Rethink Energy Podcast

In this week's episode the team discusses: Europe's hydrogen strategy is taking a turn towards blue hydrogen with several projects including new announcements in the UK and the Netherlands. Andrew Garrad and Henrik Stiesdal, two very august figures in the wind industry, have called for a halt to the proliferation of ever-larger wind turbine sizes.

In this week's episode the team discusses: "When should your business open a hydrogen refuelling station?" - a question prompted by a slew of cancelled and closed hydrogen stations in California. China's pumped hydro boom continues, even as Western pumped hydro developments stagnate.

In this week's episode the team discusses: The Australia Solar Manufacturing Roadmap, which advocates heavy incentives beyond even those of the IRA, while eschewing trade barriers. Germany's €16 billion tender for 10 GW of hydrogen-capable gas power plant capacity. Ascent Elements' hydro-to-cathode battery recycling method which promises an immediate 49% carbon footprint reduction, wit...

In this week's episode the team discusses: Norsk Hydro's investment into a US aluminum recycling plant, even at a time when the aluminum price is low - and how magnesium alloys will be adopted by the future EV industry as aluminum's replacement. How European green steel producers are benefiting from maritime disruption in the Gulf of Aden. Saudi Arabia identifying 1200 sites for green...

In this week's episode the team discusses: Rethink Energy's new forecast on Battery Raw Materials, covering the future of nickel, lithium and cobalt supply and demand - and much more. The world's first big turquoise hydrogen project, which has very high Capex costs but also produces carbon black as a byproduct. China's 100 GW rooftop solar boom in 2023, and how this is leading to g...

In this week's episode the team discusses: An interview with Tandem PV CEO Scott Wharton, focusing in the issues of degradation, module size and efficiency in the lead-up to commercialization EU investigators' arrival in China, where they will investigate automakers BYD, Geely, and SAIC to determine how much government support they are receiving Oil tanker company Frontline's investmen...

CATL has assigned the first $420 million of its $15 billion investment partnership with Indonesia, which together with an upcoming election may 'lock' the country's entire nickel industry into Chinese supply chains to the US' detriment. Meanwhile in the US, Inflation Reduction Act hydrogen tax credit requirements are proving too strict on the exact, immediate provenance of electric...

Geely has announced a fast-charging LFP battery which boasts an impressive 4.5C charging rate, enabling fast charging of up to 500 kW, marking another Chinese manufacturer stealing a march on Western producers. The UK has introduced a carbon tax legislation, soon to be further clarified, which is analogous to the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). Angola has quit the OPEC organisa...

Rethink Energy Interviews Longevity Partners' Chief Innovation Officer Ed Wealend, primarily talking about ESG within the built environment, Longevity's new power unit, and recent developments in the policy landscape including energy efficiency and heat pump targets.

2024's expected copper surplus has all but vanished as the Panamanian government has ordered First Quantum's Cobre Panama copper mine to cease output and Anglo American's output is expected to fall significantly. Maeve Aerospace is looking to commercialize hybrid jet fuel/battery aircraft later this decade when hydrogen should be well on its way to establishing itself as the leader wit...

Rethink Energy has published its new solar module price report covering the next 17 years of technological developments and the effect this will have on global supply chains. COP28 has given nuclear energy a significant boost despite the difficulties in bringing online new capacity. Finally the US treasury has released guidance on what exactly constitutes a foreign entity of concern, bringing mass...

In this episode, the team discusses why Chinese electrolyzer manufacturers are likely to take over the European market in the absence of any decisive protectionist policy. The UK publishes its national battery strategy, giving cause for optimism. Finally, European solar manufacturing is faltering under a deluge of Chinese modules made with cheaper electricity.

Global Q3 solar installations came to 105 GW, with 398 GW expected for the full year; Stellantis and CATL have agreed to jointly develop a battery technology roadmap for Stellantis' budget vehicles; and Japan Airlines is pushing hydrogen flights

Lithium chemical supply will more than triple by 2030, with mining investment remaining strong despite low prices. China's capacity market mechanism will secure the financial position of the country's 1,300 GW coal and gas fleet by introducing payments based on capacity, not just per kWh generated, as renewables reduce the utilization rate of coal-fired power stations. Two big hydrogen sto...

Europe's goal to source 15% of battery raw materials from recycling is proving unworkable as today's batteries are increasingly different from the old stock being recycled, and hydrometallurgical capacity is lacking; Over one-sixth of Germany's entire skilled workforce shortage for all industries can be attributed to the wind and solar sectors; and HIF Global's synthetic gasoline i...

Grid operator ElectraNet has announced that South Australia's grid will reach 100% net renewable energy at some point in 2026 or 2027, Poland's Nanopure Technology will begin selling LFP cathode additives by the end of the year, and state-owned enterprise China Energy Engineering Corporation is to develop a $7 billion green hydrogen complex in Egypt, intended to supply Europe.

In this week's episode the team discusses the European solar module stockpile, which may not be as large as previously reported, the massive impact which China's graphite export ban will have on the EV industry, and how the upcoming US Farm Bill will support the adoption of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF).

An Australian report has advocated $6.5 billion savings if the government were to adopted concentrated solar power, Rethink Energy latest figures find strongly positive developments globally across EV markets, and the European Union adopts an ambitious green hydrogen target.

China's solar manufacturing giants have begun criticizing each other's choice of next-gen silicon cell design, Rethink Energy has released a new report detailing an immense diversity of battery and anode routes through 2040, and Europe's solar module stockpile trends towards 100 GW.

LG Chem has entered LMFP manufacturing with a 50,000-ton cathode factory in Morocco. The UK threatens to be the weak link in a mooted UK-German hydrogen partnership. A new study has found 36 HVDC transmission lines which would begin construction across the U, serving 187 GW of renewables, if the policy environment was more favorable.

The solar industry's growth and its adoption of heterojunction technology will contribute to the global silver shortage in the short term. Oil majors' adoption of green hydrogen at refineries will ironically place them among the biggest patrons of green hydrogen, allowing for a sustained learning curve reducing product cost. And the UK has delayed its ICE vehicle sales ban from 2030 to 203...

Saudi Arabia and the United States are exploring a partnership which would see Saudi money invested in African mining assets, guaranteeing US customers a cut of production. Power Roll explains its microgroove perovskite technology which sees it produce adherable sheets which see kilowatts of panels transportable under the arms of installers. Vale has announced that it will be investing $25-$30 bil...

Companies such as Cummins, Tata, and Fortescue have all thrown their hats in the ring pursuing hydrogen internal combustion engine technology for heavy-duty freight purposes, but is it the right path to pursue for the climate? Saudi Arabia looks like it might be hosting a major polysilicon factory from China's GCL Technology, potentially enough to fuel Europe's solar needs for years to com...

Rethink Energy releases its newest report detailing the commercialization of perovskite solar technology and its future in surpassing silicon-based solar modules. Lithium batteries to see significant improvement this decade as silicon anodes and solid-state battery manufacturing mature and begin contributing significantly to volume manufacturing to the EV industry. Japan looks to source $100 billi...

Continued weak economic data from China and the refusal to provide the truly damning information has spooked industrial and base metal markets into receding as China's government continues to forego significant support. Aviation startup Boom Supersonic has claimed that its planes will be fully SAF compatible, reassuring airliners that supersonic flight will remain economically unviable. Perovs...