Decarb Connect

Andrew Smith of Greenbackers joins Alex to explore their success in matching investors to the right decarbonisation tech with true commercial potential. They talk about how to reverse engineer net zero by 2050 and how much of it requires new business models vs new tech. They also explore the role that CVCs, VCs & PE play best. Listen in to find out about the characteristics of strong start up...

Simon Ighofose talks with Alex about building technology and a new business out of a passion for supporting off-grid communities. We look at the pyrolisis tech that is the heart of PyroGenesys' business, and we talk about the scale of the market opportunity for both developed industrial markets as so-called "bottom of the pyramid" off-grid communities. The technology is about to go into a pilot ph...

Rich Powell talks with Alex about the work ClearPath does to drive policies in support of the energy transition in the US. While much is made of the democrat agenda in this space, we talk about conservative support for the energy transition and the types of programs of work and policies that they are driving to support it. We also touch on the bi-partisan support for certain aspects of clean energ...

With lots of change in the market for investments in clean tech, Caroline Abramo (Chief Investment Officer of Pana LCE Investments) joins Alex to talk about how private equity can invest in cleantech and decarbonization solutions in a way that really drives the right outcome. Listen in to a discussion about the fiduciary duties investors have to their clients and how to balance these with achievin...

If the goal of ESG is to support & drive the corporate transition to net zero/better climate stewardship, is it working? Massive growth is being seen in these funds and there are plenty of bold statements about what they can achieve - but with few simple answers for hard to abate sectors, are ESG strategies simply going to lead to more cost and more barriers to decarbonization? Find out about...

Renewables, industrial efficiency, CCUS & hydrogen are all up for discussion - as is the analysis that points to  nature-based solutions being the a key route to deliver ing net zero. Whatever your interest in decarbonisation, settle in for different perspective and (sometimes) controversial insights. We talk carbon pricing, technology readiness and the value of patent/IP analysis in determini...

Whether you're new to the Decarb Connect podcast or looking for an assessment of North American policy and opportunities, join Jeff Rissman and Alex Cameron to look at the cross-cutting technologies as well as industry-specific tools that could define industrial decarbonization. We look at both energy-related emissions as well as process-related emissions - invaluable to those just starting to dev...

Routes to industrial decarbonization may run from CCUS to fuel switching and energy efficiency, but no area is gaining greater interest that how co2 itself can be transformed into valuable products. Cemvita's approach is already showing that valuable products (bio ethylene is just one example) can be created for clients by taking nature-inspired processes and synthesising them. This combination of...

How could forming industrial clusters help create co2 and other waste offtake opportunities for energy-intensive sectors? Imagine heat, co2, waste and other outputs being used efficiently to create valuable products.  Rhys Roth joins Alex to talk about his experience in bringing Industrial Symbiosis as a concept to Washington State and the potential that all sides of the political spectrum there s...

Energy-intensive sectors are well and truly under the spotlight with decarbonization action demanded by investors, customers and in legislation. Xavier D'Hubert joins Alex Cameron to look at the frequently cited challenge - how do industrials finance the transition when projects financing requirements can run in to hundreds of millions? How do we decarbonize hard to abate industries whilst protect...

Patrick Child joins Alex to explore how Mission Innovation works across 24 governments to stimulate global clean energy innovation efforts. We talk about the amount of public investments driven to date ($4.9billion) and the work they are doing to bring at-scale investment from private sector to the issue alongside public sector funds. Listen in to learn about the roadmap that MI is pursuing to get...

Advanced Infrastructure’s digital twin model allows UK corporates to get a full picture of their co2 intensity from energy. With emerging co2 reporting regulations pointing to a time when accuracy in co2 reporting will be more than a reputational risk, we discuss how this data can reveal commercial opportunity and what types of gains customers are already seeing from it. Just one example is the ‘k...

In a change from our recent episodes which focused more on the finance and innovation themes in decarbonisation, this week we explore the roadmaps that hard to abate companies need to have in place. Cem Gercek, the Area Manager and Decarbonisation Lead at Carmeuse, talks with Aya Pariy about the main elements of their in house decarbonisation roadmap. He also discusses the abatement work that is u...

Green steel, green ceramics – in fact green-any-hard-abate-material – decarbonisation discussions usually focus on fuel switching, energy efficiency or the increased recycling of these same materials. The work being led by Professor Veena Sahajwalla shows that innovative reuse, reforming and recycling of alternative materials (from old tyres to glass and fabric) offers an exciting, commercial and...

The EIC offers up to €17,5 million in financing, blending grants and equity-based investments. Starting as a pilot programme within Horizon 2020 (2014-2020), the EIC has become one of the most ambitious and successful funding schemes worldwide. Louis Papaemmanuel joins Alex to talk about its continued plans a part of the forthcoming Horizon Europe (2021-2027), with the EU pledging over €10 billion...

Attention amongst hard to abate sectors is turning more to how to invest at scale in decarbonisation, and to do that - what business models exist to make co2 planning sustainable. Dr Paula Carey, Co-Founder & Technical Director of Carbon8, joins Alex to talk about the essential shift in mindset that is needed… viewing co2 as an asset rather than an expense or liability. Listen in to the conver...

The voluntary carbon offsets market offers short term opportunities and possibly longer term gains as part of a net zero strategy. But with 17000+ opportunities to offset emission globally, how can industrials ensure that they choose the appropriate programme, and how can they further ensure that it can evidence accountability and true additionality. A $300m+ market right now, offsets are set for...

The Knowledge Transfer Networks role in the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund (IETF) is to connect the innovators and manufacturers with grant-based funding that can be applied to energy efficiency projects. Given that a key element of decarbonisation is in reducing energy consumption in basic processes and operations, find out how the IETF's funding pot of £315m is being put to use and lesson...

If the goal of ESG is to support & drive the corporate transition to net zero/better climate stewardship, is it working? Massive growth is being seen in these funds and there are plenty of bold statements about what they can achieve - but with few simple answers for hard to abate sectors, are ESG strategies simply going to lead to more cost and more barriers to decarbonization? Find out about...

Alex is joined by Per Brevik, Director of Alternative Fuels and leader of the CCUS project at the Norcem Plant for Heidelberg Cement Northern Europe. CCUS has come a long way in the last few years, and whilst heavy industrials are also pursuing fuel switching, efficiency and electrification to drive down CO2 - few believe they can achieve carbon neutrality without access to CCUS. They talk about t...

Alex is joined by Damian Beauchamp, President of 8 Rivers, and a leader in the deployment of innovations that decarbonise the toughest to abate sectors. With experience of major projects internationally, Damian talks about what it means to create conditions for success for innovative tech at-scale and how to approach innovation for hard to abate sectors in general. We also discuss what the new US...

With hydrogen in the news and gaining a lot of interest, we look at whether its environmental impact affects its positioning as a clean tech. We also examine Regnan's recent report on the issue and what it means for those investing in this technology and sector in order to decarbonise.  Links: www.regnan.com/investing www.decarbconnect.com        

Alex is joined by Paul Bodnar, who brings extensive experience of climate finance and policy from his early career in investment through to his role in the Obama administration and his more recent work at the Rocky Mountain Institute. Amongst the many projects he has led and influenced, Paul took a principal role in formulating the U.S. strategy for the Paris Climate Conference. He is also a senio...

The legacy of CCS is typically rooted in North American projects allied to EOR; in contrast the new wave of proposed European CCS projects are taking the technology in a new direction that is purely focussed on CO2 storage and where this storage will occur offshore. But to achieve net zero 2050, thousands of projects of this type may be needed. Join Nick Cooper, CEO of Storegga, to explore this em...

This episode is for you if you're interested in the role that innovation and systems/industry design could play in getting to net zero.  Episode Links:  https://www.celsagroup.com/en/sustainability/circular-economy-and-recycling/ www.decarbconnect.com   Thanks to Matt Wallace at Janno Media for his support with production and editing: www.jannomedia.com