Renewable Energy SmartPod

John Belizaire , the founder and CEO of Soluna Computing , joins the show to do a deep dive on how cryptocurrency mining and blockchain platforms impact the grid. You’ve probably seen the headlines and the narrative is that the computing power required to run these technologies places a huge strain on the grid. Well, John recently testified before Congress on the topic of cleaning up crypto mining...

Horace Luke, the Founder and CEO of Gogoro , has a vision. It's a vision that involves tackling a huge energy challenge the transportation sector is facing. While companies like Tesla, Rivian and BYD are electrifying four-wheel vehicles, less attention is being paid to electrifying two-wheel vehicles. That's where Luke sees opportunity because two-wheelers account for billions of commute...

The term "energy transition" means different things to different people. In this episode, we focus on how "energy transition" means different things to people from different places. Michael Syn , senior managing director and head of equities at the Singapore Exchange (SGX) , joins the show to talk about how markets in Asia are tackling decarbonization and the push to net-zero....

We're baaaaaaack! After taking a break at the beginning of this year to recharge after a busy and exciting 2021, we’re ready to dive back into telling you stories about the people, technologies and trends that are powering the energy transition. First up is an episode today about money. As in all the money that’s being spent on the energy transition. Joining me is Albert Cheung from Bloomberg...

Tax incentives like the Production Tax Credit and the Investment Tax Credit have had a massive impact on the growth of renewables, but the possibility of direct pay also looms on the horizon. Sean Moran , a partner at the law firm of Vinson & Elkins , is here to dive into what lies ahead for the tax side of the renewables industry, particularly as projects expand into the realm of offshore win...

As more and more renewables come online, load flexibility is a key component of the grid of the future. John Powers , founder and CEO of Extensible Energy , joins the show to talk about how smart technology is helping building owners and tenants optimize their energy efficiency and save big money. John also outlines the work of the California Load Flexibility Research and Development Hub ( CalFlex...

Now that we’ve all caught our breath after the onslaught of news and frenetic finish to COP26, it's time to step back and reflect on the events in Glasgow from a broader perspective. SmartBrief's Karen Kantor and Paula Kiger edit a wide variety of newsletters for SmartBrief -- including topics such as energy, sustainability, government, business transformation and even the United Nations...

This episode is a wee bit different from previous shows. With loads of big headlines coming out of the first week of COP26 in Glasgow, it seems like a quick roundup is in order to separate the news from the noise. There were also a few notable quotes (and even one song) that are worth highlighting.  I hope this episode helps you get caught up fast! Related links: The Green Grid Initiative Mark Car...

COP26 is finally here! With many countries and companies announcing net-zero goals that target 2035, 2050 or 2060, Tej Gidda joins the show to talk about why the next decade is critical for the energy transition. Tej, a vice president at GHD and also the firm's Global Lead for Future Energy ,  shares his thoughts on COP26 and what the people gathered in Glasgow need to do to make the next 10...

Few people know more about the policies that shape the US grid than Rob Gramlich , the founder and president of Grid Strategies . With more and more renewables coming online (and interconnection queues getting longer and longer), Rob joins the show to talk about all the challenges the US grid is facing and what can be done to overcome them. Rob also delves into the details of what is in the infras...

Bob Yeager , President of Emerson’s Power and Water Solutions , joins the show to outline the three Ds that will play a huge role in future of the energy industry: Decarbonization, Decentralization and Digitalization (3:41). Bob delves into how FERC Order No. 2222 stands to reshape the power sector (12:18), how improved analytics might have reduced the severity of the Texas energy crisis (19:30) a...

Michael Rucker , founder and CEO of Scout Clean Energy , joins the show to talk about the latest news and trends in renewables. Among the many topics we discuss: A massive backlog of interconnection requests in the US How to communicate clearly in the face of NIMBY sentiments to get projects developed The potential for a federal Clean Energy Standard Carbon tax versus tax credits Lessons learned f...

Janice Lin, the founder and president of the Green Hydrogen Coalition , joins the show to discuss how green hydrogen is poised to play a larger role in everyday energy generation and consumption. From US efforts like HyDeal LA (22:28) and the Western Green Hydrogen Initiative (24:12) to international endeavors like the European Hydrogen Backbone (14:50), Janice outlines how quickly the green hydro...

Green hydrogen's potential to transform energy markets is immense. With the growth of renewables inspiring greater interest in use cases for green hydrogen, Michael Ducker from Mitsubishi Power joins the podcast to outline the state of the green hydrogen market and how it is poised to grow. Ducker explains how green hydrogen differs from other "colors" of hydrogen and also details h...

Across the U.S., there are 23,000 separate jurisdictions and 3,000 utilities involved in the permitting process for residential rooftop solar installations. Completing the permitting process can take weeks -- or even months. SolarAPP+ is a new tool that can be put to use across the country to reduce that wait time to just minutes. The app is a game-changer. Homeowners receive faster installations...

The upfront costs associated with residential renewables and energy efficient technologies often act as a roadblock to deployment in millions of US homes. Greg Hopkins , a Manager within RMI’s Carbon-Free Buildings Program, joins the show to talk about how green mortgages can play help put those expensive home improvements within the reach of millions of homeowners. Just how much potential is ther...

Despite the pandemic, the amount of renewable energy deals announced by large-scale buyers set a record in 2020. Miranda Ballentine, CEO of the Renewable Energy Buyers Alliance (REBA), join the show to talk about how corporations are reshaping the large-scale energy procurement market. Ballentine talks about the new kinds of corporate buyers that are entering the market (9:02), how firms have shif...

Renewable energy certificates (RECs) are a key financial tool in the renewable energy industry. Steve McComb, senior vice president at IncubEx , joins the podcast to do a deep dive on what RECs are and how they function in the marketplace across different states and regions (2:34). Steve outlines the evolution of states' renewable portfolio standards (12:06), what Texas gets right about RECs...

With billions of dollars flowing into ESG investment products, changes are afoot for ESG disclosure best practices and reporting regulations.  Maggie Peloso , partner at the law firm of Vinson & Elkins , shares her insights on numerous reporting challenges companies large and small are trying to tackle, including data management (10:20) and determining materiality (16:01). Maggie also outlines...

There's a debate that’s percolating in the residential solar power market that, if it’s not resolved carefully, could end up hammering the renewables industry and the wallets of rooftop solar customers. The debate is about net energy metering . For those of you who don’t know what net energy metering is … don’t worry… Joseph Triepke from Lium Research joins us to explain what net energy meter...

The Leaders Summit on Climate that was organized by the Biden administration just wrapped up a few hours ago. And since that virtual gathering was convened to tackle the climate emergency, we thought we’d respond by convening an emergency podcast! This episode features a conversation with Justin Gerdes , senior correspondent for Energy Monitor , breaking down the key takeaways from the summit. We...

The social justice movement that gathered momentum in the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder forced many industries, including renewables, to take a long, hard look at their diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.  This episode features Kenneth Labeja , the co-founder and CFO of Triple Oak Power , and Dareem David , director of finance at Primergy Solar , discussing the progress the industry...

Tristan Grimbert, the President and CEO of EDF Renewables North America, joins us to talk about all the big proposals coming out of the Biden administration (4:07), distributed energy trends (9:02), the power outage in Texas (11:12) and some of the policy changes taking place in Mexico (18:29). We also discuss transmission challenges (14:51) and issues related to China that the US solar industry s...

Richard Glick, the chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, joins us for our launch episode. After discussing the chairman's undying love for the New York Mets and initiatives that are at the top of FERC’s agenda, our conversation inevitably turned to the continuing fallout from the Texas power crisis. We also delved into how enhanced transmission lines and grid resiliency will h...

This preview is a quick look at the upcoming Renewable Energy SmartPod. If you're looking for a fun and informative podcast that focuses specifically on the people, technologies and trends powering the energy transition … this is it.  Sign up for the Renewable Energy SmartBrief