Switched On

Agriculture, forestry and land use are among the most climate-sensitive areas of our economy. They also account for almost a quarter of global greenhouse gas emissions, which begs the question: Can anything be done to reduce farming’s sizable carbon footprint? On today’s show, Dana talks to Caroline Lewis, an analyst from BNEF’s Sustainable Agriculture team, about perennial crops, one possible sol...

The last year has been a tough one for the G-20 member nations, with soaring energy prices and a global inflationary crisis. Against such a backdrop, what is happening to climate policies and net-zero targets? Victoria Cuming, Head of Global Policy at BloombergNEF, returns to the pod to talk with Dana about the 2023 edition of the G-20 Zero-Carbon Policy Scoreboard. Together they discuss a range o...

Have you ever wondered what it would take to get a clean energy transition loan from the US government? Jigar Shah knows all about it. An entrepreneur, podcaster, and director of the US Energy Department’s Loan Programs Office, Jigar helps businesses fund their clean energy transition while offering thought leadership in the field. He recently sat down with BNEF Senior Editor Vandana Gombar to dis...

From investing in startups and appearing on TV shows to writing books and teaching the next generation of entrepreneurs, Michael Webber, the CTO of Energy Impact Partners and the Josey Centennial Professor in Energy Resources at the University of Texas at Austin, brings an array of experiences and insights to the energy transition. On today’s episode, he joins BNEF Chief Editor Ben Vickers to disc...

The passing of the Inflation Reduction Act by the Biden administration was partly designed to stimulate US clean-tech energy projects and equipment production. In the nine months since its introduction, has the IRA succeeded in increasing domestic renewables production, and what has been the reaction to it outside the US? On today’s show Antoine Vagneur-Jones, BNEF’s head of trade and supply chain...

For more than a century, the ESG label has been used to describe investments that take environmental, social and governance concerns into account. Recently, the label has become a political flashpoint,  buffeted between lawsuits from the right and accusations of greenwashing from the left. So where does ESG investing go from here? On today’s show, Dana talks with Maia Godemer, a Senior Associate f...

Having overtaken China as the world’s most populous nation, and with a developing economy that’s rapidly industrializing, India’s energy demand is growing. But as other countries move toward green energy sources and net-zero targets, can India, this year’s G-20 host, find a way to successfully transition away from its coal-dominated energy market? On today’s show, Dana talks with Rohit Gadre, a Se...

CEPSA, the Spanish multinational traditionally known for its oil and gas expertise, is looking toward a greener future with its new Positive Motion strategy. On today's show, Albert Cheung, Deputy CEO at BNEF, speaks with CEPSA CEO Maarten Wetselaar about what it means to rethink the future of a business that has traditionally focused on hydrocarbons. Together they discuss a variety of subjects, i...

Presidential candidate Anies Baswedan spoke to BloombergNEF about his vision for a cleaner future for Indonesia. He shared his views on the country’s 2060 net-zero target, potential funding models for the transition of its domestic energy market, the challenges and opportunities presented by the rapid urbanization of Indonesia’s population, and how a targeted buildup of domestic industry could red...

Carbon credit schemes in Europe and North America are making the roll-out of electric vehicle charging infrastructure increasingly profitable. In this episode of Switched On, we hear from BloombergNEF’s Ryan Fisher, electric vehicle charging specialist and Jade Patterson, renewable fuels specialist. They discuss what the proliferation of carbon credit schemes means for the future of biofuels and e...

Renewable energy power purchase agreements have been integral to many companies’ sustainability strategies. Google was early to enter this space and is now thinking about how to take its targets a step further with around-the-clock carbon-free energy. But what differentiates Google's new strategy from others that are predominantly based on power purchase agreements, and how does this impact the br...

Although the end of winter is approaching, the energy crisis will not end when flowers bloom in the spring. Policymakers around the world are hard at work and considering the actions that will ensure energy security at an affordable price for their country. In this episode of Switched On, Germany’s Dr. Patrick Graichen, State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Actio...

Hydrogen's role in the energy transition is hotly debated. Technology costs, the practicalities of distribution and storage, and potential applications in hard-to-abate industries are just a few of the discussion topics surrounding this little molecule. In today’s show, we consider the future of hydrogen by zooming in on the electrolyzer market. Cumulative electrolyzer installations are expected t...

Electric vehicles (EVs) are gaining market share and reducing transportation-related emissions around the world. Facilitating this roll-out are the critical charging networks. When supplied with clean energy, these networks can further decarbonize vehicles, and their expansion can combat range anxiety and facilitate user adoption. On today’s episode of Switched On, Colin McKerracher, Head of Advan...

When Covid-19 disrupted global supply chains, many people realized for the first time how vulnerable these complex systems really are. Some Western governments have responded by looking to expand manufacturing on their own soil. In today’s episode, we are joined by Antoine Vagneur-Jones, BNEF’s Head of Trade and Supply Chains, to discuss what a turn toward domestic clean-energy manufacturing may m...

The 27th Conference of the Parties has concluded in Egypt, with the annual UN climate summit finally reaching a deal after two days of overtime. In today’s show, we take a closer look at the Sharm el-Sheikh Implementation Plan.  Headed into COP27, many referred to the event as the “implementation COP,” given the need to deliver on previous commitments. To tell us how this year’s COP performed agai...

Europe is constructing a more flexible electricity grid to prepare for what is shaping up to be a volatile transition to net zero. There is a range of projects ranging from the mega, such as the proposal to build artificial islands in the North Sea, to the micro, for example, deploying distributed resources to make residential and industrial customers more flexible. In this episode, Sanjeet Sanghe...

Natural gas prices remain elevated and security of supply is uncertain. In Europe, the reduced flows of natural gas coming from Russia have impacted everything from home heating to manufacturing. As we head into winter in the Northern Hemisphere, what is likely to happen in natural gas markets and what factors are important to consider when we think about implications beyond this year? In today’s...

The voluntary carbon offsets market is growing as companies and countries look to meet their climate goals. Offsets from agriculture have been getting attention recently. While they comprise only 1% of total offsets today, their potential to spur innovation and change in agricultural practices means there is scope for a much bigger impact. From soil management to livestock-related activities, farm...

Several countries in Africa are looking to expand their energy systems to meet rising electricity demand. The question remains whether they will industrialize in the same way developed nations have done in the past, or whether they will install a greater proportion of low-carbon technologies. The region is at an inflection point and just like in Robert Frost’s poem The Road Not Taken, choosing the...

Solar has a critical role to play in decarbonizing the global energy system. It also has the potential to reduce power price volatility by increasing domestically produced energy supply in some parts of the world. In 2022, BloombergNEF expects to see yet another record year of solar build. This is all the while the cost of components, materials and projects remains elevated. In today’s episode of...

Batteries for electric vehicles and stationary storage are increasingly in demand. But while ever-cheaper batteries were expected only a couple of years ago, supply turbulence for the key metals needed has increased prices in 2022 and made future costs uncertain. Depending on the chemistry selected, battery metals can make up 60-80% of a battery’s total cost. Alongside human rights concerns, metal...

Not long ago, floating offshore wind turbines were treated as conceptual cleantech. More recently, they have become reality with gigawatts of capacity slated for installation within this decade. In this episode, we discuss the potential for floating wind, its growth drivers and cost trends with Oliver Metcalfe, head of wind research at BloombergNEF, and Luisa Amorim, the offshore wind specialist a...

In the years following the Fukushima nuclear disaster of 2011, the conversation around decarbonizing the energy sector moved away from nuclear. However, current commodity price volatility has brought nuclear back to the fore and countries that were previously focused on decommissioning nuclear power stations are now, once again, discussing its virtues. Will this spur a nuclear renaissance and how...

Fit for 55 is designed to support the European Union’s pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 when compared with 1990 levels. To aid in achieving this goal, there are several changes proposed to the European Union Emissions Trading System (EU ETS).  In today’s episode of Switched On, we speak with Bo Qin and Emma Coker, who focus on carbon markets for BNEF. They outline these change...