The Solar Revolution - Past, Present and Future | Ep173: Jenny Chase Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-07-31 | The solar industry has experienced a meteoric rise over the past two decades, growing from a small cottage industry to one of the leading technologies in the energy transition. It’s not been a smooth ride, and there’ve been plenty of bankruptcies on the way, from Solyndra to Suntech, but more than half a terawatt of new solar is now being built each year and the industry is still growing rapidly. So how did we get here, and how far do we have to go? Michael Liebreich is joined by BloombergNEF lead solar analyst Jenny Chase to chart the course of the solar industry, do a little mythbusting, and ask what next for this multibillion dollar industry. Is China’s dominance of solar a problem? Is solar still too expensive for developing countries? And when will we get free electricity?Links: • Jenny’s Book - Solar Power Finance Without the Jargon: worldscientific.com/worldscibooks/10.1142/q0437• youtube.com/watch?v=GitsTNsC9dU • youtube.com/watch?v=m6KIMswZkWA• Auke Hoekstra’s IEA chart: https://x.com/AukeHoekstra/status/1333192375259295744Chapters:0:10 - Intro1:50 - Jenny Chase and BloombergNEF4:25 - The early days of NEF9:10 - The silicon bottleneck 13:45 - The solar price crash18:00 - Grid parity21:58 - Solar forecasting underestimates27:40 - Inflation and solar30:50 - How cheap is solar?39:00 - Levelised costs41:00 - Free electricity46:36 - Dependence on China50:00 - Is solar toxic?56:11 - Long-distance transmission1:02:05 - Outro
Have We Lost The Climate Argument? Ep190: Lord Adair Turner Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-12-18 | Are we losing the argument that climate change requires action and investment? Can we balance the need for affordable energy with the costs of decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors like steel, cement and aviation? And how can we counter the spread of misinformation and populist narratives that undermine support for clean energy?This week on Cleaning Up, Michael Liebreich welcomes back Lord Adair Turner for a deep dive into the state of the energy transition at the end of 2024. They discuss the remarkable progress in technologies like solar, batteries and electrification, but also the political and economic challenges of driving rapid decarbonisation. Turner shares his optimism that we have the technologies to reach net zero by 2070-2080, but also his concern that the pace of change may not be fast enough to avoid significant warming. They explore issues like the role of nuclear power, the need for grid investment, and the complexities of climate finance and international cooperation. This episode grapples with the tension between technological progress and political realities - and how to navigate that divide to accelerate the transition to a sustainable, zero-carbon future as we move into the new year.Leadership Circle:Cleaning Up is supported by the Leadership Circle, and its founding members: Actis, Alcazar Energy, EcoPragma Capital, EDP of Portugal, Eurelectric, the Gilardini Foundation, KKR, National Grid, Octopus Energy, Quadrature Climate Foundation, SDCL and Wärtsilä. For more information on the Leadership Circle, please visit https://www.cleaningup.live.Links and more:• Adair's book, Just Capital: https://amzn.eu/d/1KnXln7• The Energy Transitions Commission: energy-transitions.orgyoutube.com/watch?v=Fu6giWzTxAYyoutube.com/watch?v=0BtpbmDBGFQyoutube.com/watch?v=Fq0CaM1LX2Myoutube.com/watch?v=z36fr2CdSjAyoutube.com/watch?v=Gl-cRh35Hm4youtube.com/watch?v=CLDuV6EDcBMyoutube.com/watch?v=RSzF7QChxcwyoutube.com/watch?v=Q_Mbxx6F_BA• TNO's Hydrogen Insights: https://www.tno.nl/en/sustainable/co2-neutral-industry/clean-hydrogen-production/clean-hydrogen-production/Chapters:00:00 - Intro05:15 - The Growth of Electricity11:10 - Trends in Solar & Batteries16:30 - Democratisation of Solar19:22 - A Difficult Year For Wind25:36 - AI and Nuclear34:26 - UK 2030 Zero Carbon Electricity Target36:29 - Price Signals39:00 - Free Electricity40:29 - The Grid44:30 - Industry and Hydrogen56:10 - COP29 in Baku01:06:39 - Beyond COP?01:08:10 - Populism, Price Rises & Climate Action01:22:25 - Outro
How Climate Philanthropy Spends Its Billions | Ep189: Greg De Temmerman Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-12-11 | Climate philanthropies are playing an increasingly important role in funding climate action. In 2023, an estimated $9-16 billion was spent by philanthropies on programs to mitigate climate change. But how do they choose how to spend it? And what role should philanthropy play in catalysing innovation? Bryony Worthington sits down with Greg de Temmerman, Deputy CEO of the Quadrature Climate Foundation, to explore these critical questions. As a former plasma physicist who worked on the world's largest nuclear fusion project before transitioning into philanthropy, Greg brings a unique perspective to the climate challenge.Greg shares his insights on the progress and challenges in fusion research, highlighting the importance of material science breakthroughs and the role of AI in advancing the field. He then discusses his transition from research to the think tank world, where he sought to provide a more science-based approach to climate solutions and address the growing anti-tech sentiment in France.The conversation delves into Quadrature's evidence-based, pragmatic approach to philanthropy, and Greg's views on the foundation's support for geoengineering research and carbon removal technologies. He emphasises the need to grapple with the complexities of the energy transition, including the social and political challenges of managing winners and losers, and explains why he thinks the climate fight is like ultra-running. Leadership Circle:Cleaning Up is supported by the Leadership Circle, and its founding members: Actis, Alcazar Energy, EcoPragma Capital, EDP of Portugal, Eurelectric, the Gilardini Foundation, KKR, National Grid, Octopus Energy, Quadrature Climate Foundation, SDCL and Wärtsilä. For more information on the Leadership Circle, please visit https://www.cleaningup.live.Links:• Quadrature Climate Foundation: https://qc.foundation• youtube.com/watch?v=em3Udt6nYf4• youtube.com/watch?v=33QiMC4nG1kChapters:00:00 - Intro02:00 - Greg's Nuclear Background04:30 - The Future of Nuclear Fusion09:26 - Concerns About Fusion11:10 - Long vs Near-Term Impact17:00 - Polarisation of Science19:44 - Geoengineering26:20 - Role of Philanthropy35:04 - Valley of Death42:00 - Headwinds44:50 - The Messy Middle47:00 - Going the Wrong Way53:00 - Primary Energy Fallacy55:17 - Outro
Is The COP Process Broken? Ep188: James Cameron Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-12-04 | What was achieved at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan? Where will the promised $300 billion come from, and how will it be spent? And what reforms are needed to make the COP process more effective and impactful? This week, host Michael Liebreich sits down with James Cameron, an international climate lawyer who has been involved with the COP process since before COPs were COPs. James shares his insights into the challenges and dynamics of these high-stakes global talks, from the crucial role of small island states to the difficulties of bridging the divide between developed and developing nations. James and Michael explore the inner workings of the COP process - its successes, failures and the urgent need for reform. James provides a clear-eyed assessment of where the negotiations have fallen short, and outlines concrete ideas for how to make the COP a more effective forum for driving real-world climate action. Leadership Circle:Cleaning Up is supported by the Leadership Circle, and its founding members: Actis, Alcazar Energy, EcoPragma Capital, EDP of Portugal, Eurelectric, the Gilardini Foundation, KKR, National Grid, Octopus Energy, Quadrature Climate Foundation, SDCL and Wärtsilä. For more information on the Leadership Circle, please visit https://www.cleaningup.live.Links:Ya Basta: Stop the UN Climate Charade - liebreich.com/214-2youtube.com/watch?v=qn7GKiW5E4kyoutube.com/watch?v=4YSzUJ_nMV0youtube.com/watch?v=kEP1SGL-DcAyoutube.com/watch?v=MZOokwqLaRcyoutube.com/watch?v=wpVmECce7R8Chapters:00:00 - Intro04:40 - Why COPs exist08:48 - Gift From God16:04 - What Happened at COP29?21:20 - The Money26:40 - 1.3 Trillion Dollars33:00 - Loss & Damage39:30 - Where Is the $300 Billion?44:42 - The Role of Investors48:25 - Is the Process Working?55:50 - Trade01:00:00 - A New System01:04:45 - Outro
Can Exponential Growth Save a Finite Planet? Ep187: Azeem Azhar Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-11-27 | As we race towards a future powered by AI and data centres, how will the insatiable demand for energy impact the environment? With the richest companies ploughing billions into energy generation, might there be some unexpected upsides for the climate transition? And can exponential technologies address the climate crisis on a finite planet? This week on Cleaning Up, host Michael Liebreich sits down with Azeem Azhar, founder of Exponential View, to explore the complex relationship between exponential growth, climate change, and the societal implications of transformative technologies. Michael and Azeem delve into the promises and pitfalls of a future shaped by the rapid advancements in renewable energy, battery storage, and artificial intelligence. Exponential View:Listeners of Cleaning Up can receive one year of complimentary access to Exponential View Premium, visit: exponentialview.co/cleaningup. Offer valid for 7 days starting November 27, 2024.Leadership Circle:Cleaning Up is supported by the Leadership Circle, and its founding members: Actis, Alcazar Energy, EcoPragma Capital, EDP of Portugal, Eurelectric, the Gilardini Foundation, KKR, National Grid, Octopus Energy, Quadrature Climate Foundation, SDCL and Wärtsilä. For more information on the Leadership Circle, please visit https://www.cleaningup.live.Links: youtube.com/watch?v=Fq0CaM1LX2Myoutube.com/watch?v=wc-ZW_xT-vIyoutube.com/watch?v=VUwsQOZVK78youtube.com/watch?v=ALLJsyPjYz4youtube.com/watch?v=Jf8EPSBZU7Y• AI's $600bn problem: sequoiacap.com/article/ais-600b-questionChapters:00:00 - Intro02:30 - Azeem and Exponential View06:30 - Exponential Epiphany09:55 - S-Curves vs Exponential Growth17:02 - Where's the Solar Going?20:50 - It Doesn't Work Everywhere26:38 - Utopian Thinking vs Regulation30:31 - Nationalised Energy33:57 - Clean Tech Monopolies42:00 - Data Centres and AI46:00 - State of the Art AI & Nuclear55:20 - Growth of US59:08 - Is this an AI Bubble?01:06:10 - Who Decides How AI is Used?01:09:00 - Limits to Exponential Growth01:10:22 - Outro
Is It Ever OK to Promote Fossil Fuels? Ep186: Rory Sutherland Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-11-20 | How can behavioural science and psychology be leveraged to drive meaningful climate action? What unintended consequences might arise from heavy-handed government mandates versus more subtle interventions? And in the face of the climate crisis, is it ethical to actively promote the use of fossil fuels? UN Secretary General António Guterres certainly doesn’t think so, and has called for fossil fuel advertising to be banned in the same way that tobacco advertising was, due to its adverse impacts on human health. This week on Cleaning Up, Michael Liebreich welcomes Ogilvy UK Vice-chair Rory Sutherland to explore the role of psychology and behavioural science in tackling the climate challenge. Rather than relying solely on policy, regulations, and technological solutions, Sutherland argues that understanding human decision-making and tapping into our innate psychological drivers could be a catalyst for widespread behaviour change. From the power of "satisficing" and "psycho-physics" to the importance of signaling and subconscious hacking, Sutherland delves into the forces that shape our environmental choices - both for better and for worse. The conversation also grapples with the quandary of whether actively promoting fossil fuels is justifiable, even as a "messy intermediate phase" in the transition to clean energy. For those interested in data on which advertising groups continue to work with fossil fuel companies, a list has been compiled by the organisation Clean Creatives (cleancreatives.org/f-list). In 2018, WPP (Ogilvy’s Parent Company) was appointed as oil and gas company BP’s preferred global partner. When asked about WPP and Ogilvy’s inclusion on the F-list, WPP commented: "WPP and Ogilvy have not commented publicly on the accuracy or validity of the F-List’s research. However, several of the contracts named on the F-List are wrongly attributed to Ogilvy. They are in fact relationships with an entirely different agency, OGR, formerly known as Ogilvy Government Relations. Other than ownership by WPP, OGR has had no connection to Ogilvy since 2011 and they rebranded last year to avoid historical confusion." Leadership Circle:Cleaning Up is supported by the Leadership Circle, and its founding members: Actis, EcoPragma Capital, EDP of Portugal, Eurelectric, the Gilardini Foundation, KKR, National Grid, Octopus Energy, Quadrature Climate Foundation, SDCL and Wärtsilä. For more information on the Leadership Circle, please visit https://www.cleaningup.live.Links: • Rory’s book, Alchemy: penguin.co.uk/books/430379/alchemy-by-rory-sutherland/9780753556528• Ogilvy UK: ogilvy.com/ukyoutube.com/watch?v=jE3mM9eiHfIyoutube.com/watch?v=RSzF7QChxcw Chapters:00:00 - Intro02:54 - Is Marketing Evil?06:05 - Why We Need Marketing07:54 - Alchemy09:25 - Making Climate Fun13:06 - Signalling17:00 - How to Change Signalling Patterns18:18 - Subconscious Hacking21:43 - Satisficing 23:15 - The Problem With Solar27:19 - Psychophysics30:10 - Changing Perspectives33:19 - Selling Public Transport35:44 - Getting Rid of Cars38:08 - Taxing Shorthaul Travel40:20 - Mandates vs Persuasion 43:02 - Working with Fossil Fuel Companies45:00 - Part of the Solution?47:00 - Virtue Signalling 49:10 - Imbalanced Debate55:00 - Is Climate Change Misdirected? 59:00 - Contrarian Gadflies 01:03:58 - Outro
Is Trumps Victory A Win For China? Ep185: Professor Qi Ye Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-11-13 | Is China's lead in clean technologies insurmountable? How will the Trump presidency shape relations with China? And when will China's emissions peak?Fatih Birol, head of the International Energy Agency, has said that 'almost every energy story is essentially a China story. But it's a complicated story that has been powered by vast supplies of coal. China's economy has grown rapidly, with per capita levels of energy consumption now matching Europe's, making it the world's largest emitter of greenhouse gasses.At the same time, China has increased the share of electricity and total energy to around 28% thanks to a rapid uptake of electric vehicles and increasing use of electricity for heating domestically. If it continues on its current trajectory, it is likely to peak its greenhouse gas emissions from energy in the next few years, if it hasn't done so already. China is also playing an increasing role beyond its borders: In 2023, 20% of the global EV export market belong to China, and it dominates the battery, solar and wind industries.This week on Cleaning Up, Bryony Worthington sits down with Professor Qi Ye, Director of Public Policy at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, who's had a ringside seat during China's rapid shift towards a clean energy economy. Together they unpack the complex dynamics shaping the global energy transition in China. Discover the remarkable scale and pace of China's clean energy transformation, the challenges of international collaboration, and Professor Qi's vision for a new era of climate leadership.Leadership Circle:Cleaning Up is supported by the Leadership Circle, and its founding members: Actis, EcoPragma Capital, EDP of Portugal, Eurelectric, the Gilardini Foundation, KKR, National Grid, Octopus Energy, Quadrature Climate Foundation, SDCL and Wärtsilä. For more information on the Leadership Circle, please visit https://www.cleaningup.live.Links:youtube.com/watch?v=Fu6giWzTxAYyoutube.com/watch?v=Xc7ItnBRqXIyoutube.com/watch?v=7hDtcVNrnDUChapters:00:00 - Introduction05:18 - Assessing Climate Risks10:21 - China in the Global Energy Transition12:49 - The China Story15:09 - Competition vs. Collaboration17:45 - China Backlash 20:25 - EV Strategy23:06 - Where are EVs Selling?24:30 - Oil & Emissions Peak?27:50 - Tariffs and Distrust29:57 - Security Concerns33:46 - The Paris Agreement & COP36:10 - Future of Climate Governance41:43 - Youth Leadership44:20 - Bilaterals46:40 - China's view on Trump49:00 - Rules of the Race53:40 - Outro
How Trump & Musk Will Reshape US Climate Action | Election Special Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-11-11 | How will the Trump administration's policies impact the clean energy transition in the United States? What will be Elon Musk's role in shaping climate policy? And what are the geopolitical implications of the US withdrawing from the Paris Agreement? In this special episode of Cleaning Up, hosts Michael Liebreich and Bryony Worthington reflect on the implications of the recent US election results and the potential impact on energy and climate policy. They explore the likely policy changes under a Trump administration, including potential cuts to clean technologies like offshore wind and electric vehicles, as well as the potential for increased fossil fuel production and the relaxation of environmental regulations. Bryony shares her insights from her recent trip to China, where the expectation was that Trump would win and the general sentiment was that China could do business with him. Michael examines the perceived lack of a coherent strategy in Europe to compete with the US and China in the clean energy and technology sectors.Leadership Circle:Cleaning Up is supported by the Leadership Circle, and its founding members: Actis, EcoPragma Capital, EDP of Portugal, Eurelectric, the Gilardini Foundation, KKR, National Grid, Octopus Energy, Quadrature Climate Foundation, SDCL and Wärtsilä. For more information on the Leadership Circle, please visit https://www.cleaningup.liveLinks and more:youtube.com/watch?v=RSzF7QChxcw youtube.com/watch?v=Sf5_r3V3Vs8Chapters:00:00 - Intro00:22 - Reaction02:55 - The X Factor07:50 - Offshore Wind and EVs08:30 - The Elon Musk Effect 11:24 - Inflation Reduction Act15:02 - Tariffs 17:59 - Building Faster24:31 - China Reaction28:00 - Europe Reaction32:25 - COP29 & Paris Agreement37:10 - Climate Impacts & Politics38:10 - Outro
The Biggest, Dirtiest Secret of the Energy Industry | Ep184: Jonathan Maxwell Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-11-06 | Could we save billions by simply reducing energy waste? How can we power the vast, energy-hungry growth of AI without sacrificing climate goals? And is Europe doomed to high energy costs and deindustrialisation?This week on Cleaning Up, Michael Liebreich sits down with Jonathan Maxwell, CEO and founder of Sustainable Development Capital LLP (SDCL), for the third time on Cleaning Up. Jonathan shares his perspective on the urgent need to address energy efficiency and waste, drawing from the themes explored in his book "The Edge." Jonathan and Michael delve into SDCL's innovative approach to providing on-site energy solutions that deliver cheaper, cleaner, and more reliable power to businesses, industries, and public institutions. Jonathan explains how their focus on distributed generation and decentralised energy systems is transforming the way organisations think about and manage their energy needs.Finally, policy. Jonathan and Michael discuss the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act in the US (and the potential turmoil from recent election results), the European Union's Green Deal, how these initiatives can be further strengthened by a greater emphasis on energy efficiency and productivity, and what the West needs to catch China.Leadership Circle:Cleaning Up is supported by the Leadership Circle, and its founding members: Actis, EcoPragma Capital, EDP of Portugal, Eurelectric, the Gilardini Foundation, KKR, National Grid, Octopus Energy, Quadrature Climate Foundation, SDCL and Wärtsilä. For more information on the Leadership Circle, please visit https://www.cleaningup.liveLinks: youtube.com/watch?v=Wqrtr2lePM8youtube.com/watch?v=1OTbyOxYUpgyoutube.com/watch?v=Fu6giWzTxAYyoutube.com/watch?v=MwJjU9eXbRkChapters:00:00 - Intro02:35 - The Edge04:45 - Energy Security Post 202210:40 - China's Green Transformation16:30 - Primary Energy Fallacy20:30 - Wasted Energy & Inefficiency26:20 - No Waste Heat?29:40 - What SDCL Does35:00 - Locational Pricing38:50 - Give Scotland Cheap Energy43:20 - ESG Downfall?45:15 - Decarbonising London by 203049:45 - Data Centres54:30 - Growth of AI58:25 - Power Usage Effectiveness01:04:20 - EU's Expensive Energy01:08:12 - US Climate Spending01:10:50 - China & Electricity 01:13:20 - Outro
What would a Trump Presidency mean for Climate and the IRA? Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-11-04 | Ethan Zindler, the US Treasury Climate Counselor, on how durable President Biden's climate measures would be under a Trump presidency
Who Will Be the Tesla of the Waves? Ep183: Ben Sorkin Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-10-30 | Electric cars are everywhere, so why not electric boats? Is an electric outboard as reliable as a fossil-fuel one when taken out to sea? And just how much better is an electric engine for reducing pollution and noise?Around the world there are tens of millions of small boats, from high-performance luxury craft to workhorse fishing vessels, nearly all of which run on fossil-fuel powered engines. But with the rapid advancements in electric vehicles, a small group of companies are now turning their minds to cracking the boating problem, inventing electric engines that are quieter, less polluting, and can deliver just the same performance. In Europe, perhaps the best known is the German company Torqeedo. Founded in 2004, they've sold a quarter of a million electric motors to date, and this year, were acquired by Yamaha Motors. Norwegian company Evoy have recently joined forces with Vita, a UK-Monaco based company, and Candela, another Scandinavian boat builder, are revolutionising engines and boats with their hydrofoiling concept. This week on Cleaning Up, Baroness Bryony Worthington speaks with Ben Sorkin, CEO and co-founder of Flux Marine, headquartered in Newport, Rhode Island. Flux Marine are hoping to take on the US market with their customizable electric propulsion systems and have a 40,000 square foot factory in Rhode Island. Bryony asks Ben how his electric engines compete on cost and performance, what Flux Marine’s scale-up plans are, and why it’s so much harder to electrify a boat than a car.Leadership Circle:Cleaning Up is supported by the Leadership Circle, and its founding members: Actis, EcoPragma Capital, EDP of Portugal, Eurelectric, the Gilardini Foundation, KKR, National Grid, Octopus Energy, Quadrature Climate Foundation and Wärtsilä. For more information on the Leadership Circle, please visit https://www.cleaningup.liveLinks:• Flux Marine: fluxmarine.com• youtube.com/watch?v=umPAonV20cM• Arc Boats: arcboats.com• Candela Hydrofoiling Boats: candela.comChapters:00:00 - Introduction03:33 - Flux Marine06:40 - The Electric Opportunity08:29 - Raising Money & Developing09:28 - Battery Management12:00 - Corrosion & Maintenance13:05 - Noise & Pollution17:04 - Grid Balancing20:00 - Range Anxiety22:50 - Hydrofoiling24:50 - Which Boats?28:05 - Costs30:05 - Financing33:13 - Environmental Impact35:02 - Incumbents 42:08 - Partners and Scale-Up44:31 - Making a Dent45:55 - Government Support47:20 - Boats as a Lifeline50:00 - Outro
Is There Really an EV Slowdown? Ep182: Colin McKerracher Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-10-23 | Are people losing interest in EVs, or is there more to the story? How will changes in the global automotive industry impact the net-zero transition? And if no one wants EVs, why do we need tariffs?This week on Cleaning Up, host Michael Liebreich sits down with Colin McKerracher, Head of Clean Transport at BloombergNEF, to unpack the latest trends and dynamics in the electric vehicle market from cars to trucks to two wheelers. They dive deep into the regional differences, the strategies of European automakers, the impact of tariffs, as well as the latest forecasts and predictions in BloombergNEF's Electric Vehicle Outlook. Leadership Circle:Cleaning Up is supported by the Leadership Circle, and its founding members: Actis, EcoPragma Capital, EDP of Portugal, Eurelectric, the Gilardini Foundation, KKR, National Grid, Octopus Energy, Quadrature Climate Foundation and Wärtsilä. For more information on the Leadership Circle, please visit https://www.cleaningup.liveLinks:• BloombergNEF's Electric Vehicle Outlook: about.bnef.com/electric-vehicle-outlook• youtube.com/watch?v=ZmeaqJc-jYg • youtube.com/watch?v=Fq0CaM1LX2M• youtube.com/watch?v=fzDWFFRDK8o• youtube.com/watch?v=Sf5_r3V3Vs8Chapters:00:00 - Intro02:30 - EV Slowdown?06:58 - Europe Playing with Fire09:26 - Anti-EV Narrative12:05 - Hybrids vs Batteries14:03 - Range and Charging16:10 - Build Me a Restaurant17:30 - Tariffs 21:00 - Why Can't Europe Build?24:07 - US Manufacturing Renaissance29:30 - Postcard from the Future30:54 - The Exception33:07 - EV Forecasts36:21 - ICE Bans41:00 - Peak Combustion44:00 - EVs Only for the Rich?46:50 - Cheaper Batteries48:15 - Electric Trucks55:27 - Alternatives to Batteries01:02:42 - Outro
Could Trump 2.0 Roll Back The IRA? Ep181: Ethan Zindler Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-10-16 | The US is pouring money into the green economy, and has spent almost $500 billion from the Inflation Reduction Act to bolster the energy transition and domestic manufacturing. Is it enough to cause long-lasting change?This week on Cleaning Up, Bryony Worthington sits down with Ethan Zindler, the Climate Counselor to US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. Ethan provides an insider's perspective on the implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act, the Treasury's new Climate Hub, and the department's evolving role in tackling the economic and financial implications of the climate crisis. The discussion covers the IRA's potential impact, the challenges of communicating its complex tax incentives, and concerns around the legislation's political durability. Ethan also addresses the tensions between fossil fuel interests and clean energy priorities, as well as the Treasury's efforts to engage with international partners to ensure an equitable clean energy transition. As the US grapples with the growing costs of natural disasters, this episode offers insights into how a key economic policymaking body is adapting to the climate emergency and the new geopolitics of the green energy transition.Leadership Circle:Cleaning Up is supported by the Leadership Circle, and its founding members: Actis, EcoPragma Capital, EDP of Portugal, Eurelectric, the Gilardini Foundation, KKR, National Grid, Octopus Energy, Quadrature Climate Foundation and Wärtsilä. For more information on the Leadership Circle, please visit https://www.cleaningup.liveLinks:• Overview of the Treasury's climate activities: home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/climate-change• Cleaning Up with Dr Ma Jun: youtube.com/watch?v=Fu6giWzTxAY• Cleaning Up with Dipender Saluja & Ion Yadigaroglu: youtube.com/watch?v=tUTPkszXs_YChapters:00:00 - Welcome04:22 - The Climate Hub07:00 - The Inflation Reduction Act09:00 - Improving Taxes12:34 - Getting Money to the Right People14:04 - Onshoring15:50 - US vs China17:30 - How Much Money Spent by IRA?19:09 - IRA and the US Election25:00 - Import Tariffs & EVs31:08 - Leadership Circle32:36 - Hurricanes & Insurance38:10 - COP & International Cooperation45:45 - Financial Sector Commitments49:50 - US Mixed Srategy52:15 - Access to Capital55:05 - Outro
What Have the Oceans Done For Us? Ep180: Dr Helen Czerski Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-10-09 | Oceans absorb one third of the CO2 we are pumping into the atmosphere, as well as 90% of the heat. What would happen if that were to stop?The oceans define every aspect of our planet's physical systems, its ecosystems, human history and human culture. They also define the planet's future. Oceans represent an almost unexplored frontier in the fight against climate change, whether as a host for offshore wind farms, an enhanced carbon sink, a source for critical minerals or a route for high-voltage DC cables. But could there be unintended consequences? This week on Cleaning Up, Michael Liebreich welcomes Dr Helen Czerski, whose expertise is 25,000 miles wide and seven miles deep, to discuss the crucial role the oceans play in regulating our climate and keeping the planet habitable. Helen is a physicist and oceanographer, and associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at University College London. She is the author of two books: 'A Storm in a Teacup' and 'The Blue Machine', about the physics of the oceans. Leadership Circle: Cleaning Up is supported by the Leadership Circle, and its founding members: Actis, EcoPragma Capital, EDP of Portugal, Eurelectric, the Gilardini Foundation, KKR, National Grid, Octopus Energy, Quadrature Climate Foundation and Wärtsilä. For more information on the Leadership Circle, please visit https://www.cleaningup.liveLinks and more: • Helen's website: helenczerski.net• Helen's book, Blue Machine: penguin.co.uk/books/441190/blue-machine-by-czerski-helen/9781804991961 • Episode 107 of Cleaning Up: youtube.com/watch?v=K61ZXd_F6QoChapters:00:00 - Intro02:30 - Why Helen Studied Oceans?10:05 - Why Should We Care About Oceans?16:18 - The Importance of Mixing and Currents21:23 - Salinity & Structure25:00 - Messengers, Passengers, Voyagers27:30 - Penguins & Climate32:05 - Krill, Whales & Nutrient Cycling36:25 - Heat 41:04 - AMOC Collapse?47:00 - Ocean Acidification51:47 - Whale Earwax & Noise55:00 - Offshore Windfarms58:42 - High Voltage Cables01:00:00 - Ocean-Floor Mining01:05:00 - Carbon Removal01:09:30 - Helen's Big Ask01:14:44 - Outro
Geothermal is Having a Moment, Can it Deliver? Ep179: Cindy Taff Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-10-02 | Is the key to clean energy the heat beneath our feet? Could advances in the fossil-fuel extraction industry hold the key to providing 24/7 clean power? And can a Texan CEO and former oil exec bring geothermal to the masses?This week on Cleaning Up, Bryony Worthington sits down with Cindy Taff, a 35-year veteran of Shell, where she was Vice President of Unconventional Drilling, leading a team of 350 people with a budget of over $1 billion. Since leaving Shell, Cindy has made a bold pivot to the world of geothermal energy, and is now CEO of Sage Geosystems, where she is using her expertise in drilling, project management, and subsurface engineering to try to crack next generation geothermal energy.Cindy shares her journey, from rising through the ranks at Shell to leading a startup on the cutting edge of the energy transition. She delves into the technical challenges of tapping into "hot, dry rock" geothermal resources, drilling at 20,000 feet below the Earth's surface, the regulatory hurdles of using techniques like fracking or 'stim drilling', and the potential to to use geothermal wells as an energy storage solution. Cindy has a unique perspective on how the oil and gas industry's toolbox can be repurposed to drive the clean energy transition, and believes geothermal is poised to play a crucial role in powering a sustainable future. Will she be proved right?Leadership Circle: Cleaning Up is supported by the Leadership Circle, and its founding members: Actis, EcoPragma Capital, Eurelectric, the Gilardini Foundation, KKR, National Grid, Octopus Energy, Quadrature Climate Foundation and Wärtsilä. For more information on the Leadership Circle and how to become a member, please visit https://www.cleaningup.liveLinks and more:• Sage Geosystems - sagegeosystems.com• Sage Geosystems and Meta sign 150MW geothermal power agreement - canarymedia.com/articles/geothermal/sage-geosystems-and-meta-sign-150mw-geothermal-power-agreement• Sage Geosystems raises $17M to build first-of-its-kind geothermal energy storage system in Texas: utilitydive.com/news/sage-geosystems-geothermal-storage-fervo-princeton/707879• Hot Rocks in a Box: The Rise of Thermal Batteries - youtube.com/watch?v=33QiMC4nG1kChapters:00:00 - Intro04:30 - Why Cindy Chose Geothermal07:20 - Geothermal's Resurgence11:20 - Geothermal for Energy Storage14:39 - Fracking & Permits18:20 - Earthquakes21:35 - First Commercial Facility27:40 - Geothermal Baseload Power30:16 - Efficiency 35:00 - Well Depletion39:04 - Better Mapping45:00 - Deal with Meta51:20 - Outro
Do Self-Driving Cars Need to be Safer than Humans to be Widely Adopted? #evcommunity #podcast #ev Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-09-27 | Dr Andy Palmer, former CEO of Aston Martin and COO of Nissan joins Cleaning Up to discuss.
Slowdown, what Slowdown? The EV Revolution is Just Getting Started - Ep178: Dr Andy Palmer Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-09-25 | What will it take for electric vehicles to truly dominate the transportation landscape? Can traditional automakers adapt quickly enough to the EV revolution, or will new players seize the opportunity? And how close are we to the holy grail of fully autonomous driving?This week on Cleaning Up, Michael Liebreich sits down with Dr. Andy Palmer, a pioneer in the electric vehicle industry. With over 45 years of experience in the automotive sector, Andy has witnessed the industry's transformation firsthand - from his early days as an apprentice to senior leadership roles at companies like Nissan and Aston Martin.Andy shares the fascinating story behind the development of the Nissan Leaf, the world's first mass-market EV. He delves into the challenges of bringing this groundbreaking vehicle to market and how it kickstarted his journey from "piston head" to "battery head." We also explore Andy's time at Aston Martin, where he tried to steer the iconic British brand towards an electric future. Andy provides keen insights into the rapid evolution of battery technology, the role of government policy, and the future of autonomous driving. Leadership Circle: Cleaning Up is supported by the Leadership Circle, and its founding members: Actis, EcoPragma Capital, Eurelectric, the Gilardini Foundation, KKR, National Grid, Octopus Energy, Quadrature Climate Foundation and Wärtsilä. For more information on the Leadership Circle and how to become a member, please visit https://www.cleaningup.liveLinks and more:• Andy's website: drandypalmer.com• Michael's writeup on AstonGate - linkedin.com/pulse/astongate-fake-emission-figures-embattled-carmaker-sock-liebreich• The need for plurality - Andy Palmer's response to Rowan Atkinson: drandypalmer.com/post/the-need-for-plurality-in-response-to-rowan-atkinson• Episode 175 with Greg Jackson of Octopus Energy: youtube.com/watch?v=Gl-cRh35Hm4Chapters:00:00 - Intro03:35 - Piston Head or Battery Head?10:03 - Pioneering The Nissan Leaf20:14 - Improvements in Batteries29:17 - Criticism of EVs33:55 - STEM Skills37:03 - The future of Toyota42:10 - Aston Martin's EV plans49:20 - Aston Martin Controversy51:37 - Electrification of Buses55:45 - Future of Self-driving Cars01:04:43 - Outro
Kelly Wanser on Why We Need to Cool the Planet #podcast #climatesolution Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-09-24 | Bryony Worthington and Kelly Wanser, Executive Direct of SilverLining, discuss the need for more research into climate interventions. Listen to the full episode now.
Can Cloud Brightening Cool the Earth? — Ep177: Kelly Wanser Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-09-18 | As climate impacts mount, pressure is building on policymakers to find ways to alleviate the crisis. One controversial option being explored is geoengineering - direct human interventions to cool the planet. But can we safely and effectively implement these large-scale climate remedies? Bryony Worthington sits down with Kelly Wanser, Executive Director of the nonprofit SilverLining, which conducted early-stage experiments to improve the reflectivity of clouds in an experiment earlier this year. They discuss the different climate interventions being researched, the scientific and political challenges, and the critical need for robust evidence and governance to navigate these uncharted waters. From cloud brightening experiments to stratospheric aerosol injection, this conversation explores the potential upsides and major risks involved in intervening in the Earth's climate system.Links and more: • SilverLining Website: https://www.silverlining.ngo• NYTimes article on SilverLining's experiment: nytimes.com/2024/04/02/climate/global-warming-clouds-solar-geoengineering.html• Episode 168 with Anand Gopal: youtube.com/watch?v=33QiMC4nG1k&source_ve_path=MjM4NTELeadership Circle: We are delighted to announce the Cleaning Up Leadership Circle, and our founding members: Actis, EcoPragma Capital, Eurelectric, the Gilardini Foundation, KKR, National Grid, Octopus Energy, Quadrature Climate Foundation and Wärtsilä. For more information on the Leadership Circle and how to become a member, please visit https://www.cleaningup.live
Eva Schmid: Everybody Will Learn You Will Not Get Cheap Hydrogen #podcast #hydrogen Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-09-17 | Eva Schmid of the German Energy Agency (DENA) on where hydrogen may or may not play a role in the green transition
Octopus CEO Greg Jackson: Why 93% Percent of Electric Car Owners Would Never Go Back #ev #podcast Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-09-14 | "93% of people in the UK who own an EV would never go back because they discover how astonishingly cheap it is"
UK energy companies need to take more risks to innovate Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-09-12 | Octopus CEO Greg Jackson explains why energy companies need to take more risk.
The Great Hydrogen Reset — Is It Germanys Turn? Ep176: Eva Schmid Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-09-11 | Germany is one of the most bullish countries in the world on clean/green hydrogen. The home of the Energiewende is not just one of the most committed countries in the world to reaching net zero, it is of course a highly industrialised nation with a very energy-intensive economy. As if that were not enough, it had one third of its energy supply yanked out from under it as a result of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. Green hydrogen has become one of the mainstays of efforts to keep the lights on as the country replaces nuclear and coal power with wind and solar, and also of efforts to replace cheap Russian gas in power generation and industry. But can green hydrogen possibly live up to expectations?This week on Cleaning Up, Michael Liebreich is joined by someone working at the heart of Germany’s hydrogen policy-making machine: Eva Schmid is Director of Hydrogen and Synthetic Energy Carriers at DENA, the German Energy Agency, a think tank that works with the German government to deliver its energy strategy. As you’ll see she has a clear-eyed sense of what hydrogen can and can’t be expected to do, and a focus on using it to protect the resilience of the German economy.Leadership Circle: We are delighted to announce the Cleaning Up Leadership Circle, and our founding members: Actis, EcoPragma Capital, Eurelectric, the Gilardini Foundation, KKR, National Grid, Octopus Energy, Quadrature Climate Foundation and Wärtsilä. For more information on the Leadership Circle and how to become a member, please visit https://www.cleaningup.liveLinks & more: • DENA, The German Energy Agency: https://www.dena.de/en/home/• Germany's National Hydrogen Strategy, 2023: https://www.bmwk.de/Redaktion/EN/Publikationen/Energie/national-hydrogen-strategy-update.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=2• Hydrogen Import Strategy: https://www.bmwk.de/Redaktion/EN/Hydrogen/Downloads/importstrategy-hydrogen.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=1• The EU Hydrogen Strategy: https://energy.ec.europa.eu/topics/energy-systems-integration/hydrogen/key-actions-eu-hydrogen-strategy_en• European Court of Auditors hydrogen report: https://www.eca.europa.eu/ECAPublications/SR-2024-11/SR-2024-11_EN.pdf• EU Commissions response to Auditors report: https://www.eca.europa.eu/Lists/ECAReplies/COM-Replies-SR-2024-11/COM-Replies-SR-2024-11_EN.pdf
Octopus CEO Greg Jackson on why the UK needs regional electricity pricing Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-09-10 | Watch the full interview with Greg Jackson on @CleaningUpPod
The UK Energy Company Creating the Utility of the Future | Ep175: Greg Jackson Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-09-04 | How does a startup become the largest provider of electricity in the UK in less than a decade? What is locational pricing and how could it encourage more renewables? And is it possible to achieve a zero-carbon electricity system by 2030? Welcome to the first episode of Season 13 of Cleaning Up, in which Michael Liebreich sits down with Greg Jackson, the founder and CEO of Octopus Energy, to uncover the incredible story behind the company's rapid growth and its transformation into a global energy powerhouse. Greg and Michael explore how Octopus Energy has gone from a small startup to the largest energy supplier in the UK, directly serving over 7 million households, and with a presence in 8 of the top 10 competitive energy markets worldwide. Greg reveals the key drivers behind Octopus Energy's success, including the innovative Kraken platform that powers their operations, the strategic acquisitions that fuelled their expansion, and the company's unwavering focus on customer-centric solutions during the recent energy crisis. But the story doesn't end there. Greg shares his ambitious vision for the future, whether or not its possible to reach 1 billion Kraken licenses by 2030 and the company's groundbreaking work in areas like locational pricing, electric vehicle integration, and the electrification of home heating.Leadership Circle: We are delighted to announce the Cleaning Up Leadership Circle, and our founding members: Actis, EcoPragma Capital, Eurelectric, the Gilardini Foundation, KKR, National Grid, Octopus Energy, Quadrature Climate Foundation and Wärtsilä. For more information on the Leadership Circle and how to become a member, please visit https://www.cleaningup.liveLinks & More:• Episode 32: Building the Billion-Customer Energy Company — youtube.com/watch?v=x9kHNMyH7bw • Episode 154: Green Heat (and Cooling) Under our Feet — youtube.com/watch?v=-TpHa-uU6lc• Michael talking about hydrogen at the Imperial College Energy Futures Lab, and the subsequent panel discussion with Greg Jackson — youtube.com/watch?v=w0Q9cuF8zKg• Octopus Energy customers provide 108MW of grid flexibility in first ‘Saving Session’ — https://octopus.energy/press/believe-it-or-watt-octopus-energy-customers-provide-108mw-of-grid-flexibility-in-first-saving-session-equivalent-of-a-gas-power-station/
The Future of Chinese Solar, Battery Myths & Climate Politics | Rounding Up Season 12 - Ep174 Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-08-07 | In the final episode of Season 12, hosts Michael Liebreich and Bryony Worthington reflect on the key conversations and developments in the net-zero transition over the past three months, including:• China's leadership in green finance and the role of air quality issues in driving climate action• The rapid growth of the solar industry and its potential to meet global electricity demand• The progress and challenges around electric vehicles, battery recycling, and the need for a holistic approach to energy storage• The potential of thermal batteries for storing excess renewable energy• The debates around engineering solutions like direct air capture and synthetic proteins• The politics of climate change, the UK election results, the EU's hydrogen plans, and what might happen in the US• The intersection of fashion, sustainability, and climate changeWe'll be back for Season 13 of Cleaning Up at the beginning of September. Thanks so much for listening, and see you then! In the meantime, please share this podcast with a friend, colleague, family, or whoever you think might enjoy it. Links and more: • Listen and watch every episode of season 12: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLe8ZTD7dMaaAHKRt7GpWNkrhhrXv2-KoR • Jim Mellon of Agronomics: youtube.com/watch?v=jqFPic5iqds • Jonathan Maxwell of Sustainable Development Capital: youtube.com/watch?v=1OTbyOxYUpg• Lauri Myllyvirta, co-founder and lead analyst at CREA: youtube.com/watch?v=FqjvCeR9VLg
How To Win The Climate Argument | Ep172: John Marshall Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-07-24 | Who are the merchants of doubt and how can their narrative be countered? How much money does it cost to get someone to take action on climate change? This week on Cleaning Up, Bryony Worthington is joined by John Marshall, the founder of the Potential Energy Coalition, a marketing firm that uses data-driven marketing techniques to accelerate the energy transition and climate action. They discuss:• How John transitioned from a career in Madison Avenue marketing to founding a non-profit focused on climate change, inspired by his son.• Potential Energy Coalition's use of data-driven marketing strategies to identify the most effective messaging and framing to motivate climate action, including leveraging loss aversion and emphasising what people love and fear losing.• The importance of using marketing to shape the climate narrative, counter disinformation, and create political space for climate policies.• How marketing can be used to promote clean energy solutions like electric vehicles and heat pumps, and the role of the nonprofit sector in supporting pro-climate policies and infrastructure.• Insights on global marketing strategies for climate action, highlighting the need to tailor messages to local markets while maintaining a unifying narrative.Links & More: • Potential Energy Coalition: potentialenergycoalition.org• John's TED talk: youtube.com/watch?v=pmvJQ_JChiw• The Schoolbus Ad: youtube.com/watch?v=coJmUW5l-98• Episode 141 with Naomi Oreskes: youtube.com/watch?v=ZrAwBdflLiA&source_ve_path=MjM4NTE
The Climate Challenge is an Engineering Challenge - Ep171: Dr Rosemary Barnes Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-07-17 | This week on Cleaning Up, Michael Liebreich sits down with mechanical engineer and YouTube creator Dr Rosemary "Rosie" Barnes to discuss the critical role of engineering in addressing climate change. Rosie shares insights from her work developing clean energy technologies and her popular channel "Engineering with Rosie," where she tackles topics like wind turbine design, the hydrogen debate, and the nuclear power discussion in Australia through the lens of engineering.Rosie and Michael dive into the engineering challenges and solutions driving the energy transition, from optimising wind turbine size to navigating the politics around nuclear power. They also explore why engineers' voices are often overlooked in the climate conversation, and Rosie offers practical advice for the next generation of women in STEM fields. Read/watch more: • Rosie's YouTube Channel: youtube.com/c/engineeringwithrosie• Michael on Engineering with Rosie: youtube.com/watch?v=LyN4E7_vcmE• Are Vertical Axis Wind Turbines Better?: youtube.com/watch?v=EM-gCvhQhPU• How Big Things (Should) Get Done - Ep128: Prof. Bent Flyvbjerg: youtube.com/watch?v=mN79-5S5d5c• GenCost by CSIRO: https://www.csiro.au/en/research/technology-space/energy/gencost• Australia's Nuclear Future - Centre for Independent Studies: youtube.com/watch?v=7qbrgcTKXPQ
Is the Electric Vehicle Revolution Unstoppable? ep170: Ben Nelmes Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-07-10 | Electric vehicles are finally becoming mainstream, but this hasn’t stopped a flood of negative stories and political attempts to scare people away from making the switch to better, more cost efficient vehicles. So is the EV revolution now inevitable? Bryony Worthington sits down with Ben Nelmes, the Chief Executive of New Automotive, a UK-based not for profit focused on the clean energy transition in road transport.Ben shares his insights on the UK and European electric vehicle (EV) markets, including:• How data and evidence can shape policy debates around EVs and other clean technologies• The latest trends in EV costs, range, and charging infrastructure• The politics of EVs in the UK and Europe, including differences between political parties• The impact of EVs on government revenues and potential reforms to vehicle taxation• The role of EVs in integrating renewable energy onto the gridLinks:• New AutoMotive - newautomotive.org• EV Cost Saving Calculator - https://electriccar.guide/ev-savings-calculator• Global EV Tracker - newautomotive.org/global-ev-trackerChapters00:10 - Intro03:09 - Ben Nelmes & New AutoMotive11:43 - Range extenders15:23 - UK EV policy18:00 - Zero Emissions Mandate22:35 - Opposition28:34 - Europe EV policy31:26 - The 2035 target35:40 - EVs, China, Coal39:29 - Are EVs too heavy?42:42 - EVs & Tax49:06 - Electricity demand54:14 - Locational Pricing55:45 - Are EVs inevitable?59:36 - Outro
What a New UK Government Means for Climate and Energy - Ep169: Dr Simon Evans Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-07-03 | With the UK general election tomorrow, the Cleaning Up team sits down with Dr Simon Evans of Carbon Brief to run through each party's manifesto, and what they say about UK climate and energy policy. With Labour widely predicted to win, will the UK's become an international leader on climate once more? How will GB Energy work? And where will all the money come from to fund the investments needed to turn the UK into a clean energy power house.Dr Evans is the deputy editor and senior policy editor at Carbon Brief, a UK-based website covering the latest developments in climate science, climate policy and energy policy.Read more: • Carbon Brief: carbonbrief.org• Cleaning Up with Tzeporah Berman: youtube.com/watch?v=eB_WmXgFxtg• Cleaning Up with Bryony Worthington: youtube.com/watch?v=RfMDUcFGNmA • The Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Initiative: fossilfueltreaty.org• The Beyond Oil & Gas Alliance: beyondoilandgasalliance.org• Cleaning Up with Claire O'Neill: youtube.com/watch?v=qK7tVA4JKI0Chapters:00:00 - Introduction00:48 - UK Climate Policy History10:22 - Simon & Carbon Brief12:03 - Conservative Manifesto & Climate19:00 - North Sea Oil & Gas21:48 - Labour Manifesto & Climate27:07 - Lib Dems29:14 - The Greens35:04 - Reform & Climate37:30 - The SNP & Scottish Wind44:01 - UK as International Climate Leader49:26 - Locational Pricing54:42 - Decarbonising Transport59:05 - The Spectre of Hydrogen01:02:00 - GB Energy & Finance01:13:08 - Outro
Hot Rocks in a Box: The Rise of Thermal Batteries - Ep168: Anand Gopal Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-06-26 | As the world transitions away from fossil fuels, one of the biggest challenges is decarbonizing industrial processes that require consistent, reliable sources of energy to produce high-temperatures. Typically these processes run on fossil gas, but now thermal batteries offer a solution by using electricity to store renewable energy in the form of heat. Anand Gopal, Executive Director of Policy Research at Californian think tank Energy Innovation, joins Baroness Bryony Worthington to discuss his team's research on using thermal batteries to provide heat for manufacturing. Or as he calls them, hot rocks in a box. By storing intermittent solar or wind energy as the heat of molten salts or crushed rocks, thermal batteries can deliver reliable heat on-demand.While the tech is almost at commercial availability, there's still one big obstacle: cost. In many countries it is still much cheaper to use gas over electricity, and that makes powering up thermal batteries uneconomical. So what needs to be done to employ them at scale? And will they take the wind out of hydrogen's sails? Find out on this week's episode of Cleaning Up.Read more: • Energy Innovation: energyinnovation.org• Industrial Thermal Batteries: Decarbonizing U.S. Industry While Supporting a High-Renewables Grid: energyinnovation.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/2023-07-13-Industrial-Thermal-Batteries-Report-v133.pdf• Energy Innovation's report on electric vehicle leasing: energyinnovation.org/publication/electric-vehicle-leasing-is-the-cheapest-option-for-new-car-buyers• Energy Innovation's report on electric vs gas cars: energyinnovation.org/publication/how-much-does-it-cost-to-fill-up-an-electric-vehicle-vs-a-gas-powered-car• Energy Innovation's report on industrial heat in China: energyinnovation.org/publication/clean-industry-in-china-a-techno-economic-comparison-of-electrified-heat-technologies-barriers-and-policy-options• Energy Innovation's report on electrification of industrial heat: energyinnovation.org/publication/direct-electrification-of-industrial-process-heat-an-assessment-of-technologies-potentials-and-future-prospects-for-the-eu
Is Methane Really Better For The Climate Than Coal? - Ep167: Grant Swartzwelder Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-06-19 | Depending on who you ask, methane is either a useful transition fuel to a low-carbon future, or a super polluter. The science of methane says that for natural gas to have a lower climate footprint than other fossil fuels, particularly coal, there can be leakage of no more than 3.2% from end to end. Yet studies across the US show wildly different leakage rates. One of the most influential, by Robert Howarth of Cornell University, puts it at 4.8%, making methane worse for the environment than coal. The EPA tells a different story, and says leakage rates are just 0.93%. All of this really matters for the climate, especially since Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The US has become the world's biggest producer and exporter of natural gas, and hundreds of billions of dollars have been invested globally on the premise that natural gas is a cleaner stop-gap between our fossil present and our low-carbon future. So who's right? And how can we find ways to reduce those methane emissions in either case. Grant Swartzwelder, founder of OTA Environmental Solutions and ESG Dynamics, based in Dallas, Texas, joins Cleaning Up to tease out the problem.Episode Update (Dec 2024)* The 3.2% figure refers to the relative warming impact of coal-fired power generation versus national gas with a given level of leakage on day one - when all of the methane is still in the atmosphere. As methane decays in the atmosphere faster than CO2 is absorbed, the “breakeven” level of fugitive emissions increases as you look at longer periods. If you take the standard 100-year warming period, fugitive emissions from natural gas would need to be around 8% - well above those measured in the US – for gas power to be as bad as coal power. At 20 years the figure is around 4%. (source: pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1202407109)** The 4.8% figure has been modified by Professor Howarth subsequent to the release of the episode, based on critiques received when it was in pre-print. Criticism continues, however, and one proposed corrected analysis shows that 100-year GHG intensity of LNG that are at most 15% below the lowest general estimates for coal-fired power. (source: thebreakthrough.org/issues/energy/a-major-paper-on-liquified-natural-gas-emissions-is-riddled-with-errors)More links/resources:• OTA Environmental Solutions - otaenvironmentalsolutions.com• ESG Dynamics - esg-dynamics.com• Robert Howarth study into US methane leakage rates - research.howarthlab.org/documents/Howarth2022_EM_Magazine_methane.pdf• International Energy Agency methane tracker 2024 - iea.org/reports/global-methane-tracker-2024• Cleaning Up Episode 157 - Leaking Methane Needs an Urgent Fix - youtube.com/watch?v=tIK8Z7oZMps• Cleaning Up Episode 146 - Jason Anderson: youtube.com/watch?v=VWUzOZmJSlI
Is There a Future for Lab-Grown Meat? - Ep166: Bruce Friedrich Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-06-12 | Has science cracked the code on mass producing realistic meat substitutes? Or are lab-gown alternative proteins an impossible dream? In this week's episode of Cleaning Up, Baroness Bryony Worthington sits down with president of the Good Food Institute@thegoodfoodinstitute3482) Bruce Friedrich, to explore the future of food. Friedrich details his vision for a more sustainable food system through technologies like plant-based and cultivated meat and outlines the promising progress and significant challenges remaining in scaling these novel proteins. Worthington and Friedrich debate the roles of policy, public opinion, and big agriculture in determining whether alternative proteins can truly transform our food system or remain niche.Links and more:• The Good Food Institute (gfi.org)• TEA of cultivated meat. Future projections for different scenarios (https://cedelft.eu/publications/tea-of-cultivated-meat/)• A new land dividend: the opportunity of alternative proteins in Europe (green-alliance.org.uk/publication/a-new-land-dividend-the-opportunity-of-alternative-proteins-in-europe)• Recipe for a Livable Planet: Achieving Net Zero Emissions in the Agrifood System: (openknowledge.worldbank.org/entities/publication/406c71a3-c13f-49cd-8f3f-a071715858fb)• UNEP Report on alternative proteins (unep.org/resources/whats-cooking-assessment-potential-impacts-selected-novel-alternatives-conventional)• Episode 136 with Jim Mellon (youtube.com/watch?v=jqFPic5iqds)
Battery Recycling Is Here - But Where Are The Batteries? - Ep165: Hans Eric Melin Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-06-05 | As everyone knows, battery prices are plummeting and manufacturing volumes are soaring, whether for EVs or for grid-connected storage. And everyone knows there's a problem: only 5% of lithium-ion batteries are recycled. The rest go to landfill, right? Wrong. This week's guest on Cleaning Up is the world's preeminent expert on battery recycling. Hans Eric Melin is the Founder and Managing Director of Circular Energy Storage.Circular Energy Storage is a London-based data collection and analytics consultancy focused on the lithium-ion battery end-of-life market. They help companies and organisations in the entire battery value chain to take better decisions in everything that relates to reuse and recycling of lithium-ion batteries. They do this by continuously collecting, analysing and publishing data from all parts of the value chain worldwide and by working actively with customers in their strategy and business development. Please like, subscribe and leave a review. Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram, and sign up for the Cleaning Up newsletter at https://cleaninguppod.substack.com. Links and more:Circular Energy Storage: circularenergystorage.com/aboutHans' LinkedIn post on the false narratives around lithium-ion battery recycling rates: linkedin.com/pulse/5-rate-other-untruths-battery-recycling-hans-eric-melin-m5ldeHans' more extensive research report explaining the real rates: https://www.energimyndigheten.se/globalassets/forskning--innovation/overgripande/state-of-the-art-in-reuse-and-recycling-of-lithium-ion-batteries-2019.pdfThe 2023 Battery Materials Review Yearbook, featuring a chapter authored by Hans: batterymaterialsreview.com/productsThe 2016 paper Hans mentioned, featuring the 95% landfill rate: link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11837-016-1994-y00:00 – Introduction01:37 – Battery Recycling Mythbusting10:27 — Where did 5% come from?17:36 — What is the collection rate?24:10 — EV battery collection27:36 — Recovery rates33:22 — Circularity39:33 — EV second life47:09 — Alternative uses52:31 — Reusing cells56:13 — How much is a battery worth?01:04:10 — Overcapacity01:11:58 — Outro
#LightsOn - Live from the Eurelectric Power Summit 2024 in Athens - Ep164: Leonhard Birnbaum Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-05-29 | Last week the leading lights of Europe's electricity industry gathered for the annual Eurelectric Power Summit at the Lagonissi Beach Resort just outside Athens. The conference - under hashtag this year of #lights on - lasted two days and covered the key issues facing Europe's and the world's power sectors. Two topics in particular stood out: the need to accelerate the build out of transmission, and the pressures and opportunities offered by digitization and AI. At the event, Eurelectric published a brace of reports on these two topics. On the final day of the conference, Michael caught up with Leonhard Birnbaum, Chairman and CEO of German utility and distribution grid operator E.ON and President of Eurelectric, on a sunny and windy terrace just outside the conference centre to discuss all this and more.Leonhard began his professional career at McKinsey in Düsseldorf. After holding various positions, he was Senior Partner for the energy and industrial sector. In 2008, he joined RWE AG and was appointed to the Board of Management the same year. He served as Chief Strategy Officer and as RWE Group’s Chief Commercial Officer until 2013, when, he was appointed as member of the Board of Management of E.ON SE and took on a variety of responsibilities within the Board. From 2018 until 2021 he was responsible for the innogy integration project, and from 2019 to 2020, he was also Chairman of the Board of Management of innogy SE. In 2021, he was appointed to his current role as CEO of E.ON SE, in which he is responsible for Communications & Political Affairs, Corporate Audit, Strategy, Group and Executive HR, HSE & Sustainability, Legal & Compliance and Nuclear Coordination. He is also Vice-President of the Executive Committee of BDEW, the German Association of Energy and Water Industries, a member of the Executive Committee of the Federation of German Industries (BDI) and President of Eurelectric, the European Electricity Association, and Vice Chair of the World Energy Council.Please like, subscribe and leave a review. Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram, and sign up for the Cleaning Up newsletter at https://cleaninguppod.substack.com. Links and more:• Eurelectric: eurelectric.org• E.ON: eon.com/en.html• Eurelectric Power Summit 2024 - LightsOn: powersummit2024.eurelectric.org• Eurelectric's new report - Grids for Speed: powersummit2024.eurelectric.org/grids-for-speed• Eurelectric's new report - Wired for Tomorrow: powersummit2024.eurelectric.org/wired-for-tomorrow/El• Electrify Almost Everything for Net-Zero - Ep34: Kristian Ruby: https://www.cleaningup.live/episode-34-kristian-ruby/
Can Nuclear Repower Chinas Coal Fleet? - Ep163: Staffan Qvist & Dr. Yaoli Zhang Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-05-22 | China's policies that direct capital towards cleaner industries have been game changing, and this week we're continuing the China theme, sharing two conversations Bryony had earlier this month at a conference at Xiamen University in Fujian Province. China's role in the clean energy transition could not be more important. The think tank Ember's latest report on the state of the global electricity transition states: over half of the world's new wind and solar power capacity last year was added in China, and together with hydro and nuclear, clean electricity in China now meets 35% of their electricity demand. And yet, the scale and the nature of the Chinese economy is so enormous it's hard to grasp, the majority of which is still powered by roughly 1000 gigawatts of coal-fired power stations, half of the global total. The focus of the conference was on a specific lever that could help China further along its decarbonisation path: the repowering of existing coal stations with clean sources of heat. Bryony's first guest, Staffan Qvist is a published academic, co-author of the book A Bright Future, and founder of a number of companies dedicated to the clean energy transition. He's been studying this concept of coal repowering since he first co-authored papers on the subject with Polish colleagues in 2019. Bryony's second guest is Assistant Professor Yaoli Zhang of Xiamen University, a thermal generation engineer by training who later "repowered" himself and switched to nuclear engineering. He currently oversees a team researching the repairing of coal in China from both a practical and economic perspective.Please like, subscribe and leave a review. Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram, and sign up for the Cleaning Up newsletter at https://cleaninguppod.substack.com. Links and more:• How China Became a Green Finance Superpower - Ep160: Dr. Ma Jun: https://www.cleaningup.live/how-china-became-a-green-finance-superpower-ep160-dr-ma-jun/• The 2019 book Staffan co-authored - A Bright Future: brightfuturebook.com• The March 2024 US Department of Energy guide on converting coal-fired power plants to nuclear power: energy.gov/ne/articles/8-things-know-about-converting-coal-plants-nuclear-power• and the associated press release: energy.gov/ne/articles/doe-study-finds-replacing-coal-plants-nuclear-plants-could-bring-hundreds-more-local• The 2022 Paper Dr Zhang and Staffan co-authored on the potential of repowering China's CFPPs with nuclear: ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jeners/v15y2022i3p1072-d739738.html• A recent IAEA article on repurposing CFPPs to nuclear: iaea.org/newscenter/news/repurposing-coal-power-plant-sites-with-low-carbon-nuclear
Clean Hydrogens Missing Trillions - Audioblog 13 Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-05-16 | The 5th Hydrogen Energy Ministerial in Tokyo announced that by 2030, the world would produce and use 90 million tonnes of renewable and low-carbon hydrogen. Then, last year, the 6th Hydrogen Energy Ministerial not only reiterated the 90 million tonne target, but went further, promising that the overall market for hydrogen would grow to 150 million tonnes by 2030. All very exciting, and it helped to ensure that hydrogen was one of the hot topics at COP 28 in Dubai a few months later. But these targets are unachievable. The issue is simple: it's money. The biggest challenge facing low emission hydrogen is that it is expensive to produce, expensive to transport, expensive to store, expensive to distribute, and expensive to use. Whether you're switching existing users to clean hydrogen or pushing hydrogen into sectors where it's not currently used, it takes money - and lots of it. In this week's episode of Cleaning Up, we find how much and how much more governments would have to spend for hydrogen to live up to its hype. This audio blog is adapted from a piece Michael wrote at the end of last year for BloombergNEF, entitled "Clean Hydrogen's Missing Trillions", which estimated that hitting the Hydrogen Energy Ministerial target of 90 million tonnes of clean energy by 2030 would require subsidies of at least $2.3 trillion to be on the table right now, while the actual figure at the end of last year was 1/10th of that. Although the figures have changed a bit since then, the message remains the same: the subsidy gap remains in the multiple trillions of dollars. It should not therefore be surprising that the news is full of projects being cancelled and delayed. In fact, that will be one of the main hydrogen stories through to 2030 and beyond.Please like, subscribe and leave a review. Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram, and sign up for the Cleaning Up newsletter at https://cleaninguppod.substack.com. Find our archive of over 160 hours of conversations with extraordinary climate leaders at https://cleaningup.live.LinksMichael's December 2023 BloombergNEF piece - "Clean Hydrogen's Missing Trillions", on which this audio blog is based: about.bnef.com/blog/liebreich-clean-hydrogens-missing-trillionsMichael's September 2023 BloombergNEF Piece - "The Five Horsemen of the Transition": about.bnef.com/blog/liebreich-net-zero-will-be-harder-than-you-think-and-easier-part-i-harderMichael's December 2022 BloombergNEF piece - "The Unbearable Lightness of Hydrogen": about.bnef.com/blog/liebreich-the-unbearable-lightness-of-hydrogenThe Chair's Summary of the 6th Hydrogen Energy Ministerial: hem-2023.nedo.go.jp/wp-content/themes/suiso2023--THEME/files/charis-summary-en.pdfThe US National Petroleum Council Report - "Harnessing Hydrogen": harnessinghydrogen.npc.orgThe PwC Report - "Navigating the Global Hydrogen Ecosystem": strategyand.pwc.com/de/en/industries/energy-utilities/navigating-the-hydrogen-ecosystem.htmlThe IEA's 2023 Net Zero Roadmap: iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/13dab083-08c3-4dfd-a887-42a3ebe533bc/NetZeroRoadmap_AGlobalPathwaytoKeepthe1.5CGoalinReach-2023Update.pdfThe IEA's Global Hydrogen Review: iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/8d434960-a85c-4c02-ad96-77794aaa175d/GlobalHydrogenReview2023.pdfRelated EpisodesAudioblog 11 - The Five Horsemen of the Transition: https://www.cleaningup.live/audioblog-11-net-zero-will-be-harder-than-you-think-and-easier-part-i-harder-1/Audioblog 8- The Unbearable Lightness of Hydrogen: https://www.cleaningup.live/cleaning-up-audioblog-episode-8-the-unbearable-lightness-of-hydrogen/
How to Win a Climate Election - Ep162: Simon Holmes à Court Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-05-08 | Up this week is Simon Holmes à Court, the Australian investor and philanthropist with a passion for using data to change the world. In 2022, the federal elections in Australia delivered an upset, as around a third of the electorate turned their back on the established parties and voted in seven new independent MPs taking the total to 10. Simon was responsible for a crowdfunding initiative - Climate 200 - that supported 23 candidates in all, pledging to act on climate, political integrity and gender discrimination. He remains very involved in the challenge of pivoting Australia from a fossil fuel based economy to a clean energy superpower.Simon is an energy analyst, clean-tech investor, climate philanthropist, and director of the Smart Energy Council and the Australian Environmental Grantmakers Network. He was co-founder of the Australian Wind Alliance and inaugural chair of the Melbourne Energy Institute’s Advisory Board. He is a respected commentator on the economic, political and engineering aspects of Australia’s energy transition.Please like, subscribe and leave a review. Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram, and sign up for the Cleaning Up newsletter at https://cleaninguppod.substack.com. Links and more:• Simon's 2022 book The Big Teal: https://publishing.monash.edu/product/the-big-teal/• Simon's ABC interview on the success of Climate 200 in the wake of the 2022 elections: youtube.com/watch?v=t3Mhz6b7cg4• Simon's 2021 talk - Independents and Climate - The Hope to End the Lost Decade: youtube.com/watch?v=RN_-1eLbLL8• Simon's 2018 op-ed which triggered his expulsion from Kooyong 200: theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/apr/09/why-liddell-is-likely-to-close-in-2022-and-why-you-shouldnt-care• The Superpower Institute, working for Australian leadership in the transition: https://www.superpowerinstitute.com.au/
How Lily Cole Models Climate Solutions | Ep161 Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-05-01 | How can we build a more united climate movement? What should be the role of geoengineering? And how can indigenous voices be brought into the climate conversation?Bryony puts these questions to model, actor, director, ambassador and businesswoman, Lily Cole. Lily's career began at age 14 when she was recruited as a model, pitching her into the high-octane world of fashion. She remains a self-confessed geek, however, and completed her studies including a degree from Cambridge University. In 2016, she started researching a book ‘Who Cares Wins,’ which was published in 2020. In both the book and the podcast that followed, she gives a platform to a wide range of people, always seeking to see both sides of the many debates, and also to inspire optimism thanks to the wide range of solutions that are out there, be they technologically driven, or founded on ancient traditions and wisdoms.Please like, subscribe and leave a review. Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram, and sign up for the Cleaning Up newsletter at https://cleaninguppod.substack.com. Links and more:• Lily’s website: lilycole.com• Who Cares Wins: Lily’s book (lilycole.com/the-book) and podcast (lilycole.com/podcast) • The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt: londonreviewbookshop.co.uk/stock/the-righteous-mind-why-good-people-are-divided-by-politics-and-religion-jonathan-haidt• The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber and David Wengrow: penguin.co.uk/books/314162/the-dawn-of-everything-by-wengrow-david-graeber-and-david/9780141991061• Carbon capture diamonds: skydiamond.com• Bryony’s recommended documentary on diamonds: youtube.com/watch?v=nHIGGdxZe64
How China Became a Green Finance Superpower - Ep160: Dr. Ma Jun Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-04-24 | Welcome to Season 12 of Cleaning Up! To know the future of climate action, you have to understand China, and you have to understand finance. There is no one better to share insights on both than Dr. Ma Jun, Founder and President of the Institute of Finance and Sustainability in Beijing.Between 2014 and 2020, Dr. Ma served as Chief Economist and then Member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the People’s Bank of China. Over the subsequent years, he played a key role in the development of sustainable finance in China and around the world. He led the drafting of China’s green finance and green bond guidelines; he led work on green finance at the G20; he pushed for the greening of China’s Belt and Road initiative; he set up initiatives with the global accounting and standards bodies; and he helped enlist the world’s major financial centres in the drive to green the capital markets. Dr. Ma is a towering figure in the area of green finance in China and in the world, and provides an invaluable perspective on one of the most significant players in the clean energy transition.Please like, subscribe and leave a review. Follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram, and sign up for the Cleaning Up newsletter at https://cleaninguppod.substack.com. Links and related episodes:• Dr. Ma’s 2017 book — “The Economics of Air Pollution in China: Achieving Better and Cleaner Growth” jstor.org/stable/10.7312/ma--17494• Dr. Ma and Simon Zadek — Decarbonizing the Belt and Road climateworks.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/BRI_Exec_Summary_v10-screen_pages_lo-1.pdf• Episode 14 with Jonathan Maxwell – Cheaper, Cleaner, More Reliable https://www.cleaningup.live/episode-14-jonathan-maxwell/• Episode 113 with Jonathan Maxwell — Checkpoint 2023: Energy Efficiency Investment https://www.cleaningup.live/ep113-jonathan-maxwell-checkpoint-2023-energy-efficiency-investment/• Episode 153 with Lauri Myllivyrta — Shedding Light on Energy's Dirty Secrets https://www.cleaningup.live/shedding-light-on-energys-dirty-secrets-ep153-lauri-myllyvirta/• Episode 84 with Mark Carney — The 130 Trillion-Dollar Man https://www.cleaningup.live/ep84-mark-carney-matching-net-zero-supply-and-demand/• Episode 145 with Professor Avinash Persaud – The Bridgetown Initiator https://www.cleaningup.live/the-bridgetown-initiator-ep145-prof-avinash-persaud/
Rounding Up Season 11 - Ep159: Bryony and Michael Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-04-03 | Bryony and Michael round up the eleventh season of Cleaning Up this week. They explore the themes running through the episodes, from theories of change to innovation, and discuss the things that surprised them, the moments they liked (or didn't) and reasons for optimism for the transition. Links:Ep149: Material World - Ed Conway: https://www.cleaningup.live/material-world-ep149-ed-conway/Ep150: Selling Sustainability - Solitaire Townsend: https://www.cleaningup.live/selling-sustainability-ep150-solitaire-townsend/Ep151: Redesigning Mining - Mark Cutifani: https://www.cleaningup.live/redesigning-mining-ep151-mark-cutifani/Ep152: Can We Have a Habitable Planet? - David Wallace-Wells: https://www.cleaningup.live/can-we-have-an-habitable-planet-ep152-david-wallace-wells/Ep153: Shedding Light on Energy's Dirty Secrets - Lauri Myllyvirta: https://www.cleaningup.live/shedding-light-on-energys-dirty-secrets-ep153-lauri-myllyvirta/Ep154: Green Heat (And Cooling) Under Our Feet - Tamsin Lishman: https://www.cleaningup.live/green-heat-and-cooling-under-our-feet-ep154-tamsin-lishman/Ep155: Extreme Electrochemistry - Prof. Donald Sadoway: https://www.cleaningup.live/extreme-electrochemistry-for-a-sustainable-future-ep155-prof-donald-sadoway/Ep156: A Magnificent Woman And Her Flying Machines - Bonny Simi: https://www.cleaningup.live/a-magnificent-woman-and-her-flying-machines-ep156-bonny-simi/A11: The Five Horsemen of the Transition: https://www.cleaningup.live/audioblog-11-net-zero-will-be-harder-than-you-think-and-easier-part-i-harder-1/A12: The Five Superheroes of the Transition: https://www.cleaningup.live/audioblog-12-net-zero-will-be-harder-than-you-think-and-easier-part-ii-easier/Ep157: The Methane Hunters - Sebastien Biraud & Sharon Wilson: https://www.cleaningup.live/the-methane-hunters-ep157-dr-sebastien-biraud-sharon-wilson/Ep 158: Absolutely Electrifying - Saul Griffith: https://www.cleaningup.live/absolutely-electrifying-ep158-saul-griffith/
Absolutely Electrifying - Ep158: Saul Griffith Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-03-27 | Michael chats with Saul Griffith, Australian-born engineer, inventor, advisor, author and 2007 MacArthur "Genius". He specialises in clean and renewable energy technologies, and has founded a dozen technology companies across 20 years in Silicon Valley, as well as authoring 3 books, including `Electrify', and `The Big Switch'. He has recently turned his attention from Otherlab, his independent Research and Development lab, to policy work and writing, including founding Rewiring America and Rewiring Australia, non-partisan organisations dedicated to electrification and decarbonisation and the associated policy and regulatory implications of meeting our climate goals.Saul received his Ph.D. at MIT in the junction between materials science and information theory. Prior to MIT, he studied in Sydney, Australia and at UC Berkeley in metallurgical engineering.Links:Buy Saul's 2022 book Electrify: An Optimist's Playbook for Our Clean Energy Future: https://mitpress.mit.edu/9780262545044/electrify/Buy Saul's The Big Switch: Australia’s Electric Future: amazon.co.uk/Big-Switch-Australias-Electric-Future-ebook/dp/B09QFQHF8WBuy Saul's 2023 extended essay: https://www.quarterlyessay.com.au/essay/2023/03/the-wires-that-bindRelated EpisodesThe Bridgetown Initiator - Ep145: Prof Avinash Persaud: https://www.cleaningup.live/the-bridgetown-initiator-ep145-prof-avinash-persaud/Audioblog 12: The 5 Superheroes of the Transition: https://www.cleaningup.live/audioblog-12-net-zero-will-be-harder-than-you-think-and-easier-part-ii-easier/
Leaking Methane Needs an Urgent Fix - Ep157: Dr. Sebastien Biraud & Sharon Wilson Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-03-20 | Bryony speaks to two fascinating guests, both specialising in methane emissions, their causes and impacts.Dr. Sebastien Biraud is a biogeochemist, leading the Climate Sciences Department. Sebastien's work has taken him to the tropical rainforests of the Amazon, the great plains of the United States, and the Arctic tundra. He is currently co-leading/leading projects for the U.S. Department of Energy and the California Energy Commission. These projects involve integrating and applying high-precision greenhouse gas observations to advance research on the atmospheric carbon cycle and to enhance measurement, reporting, and verification of greenhouse gas emissions.Sharon is a 5th generation Texan who, after 12 years working for the oil and gas industry in Ft. Worth, left and bought 42 acres in Wise County. Unknown to her at the time was that George Mitchell was experimenting in Wise County to figure out how to produce oil and gas from shale. She had a ringside seat at the sneak preview called Fracking Impacts. This experience prompted her to join Earthworks’, working on their Oil & Gas Accountability Project in 2010. In 2014, she became a certified optical gas imaging thermographer and now travels across the U.S. making visible the invisible methane pollution from oil and gas facilities through her non-profit, Oilfield Witness, and giving tours to media, Members of Congress, state lawmakers, regulators, and investment bankers. LinksExplore Sharon's work at Oilfield Witness here: oilfieldwitness.orgView Oilfield Witness' award-winning documentary here: youtube.com/watch?v=dMT2ESXlZ14Read Sebastien's interview about his work for the Berkeley Lab News Centre here: newscenter.lbl.gov/2021/11/10/methanes-short-lifespan-presents-golden-opportunity-to-quickly-address-climate-changeRead about EDF's MethaneSAT, a recently-launched satellite to track global methane emissions: ft.com/content/d3d8e7fe-4f0f-4eaf-9bc3-ae99b3fa322aLearn more about MethaneSAT here: methanesat.orgRelated EpisodesTackling Super Pollutants - Ep146: Jason Anderson: https://www.cleaningup.live/tackling-super-pollutants-ep146-jason-anderson/
Why Net Zero Will be Easier Than You Think — The Five Superheroes of the Transition Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-03-13 | This week, Michael presents the second part of his two-parter for Bloomberg New Energy Finance, exploring the bear and bull cases for the net zero transition. This week is the bull case: the "5 superheroes" of the transition, 5 forces/trends even more powerful than last week's "5 horsemen", which can prevail in the challenge of rapidly decarbonising the global economy. The 5 superheroes are: Exponential Growth, Systems Solutions, Great Power Competition, Disappearing Demand, and the Primary Energy Fallacy. And stay tuned until the end for a 6th "bonus" superhero!This audioblog is based on Michael's Bloomberg New Energy Finance opinion piece of the same title. LinksRead the original BNEF piece on which this audio blog was based: about.bnef.com/blog/liebreich-net-zero-will-be-harder-than-you-think-and-easier-part-ii-easierRead the latest IEA Renewables Report 2023: iea.org/news/massive-expansion-of-renewable-power-opens-door-to-achieving-global-tripling-goal-set-at-cop28Read the 2017 research paper - Limits to Growth in the Renewable Energy Sector: sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032119305143Read Michael's 2018 piece for BNEF - Beyond Three Thirds, The Road to Deep Decarbonisation: about.bnef.com/blog/liebreich-beyond-three-thirds-road-deep-decarbonizationRead the research review by Hans Eric Melin on the reuse and recycling rates of lithium-ion batteries: https://www.energimyndigheten.se/globalassets/forskning--innovation/overgripande/state-of-the-art-in-reuse-and-recycling-of-lithium-ion-batteries-2019.pdfRead Michael Barnard's analysis of the proportion of global shipping linked to the fossil fuel industry: forbes.com/sites/michaelbarnard/2023/12/05/how-will-climate-action-change-the-face-of-global-shipping/?sh=73844bc869d0View the Lawrence Livermore Sankey Diagram showing estimated US energy flows in 2022: flowcharts.llnl.govRead the first part of this BNEF piece on the "5 horsemen" of the transition: about.bnef.com/blog/liebreich-net-zero-will-be-harder-than-you-think-and-easier-part-i-harderRelated EpisodesAudioblog 11: Net Zero Will Be Harder Than You Think - And Easier. Part 1: Harder: https://www.cleaningup.live/audioblog-11-net-zero-will-be-harder-than-you-think-and-easier-part-i-harder-1/Audioblog 10: The Next Half-Trillion-Dollar Market – Electrification of Heat: https://www.cleaningup.live/cleaning-up-audioblog-episode-10-the-next-half-trillion-dollar-market-electrification-of-heat/
Why Net Zero Will be Harder Than You Think — The Five Horsemen of the Transition Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-03-06 | Michael is solo this week on Cleaning Up, outlining the "5 horsemen" of the net-zero transition - the five greatest obstacles to the net zero transition. These 5 horsemen are: the economics of energy solutions, the electrical grid, the demand for critical mineral, political and social inertia, predatory delay by the powerful incumbents. This audioblog is based on Michael's Bloomberg New Energy Finance opinion piece of the same title.LinksRead the original essay here: about.bnef.com/blog/liebreich-net-zero-will-be-harder-than-you-think-and-easier-part-i-harderRead Michael's 2022 essay, 'The Quest for Resilience – What Could Possibly Go Wrong?' here: about.bnef.com/blog/liebreich-the-quest-for-resilience-what-could-possibly-go-wrongRead Michael's 2023 essay, 'The Next Half-Trillion-Dollar Market – Electrification of Heat': about.bnef.com/blog/liebreich-the-next-half-trillion-dollar-market-electrification-of-heatRead Bloomberg NEF's 2022 New Energy Outlook: about.bnef.com/new-energy-outlookRead the IEA's report on the role of critical minerals in the transition: iea.org/reports/the-role-of-critical-minerals-in-clean-energy-transitionsRead the IPSOS report study - 'What Worries the World'?: ipsos.com/sites/default/files/ct/news/documents/2022-06/Global-Summary_What-Worries-the-World.pdfRead Simon Michaux's report on the required quantity of critical minerals for net zero: https://www.gtk.fi/en/current/gtk-research-the-currently-known-global-mineral-reserves-will-not-be-sufficient-to-supply-enough-metals-to-manufacture-the-planned-non-fossil-fuel-industrial-systems/Read Part 2 of this two-parter, on the "5 superheroes" of the transition: about.bnef.com/blog/liebreich-net-zero-will-be-harder-than-you-think-and-easier-part-ii-easierRelated EpisodesReview Ep141 with Naomi Oreskes - Lifting the Curtain on Climate Change Denial: https://www.cleaningup.live/lifting-the-curtain-on-climate-change-denial-ep-141-prof-naomi-oreskes/
A Magnificent Woman And Her Flying Machines - Ep156: Bonny Simi Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-02-28 | Bryony returns with Bonny Simi, President of Operations at Joby Aviation, where she's working on bringing to market a new civilian electric VTOL (eVTOL) aircraft. Prior to joining the team at Joby, Bonny held several operational and strategic roles at JetBlue Most notably, she founded and led JetBlue Technology Ventures, investing in improving the travel, hospitality, and transportation industries. As a pilot, Bonny has commanded Boeing, Airbus and Embraer aircraft at both United Airlines and JetBlue Airways. She is also an Emmy-nominated sports reporter and a 3-time Olympian in the sport of Luge.She holds a BA in Communications, a MS in Management and a MS in Engineering, all from Stanford University, as well as a MS in Human Resources from Regis University.Links• Explore Joby's website here: jobyaviation.com• You can watch more footage of Joby's eVTOL aircraft here: youtube.com/@JobyAviation/featured• Read about Joby's partnership with the US DoD here: jobyaviation.com/news/joby-delivers-first-evtol-edwards• Hear Bonny talk more about her lessons from competing in luge: youtube.com/watch?v=bj9Ey6fdnT0• Listen to the theme song from Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines (the title inspiration for this episode!): youtube.com/watch?v=UPgS26ZhqZs
Extreme Electrochemistry for a Sustainable Future - Ep155: Prof Donald Sadoway Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-02-21 | Michael returns to talk with legendary educator and inventor, Donald Sadoway, Professor Emeritus of Materials Chemistry at MIT. After earning his PhD in chemical metallurgy in 1977 at the University of Toronto, he joined the faculty at MIT where he spent 44 years. For 16 of those, he taught 3.091 (Introduction to Solid-State Chemistry)—and his animated lectures, peppered with references to music, art, and literature—doubtless contributed to the subject’s popularity. Among the many accolades bestowed on Professor Sadoway in his 44 years as a teacher and researcher at MIT was a compliment by Bill Gates: “best chemistry lessons anywhere. Unbelievable.” In 2012, for the invention of the liquid metal battery, he was named by Time magazine one of the “100 Most Influential People in the World.” He has founded several hard tech startups, including Ambri, Avanti Battery Company, Pure Lithium and Boston Metal. Links Review Donald's 2012 TED talk, "The Missing Link to Renewable Energy" here: ted.com/talks/donald_sadoway_the_missing_link_to_renewable_energy?language=enExplore Avanti Battery Company's tech here: https://avanti.energyExplore Ambri's tech here: ambri.comExplore Pure Lithium's tech here: purelithium.ioExplore Boston Metal's tech here: bostonmetal.comExplore Sadoway Labs' research here: sadowaylabs.orgTake Prof Sadoway's course, 3.091 - Introduction to Solid State Chemistry - here: https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/3-091sc-introduction-to-solid-state-chemistry-fall-2010/ Related Episodes Metals Refining - From Mining to Brining - Ep142: Alex Grant: https://www.cleaningup.live/metals-refining-from-mining-to-brining-ep-142-alex-grant/Iron-Air Man - Ep144: Mateo Jaramillo: https://www.cleaningup.live/iron-air-man-ep144-mateo-jaramillo/
Green Heat (And Cooling) Under Our Feet - Ep154: Tamsin Lishman Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-02-14 | Tamsin Lishman joins Bryony this week to talk heat pumps. Tamsin is CEO of Kensa Group, a Cornwall-based manufacturer and installer of ground source heat pumps. Kensa is the UK's only manufacturer of ground source heat pumps. Both air source and ground source heat pumps are rapidly growing technologies, and Tamsin believes that Kensa's heat pumps can - and will - be deployed to electrify domestic heating in the UK. On a recent episode of Cleaning Up, Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the IEA, argued that heat pumps are "the closest thing to a silver bullet" we have in the race to net-zero. In over two decades, Kensa has saved over 1 million tonnes of carbon through ground source heat pump installations. The Kensa Group is partly owned by Legal & General Capital, part of Legal & General PLC, and Octopus Energy.Tamsin was appointed CEO of Kensa Group in July 2023. Previously, she had stints at EnergyNest and Centrica. She holds a Master of Engineering from Oxford University.LinksSee Kensa's website here: thekensagroup.comRead the IEA's report on the future of heat pumps: iea.org/reports/the-future-of-heat-pumps(For UK viewers) Check out the UK government's tool to see if a heat pump could be suitable for your home: gov.uk/check-heat-pumpRead this Guardian piece on heat pump installations in the UK: theguardian.com/business/2024/jan/08/greener-cheaper-much-warmer-heat-pump-owners-laud-their-new-systemRead about Kensa's recent fundraise of £70m from Octopus and Legal&General, with the help of EcoPragma Capital, here: kensaheatpumps.com/news-blog/pump-it-up-octopus-energy-and-legal-general-make-britains-biggest-investment-in-ground-source-heat-pumps
Shedding Light on Energys Dirty Secrets - Ep153: Lauri Myllyvirta Cleaning Up Podcast 2024-02-08 | Michael sits down this week with Lauri Myllyvirta, co-founder and lead analyst at CREA - the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air. After working as a campaigner and then as an analyst at Greenpeace, Lauri helped set up CREA, an NGO that produces research reports on the trends, causes, health impacts, and solutions to air pollution. Importantly, CREA makes extensive reference to local-language evidence sources - helped by Lauri's impressive knowledge of European and Asian languages.Lauri has degrees in economics from Helsinki University and in environmental science from University of Jyvaskyla.Links:• Read the BBC's recent articles highlighting CREA's research on the UK's Russian oil sanctions: bbc.co.uk/news/business-68018660• And read the original CREA report here: energyandcleanair.org/publication/evading-the-sanctions-uk-imports-oil-products-made-from-russian-crude• Read CREA's report on the surge in coal power in China in 2023: energyandcleanair.org/publication/chinas-new-coal-power-spree-continues-as-more-provinces-jump-on-the-bandwagon• Read CREA's report on the health impacts of delaying coal decommissioning in South Africa: energyandcleanair.org/publication/health-impacts-of-delaying-coal-power-plant-decommissioning-in-south-africa• Read CREA's report on the recent spree of coal plant permitting in India: energyandcleanair.org/publication/india-enters-an-unnecessary-coal-plant-permitting-spree-in-2023• Read CREA's report on the state of Indonesia's transition: energyandcleanair.org/publication/emerging-captive-coal-power-in-indonesia• Explore all of CREA's reports here: energyandcleanair.org/publications
