59 episodes

The Renewable Energy SmartPod offers an inside look at the people, technologies and trends that are powering the energy transition. If you want to hear more about the role renewables are playing to decarbonize the global economy and combat climate change, this is the podcast for you. Follow us on Twitter @RenewablesPod or sign up for our newsletter: Renewable Energy SmartBrief.

Renewable Energy SmartPod Sean McMahon

    • News
    • 4.9 • 14 Ratings

The Renewable Energy SmartPod offers an inside look at the people, technologies and trends that are powering the energy transition. If you want to hear more about the role renewables are playing to decarbonize the global economy and combat climate change, this is the podcast for you. Follow us on Twitter @RenewablesPod or sign up for our newsletter: Renewable Energy SmartBrief.

    Powin's Mike Wietecki Discusses Trends in the Battery Energy Storage Sector

    Powin's Mike Wietecki Discusses Trends in the Battery Energy Storage Sector

    The battery energy storage sector was already in a strong position before the Inflation Reduction Act. Now, the industry is charging up for a boom.

    Mike Wietecki, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Regulatory Affairs at Powin, joins the show to share his insights on the technology and trends that are driving energy storage growth. Mike does a deep dive on how the Inflation Reduction Act is providing additional momentum for the sector, including how investment tax credits related to labor, location and domestic content are having a big impact on manufacturing.

    Mike also delves into the jobs-related politics of renewables and the IRA; and how Powin is working with companies like IKEA to create a blueprint for the expansion of the battery energy storage market. 

    Highlights from Mike Wietecki

    Basics about battery energy storage - (2:41)
    Powin's current customer base - (7:15)
    Common questions from customers about energy storage - (8:34)
    How Powin keeps the lights on in Sydney, Australia - (11:10)
    How the Inflation Reduction Act has supercharged the battery sector - (13:20)
    The importance of IRA guidance related to domestic content - (15:41)
    Powin's current manufacturing footprint - (19:43)
    The crucial role the Department of Energy's Loan Programs Office - (21:05)
    Untangling supply chain issues - (22:14)
    Political headwinds - (25:00)
    Why speed is key for IRA projects - (27:22)
    Creating a battery blueprint with coporate partners like IKEA - (29:25)
    Batteries boosting grid resiliency in places like Texas and Califronia - (32:20)
    Mike's bold predicitons - (33:54)
    Biden administration's risky IRA politics - (34:30)
    Will we see a government pricing scheme for carbon? - (36:35)



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    • 37 min
    A Statistical Review of World Energy with Nick Wayth from the Energy Institute

    A Statistical Review of World Energy with Nick Wayth from the Energy Institute

    Sponsored by: KPMG

    The Statistical Review of World Energy, which is compiled by the Energy Institute, offers a comprehensive look at global energy production, consumption, trade and emissions. Energy Institute Chief Executive Nick Wayth joins the show to discuss some of the key takeaways from the most recent edition of the review, including region- and country-specific growth of renewables and how the industry is navigating a 'Triple Crises' spawned by the pandemic and geopolitics. Wayth also outlines the progress on the energy transition that he hopes will materialize at COP28. 

    More resources from KPMG
    Energy Institute 2023 Statistical Review of World Energy
    The Hydrogen Horizon
    Energy & Chemicals

    Highlights from Nick Wayth
    Background info about the Energy Institute - (2:47)
    The history of the Statistical Review of World Energy - (3:47)
    Key takeaways from this year's review - (4:59)
    Specifics about the growth of renewables - (6:34)
    Data related to key minerals - (10:05)
    Headwinds for offshore wind - (12:34)
    Geopolitics and the 'Triple Crises' - (15:34)
    Under-the-radar nuggets of info from the review - (19:07)
    The regional outlook for Africa - (22:43)
    What to expect from COP28 - (28:33)
    Nick's bold predictions about changes to the energy landscape - (30:03)
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    • 34 min
    What's Next for Sustainable Aviation Fuel - with Dr. Patrick Gruber from Gevo

    What's Next for Sustainable Aviation Fuel - with Dr. Patrick Gruber from Gevo

    Sponsored by: KPMG

    It's time to talk about sustainable fuels; specifically sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Dr. Patrick Gruber is the Chief Executive Officer of Gevo, where he and the team are at forefront of sustainable fuel development. Patrick is here to outline the basics of those fuels, how they fit into a wider energy ecosystem, what it will take for those fuels to see wider adoption, and the hurdles that might be standing in the way. He also explains how some fuels can be carbon negative.

    Patrick is a no-nonsense executive who is passionate about growing the sustainable fuel sector in an effort to fight climate change, so enjoy the energy he brings to this episode.

    More resources from KPMG
    The Hydrogen Horizon
    Energy & Chemicals
    Energy Institute 2023 Statistical Review of World Energy

    Highlights from Patrick Gruber
    The basics of what Gevo does - (2:14)
    Gevo's supply chain and feedstocks - (3:23)
    Overview of various markets for sustainable fuels - (8:53)
    Guidelines for SAF and CORSIA eligible fuels - (11:32)
    How SAF fits into existing aviation fuel infrastructure - (15:32)
    A2J: Alcohol to Jet fuel - (17:16)
    Current SAF production capacity - (18:00)
    Uncertainty surrounding the Inflation Reduction Act - (20:52)
    Growing bi-partisan support for sustainable fuels - (21:43)
    Paying farmers more for using better agriculture practices - (24:29)
    The impact of climate change on feedstocks - (29:01)
    The concept of carbon negative fuels - (30:11)
    The share of the global aviation fuel market SAFs can capture - (33:35)
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    • 37 min
    Double Feature: E-Liability and Virtual Power Purchase Agreements

    Double Feature: E-Liability and Virtual Power Purchase Agreements

    Sponsored by Deloitte

    Environmental liability (E-liability) introduces a simple, accurate, and verifiable calculation for the total cradle-to-gate emissions of any product or service.  Karthik Ramanna is the Co-founder and Principal Investigator at the E-liability Institute . He's also the Professor of Business & Public Policy and Director of the Master of Public Policy Program at the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government. (3:17) Karthik explains the basics of E-liability and makes the case for why companies, standards setters and regulators all around the world should be familiarizing themselves with the concept of E-liability.

    Few companies produce as many household products as Colgate-Palmolive. Vance Merolla is the Senior Vice President of Global Sustainability at Colgate-Palmolive and he joins the show (28:28) to discuss how the company tackles sustainability across all its products and brands.  The initiatives Vance outlines include advancements in recyclable toothpaste tubes, what the company learned from getting certain aspects of its Sustainability and Social Impact Strategy approved by the Science-Based Targets initiative and how Colgate-Palmolive recently went about signing a virtual power purchase agreement to help Colgate-Palmolive power its operations.

    From Deloitte
    Power, Utilities & Renewables services
    Start charting your decarbonization path today
    Sustainability SmartPod episode featuring Deloitte's John Mennel

    More resources about E-liability
    Harvard Business Review: Getting a Clearer View of Your Company’s Carbon Footprint
    Harvard Business Review: Accounting for Climate Change
    Harvard Business Review: Accounting for Carbon Offsets

    Highlights from Karthik
    What is E-liability? - (3:26)
    Mobile phones as an example of how E-liability would work - (5:27)
    The impact E-liability could have on supply chains - (9:33)
    Pilot program with Giti Tire - (11:34)
    How E-liability is better than standard carbon measurement approaches - (14:24)
    Bringing more supply chain companies into the process - (15:51)
    Eliminating "inspirational disclosure" for Scope 1-3 reporting - (20:34)
    What's preventing wider adoption of E-liability - (22:21)
    How many companies will adopt E-liability in 3-6 years - (25:52)

    Highlights from Vance
    The details of Colgate-Palmolive's VPPA - (28:40)
    Key points in the VPPA decision-making process - (32:43)
    Collborating with other market participants - (34:42)
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    • 37 min
    BloombergNEF's Adithya Bhashyam: A Framework for US Hydrogen Guidance

    BloombergNEF's Adithya Bhashyam: A Framework for US Hydrogen Guidance

    Sponsored by: KPMG

    Much-anticipated guidance coming down the pipeline from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Treasury Department is set to define how clean hydrogen can be produced in the US. Amid furious lobbying efforts, the release of this guidance has already been delayed once. With potentially hundreds of billions of dollars on the line, Adi Bhashyam, a hydrogen analyst for BloombergNEF, joins the show to share what he describes as a framework that should be followed for thoughtfully crafting and effectively implementing the hydrogen piece of the Inflation Reduction Act.

    From BloombergNEF
    Adi's recent article: "US Hydrogen Guidance: Be Strict or Be Damned"

    More resources from KPMG
    The Hydrogen Horizon
    Energy & Chemicals
    Energy Institute 2023 Statistical Review of World Energy

    Highlights from Adithya Bhashyam
    The basics of the 45V hydrogen tax credit - (3:43)
    Possible timeline for when to expect the guidance - (5:31)
    How is 'clean energy' defined within this guidance? Which colors? - (6:25)
    $70 billion in potential tax credits - (7:28)
    Not the normal lobbying battle lines - (8:27)
    Criteria for qualifying for the 45V tax credit: additionality, time-matching, deliverability - (9:40)
    The ideal framework for US hydrogen guidance - (11:23)
    Potential timeline for implementation - (14:13)
    Outside factors and headwinds to consider - (17:45)
    Adi's bold predictions about how it all plays out - (21:32)








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    • 23 min
    Climate Week Kicks Off and the Inflation Reduction Act Turns One

    Climate Week Kicks Off and the Inflation Reduction Act Turns One

    Sponsored by: ExxonMobil

    Climate Week is about to kick off in New York, so Lauren Collins and Michael Joyce, who are both partners at the law firm of Vinson and Elkins, join the show to talk about what to expect from Climate Week, what kinds of news and announcements they will be keeping an eye on and how the overall conversation about Climate Week -- and climate coverage in general -- has evolved over the years.

    We also mark the one year anniversary of the Inflation Reduction Act with a deep dive on the impact that legislation, particularly the tax credits it contains, has had on the energy sector. Lauren and Michael discuss  how the IRA will continue to reshape the energy mix and what to watch for as US government agencies continue to release related tax and regulatory guidance. They also share insights about Basel III and other headwinds that might slow the momentum of the IRA. Finally, Lauren and Michael offer their bold predictions about what lies ahead for the IRA in the next few years.

    Check out the Sustainability SmartPod

    Highlights

    How the conversation around Climate Week has evolved - (3:14)
    News to watch for coming out of Climate Week - (6:09)
    How and where firms are investing in renewables - (10:21)
    The IRA's impact on specific energy sectors - (16:24)
    Headwinds the IRA is facing - (20:23)
    The threat Basel III poses to tax equity and renewables investing - (21:38)
    US Treasury's much-anticipated guidance on hydrogen - (25:53)
    Questions developers are asking before closing deals - (29:09)
    The need for more talent throughout the industry - (30:46)
    Tax issues that continue to fly under the radar - (33:05)
    'Stacking' tax credits takes off - (37:09)
    Biggest takeaways from the first year of the IRA - (38:11)
    Lauren and Michael's bold predictions - (41:44)






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    • 45 min

Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5
14 Ratings

14 Ratings

Me741 ,

Good Overview of Renewable Energy

Sadly, renewable energy is a hoax. A deadly hoax.

millertime233 ,

Excellent energy podcast!

Great to listen to a very informed interviewer and their guests addressing some very important issues that impact our regional energy systems...past, present and future. I was very impressed by the interviewer’s knowledge and questions. I will be looking for more episodes!

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