Catalyst with Shayle Kann Latitude Media

Rare earth elements (REEs) are essential ingredients in electric vehicles, wind turbines, and many electronics. As with most critical minerals, China controls the vast majority of the REE supply chain. And so when it banned the export of REE processing technology last December, it raised concerns about supply.
So what will it take to secure the supply of REEs? 
In this episode, Shayle talks to Ahmad Ghahreman, CEO and cofounder of Cyclic Metals, a rare earth elements recycling company. (Energy Impact Partners, where Shayle is a partner, invests in Cyclic). They cover topics like:

The five high-value REEs used in the permanent magnets inside EVs, wind turbines, and other electronics

The many steps in the supply chain, from extraction to end-of-life

Building magnets without REEs

Increasing production outside of China

The role of recycling

Why Ahmad is optimistic about developing a supply chain in North America


Recommended Resources:
MIT Technology Review: The race to produce rare earth elements
IEEE Spectrum: Who Will Free EV Motors from the Rare Earth Monopoly?

A little-known U.S. law called the Jones Act shapes climate tech in weird ways — like hindering offshore wind deployment and pushing up energy prices.
The law, part of the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, requires all cargo shipped between U.S. ports to be carried by ships that meet strict standards. Those ships must be built in American shipyards, owned by an American company, registered in the U.S., and crewed by a majority American crew. As a result, building cargo ships in the U.S., and operating them between U.S. ports, is way more expensive than building and operating ships in other countries — and relatively few U.S. ships get built.
So what are the impacts on climate tech?
In this episode, Shayle talks to Colin Grabow, research fellow at the Cato Institute's Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies. They cover topics like:

How the Jones Act increases the money and time required to deploy offshore wind turbines

Why it costs less to ship U.S. oil and gas abroad than to domestic markets

How it pushes domestic shipping to rely on trucks and trains instead of ships

The history of the act and potential ways it could change


Recommended Resources:


WIRED: The US Has Big Plans for Wind Energy—but an Obscure 1920s Law Is Getting in the Way


Cato Institute: Jones Act Leaves New England Vulnerable to Wintertime Calamity


Cato Institute: Environmental Costs of the Jones Act


Are growing concerns over AI’s power demand justified? Join us for our upcoming Transition-AI event featuring three experts with a range of views on how to address the energy needs of hyperscale computing, driven by artificial intelligence. Don’t miss this live, virtual event on May 8.

This week we’re bringing you a deep dive into battery supply chains — the season premier of The Big Switch, a show that Latitude Media makes in partnership with Columbia University’s SIPA Center on Global Energy Policy.
Across this five-episode documentary series, hosted by the acclaimed energy scholar Dr. Melissa Lott, we examine every step of the sprawling global supply chains behind lithium-ion batteries.
In this first episode, we break apart one of the battery cells that was in the original Tesla Roadster. Then we explore how critical minerals, like copper, lithium, and nickel, are becoming a major force in global geopolitics, especially involving China, which dominates battery supply chains.
The supply chain behind all those batteries could be worth nearly half a trillion dollars by 2030. Whoever controls that supply chain has enormous power — figuratively and literally. 
In this episode, we explore the stakes of the battery-based transition and ask whether critical minerals will look anything like oil.
To listen to the full five-part series, including episodes on mining, manufacturing and more, subscribe to The Big Switch on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

The lithium-ion battery business is taking off, and the battery recycling business is close behind. Financiers are pouring over a billion dollars into recycling companies like Redwood Materials, Ascend Elements, and Li-Cycle. But success depends on a steady supply of used batteries, and with batteries lasting longer than expected — and the battery market still in its infancy — there just aren’t enough dying batteries to go around. 
As a result, a significant portion of recyclers’ feedstock is coming from manufacturer scrap, i.e. the waste that companies like SK On and Panasonic don’t turn into cells at the factory. But these battery makers are incentivized to minimize waste, which raises big questions about whether recyclers will be able to get enough used batteries to sustainably feed their operations.
So which technologies and business models will succeed in this chapter of the battery industry?
In this episode, Shayle talks to Dan Steingart, chair of the earth and environmental engineering department at Columbia University. (Steingart’s lab gets funding from battery manufacturer Northvolt.) Shayle and Dan cover topics like:

The steps in nickel-manganese-cobalt battery recycling and what Dan calls “zombie lithium”

The differences between pyrometallurgy and hydrometallurgy

Dan’s bet on solvent extraction as an under-appreciated technology

Redwood Materials’ focus on winning the feedstock battle

Ascend Elements’ hydro-to-cathode technology

Li-Cycle’s focus on making inputs for cathode manufacturers

How these recyclers want to compete downstream by producing cathode precursor and cathode material 

Why Dan is surprisingly bearish on direct recycling for lithium-iron-phosphate

Recommended Resources:
Nature Sustainability: Examining different recycling processes for lithium-ion batteries
Latitude Media: What’s so hard about building a circular battery economy?
Are growing concerns over AI’s power demand justified? Join us for our upcoming Transition-AI event featuring three experts with a range of views on how to address the energy needs of hyperscale computing, driven by artificial intelligence. Don’t miss this live, virtual event on May 8.

The electricity gauntlet we covered last year has been having a moment in the national spotlight, with coverage of rising load growth in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and the Washington Post. 
On one side of the gauntlet, demand for electricity is rising, driven by new loads like EVs, data centers, and electrification. On the other side, electricity supply is slow to grow, bogged down by years-long interconnection queues, the immense challenges of building transmission, and other bottlenecks. And utilities are stuck in the middle, struggling to deliver enough power to meet that rising demand.
These challenges have been brewing for years, but the AI race is supercharging demand as big tech companies seek out power for their growing data center fleet. 
So what does all this mean for emissions and prices? And what tools do we have to make it through this electricity gauntlet?
In this episode, Shayle talks to his colleague Andy Lubershane, partner and head of research at Energy Impact Partners. Shayle and Andy cover topics like:

Why utilities are building new natural gas plants and keeping coal plants open to meet load growth

How technologies like nuclear, grid-enhancing technologies, geothermal, and multi-day storage could meet load growth with fewer emissions

What utilities can do to prepare new gas plants for carbon-capture and storage

What the gauntlet might do to electricity prices and which customers might be willing to pay higher premiums (data centers, cough cough)

Whether the hype around rising power demand is overblown

Plus, what medieval Swedish spearmen have to do with electricity 


Recommended Resources:
Andy Lubershane: The electricity gauntlet
S&P Global: NERC raises North American power system reliability flags as demand could outstrip supply

Catalyst is supported by Antenna Group. For 25 years, Antenna has partnered with leading clean-economy innovators to build their brands and accelerate business growth. If you’re a startup, investor, enterprise or innovation ecosystem that’s creating positive change, Antenna is ready to power your impact. Visit antennagroup.com to learn more.
Catalyst is brought to you by Atmos Financial. Atmos is revolutionizing finance by leveraging your deposits to exclusively fund decarbonization solutions, like solar and electrification. Join in under 2 minutes at joinatmos.com/catalyst.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission approved new rules this month on what information companies must disclose about their greenhouse gas emissions and climate risks, but notably dropped more stringent requirements that the commission initially proposed. 
Despite being halted by lawsuits, the rules are a significant win for climate transparency. But they’re not as strong as existing climate disclosure regulations in California and the European Union, where many multinational corporations do business anyway.
So how big of a deal are the new SEC rules?
In this episode, Shayle talks to Mallory Thomas, risk advisory partner at consulting and accounting firm Baker Tilly US. The two talk about the details of the new rules and cover topics like:

The rules’ requirements for disclosing greenhouse gasses and climate risks

How the rules compare to European Union’s Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive and California’s twin climate disclosure laws


Which companies are required to comply and under what conditions

How standardized reporting may help with comparability across companies 


Recommended resources:
Baker Tilly: SEC announces final rules for climate-related disclosures
Deloitte: A landmark ruling for ESG disclosure requirements
Reuters: US climate rule will boost sustainable accounting industry
Catalyst is supported by Antenna Group. For 25 years, Antenna has partnered with leading clean-economy innovators to build their brands and accelerate business growth. If you’re a startup, investor, enterprise or innovation ecosystem that’s creating positive change, Antenna is ready to power your impact. Visit antennagroup.com to learn more.
Catalyst is brought to you by Atmos Financial. Atmos is revolutionizing finance by leveraging your deposits to exclusively fund decarbonization solutions, like solar and electrification. Join in under 2 minutes at joinatmos.com/catalyst.