Energy Gang

Wood Mackenzie
  • 5.0 (13)
  • TECH NEWS
  • TWICE MONTHLY
Energy Gang

Bi-weekly discussions on the latest trends in energy, cleantech, renewables, and the environment from Wood Mackenzie. Hosted by Ed Crooks.

  1. 4 MAR

    Flexible, fast-responding and reliable – the growth of energy storage seems unstoppable. What could possibly go wrong?

    Charge when it’s cheap, when energy is abundant, and discharge when the energy is needed.  The role of energy storage will be critical to the transition to low-carbon technologies. It’s an exciting time in the industry, with spectacular growth in battery storage markets in the US and around the world, and it’s predicted to continue. “We’re in the hockey stick growth phase,” says Swetha Sundaram, VP of solar and BESS (battery energy storage systems) at RWE, and a co-author of ‘The BESS Book’. She joins Ed Crooks on the show to look at where that growth is coming from.  The systems being built today mostly use lithium-ion technologies to store energy for a few hours. But there are huge opportunities for long-duration energy storage (LDES), too. The LDES Council, an industry group, estimates that the build-out of up to 8 TW of potential power supply from long-duration storage by 2040 represents a $4 trillion investment opportunity. Julia Souder is CEO of the LDES council, and she’s also on the show to talk about the next generation of storage.  Julia, Swetha and Ed are also joined by Energy Gang regular Melissa Lott, a Partner General Manager at Microsoft. She’s a PhD energy systems engineer, and she explains the different roles short and long-duration energy storage will have in the energy transition and the power grid of the future. Follow the show wherever you’re listening, and reach out to us with feedback – we’re @energygangshow. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    57 min

  2. 18 FEB

    What do President Trump’s tariffs mean for energy? | The view from Washington and Canada

    In 2018, President Donald Trump said “I’m a tariff man”, declaring they were the way to make America rich again. Six years on and just weeks into his second term, he is putting that philosophy into practice. President Trump has announced a barrage of new and increased tariffs on imports into the US, including a 10% levy on all goods from China. He has threatened 25% tariffs on imports from Canda and Mexico, although those were put on hold for a month. And he has announced a strategy of reciprocal tariffs, promising to match other countries’ barriers to imports from the US with equivalent levies on their exports. It is a time of turbulence. What does it mean for the energy transition?   To analyse what all these actual and threatened tariffs mean for energy security, the economy and the climate, host Ed Crooks – Vice-Chair for the Americas at Wood Mackenzie - is joined by three policy experts from the US and Canada. Samantha Gross is the director of the Energy Security and Climate Initiative at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC. Joseph Majkut is director of the Energy Security and Climate Change Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. And Andrew Leach is an energy and environmental economist at the University of Alberta.  Together they discuss the Trump administration’s strategy, and where it might lead. How do the tariff plans align with President Trump’s goals for boosting energy production and driving down prices for consumers? What happens to complex international supply chains as tariffs rise? And where does this leave the global effort to curb greenhouse gas emissions? Samantha Gross says the situation is ‘”rotten for the climate”. Does she have a point? Let us know what you think. We’re on X, at @theenergygang. Make sure you’re following the show so you don’t miss an episode – we’ll be back in two weeks, Tuesday morning at 7am eastern time. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    1 hr

  3. 4 FEB

    What does DeepSeek AI mean for energy?

    It’s a historic moment in energy, with a leap forward in AI technology coming as the Trump administration sets a new direction for the US. The Energy Gang break down what it all means. When they make The Energy Transition – The Movie, the week of 27th January 2025 will be a pivotal scene. The Chinese AI company DeepSeek sent shockwaves through stock markets, as it revealed its model that apparently is capable of better performance than its competitors at a fraction of the cost.  Host Ed Crooks talks through the implications for energy with regulars Amy Myers Jaffe of New York University and Melissa Lott of Microsoft. Together they discuss the market reactions to the launch of DeepSeek, shifting forecasts for AI demand, and the implications for the industry and for government. President Donald Trump has come into office putting emphasis on the importance of energy supplies for AI as a matter of national security. His administration wants more “baseload” power. But there is a debate on what that word means for a modern electricity system, and whether it even has any relevance. Do modern solutions for grid stability make talk of baseload power obsolete in 2025? Finally the gang review the flurry of executive orders signed by President Trump. Climate change is off the agenda as a priority for the US administration. What does that mean for energy, in the US and around the world? Follow The Energy Gang wherever you get your podcasts and go to woodmac.com/podcasts for more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    1h 3m

  4. 22 JAN

    Does clean hydrogen have a future? Finding a role for hydrogen in a low-carbon energy economy

    Does clean hydrogen have a future? Finding a role for hydrogen in a low-carbon energy economy.

    1h 9m

  5. 8 JAN

    What can we expect from energy in 2025? The people, places and technologies to watch this year

    Host Ed Crooks is joined by regulars Amy Myers Jaffe and Melissa Lott to share their predictions for energy in 2025. They discuss the policy changes expected from Washington under the Trump administration, the crucial role for California as a leader in clean energy, the exciting new technologies that may be launched or ramped up this year, and the political and business leaders who will be shaping our future. The team also discuss some of the threats and challenges the energy industry could face this year. Amy warns that the wind sector is in trouble; is it really? And what about the wild cards: the unexpected events that could force everyone to reassess their plans? Melissa has concerns about the impacts of extreme weather: how will a warming world affect our lives? As the latest news on bird flu shows, the threat of another deadly pandemic is real; Ed analyses the risks. It’s going to be another tumultuous year in energy. To help make sense of it, get all the insights and analysis from us here. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    1h 4m

  6. 23/12/2024

    The Energy Gang’s Review of the Year in energy

    China’s booming EV industry, AI and clean energy, questions over hydrogen, and the other big stories from 2024. To round off a momentous year for clean energy, Ed Crooks is joined by regulars Melissa Lott and Amy Myers Jaffe to reflect on the highs and lows of 2024. The gang revisit the predictions they made in January, share their highs and lows for the year, and talk about their favourite episodes of 2024. And, as is fast becoming a tradition on the show, we finish the year with some relevant holiday gifts. Some of our predictions for 2024 were spot on, but others were slightly off. The team discuss the continued rise and rise of China’s largest electric vehicle company BYD, and look ahead to what 2025 holds for the EV industry. Amy predicted big things for hydrogen this year, as did Melissa for geothermal. Did these fast-moving sectors hit the heights that they expected? And where do they go from here? There were some real lows in 2024, mostly related to international politics and conflict. But there were also some much more positive trends related to the energy transition, including the spread of low-cost solar panels and battery storage around the world.  As for The Energy Gang: we had plenty of high points through the year. Amy, Melissa and Ed choose the episodes that they most enjoyed taking part in – and listening to – in 2024.  Subscribe to The Energy Gang so you don’t miss the first show of 2025, where Ed, Amy and Melissa will look ahead to what promises to be another massive year for clean energy.    Listen back to the shows mentioned in the episode: •             Is There an Energy Transition? (April) •             Cleantech Entrepreneurs at NYU (Climate Week, September) •             The Future of AI and the Grid (November) The articles Melissa mentioned:  https://www.power-eng.com/renewables/fervo-energy-claims-70-reduction-in-geothermal-drilling-time-2/ https://www.eenews.net/articles/blm-approves-massive-geothermal-project-moves-to-ease-permitting/ This episode is brought to you by Enbridge. Listen to Enbridge and GZERO’s podcast Energized: The Future of Energy at GZEROmedia.com/theenergygang See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    1h 2m

  7. 10/12/2024

    Bonus episode from COP29: Getting real about methane emissions

    More than 100 countries have pledged to cut methane emissions, with not much to show for it so far. What is being done to change that? Methane – the main component of natural gas – is the second most significant greenhouse gas, after carbon dioxide. It accounts for about 30% of all the human-induced warming the world has experienced since the 19th century. At COP26 in 2021, many countries got together to launch the Global Methane Pledge, to drive action on reducing emissions. There are now 111 countries, accounting in total for almost half of global methane emissions, that have signed up to that pledge. Their goal is to reduce global methane emissions by 30% by 2030. So how much progress has been made in the past few years? Not a lot, is the answer. Instead of starting to decline to meet that targeted 30% reduction, methane emissions have actually been going up. At COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, last month, methane was one of the key items on the agenda. Many people there were talking about ideas for bending the curve, to get methane emissions heading in the right direction at last. While he was at the conference, host Ed Crooks talked to Henrique Bezerra, the regional lead for Latin America for the Global Methane Hub. That's an organization backed by philanthropic money that works on practical projects to cut methane emissions. Henrique discusses the options available to tackle the problem. Ed also talked to a key figure working to change one of the largest sources of methane emissions: the global oil and gas industry. Bjorn Otto Sverdrup is the chair of the executive committee for the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative, a group backed by 12 big international oil and gas companies that works on reducing emissions. He's also the head of the secretariat for a larger group that has signed up for the Oil and Gas Decarbonisation Charter. That includes more than 50 big oil and gas groups, including many leading national oil companies from emerging economies, that have pledged to work together to reach net zero emissions from their operations by 2050. What are companies really doing to cut emissions? What strategies and technologies can help detect and prevent leaks of methane? And how can carbon markets play in role in reducing emissions? Ed and his guests discuss those questions, and assess whether their efforts will start to pay off in time to hit the goals that so many countries have set. This episode is brought to you by Enbridge. Listen to Enbridge and GZERO’s podcast Energized: The Future of Energy at GZEROmedia.com/theenergygang See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    37 min

  8. 27/11/2024

    What happened at COP29?

    The climate talks agreed a $300 billion finance deal. Not everyone is happy about it. The COP29 climate talks in Baku, Azerbaijan, finally ended around 5.30am on Sunday morning, almost 36 hours after they had been originally scheduled to close. The good news was that the negotiators representing about 200 countries agreed a deal on climate finance: flows of capital from developed countries to low and middle-income countries, to help them cut emissions and adapt to a warming world. The bad news was that many countries felt the amount agreed – $300 billion a year by 2035 – was much too low. India and other developing countries had suggested a sum of $1 trillion or more a year was needed. Ed Crooks, now back home after attending the talks, is joined by Energy Gang regulars Melissa Lott, the partner general manager for energy technologies at Microsoft, and Amy Harder, the executive editor of the energy and climate news service Cipher. They discuss the outcomes from the negotiations: what was agreed and what it means. We also hear from Amy’s colleague Anca Gurzu, who was following all the action at the talks in Baku. This conference was billed as “the finance COP”. If it had failed to agree a deal on finance, that would have been disastrous for the international effort to tackle climate change through the UNFCCC. But with a deal offering so much less than the amounts that developing countries had been hoping for, where does COP29 mean for the global energy transition? And as we look ahead to the crucial COP30 in Brazil a year from now, can we expect the countries of the world to commit to more ambitious goals for cutting emissions? See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    37 min
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Hosts & Guests

5
out of 5
13 Ratings

About

Bi-weekly discussions on the latest trends in energy, cleantech, renewables, and the environment from Wood Mackenzie. Hosted by Ed Crooks.

Information

  • Creator
    Wood Mackenzie
  • Years Active
    2013 - 2025
  • Episodes
    516
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    Energy Gang

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