable future in clean energy and climate control11:33 [Maya]: So you were very optimistic about clean energy and climate control, so we can shift it back to having clean air for everyone. So, what progress do you hope to see over the next few years? What are you most excited about?11:49 [Phoebe Wang]: So right now, whenever we are looking at technology, we have a lens of whether, when at the mature stage, the technology can sequest or can abate gigaton equivalent of CO2 because we need to have that level, so that we can move towards, a future that is livable for our next generations. So that's something not very easy to do. But fortunately, we have a ton of innovation, a ton of entrepreneurs, and a ton of venture capital coming into this industry.Nurturing unicorns, jobs, and sustainability through strategic investments04:13 - So far, I've invested in over 30 companies out of those, three are unicorns and have created tremendous job opportunities in local markets. And then also have had a big impact on the carbon markets. We're now looking at a lot of different areas with the CO2 lens. And, in addition to that, we're looking at how to preserve biodiversity because we don't want to have unintended consequences if we only apply the carbon lens when we make investments.On the roots of her interest in clean tech01:35 - My interest in cleantech, or what we call climate tech, stems early on – like when I was very little. I grew up in Asia, and then, if you see over there, pollution is such an important issue. And it is actually a global issue now. So, back then, I almost did environmental engineering, but the job market was not very good that decade ago. So, I actually switched over to material science engineering. Now, it's kind of coming full circle that I'm looking at investments in climate tech.Show Links:TranscriptGuest Profile: Phoebe Wang on LinkedIn Phoebe Wang - C3E

In this episode Silas Mahner (@silasmahner) interviews Eric Rubenstein about his journey into climate tech, the importance of partnering with Energy Majors in the Climate Revolution, the role of Houston in that movement, Eric's discovery framework, and his ideal founder traits. Overall, a super good episode packed full of insights. Enjoy the Episode!

On a quest to find the cutting edge of the energy transition, Utah is unlikely to be the first stop. It may not even make the itinerary.A Republican governor and supermajority legislature lead the state. Rocky Mountain Power, a historically conservative, vertically integrated utility, supplies most of its electricity (and the biggest source is coal).But the Beehive State has laid out an improbable blueprint for clean energy and resilience. Here, more than 3,000 home batteries are intelligently managed to serve seven critical grid functions. Every single day. And, no, it's not a pilot.Episode 58 of the Factor This! podcast features Blake Richetta, CEO of the American division of sonnen, a German battery manufacturer and provider of the virtual power plant software that makes Rocky Mountain Power's innovative program tick.Richetta breaks down the nuances behind the ambiguously named VPP and shares the fascinating story of how unlikely collaborators helped launch one of the most sophisticated programs in the country.The Factor This! podcast is growing! We're adding a weekly climate and clean energy news roundup episode to the feed, co-hosted by John Engel and cleantech PR veteran Mike Casey. Beginning July 21, "This Week in Cleantech" will give you all of the top stories in 15 minutes or less, and feature a leading journalist or market analyst to share the juice behind the headlines. Email story ideas and topics to ThisWeekinCleantech@tigercomm.us.

This is our Friday show, and we're talking about the week's biggest startup and tech news. Here's what Mary Ann, Alex and Kirsten Korosec got into:Nvidia blew the doors off with its earnings report. We talked through some of the high-level numbers and marveled at the company's growth. TechCrunch has more on the matter here.Ramp raises $300M: In this market, a multi-billion-dollar valuation is a win for a fintech, even if Ramp's new price tag is a bit lower than it was previously. So, while Ramp likely doesn't love that it raised a down-round, it does have fresh capital and is worth $5.8 billion. That's simply not that bad.Lex raised $2.75M: Alex covered AI-powered writing tool's Lex seed round. Kirsten got to give the app a try, and we all had nice things to say about the nascent startup.Northvolt is bringing its volts to North America: The global battery-building boom includes Swedish company Northvolt building a new facility in the United States. The company raised $1.2 billion from BlackRock.Better.com went public: Mary Ann interviewed the company's CEO ahead of its SPAC-led public market listing, which got panned.In the transit world, Cruise got its wings clipped in San Francisco after an accident involving a fire truck. Alex is annoyed. Mary Ann is not.This year's TechCrunch Battlefield 200 companies feature a lot of startups focused on excrement. We're not kidding.That's all from us this week. We are back Monday morning, chat then!For episode transcripts and more, head to Equity's Simplecast website.Equity drops at 7 a.m. PT every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. TechCrunch also has a great show on crypto, a show that interviews foundersand more!

It's a little over a year since the US Inflation Reduction Act was passed into law. Solar was one of the main beneficiaries, thanks to an extension and expansion of the tax credits available to the industry. So why has the sector fallen out of favour with investors recently?August was a difficult month for the markets in general, but companies including First Solar, Sunrun, Sunpower and Sunnova (who have been featured on our sister podcast The Interchange) have had it particularly rough. To look into what's going on, host Ed Crooks is joined by two of our regular finance and investment experts: Shanu Mathew, of Lazard Asset Management, and Amy Myers-Jaffe, of NYU's Energy, Climate Justice and Sustainability Lab. Together, look at the residential and utility-scale solar markets and the investment going into them, the US perspective against a global investment backdrop, and the long-term prospects for solar.Also in this show: what went wrong at Proterra? Proterra was an electric bus and battery company championed by President Biden as an example of how the US could build a manufacturing base in cleantech, but it filed for bankruptcy in early August. What does its failure tell us about the future of electric vehicles? And how do these challenges facing two key sectors, solar and EVs, change our perceptions of the clean energy transition? Finally, ESG investing is in the spotlight again. Larry Fink, CEO of Blackrock – one of the world's biggest asset management firms – said recently that he “doesn't use the word ESG any more, because it's been entirely weaponised...by the far left and weaponised by the far right.” Republican politicians in the US have attacked ESG as “a direct threat to the American economy, individual economic freedom, and our way of life.” Some statistics have suggested that interest in ESG investing has been waning from its high point in 2021. Amy says the capital is still flowing into clean energy, but investors need to “pick the right team, the right technology, the right management.” Shanu argues that the trends still support moves towards increased sustainability and the use of environmental, social and governance factors in investment decisions. ESG may not be a buzz-word any more, at least not in a positive sense. But the ideas that lie behind it can still be useful.Follow the conversation on X, the platform we know as Twitter – we're @theenergygang. And subscribe to the show so you don't miss an episode. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This Week in Cleantech is a new, weekly podcast covering the most impactful stories in cleantech and climate in 15 minutes or less. Produced by Renewable Energy World and Tigercomm, This Week in Cleantech will air every Friday in the Factor This! podcast feed wherever you get your podcasts.This week's episode features Bloomberg energy and environmental policy reporter Jennifer Dlouhy for a breakdown of the Commerce Department's final ruling in the Auxin Solar tariff case.This Week in Cleantech – August 25, 20231. Fixing our failing electric grid ... on a budget – NPR2. Europe's Gas-Guzzling Days Are Fading – Wall Street Journal 3. Pioneering wind-powered cargo ship sets sail – BBC4. Solar panels to surround Dulles Airport will deliver power to 37,000 homes – Associated Press5. Chinese Solar Makers Face New Tariffs After US Says They're Dodging Duties – BloombergNotes:Mike Casey will be participating in a discussion at RE+ in Las Vegas titled: "From NIMBYs to Neighbors: Emerging Patterns in Developer Experiences and the Views of Rural Americans the Clean Energy Industry Needs to Win Over" in Veronese 2405, Level 2, The Venetian from 2:30-3:00 p.m. PT on Sept. 13. Watch a video version of the show on YouTube.Help make This Week in Cleantech the best it can be. Send feedback and story recommendations to ThisWeekInCleantech@tigercomm.us. And don't forget to leave a rating and review wherever you get your podcasts.Join us every Friday for new episodes of This Week in Cleantech in the Factor This! podcast feed, and tune into new episodes of Factor This! every Monday.This Week in Cleantech is hosted by Renewable Energy World senior content director John Engel and Tigercomm president Mike Casey. The show is produced by Brian Mendes with research support from Alex Petersen and Clare Quirin. 

In this episode, Silas Mahner (@silasmahner) and Cody Finke (@cody_finke), the Co-Founder of Brimstone discuss Cody's journey into climate and how they are revolutionizing the cement space. They have created a cement product that has just been approved as certified Portland Cement - This is the main cement used in the construction of buildings. The best part, it's carbon neutral in many cases negative (depending on the energy source used). This is a truly revolutionary technology and we can't wait to see it at commercial scale in the next few years. Enjoy the Episode!

In the year since the Inflation Reduction Act supercharged clean energy manufacturing, rarely does a week go by without a new solar factory notice. Rich incentives have led to unprecedented investments.But making solar panels is really hard. Not only does it require a lot of energy, but complicated global supply chains leave profit margins razor thin. And existing technology is bumping up against theoretical efficiency limits.Industry heavyweights see perovskite solar cells as the heir apparent to the crystalline chemistries that currently dominate global supply. They're betting that perovskites will offer a domestically produced, higher-efficiency, flexible, and cheaper alternative.The perovskite revolution is not without its detractors, though. Sizeable achievements are needed to take perovskites from labs to commercial viability.Episode 57 of the Factor This! podcast features Joseph Berry, a Senior Research Fellow at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, and Paul Warley, the CEO of Ascent, a company working to commercialize perovskites for agriculture and space applications.Perovskites could be the missing link as terawatt-scale solar and broad decarbonization are pursued. Or, they could end up on the proverbial ash heap of history. Which is it?The Factor This! podcast is growing! We're adding a weekly climate and clean energy news roundup episode to the feed, co-hosted by John Engel and cleantech PR veteran Mike Casey. Beginning July 21, "This Week in Cleantech" will give you all of the top stories in 15 minutes or less, and feature a leading journalist or market analyst to share the juice behind the headlines. Email story ideas and topics to ThisWeekinCleantech@tigercomm.us. You've heard me talk a lot about the GridTECH Connect Forum - Northeast event being held in Newport, Rhode Island Oct. 23-25. Well, registration is now LIVE. We're excited to partner with the DOE to bring together DER developers, utilities, and regulators around the critical issue of interconnection in the Northeast. Click here to register today.

Green.org CEO Dylan Welch sat down with Josh Schlipp, President of Renogy, to learn how they built their company into a $300 Million business on the cutting edge of developing cleantech and renewable energy technology.Support the show

The demand for electricity has been soaring around the world, and this increase in demand is expected to continue. Governments have been creating rules to electrify transportation, heating, household appliances and even industrial processes.  In today's podcast we look at the electric grids that we have in place and copper production to discuss if our power grids can handle the green energy boom?Patrick's Books:Statistics For The Trading Floor:  https://amzn.to/3eerLA0Derivatives For The Trading Floor:  https://amzn.to/3cjsyPFCorporate Finance:  https://amzn.to/3fn3rvCPatreon Page: https://www.patreon.com/PatrickBoyleOnFinanceBuy Me a Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/patrickboyleVisit our website: www.onfinance.orgFollow Patrick on Twitter Here: https://twitter.com/PatrickEBoylePatrick Boyle YouTube Channel Support the show

280 million EV's worth of battery material is sitting on the ocean floor, but do we need to mine it?The end is nigh for the internal combustion engine Electric vehicles will be phased in across the next decade, with two-thirds of vehicles sold in the US by 2032 mandated to be electric. In California, 100% of cars will need to be electric by 2035. As a result, demand for the critical metals that are needed for EVs is forecast to increase significantly. Every solution creates its own challenges. Electrification is one of the answers to the net zero question, but it's created an issue in itself – where are we going to get the minerals? On this episode, host David Banmiller is joined by Gerard Barron, CEO of The Metals Company. They estimate that there are quantities of metals equivalent to 280 million EVs (comparable to the total US fleet today), sitting on the seabed. Deep see mining is a new frontier – but do we need to start scouring the ocean floor when there's an abundance of metals on the surface? How ecological is the practice? Also joining the discussion to answer these questions is Robbie Diamond, Founder, President and CEO of SAFE. SAFE is an advocacy group for US energy security and economic resiliency by reducing dependency on overseas energy supply. They work to ensure that the US and allies secure key aspects of the technology supply chain.Deep sea mining represents a significant opportunity to alleviate supply chain constraints. The mining, done in international waters, presents a few advantages: minimal impact on ecology (though this is debated, and addressed on the show today), avoidance of issues related to cross-continental delivery and rapid utilisation of resources due to lack of infrastructural hurdles.Despite the potential of deep sea mining to diversify supply chains, there has been some resistance from NGOs and other conservation groups who are hesitant about the potential environmental impacts. Understanding the benefits of deep sea mining and, as we do on the show, confronting its potential drawbacks is crucial.Follow us on Twitter - we're @interchange show, or head to woodmac.com/podcasts for more. Subscribe to the show on your podcast platform of choice so you don't miss an episode, out every second Friday at 8am ET. Also do check out our sister podcast The Energy Gang, out on the alternate Friday when the Interchange isn't.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This episode is part of our Capital Series hosted by Jason Jacobs. This series explores a diverse range of capital sources and the individuals who drive them. From family offices and institutional LPs to private equity, government funding, and more, we take a deep dive into the world of capital and its critical role in driving innovation and progress. Ben Kortlang is a partner at G2 Venture Partners, or G2VP. Ben, alongside his partners, Brook Porter, David Mount, and Daniel Oros founded G2 Venture Partners in 2016 while working together as senior partners at Kleiner Perkins Green Growth Fund. Ben and Jason have a great discussion in this episode about Ben's path to venture capital and his path to climate investing, his thoughts on the Cleantech 1.0 wave and some of the lessons learned, the formation story of the firm, their investment approach, how that's evolved over time and what they look for when they make investments. They also discuss the broader investment landscape and the clean energy transition overall, some of the blockers and some changes that Ben thinks could unlock faster progress. In this episode, we cover: [02:13]: G2 Venture Partners' origin story and overview[04:10]: Ben's initial interest in alternative energy[06:11]: Takeaways from his experience at VC firm Kleiner Perkens[14:51]: G2VP's 2016 spinout during the darkest hour of the "cleantech winter" [18:13]: Key lessons from cleantech investing[20:25]: Examples from Tesla's 20-year journey to success [22:30]: Cleantech's hardware challenge, software vs. hardware dynamics[24:34]: The need for resilience after Cleantech 1.0 skepticism[26:54]: G2VP's fundraising process and "inflection point investing" strategy[30:13]: Their fund structure and expansion across verticals[33:27]: LP composition changes and other differences between Fund 1 and Fund 2[35:22]: Geography, capital intensity, and regulatory risk considerations[39:32]: Balance between thesis-driven and opportunistic investments[40:48]: How the firm and their LPs approach impact [46:23]: Importance of deep research to identifying winners in B2B contexts[50:32]: Ben's thoughts on valuing companies and confidence in exits[53:43]: Addressing the "capital gap" for first-of-a-kind projects[55:38]: Climate's potential integration across sectors, similar to mobile tech[57:08]: "Additionality" in climate investing[59:24]: Ben's take on institutional capital's hesitance to invest in climate[01:03:10]: His take on whether we'll solve the climate crisis and how the world has to change  [01:06:31]: Ben's messages to CIOs of university endowments, founders of successful companies, and independently wealthy peopleGet connected: Ben Kortlang LinkedInJason Jacobs Twitter / LinkedInMCJ Podcast / Collective*You can also reach us via email at info@mcjcollective.com, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.Episode recorded on Jul 25, 2023 (published on Aug 16, 2023) 

No one was making tech for the big public problems. That's the reality that inspired Manik Suri to found Therma° (www.hellotherma.com), a technology startup with the mission to combat climate change by reducing energy use, food waste, and refrigerant leakage across the global cooling sector.10% of global CO2 emissions are due to HVAC and refrigeration, with few measures in place to curb the high waste and usage from the commercial industry. With Google Nest and others already addressing the residential market, Therma recently raised $19M to decarbonize cooling in the commercial industry.Join the conversation between Keith and Manik to learn: Why there is an excised opportunity for public-private partnerships now, and how that could impact your business for the betterWhy the cooling crisis is self-perpetuating and how innovations like Therma° are breaking the cycleSteps companies can take to address cooling inefficiencies to reduce their emissions and lower cooling costsFollow Therma, and subscribe to the Age of Adoption podcast here.

In this episode, Amanda Hsieh engages in an enlightening conversation with Michele Demers, the brilliant mind behind Boundless Impact Research & Analytics. Boundless is a cutting-edge environmental research and analytics firm, transforming the way investors, companies, and funds approach cleantech and the ongoing energy transition. Michele's impressive 25+ years of business expertise have led to the creation of innovative solutions that bring about genuine, positive impact and measurable market returns. Before delving into the boundless world of environmental research, Michele's journey was marked by remarkable achievements. She crafted a knowledge platform on philanthropic best practices, which became the go-to resource for a vast network of 1200 family offices at Foundation Source. Additionally, Michele served as the Director of Communications for Humanity United, a philanthropic entity with strong ties to the illustrious Pam Omidyar and eBay founder, Pierre Omidyar. Not stopping there, Michele played a pivotal role in the success of more than two-dozen startups, establishing herself as an authority in environmental impact measurement and innovative thinking. Here, the spotlight falls on Rapid Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs), an innovative tool used to evaluate the sustainability performance of products and services. They discuss how independent industry experts contribute to the process, adding credibility and thoroughness to the assessments. Boundless is not merely content with providing valuable data; they strive to revolutionize industries by standardizing sustainability data. Their efforts aim to empower investors and stakeholders, guiding their decision-making towards a more sustainable and responsible future. Throughout the episode, Michele sheds light on how Rapid LCAs can unveil eye-opening surprises, both favorable and unfavorable, related to a product's sustainability performance. These insights are bound to spark curiosity and encourage listeners to consider the broader implications of their choices. If you're eager to learn more about Boundless and Michele's inspiring motivations, the episode offers a wealth of valuable resources. Tune in to discover the world of product sustainability performance. Prepare to be inspired! Unlock the world of sustainability and join the ESG Decoded Podcast community! Make sure to subscribe to be notified of new episodes on your favorite streaming platforms, YouTube, and our social channels (linked below). Get ready for thrilling new episodes that will ignite your passion for positive change. Tune in, engage, and let's decode ESG together! Episode Resource Links Boundless' Methodology: https://www.boundlessimpact.net/boundless-methodology Additional Insights and Motivations: https://www.mcjcollective.com/my-climate-journey-podcast/michele-demers

In this episode Silas Mahner (@silasmahner) and Eileen Waris (@eileen_waris) have a conversation about her experience, what they are doing at Energize Capital (FKA Energize Ventures), the state of climate tech VC, advice to founders, and a lot more. We had the pleasure to speak with them on the day they changed their name and announced the close of their second growth fund ($300m)Reach out to Eileen: ewaris@energizecap.comEnjoy the Episode!

This Week in Cleantech is a new, weekly podcast covering the most impactful stories in cleantech and climate in 15 minutes or less. Produced by Renewable Energy World and Tigercomm, This Week in Cleantech will air every Friday in the Factor This! podcast feed wherever you get your podcasts.This week's episode features The Hill energy and environment reporter Rachel Frazin for a breakdown of the Inflation Reduction Act's impact after one year. This Week in Cleantech – August 11, 20231. Big Oil's Talent Crisis: High Salaries Are No Longer Enough – Wall Street Journal2. The U.S. Government Will Pay to Remove Carbon From Atmosphere – Heatmap News3. The future of East Coast wind power could ride on this Jersey beach town – Washington Post4. A Republican 2024 Climate Strategy: More Drilling, Less Clean Energy – New York Times5. Year after Biden's climate bill sees spike in renewable energy investment, industry says – The HillHelp make This Week in Cleantech the best it can be. Send feedback and story recommendations to ThisWeekInCleantech@tigercomm.us. And don't forget to leave a rating and review wherever you get your podcasts.Join us every Friday for new episodes of This Week in Cleantech in the Factor This! podcast feed, and tune into new episodes of Factor This! every Monday.This Week in Cleantech is hosted by Renewable Energy World senior content director John Engel and Tigercomm president Mike Casey. The show is produced by Brian Mendes with research support from Alex Petersen and Clare Quirin. 

On the last Energy Gang we looked at the impact of record temperatures on the energy sector. This week, we discuss another impact of climate change: its effect on human psychology. We discuss how the way we talk about global warming affects how we respond to it.A recent study in the journal Global Environmental Change argued that scientists and media organizations need to rethink the way they talk about climate change. The study's authors called on the media to emphasise potential solutions to rising temperatures, rather than focusing solely on the dire consequences. This shift towards solutions-oriented thinking could help prevent a pervasive sense of fatalism: the idea that humans can do nothing useful to mitigate climate change. Doomerism, as it is sometimes known, seems to be creeping more and more into the conversation. Is it an inevitable consequence of the way we talk about climate change? One point that researchers have found is that using the term “climate emergency” reduced the perceived credibility of news reports, and the likelihood that people would take action, compared to using “climate change.” News about climate impacts leads to increased fear and decreased hope, relative to the impact of news about climate action. Are the media inadvertently encouraging people to believe that our civilization is fated to end in disaster, and we are all going to burn if we live long enough, so we might as well just live for the moment and enjoy the ride any way we can?To discuss the impact of climate doomerism on our mental health, and more, host Ed Crooks is joined by Dr Melissa Lott, Director of the Centre on Global Energy Policy at Columbia University. Melissa argues that the evidence shows there are in fact workable solutions to climate change, and that “everything we do to try to reduce emissions to any degree, already protects health.” So doomerism is not based on reality.Also on this episode is Amy Harder, who is the Executive Editor of Cipher, a news outlet supported by Breakthrough Energy, the climate investing and policy organization backed by Bill Gates. She has some new polling data on public attitudes to climate change, published by Pew Research.Looking for solutions led us to one answer to emissions that has made the news in recent weeks: carbon utilization. Amy's outlet Cipher recently published a story looking at the debate in the US over tax breaks for carbon capture, and what happens to the carbon dioxide after it is captured. Amy explores with Ed and Melissa what this means for energy and the potential for carbon utilization as a whole.As always, please subscribe so you don't miss an episode.You can find the report from Pew Research on US attitudes to climate change here: https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2023/08/09/why-some-americans-do-not-see-urgency-on-climate-change/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In today's episode of the Climate Confident podcast, I'm thrilled to navigate the vast ocean of wave energy with Jan Skjoldhammer, Founder and CEO of NoviOcean. Join us as we explore the boundless possibilities of the deep blue!Have you ever wondered about the untapped potential lying beneath our ocean waves? Jan and his team at NoviOcean are pioneering innovations that might just revolutionise the renewable energy sector. With wave energy's potential to efficiently power our world, the future looks incredibly bright.What captivated me most? NoviOcean's commitment to environmental harmony. Preliminary research suggests their wave energy tech integrates seamlessly with marine ecosystems, ensuring our aquatic friends thrive alongside our energy advancements.

In this episode Silas Mahner (@silasmahner) and Rick Zullo (@Rick_Zullo) discuss, Rick's career trajectory to VC, the thesis behind Equal Ventures, his thoughts on the CTVC's H1 Funding report, and his advice to founders and VCs. This episode is densely packed with value as Rick has clearly thought a lot about these problems. Perhaps my favorite takeaways are 1) that he views VC as more Consulting with Equity than banking and 2) was how they develop industry connections and understanding so that they can actually help their PortCos succeed. Enjoy the Episode!

Green.org CEO Dylan Welch sits down with Juan Pablo Alban, of Stuart Alban Law PC, to learn about his experience becoming a lawyer, working as a corporate lawyer, and his transition to starting his own firm and working with a variety of cleantech clients.Support the show

How do visionary leaders sail through challenges, embrace self-care, and supercharge their effectiveness?In this episode, Chris Caldwell, CEO of United Renewables, a leading Renewable Energy developer and Cleantech investor, shares his experiences and perspectives on leadership, change, climate, and exercise. He talks about how it's important for leaders to have blind spots and to take pauses in their lives to reflect and practice self-care. He emphasizes the importance of listening to different ideas, understanding one's emotions, beliefs, values, and biases, as well as assessing the process and the ability to deliver on any decision made. Tune into this episode for an inspiring conversation on leadership lessons and how to make important decisions as a leader!In this episode:Work out your purpose first and be your best self at workHow Chris got into leadership and transformed the energy systemNavigating the rapidly changing world and how leaders can achieve long-term sustainable successMain takeaways:Don't assume and always analyze and surround yourself with diverse people and ideasTaking time out to exercise is important for leaders to bring their best selves to workThe climate crisis is affecting the world, and we need to clean up our environment quicklyMaking sure to analyze and think through decisions properly gives the best chance of making the right decisionLeaders need to figure out their purpose, look at sustainability factors, and embed them into the organizationFor long-term success, leaders must walk the talk and provide genuine purpose for employeesResources Mentioned:Outlive by Petter AtiaQuotes:“If you get fitter, you get stronger, and you take time out from your day to look after yourself, to try and focus on what's important to you and your own health; tomorrow you're going to be a little bit better.” - Chris Caldwell“Your job as a leader is to be right at the end of the meeting and not the startup.” - Chris CaldwellConnect with Chris:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-caldwell-a8a196/ Speaker Profile Page: https://speakonpodcasts.com/chris-caldwell Podcast YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@conversationsonclimate/videos Company Website: https://unitedrenewables.co.uk/ Connect with Denis: Email: denis@leadingchangepartners.comWebsite: http://www.leadingchangepartners.com/Leadership Is Changing Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/LeadershipIsChanging/Leadership is Changing LinkedIn Page:

A simple mention of the word can send shivers down a developer's spine.Interconnection.It's the bogeyman of the energy transition. Long delays and steep upgrade costs can doom projects before they ever get off the ground. The interconnection slog may be the single biggest threat to national and local clean energy and climate goals. And the people critical to improving the process — developers, utilities, and regulators — don't always get along, to say the least.In Episode 56 of the Factor This! podcast, we head to the Northeast for a deeper insight into why this single issue has grown to be such a problem and how they just might fix it. We'll have the help of, you guessed it, a developer, a utility, and a regulator.This episode features National Grid's distributed generation ombudsperson Michael Porcaro; Convergent Energy and Power regulatory affairs manager Emma Marshall-Torres, and Rhode Island PUC Commissioner Abigail Anthony.By the way, they'll also each be speaking at the GridTECH Connect Forum - Northeast in Newport, Rhode Island, October 23-25. Listeners can get 20% off admission to the event by clicking this link.The Factor This! podcast is growing! We're adding a weekly climate and clean energy news roundup episode to the feed, co-hosted by John Engel and cleantech PR veteran Mike Casey. Beginning July 21, "This Week in Cleantech" will give you all of the top stories in 15 minutes or less, and feature a leading journalist or market analyst to share the juice behind the headlines. Email story ideas and topics to ThisWeekinCleantech@tigercomm.us. You've heard me talk a lot about the GridTECH Connect Forum - Northeast event being held in Newport, Rhode Island Oct. 23-25. Well, registration is now LIVE. We're excited to partner with the DOE to bring together DER developers, utilities, and regulators around the critical issue of interconnection in the Northeast. Click here to register today.

The world invested over $13 billion in climatetech in the first half of 2023. Huge, until you learn that it is 40% down when compared to the first half of 2022. So how to attract fundraising in the current recession fuelled market climate? Join us as we talk about this and more with Juan Muldoon, Partner at Energize, a US based venture capital firm investing in climate technology businesses at the intersection of software and renewable energy. We learn about the investor sentiment towards the energy transition, what qualities do investors look for in energy startups and what the future trends in climatetech are. Hosts: Chris Sass and Niall Riddell Additional Reads:Energize: https://www.energizecap.com/  10 ways to win in Climatetech:  https://www.energize.vc/news-insights/energize-presents-10-ways-to-win-in-climate-software  

This Week in Cleantech is a new, weekly podcast covering the most impactful stories in cleantech and climate in 15 minutes or less. Produced by Renewable Energy World and Tigercomm, This Week in Cleantech will air every Friday in the Factor This! podcast feed wherever you get your podcasts.This week's episode features Reuters correspondent Valerie Volcovici for a deep-dive on FERC's monumental interconnection ruling.  This Week in Cleantech - August 4, 20231. The U.S. Clean-Energy Company That Hit the Subsidies Jackpot — Wall Street Journal2. Vogtle Unit 3 nuclear reactor, long delayed, starts delivering power Vogtle Unit 3 nuclear reactor, long delayed, starts delivering power — CNBC3. MIT engineers developed a new type of concrete that can store energy — Fast Company4. Deep-sea mining could help fuel renewable energy. Here's why it's been put on hold. — USA Today5. US moves to link more wind and solar projects to electric grid — Reuters Help make This Week in Cleantech the best it can be. Send feedback and story recommendations to ThisWeekInCleantech@tigercomm.us. And don't forget to leave a rating and review wherever you get your podcasts.Join us every Friday for new episodes of This Week in Cleantech in the Factor This! podcast feed, and tune into new episodes of Factor This! every Monday.This Week in Cleantech is hosted by Renewable Energy World senior content director John Engel and Tigercomm president Mike Casey. The show is produced by Brian Mendes with research support from Alex Petersen and Clare Quirin.