It’s the highest-intensity solar power you can get. It’s available 24/7. And you can send it anywhere on earth.All you need to do is launch a ten-by-ten kilometer array of solar panels into geosynchronous orbit, capture solar energy, and beam it to earth using a massive antenna array. Then set up a receiver a few kilometers in diameter on earth to collect that power and send it to the grid. Sound like science fiction? You wouldn’t be far off (looking at you, Isaac Asimov). But the reality is that Caltech, the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory, and the Japanese Space Agency are all working on the idea.Recent developments in space tech warrant some cautious optimism about space-based solar. Space X has pioneered reusable rockets that have dramatically reduced the cost of launches. And mass production of satellites has brought down the cost of hardware, too.So how would space-based solar actually work? And what would it take to commercialize it?In this episode, Shayle talks to Sanjay Vijendran, lead for the SOLARIS initiative on space-based solar power at the European Space Agency. He argues that space-based solar is much closer to commercialization than nuclear fusion, which garners a lot more attention and funding.They cover topics like: The four main components: the launch, the solar panels, the antenna, and the receiver on earth Where we need additional research, including beaming power at greater distance and scale, plus power beaming safety What it might feel like if you stood under the beam The target launch costs the industry would need to reach for viability Pilot projects happening right now Recommended Resources:  The Verge: Space-based solar power is having its moment in the sun  Science: Space-based solar power is getting serious—can it solve Earth’s energy woes?  Canary: Is space-based solar ready for liftoff? Catalyst is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.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 supported by RE+. RE+ is more than just the largest clean energy event, it’s a catalyst for industry innovation designed to supercharge business growth in the clean energy economy. Learn more: re-plus.com. 

It’s the highest-intensity solar power you can get. It’s available 24/7. And you can send it anywhere on earth.All you need to do is launch a ten-by-ten kilometer array of solar panels into geosynchronous orbit, capture solar energy, and beam it to earth using a massive antenna array. Then set up a receiver a few kilometers in diameter on earth to collect that power and send it to the grid. Sound like science fiction? You wouldn’t be far off (<a href="https://www.esa.int/Enabling_Support/Space_Engineering_Technology/SOLARIS/SBSP_history" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">looking at you, Isaac Asimov</a>). But the reality is that <a href="https://gizmodo.com/scientists-beam-space-based-solar-power-earth-first-tim-1850500731" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Caltech</a>, the <a href="https://www.navy.mil/Press-Office/News-Stories/Article/3328921/nrl-to-launch-first-in-space-laser-power-beaming-experiment/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">U.S. Naval Research Laboratory</a>, and the <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Science/Japan-to-try-beaming-solar-power-from-space-in-mid-decade" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Japanese Space Agency</a> are all working on the idea.Recent developments in space tech warrant some cautious optimism about space-based solar. Space X has pioneered reusable rockets that have <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/science/space/space-launch-costs-growing-business-industry-rcna23488" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">dramatically reduced the cost</a> of launches. And mass production of satellites has <a href="https://sia.org/commercial-satellite-industry-growing-as-it-continues-to-dominate-expanding-global-space-business-sia-releases-25th-annual-state-of-the-satellite-industry-report/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">brought down the cost of hardware</a>, too.So how would space-based solar actually work? And what would it take to commercialize it?In this episode, Shayle talks to <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanjay-vijendran-2018/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sanjay Vijendran</a>, lead for the SOLARIS initiative on space-based solar power at the European Space Agency. He argues that space-based solar is much closer to commercialization than <a href="https://www.canarymedia.com/podcasts/catalyst-with-shayle-kann/catalyst-podcast-is-nuclear-fusion-getting-closer" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">nuclear fusion</a>, which garners a lot more attention and funding.They cover topics like:<ul> <li>The four main components: the launch, the solar panels, the antenna, and the receiver on earth</li> <li>Where we need additional research, including beaming power at greater distance and scale, plus power beaming safety</li> <li>What it might feel like if you stood under the beam</li> <li>The target launch costs the industry would need to reach for viability</li> <li>Pilot projects happening right now</li> </ul> Recommended Resources:<ul> <li> <a href="https://www.theverge.com/23762445/space-based-solar-power-clean-energy-milestone" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Verge</a>: Space-based solar power is having its moment in the sun</li> <li> <a href="https://www.science.org/content/article/space-based-solar-power-getting-serious-can-it-solve-earth-s-energy-woes" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Science</a>: Space-based solar power is getting serious—can it solve Earth’s energy woes?</li> <li> <a href="https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/solar/space-based-solar-power-could-inch-closer-to-reality-this-year" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Canary</a>: Is space-based solar ready for liftoff?</li> </ul> Catalyst is a co-production of<a href="https://postscriptmedia.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Post Script Media</a> and<a href="https://www.canarymedia.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Canary Media</a>.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 <a href="http://antennagroup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">antennagroup.com</a> to learn more.Catalyst is supported by RE+. RE+ is more than just the largest clean energy event, it’s a catalyst for industry innovation designed to supercharge business growth in the clean energy economy. Learn more: <a href="https://www.re-plus.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">re-plus.com</a>.

Beaming 24/7 solar… from space

This week we’re bringing you a special crossover episode from With Great Power. It’s a show about one of the most complex machines ever built – the power grid. It’s a machine that’s changing faster than ever. With Great Power is about the people driving that change:A third of the world's largest companies now have net-zero targets in place for carbon emissions. Google was ahead of the curve. Back in 2007, it had already achieved its goal of going carbon neutral across all of its offices and data centers around the globe.But as demand for Google's services expanded, it knew that it had to overhaul its energy goals. At the time, Raiford Smith served as Google's global head of energy and location strategy. And part of his job was jump-starting this massive effort.In 2021, Google launched one of the most ambitious corporate energy strategies ever. And Raiford and his team made it possible.After a career spanning more than 30 years at utilities like Duke Energy, CPS, Entergy, and Southern company, and two years at Google, Raiford knows firsthand that change is possible at power companies.This week, Brad talked with Raiford, now the chief innovation officer at AES, about what's needed to spur tech innovation at utilities, and the technologies that will be integral to the energy transition.This podcast is produced by GridX. GridX is the Enterprise Rate Platform that modern utilities rely on to usher in our clean energy future.Catalyst is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.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 supported by RE+. RE+ is more than just the largest clean energy event, it’s a catalyst for industry innovation designed to supercharge business growth in the clean energy economy. Learn more: re-plus.com. 

This week we’re bringing you a special crossover episode from With Great Power. It’s a show about one of the most complex machines ever built – the power grid. It’s a machine that’s changing faster than ever. With Great Power is about the people driving that change:A third of the world's largest companies now have net-zero targets in place for carbon emissions. Google was ahead of the curve. Back in 2007, it had already achieved its goal of going carbon neutral across all of its offices and data centers around the globe.But as demand for Google's services expanded, it knew that it had to overhaul its energy goals. At the time, Raiford Smith served as Google's global head of energy and location strategy. And part of his job was jump-starting this massive effort.In 2021, Google launched one of the most ambitious corporate energy strategies ever. And Raiford and his team made it possible.After a career spanning more than 30 years at utilities like Duke Energy, CPS, Entergy, and Southern company, and two years at Google, Raiford knows firsthand that change is possible at power companies.This week, Brad talked with Raiford, now the chief innovation officer at AES, about what's needed to spur tech innovation at utilities, and the technologies that will be integral to the energy transition. This podcast is produced by GridX. GridX is the Enterprise Rate Platform that modern utilities rely on to usher in our clean energy future.Catalyst is a co-production of<a href="https://postscriptmedia.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Post Script Media</a> and<a href="https://www.canarymedia.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Canary Media</a>.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 <a href="http://antennagroup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">antennagroup.com</a> to learn more.Catalyst is supported by RE+. RE+ is more than just the largest clean energy event, it’s a catalyst for industry innovation designed to supercharge business growth in the clean energy economy. Learn more: <a href="https://www.re-plus.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">re-plus.com</a>.

With Great Power: What other industries can teach utilities about innovation

The good news: The Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) contains more nickel and cobalt than the rest of the world’s land-based reserves combined. It also has significant resources of high-grade lithium, copper and rare earth metals—all of which are critical for the batteries the world needs to meet Paris Agreement targets.The bad news: The CCZ lies at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean and contains biodiverse ecosystems we know very little about—and that we could profoundly harm if we mine them.The CCZ lies between Hawaii and Mexico and is about half the size of the continental United States. And it’s just one of many potential deep-sea sources of critical minerals.So should we mine the deep sea to fight climate change? And if we do, how do we also protect seafloor ecosystems?In this episode, Shayle talks to Renee Grogan, an expert in deep-sea mining. She is a co-founder and board director at Impossible Metals. Together they cover topics like: The different types of seafloor resources, including polymetallic nodules, cobalt ferro-manganese crusts, and massive sulfides Better understanding seafloor ecosystems and incorporating science into mining practices and regulations, including selective harvesting, protected areas, and offsets The challenges of enforcing regulations three to five kilometers below the surface Ongoing negotiations at the International Seabed Authority, which was planning to finalize regulations for deep-sea mining last week, but announced that it needed more time. Recommended Resources:  NYT: Pacific Seabed Mining Delayed as International Agency Finalizes Rules  Forbes: Deep Sea Mining: The Biggest Climate Issue You’ve Never Heard Of  British Geological Survey: Deep-sea mining evidence review – MineralsUK Catalyst is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.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 supported by RE+. RE+ is more than just the largest clean energy event, it’s a catalyst for industry innovation designed to supercharge business growth in the clean energy economy. Learn more: re-plus.com. 

The good news: The Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ) contains <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S016913681200234X" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">more nickel and cobalt</a> than the rest of the world’s land-based reserves combined. It also has significant resources of high-grade lithium, copper and rare earth metals—all of which are critical for the batteries the world needs to meet Paris Agreement targets.The bad news: The CCZ lies at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean and contains biodiverse ecosystems we know very little about—and that we could profoundly harm if we mine them.The CCZ lies between Hawaii and Mexico and is about half the size of the continental United States. And it’s just one of many potential deep-sea sources of critical minerals.So should we mine the deep sea to fight climate change? And if we do, how do we also protect seafloor ecosystems?In this episode, Shayle talks to <a href="https://au.linkedin.com/in/renee-grogan-a3646361" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Renee Grogan</a>, an expert in deep-sea mining. She is a co-founder and board director at Impossible Metals. Together they cover topics like:<ul> <li>The different types of seafloor resources, including polymetallic nodules, cobalt ferro-manganese crusts, and massive sulfides</li> <li>Better understanding seafloor ecosystems and incorporating science into mining practices and regulations, including selective harvesting, protected areas, and offsets</li> <li>The challenges of enforcing regulations three to five kilometers below the surface</li> <li>Ongoing negotiations at the International Seabed Authority, which was planning to finalize regulations for deep-sea mining last week, but announced that it <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/23/us/politics/pacific-seabed-mining-delayed.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">needed more time</a>.</li> </ul> Recommended Resources:<ul> <li> <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/23/us/politics/pacific-seabed-mining-delayed.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">NYT</a>: Pacific Seabed Mining Delayed as International Agency Finalizes Rules</li> <li> <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2022/12/16/deep-sea-mining-the-biggest-climate-issue-youve-never-heard-of/?sh=5571e6911539" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Forbes</a>: Deep Sea Mining: The Biggest Climate Issue You’ve Never Heard Of</li> <li> <a href="https://www.bgs.ac.uk/download/deep-sea-mining-evidence-review/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">British Geological Survey</a>: Deep-sea mining evidence review – MineralsUK</li> </ul> Catalyst is a co-production of<a href="https://postscriptmedia.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Post Script Media</a> and<a href="https://www.canarymedia.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Canary Media</a>.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 <a href="http://antennagroup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">antennagroup.com</a> to learn more.Catalyst is supported by RE+. RE+ is more than just the largest clean energy event, it’s a catalyst for industry innovation designed to supercharge business growth in the clean energy economy. Learn more: <a href="https://www.re-plus.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">re-plus.com</a>.

Mining the deep sea

Carbon capture and storage. It’s a controversial tool in the energy transition that we don’t want to use, but probably have to. Most of the scenarios in the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report include capturing and storing hundreds of gigatons of carbon dioxide between now and 2100. When people say carbon capture and storage, or CCS, they often mean different things. It’s a term that covers multiple technologies used to capture CO2—such as point-source and direct-air capture— and different approaches to using that CO2. With the CCS industry is in its infancy, tackling some big questions now could save us headaches down the road. Questions about CCS infrastructure use, where we’ll build it, and who will control it.In this episode, Shayle talks to Dr. Emily Grubert, associate professor of sustainable energy policy at the University of Notre Dame. She posted a Twitter thread recently about how the same CCS infrastructure actually has four different use cases: Avoiding emissions to extend the life of fossil-fuel infrastructure Avoiding emissions where we don’t have zero-carbon alternatives yet, like cement production Removing carbon to compensate for other emissions, i.e. offsets Removing carbon to draw down legacy emissions and avoid overshooting 1.5 degrees Celsius targets They walk through each categories and cover topics like: Which categories to prioritize over others Avoiding the double-counting problem Where we should use CCS vs. zero-carbon alternatives The resource constraints on CCS, including water, land and energy Whether we have the luxury to prioritize when we need to deploy CCS so quickly Whether CCS customers or regulatory bodies should determine the type of CCS infrastructure we have and where we build it Recommended Resources:  Catalyst: Carbon capture and storage is making a comeback  Bloomberg: Big Money Rushes Into Carbon Capture. Can It Deliver This Time?  US DOE: Strategic Vision: The Role of FECM in Achieving Net-Zero Greenhouse Gas Emissions  Catalyst is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.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 supported by RE+. RE+ is more than just the largest clean energy event, it’s a catalyst for industry innovation designed to supercharge business growth in the clean energy economy. Learn more: re-plus.com. 

Carbon capture and storage. It’s a controversial tool in the energy transition that we don’t want to use, but probably have to. Most of the scenarios in the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report include capturing and storing <a href="https://www.catf.us/2022/04/what-does-latest-ipcc-report-say-about-carbon-capture/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">hundreds of gigatons</a> of carbon dioxide between now and 2100. When people say carbon capture and storage, or CCS, they often mean different things. It’s a term that covers multiple technologies used to capture CO2—such as point-source and direct-air capture— and different approaches to using that CO2. With the CCS industry is in its infancy, tackling some big questions now could save us headaches down the road. Questions about CCS infrastructure use, where we’ll build it, and who will control it.In this episode, Shayle talks to <a href="https://keough.nd.edu/people/emily-grubert/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dr. Emily Grubert</a>, associate professor of sustainable energy policy at the University of Notre Dame. She posted a Twitter thread recently about how the same CCS infrastructure actually has four different use cases:<ol> <li>Avoiding emissions to extend the life of fossil-fuel infrastructure</li> <li>Avoiding emissions where we don’t have zero-carbon alternatives yet, like cement production</li> <li>Removing carbon to compensate for other emissions, i.e. offsets</li> <li>Removing carbon to draw down legacy emissions and avoid overshooting 1.5 degrees Celsius targets</li> </ol> They walk through each categories and cover topics like:<ul> <li>Which categories to prioritize over others</li> <li>Avoiding the double-counting problem</li> <li>Where we should use CCS vs. zero-carbon alternatives</li> <li>The resource constraints on CCS, including water, land and energy</li> <li>Whether we have the luxury to prioritize when we need to deploy CCS so quickly</li> <li>Whether CCS customers or regulatory bodies should determine the type of CCS infrastructure we have and where we build it</li> </ul> Recommended Resources:<ul> <li> <a href="https://www.canarymedia.com/podcasts/catalyst-with-shayle-kann/carbon-capture-and-storage-is-making-a-comeback" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Catalyst</a>: Carbon capture and storage is making a comeback</li> <li> <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-05-16/big-money-rushes-into-carbon-capture-can-it-deliver-this-time" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Bloomberg</a>: Big Money Rushes Into Carbon Capture. Can It Deliver This Time?</li> <li> <a href="https://www.energy.gov/fecm/strategic-vision-role-fecm-achieving-net-zero-greenhouse-gas-emissions" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">US DOE</a>: Strategic Vision: The Role of FECM in Achieving Net-Zero Greenhouse Gas Emissions </li> </ul> Catalyst is a co-production of<a href="https://postscriptmedia.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Post Script Media</a> and<a href="https://www.canarymedia.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Canary Media</a>.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 <a href="http://antennagroup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">antennagroup.com</a> to learn more.Catalyst is supported by RE+. RE+ is more than just the largest clean energy event, it’s a catalyst for industry innovation designed to supercharge business growth in the clean energy economy. Learn more: <a href="https://www.re-plus.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">re-plus.com</a>.

The good and bad of carbon capture

Before hydrogen makes it big, we have to overcome a massive, ocean-sized challenge: Transporting the fuel between continents. The places that will be best suited to produce hydrogen via renewables-powered electrolysis, like Australia and Egypt, will have to ship that hydrogen to demand centers in Japan, Europe, and elsewhere.And it turns out that shipping hydrogen is way harder than shipping oil or natural gas. Hydrogen has a very low volumetric energy density. Compared to one barrel of oil, the equivalent amount of gaseous hydrogen takes up way more space to transport.Fortunately, a range of technologies could solve this problem. Will one become the dominant means of transporting hydrogen across the oceans?In this episode, Shayle talks to Anne-Sophie Corbeau, a senior research scholar at Columbia University’s SIPA Center on Global Energy Policy. Anne-Sophie recently wrote about hydrogen transport for Cipher News. They cover the five leading contenders for transoceanic transport: Liquified hydrogen E-methane, also known as synthetic methane or carbon neutral gas Liquid organic hydrogen carriers(LOHCs) Methanol Ammonia They also discuss topics like: Why good old fashioned pipelines might be a viable option for transport, even between continents The challenges of converting natural gas infrastructure into hydrogen infrastructure Why hydrogen exporters might be better off producing products made with hydrogen, such as steel, rather than the hydrogen itself Recommended Resources:  Cipher News: Global hydrogen trade may be just a pipe dream  IRENA: Global Hydrogen Trade to Meet the 1.5°C Climate Goal: Technology Review of Hydrogen Carriers  IEA: Global Hydrogen Review 2022 Catalyst is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.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 supported by RE+. RE+ is more than just the largest clean energy event, it’s a catalyst for industry innovation designed to supercharge business growth in the clean energy economy. Learn more: re-plus.com. 

Before hydrogen makes it big, we have to overcome a massive, ocean-sized challenge: Transporting the fuel between continents. The places that will be best suited to produce hydrogen via renewables-powered electrolysis, like Australia and Egypt, will have to ship that hydrogen to demand centers in Japan, Europe, and elsewhere.And it turns out that shipping hydrogen is way harder than shipping oil or natural gas. Hydrogen has a very low volumetric energy density. Compared to one barrel of oil, the equivalent amount of gaseous hydrogen takes up way more space to transport.Fortunately, a range of technologies could solve this problem. Will one become the dominant means of transporting hydrogen across the oceans?In this episode, Shayle talks to <a href="https://www.energypolicy.columbia.edu/anne-sophie-corbeau/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Anne-Sophie Corbeau</a>, a senior research scholar at Columbia University’s SIPA Center on Global Energy Policy. Anne-Sophie recently wrote about <a href="https://www.ciphernews.com/hydrogen-pipe-dream?linkId=100000205408568" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">hydrogen transport for Cipher News</a>. They cover the five leading contenders for transoceanic transport:<ul> <li>Liquified hydrogen</li> <li>E-methane, also known as synthetic methane or carbon neutral gas</li> <li>Liquid organic hydrogen carriers(LOHCs)</li> <li>Methanol</li> <li>Ammonia</li> </ul> They also discuss topics like:<ul> <li>Why good old fashioned pipelines might be a viable option for transport, even between continents</li> <li>The challenges of converting natural gas infrastructure into hydrogen infrastructure</li> <li>Why hydrogen exporters might be better off producing products made with hydrogen, such as steel, rather than the hydrogen itself</li> </ul> Recommended Resources:<ul> <li> <a href="https://www.ciphernews.com/hydrogen-pipe-dream?linkId=100000205408568" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Cipher News:</a> Global hydrogen trade may be just a pipe dream</li> <li> <a href="https://www.irena.org/publications/2022/Apr/Global-hydrogen-trade-Part-II" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">IRENA</a>: Global Hydrogen Trade to Meet the 1.5°C Climate Goal: Technology Review of Hydrogen Carriers</li> <li> <a href="https://www.iea.org/reports/global-hydrogen-review-2022" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">IEA</a>: Global Hydrogen Review 2022</li> </ul> Catalyst is a co-production of<a href="https://postscriptmedia.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Post Script Media</a> and<a href="https://www.canarymedia.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Canary Media</a>.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 <a href="http://antennagroup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">antennagroup.com</a> to learn more.Catalyst is supported by RE+. RE+ is more than just the largest clean energy event, it’s a catalyst for industry innovation designed to supercharge business growth in the clean energy economy. Learn more: <a href="https://www.re-plus.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">re-plus.com</a>.

The early days of transoceanic hydrogen transport

More than a third of the world’s current greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels go through underground networks of fungi, according to a new peer-reviewed study in Current Biology.That’s a whopping 13 gigatons of carbon dioxide equivalents per year.Mycorrhizal fungi act as a symbiotic partner of plants, seeking out nutrients and bringing them back to the plants’ roots. In return, they accept carbon in the form of carbohydrates—which they then lock away in the structure of the fungi. This symbiotic relationship is nothing new to scientists; what’s surprising is the magnitude of carbon stored.But how permanent is this sink? And what can we do to support fungi as a nature-based climate solution?In this episode, Shayle talks to Dr. Heidi-Jayne Hawkins, lead author of the new paper and research director at Conservation South Africa. They cover topics like: The evolutionary history of mycorrhizal fungi  The mechanics of fungal carbon storage, which boosts carbon storage by 5-20% more than plants alone What we can do to support conditions for fungi to absorb carbon Open questions about the permanence of the storage Recommended Resources: Current Biology: Mycorrhizal mycelium as a global carbon poolCatalyst is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.Support for Catalyst comes from Climate Positive, a podcast by HASI, that features candid conversations with the leaders, innovators, and changemakers who are at the forefront of the transition to a sustainable economy. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.Catalyst is supported by Scale Microgrids, the distributed energy company dedicated to transforming the way modern energy infrastructure is designed, constructed, and financed. Distributed generation can be complex. Scale makes it easy. Learn more: scalemicrogrids.com.

More than a third of the world’s current greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels go through underground networks of fungi, according to <a href="https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(23)00167-7?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0960982223001677%3Fshowall%3Dtrue" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">a new peer-reviewed study in Current Biology</a>.That’s a whopping 13 gigatons of carbon dioxide equivalents per year.Mycorrhizal fungi act as a symbiotic partner of plants, seeking out nutrients and bringing them back to the plants’ roots. In return, they accept carbon in the form of carbohydrates—which they then lock away in the structure of the fungi. This symbiotic relationship is nothing new to scientists; what’s surprising is the magnitude of carbon stored.But how permanent is this sink? And what can we do to support fungi as a nature-based climate solution?In this episode, Shayle talks to <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/heidi-jane-hawkins-8409a5167?originalSubdomain=za" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Dr. Heidi-Jayne Hawkins</a>, lead author of the new paper and research director at Conservation South Africa. They cover topics like:<ul> <li>The evolutionary history of mycorrhizal fungi </li> <li>The mechanics of fungal carbon storage, which boosts carbon storage by 5-20% more than plants alone</li> <li>What we can do to support conditions for fungi to absorb carbon</li> <li>Open questions about the permanence of the storage</li> </ul> Recommended Resources:<ul><li> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2023.02.027" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Current Biology</a>: Mycorrhizal mycelium as a global carbon pool</li></ul> Catalyst is a co-production of<a href="https://postscriptmedia.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Post Script Media</a> and<a href="https://www.canarymedia.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Canary Media</a>.Support for Catalyst comes from Climate Positive, a podcast by HASI, that features candid conversations with the leaders, innovators, and changemakers who are at the forefront of the transition to a sustainable economy. <a href="https://www.hasi.com/newsroom/podcast/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Listen and subscribe</a> wherever you get your podcasts.Catalyst is supported by Scale Microgrids, the distributed energy company dedicated to transforming the way modern energy infrastructure is designed, constructed, and financed. Distributed generation can be complex. Scale makes it easy. Learn more: <a href="http://scalemicrogrids.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">scalemicrogrids.com</a>.

The fungus among us

Everything, everywhere, all at once—that’s the state of the U.S. solar industry right now.Suppliers are rushing to take advantage of the Inflation Reduction Act’s generous domestic-manufacturing incentives. Major manufacturers like First Solar and Enel have announced billion dollar investments in places like Tulsa, Oklahoma and Lawrence County, Alabama.But tariffs on the import of some Chinese-made parts may resume at the end of 2024; and the industry still faces supply chain shortages and permitting backlogs.Meanwhile, the stakes are high. To reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, the U.S. needs to install 100 gigawatts of solar per year by 2030, according to a report from the REPEAT Project of Princeton’s ZERO Lab, up from about 30 gigawatts this year. Is that achievable in this chaotic environment? In this episode, Shayle talks about the state of the U.S. solar industry with Ethan Zindler, head of Americas at BloombergNEF. They cover topics like: Generous manufacturing incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act  Conditions to qualify for the incentives, such as meeting prevailing wages, building in “energy communities,” and sourcing domestic content The saga of solar tariffs Looming competition from manufacturers in Southeast Asia How supply chain bottlenecks have eased up Recommended Resources:  Canary: Can the US manufacture enough solar panels to meet its surging demand?  Canary: In Biden solar tariff compromise, installers win  Princeton ZERO Lab’s REPEAT Project: Preliminary Report: The Climate and Energy Impacts of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 Catalyst is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.Support for Catalyst comes from Climate Positive, a podcast by HASI, that features candid conversations with the leaders, innovators, and changemakers who are at the forefront of the transition to a sustainable economy. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.Catalyst is supported by Scale Microgrids, the distributed energy company dedicated to transforming the way modern energy infrastructure is designed, constructed, and financed. Distributed generation can be complex. Scale makes it easy. Learn more: scalemicrogrids.com.

Everything, everywhere, all at once—that’s the state of the U.S. solar industry right now.Suppliers are rushing to take advantage of the Inflation Reduction Act’s generous domestic-manufacturing incentives. Major manufacturers like First Solar and Enel have announced billion dollar investments in places like <a href="https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/italys-enel-invest-more-than-1-bln-oklahoma-solar-panel-factory-2023-05-22/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tulsa, Oklahoma</a> and <a href="https://cleantechnica.com/2022/11/17/first-solar-commits-to-1-billion-solar-panel-factory-in-alabama/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Lawrence County, Alabama</a>.But tariffs on the import of some Chinese-made parts may resume at the end of 2024; and the industry still faces supply chain shortages and permitting backlogs.Meanwhile, the stakes are high. To reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050, the U.S. needs to install 100 gigawatts of solar per year by 2030, <a href="https://repeatproject.org/docs/REPEAT_IRA_Prelminary_Report_2022-08-04.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">according to a report</a> from the REPEAT Project of Princeton’s ZERO Lab, up from <a href="https://www.utilitydive.com/news/solar-2023-recovery-record-capacity-installation/642139/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">about 30 gigawatts</a> this year. Is that achievable in this chaotic environment? In this episode, Shayle talks about the state of the U.S. solar industry with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethanzindler" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ethan Zindler</a>, head of Americas at BloombergNEF. They cover topics like:<ul> <li>Generous manufacturing incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act </li> <li>Conditions to qualify for the incentives, such as meeting prevailing wages, building in “energy communities,” and sourcing domestic content</li> <li>The saga of solar tariffs</li> <li>Looming competition from manufacturers in Southeast Asia</li> <li>How supply chain bottlenecks have eased up</li> </ul> Recommended Resources:<ul> <li> <a href="https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/solar/can-the-us-manufacture-enough-solar-panels-to-meet-its-surging-demand" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Canary</a>: Can the US manufacture enough solar panels to meet its surging demand?</li> <li> <a href="https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/solar/in-biden-solar-tariff-compromise-developers-and-installers-win" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Canary</a>: In Biden solar tariff compromise, installers win</li> <li> <a href="https://repeatproject.org/docs/REPEAT_IRA_Prelminary_Report_2022-08-04.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Princeton ZERO Lab’s REPEAT Project</a>: Preliminary Report: The Climate and Energy Impacts of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022</li> </ul> Catalyst is a co-production of<a href="https://postscriptmedia.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Post Script Media</a> and<a href="https://www.canarymedia.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Canary Media</a>.Support for Catalyst comes from Climate Positive, a podcast by HASI, that features candid conversations with the leaders, innovators, and changemakers who are at the forefront of the transition to a sustainable economy. <a href="https://www.hasi.com/newsroom/podcast/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Listen and subscribe</a> wherever you get your podcasts.Catalyst is supported by Scale Microgrids, the distributed energy company dedicated to transforming the way modern energy infrastructure is designed, constructed, and financed. Distributed generation can be complex. Scale makes it easy. Learn more: <a href="http://scalemicrogrids.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">scalemicrogrids.com</a>.

Building out a U.S. solar supply chain

The list of potential uses for AI in climatetech is growing fast: developing better materials, optimizing solar farms, integrating renewables and microgrids. But many of these are still theoretical. We wanted to find a real-world application that changed the way we make climatetech.So we decided to come up with our own test run.Back in March Duncan Campbell, vice president at Scale Microgrids, used ChatGPT to code some battery dispatch software and tweeted about his experience. Duncan isn’t a professional software developer, but he still came up with some promising results. Could a non-coder like Duncan use AI to do the work of several climatetech coders?We invited Duncan to do it again and ramped up the challenge. We recruited Seyed Madaeni, CEO and co-founder of Verse to create a challenge for Duncan. Seyed is an expert in AI and the software used in electricity markets. He routinely sends “problem statements” to his team of software developers to create new software. This time, he sent a problem statement to Duncan that reflects real world conditions, one that we might actually assign to real engineers to solve.The challenge? Develop battery dispatch software using ChatGPT. In this episode, Duncan presents his results to Shayle and Seyed. They talk about things like: The different methods of optimizing battery dispatch, from old-school Excel sheets to more sophisticated software written by coders Seyed’s process of assigning a problem statement to his engineering team and the simplified version he sent to Duncan Duncan’s process of iteratively working with ChatGPT-4 to develop and debug the code  Why working with ChatGPT is like working with a bunch of really fast, but really inexperienced junior coders If you want to see the code that Duncan wrote with ChatGPT, click here.  Watch the conversation on YouTube.Recommended Resources:  Carbon Copy Live: How AI could supercharge climatetech  The Wall Street Journal: Why AI Is the Next Big Bet for Climate Tech Catalyst is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.Support for Catalyst comes from Climate Positive, a podcast by HASI, that features candid conversations with the leaders, innovators, and changemakers who are at the forefront of the transition to a sustainable economy. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.Catalyst is supported by Scale Microgrids, the distributed energy company dedicated to transforming the way modern energy infrastructure is designed, constructed, and financed. Distributed generation can be complex. Scale makes it easy. Learn more: scalemicrogrids.com.

The list of potential uses for AI in climatetech is growing fast: <a href="https://books.google.com/books/about/Accelerated_Materials_Discovery.html?id=sjy2zgEACAAJ" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">developing better materials,</a> <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/ai-climate-change-clean-energy-investment-e4242a23" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">optimizing solar farms</a>, <a href="https://www.canarymedia.com/podcasts/the-carbon-copy/live-how-ai-could-supercharge-climate-tech" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">integrating renewables and microgrids</a><a href="https://qz.com/flooding-deaths-ai-google-machine-learning-1850468673" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">.</a> But many of these are still theoretical. We wanted to find a real-world application that changed the way we make climatetech.So we decided to come up with our own test run.Back in March <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/duncansandersoncampbell/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Duncan Campbell</a>, vice president at Scale Microgrids, used ChatGPT to code some battery dispatch software and <a href="https://twitter.com/duncan__c/status/1639107473411047430" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">tweeted</a> about his experience. Duncan isn’t a professional software developer, but he still came up with some promising results. Could a non-coder like Duncan use AI to do the work of several climatetech coders?We invited Duncan to do it again and ramped up the challenge. We recruited <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/seyed-h-madaeni-ph-d-5697a749/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Seyed Madaeni</a>, CEO and co-founder of Verse to create a challenge for Duncan. Seyed is an expert in AI and the software used in electricity markets. He routinely sends “problem statements” to his team of software developers to create new software. This time, he sent a problem statement to Duncan that reflects real world conditions, one that we might actually assign to real engineers to solve.The challenge? Develop battery dispatch software using ChatGPT. In this episode, Duncan presents his results to Shayle and Seyed. They talk about things like:<ul> <li>The different methods of optimizing battery dispatch, from old-school Excel sheets to more sophisticated software written by coders</li> <li>Seyed’s process of assigning a problem statement to his engineering team and the simplified version he sent to Duncan</li> <li>Duncan’s process of iteratively working with ChatGPT-4 to develop and debug the code </li> <li>Why working with ChatGPT is like working with a bunch of really fast, but really inexperienced junior coders</li> <li>If you want to see the code that Duncan wrote with ChatGPT, <a href="https://colab.research.google.com/drive/1aE4dYm79v2ShGbvh52qtDg_bPSEwsyXw?usp=sharing" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">click here</a>. </li> </ul> <a href="https://youtu.be/dHSjf2Gq6Sw" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Watch the conversation on YouTube</a>. Recommended Resources:<ul> <li> <a href="https://www.canarymedia.com/podcasts/the-carbon-copy/live-how-ai-could-supercharge-climate-tech" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Carbon Copy Live</a>: How AI could supercharge climatetech</li> <li> <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/ai-climate-change-clean-energy-investment-e4242a23" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Wall Street Journal</a>: Why AI Is the Next Big Bet for Climate Tech</li> </ul> Catalyst is a co-production of<a href="https://postscriptmedia.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Post Script Media</a> and<a href="https://www.canarymedia.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Canary Media</a>.Support for Catalyst comes from Climate Positive, a podcast by HASI, that features candid conversations with the leaders, innovators, and changemakers who are at the forefront of the transition to a sustainable economy. <a href="https://www.hasi.com/newsroom/podcast/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Listen and subscribe</a> wherever you get your podcasts.Catalyst is supported by Scale Microgrids, the distributed energy company dedicated to transforming the way modern energy infrastructure is designed, constructed, and financed. Distributed generation can be complex. Scale makes it easy. Learn more: <a href="http://scalemicrogrids.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">scalemicrogrids.com</a>.

AI for climate: a real world test

Voluntary carbon credits are a lot like used cars; you really have no idea what their quality might be. Or maybe they’re more like expensive bottles of wine. Most people (or at least Shayle) can’t tell if they’re buying good quality wine. If it’s expensive, it must be good, right?That’s the logic that has plagued voluntary carbon markets for years. A carbon credit can work in two ways. First, it can avoid 1 metric ton of emissions that would have otherwise happened by, for example, preventing deforestation. Alternatively, a credit can directly remove a ton of carbon from the atmosphere through methods like direct air capture or biochar.But widespread reporting reveals that most credits don’t do what they say they do. Just this month the CEO of the world’s leading certifier stepped down after an analysis by The Guardian found that over 90% of rainforest carbon credits were worthless. In May, a new $1 billion California lawsuit alleged that the credits that Delta relied on for its claim of reaching carbon neutrality claims were bogus.Carbon credits are in crisis at the same moment we need to massively scale up carbon credits to meet net zero goals. So what do we do about these quality problems? In this episode, Shayle talks to Allister Furey, co-founder and CEO of Sylvera, a company that rates the quality of credits, akin to what agencies like Moody’s or Standard &amp; Poor’s do for bonds.Shayle and Allister cover topics like: The history of the first voluntary carbon markets and their early problems, like producing fluorocarbons just to destroy them The state of the current market, including its size, segments and prices The wide gulf in price between the cheapest avoidance credits and the most ambitious engineered removal credits  Why Allister thinks we need to be on a “war footing” to reach to the highly ambitious carbon removal targets to meet net zero, such as growing the market from $2 billion to $1 trillion by 2050 Why high prices do not necessarily mean high quality  Recommended Resources:  The Guardian: Revealed: more than 90% of rainforest carbon offsets by biggest certifier are worthless, analysis shows  The Guardian: Delta Air Lines faces lawsuit over $1bn carbon neutrality claim  Sylvera: Sylvera response to The Guardian’s Analysis of Rainforest Offsets Catalyst is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.Are you a utility or climatetech startup looking to understand how artificial intelligence will shape your company? Come to our one-day event, Transition-AI: Boston, on June 15. Our listeners get a 20% discount with the code PSPODS20.Support for Catalyst comes from Climate Positive, a podcast by HASI, that features candid conversations with the leaders, innovators, and changemakers who are at the forefront of the transition to a sustainable economy. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.Catalyst is supported by Scale Microgrids, the distributed energy company dedicated to transforming the way modern energy infrastructure is designed, constructed, and financed. Distributed generation can be complex. Scale makes it easy. Learn more: scalemicrogrids.com.

Voluntary carbon credits are a lot like used cars; you really have no idea what their quality might be. Or maybe they’re more like expensive bottles of wine. Most people (or at least Shayle) can’t tell if they’re buying good quality wine. If it’s expensive, it must be good, right?That’s the logic that has plagued voluntary carbon markets for years. A carbon credit can work in two ways. First, it can avoid 1 metric ton of emissions that would have otherwise happened by, for example, preventing deforestation. Alternatively, a credit can directly remove a ton of carbon from the atmosphere through methods like direct air capture or biochar.But widespread reporting reveals that most credits don’t do what they say they do. Just this month the CEO of the world’s leading certifier stepped down after <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/18/revealed-forest-carbon-offsets-biggest-provider-worthless-verra-aoe" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">an analysis by The Guardian</a> found that over 90% of rainforest carbon credits were worthless. In May, a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/may/30/delta-air-lines-lawsuit-carbon-neutrality-aoe" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">new $1 billion California lawsuit</a> alleged that the credits that Delta relied on for its claim of reaching carbon neutrality claims were bogus.Carbon credits are in crisis at the same moment we need to massively scale up carbon credits to meet net zero goals. So what do we do about these quality problems? In this episode, Shayle talks to Allister Furey, co-founder and CEO of <a href="https://www.sylvera.com/about-us" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sylvera</a>, a company that rates the quality of credits, akin to what agencies like Moody’s or Standard &amp; Poor’s do for bonds.Shayle and Allister cover topics like:<ul> <li>The history of the first voluntary carbon markets and their early problems, like producing fluorocarbons just to destroy them</li> <li>The state of the current market, including its size, segments and prices</li> <li>The wide gulf in price between the cheapest avoidance credits and the most ambitious engineered removal credits </li> <li>Why Allister thinks we need to be on a “war footing” to reach to the highly ambitious carbon removal targets to meet net zero, such as growing the market from $2 billion to $1 trillion by 2050</li> <li>Why high prices do not necessarily mean high quality </li> </ul> Recommended Resources:<ul> <li> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/18/revealed-forest-carbon-offsets-biggest-provider-worthless-verra-aoe" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Guardian</a>: Revealed: more than 90% of rainforest carbon offsets by biggest certifier are worthless, analysis shows</li> <li> <a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/17T_48BSUG402EnsoDRbAKW8ogGkZqWfSP8aDV27cd9g/edit#" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Guardian</a>: Delta Air Lines faces lawsuit over $1bn carbon neutrality claim</li> <li> <a href="https://www.sylvera.com/blog/guardian-offsets-response" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sylvera</a>: Sylvera response to The Guardian’s Analysis of Rainforest Offsets</li> </ul> Catalyst is a co-production of<a href="https://postscriptmedia.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Post Script Media</a> and<a href="https://www.canarymedia.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Canary Media</a>.Are you a utility or climatetech startup looking to understand how artificial intelligence will shape your company? Come to our one-day event,<a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/transition-ai-boston-tickets-619429429097" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Transition-AI: Boston</a>, on June 15. Our listeners get a 20% discount with the code PSPODS20.Support for Catalyst comes from Climate Positive, a podcast by HASI, that features candid conversations with the leaders, innovators, and changemakers who are at the forefront of the transition to a sustainable economy. <a href="https://www.hasi.com/newsroom/podcast/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Listen and subscribe</a> wherever you get your podcasts.Catalyst is supported by Scale Microgrids, the distributed energy company dedicated to transforming the way modern energy infrastructure is designed, constructed, and financed. Distributed generation can be complex. Scale makes it easy. Learn more: <a href="http://scalemicrogrids.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">scalemicrogrids.com</a>.

The carbon market’s quality problem

The energy transition is fueling skyrocketing demand for copper, an essential metal for renewables, batteries, and other climatetech.But supply isn’t keeping up. There’s more than enough copper in the earth’s known reserves to supply our growing demand for the metal, but supply is stagnating due to rising extraction costs and decades-long lead times to open new mines.A July 2022 report from S&amp;P Global predicts that demand could begin to exceed supply in just a few years.. Without action, a growing supply gap could last into the 2050s, hampering the speed and scale of the transition.What can we do about it?In this episode, Shayle talks to Cristóbal Undurraga, the CEO of copper mining technology company Ceibo. They talk about the causes of stagnating supply and the technologies that could help increase production. They cover topics like: Energy usage and carbon emissions in copper supply chains The limitations of scrap recycling to meet growing demand The geopolitics of copper supply chains, including China’s major role in smelting The pros and cons of the two major copper extraction methods – concentration and electrolysis The two major types of ore – copper oxides and copper sulfides, and why one is so much harder to mine The long lead times to build new mines and why constructing new ones isn’t easy Ceibo’s approach to increase mine capacity using novel electrolysis technology for copper sulfides Recommended Resources:  S&amp;P Global: The Future of Copper  The Economist: Copper is the missing ingredient of the energy transition  Bloomberg: The Green Energy Transition Has a Chilean Copper Problem Catalyst is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.Support for Catalyst comes from Climate Positive, a podcast by HASI, that features candid conversations with the leaders, innovators, and changemakers who are at the forefront of the transition to a sustainable economy. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.Catalyst is supported by Scale Microgrids, the distributed energy company dedicated to transforming the way modern energy infrastructure is designed, constructed, and financed. Distributed generation can be complex. Scale makes it easy. Learn more: scalemicrogrids.com.

The energy transition is fueling skyrocketing demand for copper, an essential metal for renewables, batteries, and other climatetech.But supply isn’t keeping up. There’s more than enough copper in the earth’s known reserves to supply our growing demand for the metal, but supply is stagnating due to rising extraction costs and decades-long lead times to open new mines.A <a href="https://orocoresourcecorp.com/_resources/blog/Future-of-Copper.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">July 2022 report</a> from S&amp;P Global predicts that demand could begin to exceed supply in just a few years.. Without action, a growing supply gap could last into the 2050s, hampering the speed and scale of the transition.What can we do about it?In this episode, Shayle talks to Cristóbal Undurraga, the CEO of copper mining technology company <a href="https://www.ceibo.bio/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ceibo</a>. They talk about the causes of stagnating supply and the technologies that could help increase production. They cover topics like:<ul> <li>Energy usage and carbon emissions in copper supply chains</li> <li>The limitations of scrap recycling to meet growing demand</li> <li>The geopolitics of copper supply chains, including China’s major role in smelting</li> <li>The pros and cons of the two major copper extraction methods – concentration and electrolysis</li> <li>The two major types of ore – copper oxides and copper sulfides, and why one is so much harder to mine</li> <li>The long lead times to build new mines and why constructing new ones isn’t easy</li> <li>Ceibo’s approach to increase mine capacity using novel electrolysis technology for copper sulfides</li> </ul> Recommended Resources:<ul> <li> <a href="https://orocoresourcecorp.com/_resources/blog/Future-of-Copper.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">S&amp;P Global:</a> The Future of Copper</li> <li> <a href="https://www.economist.com/business/2023/03/30/copper-is-the-missing-ingredient-of-the-energy-transition" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Economist:</a> Copper is the missing ingredient of the energy transition</li> <li> <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-05-16/the-green-energy-transition-has-a-chilean-copper-problem" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Bloomberg:</a> The Green Energy Transition Has a Chilean Copper Problem</li> </ul> Catalyst is a co-production of<a href="https://postscriptmedia.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Post Script Media</a> and<a href="https://www.canarymedia.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Canary Media</a>.Support for Catalyst comes from Climate Positive, a podcast by HASI, that features candid conversations with the leaders, innovators, and changemakers who are at the forefront of the transition to a sustainable economy. <a href="https://www.hasi.com/newsroom/podcast/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Listen and subscribe</a> wherever you get your podcasts.Catalyst is supported by Scale Microgrids, the distributed energy company dedicated to transforming the way modern energy infrastructure is designed, constructed, and financed. Distributed generation can be complex. Scale makes it easy. Learn more: <a href="http://scalemicrogrids.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">scalemicrogrids.com</a>.

Keeping copper from limiting the energy transition

Investor Shayle Kann is asking big questions about how to decarbonize the planet: How cheap can clean energy get? Will artificial intelligence speed up climate solutions? Where is the smart money going into climate technologies? Every week on Catalyst, Shayle explains the world of "climate tech" with prominent experts, investors, researchers, and executives. The show is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.

Are you a utility or climatetech startup looking to understand how artificial intelligence will shape your company? Come to our one-day event, Transition-AI: Boston, on June 15. Our listeners get a 20% discount with the code PSPODS20.On the Catalyst with Shayle Kann podcast this week:The good news: the U.S. has about 47 days’ worth of energy stored up for later use. The bad news? Virtually all of it is in the form of fossil fuels – coal, oil and natural gas. By comparison, if you add up all the energy stored in batteries, pumped hydropower and other zero-carbon storage, it adds up to just a few seconds’ worth.This small scale of low-carbon energy storage is a big problem. We’re building out intermittent renewables fast, and we need enough energy storage to back up wind when turbines slow down and solar when the sun isn’t shining. But there are technologies that could get us there. In this episode, Shayle talks to his colleague Andy Lubershane, who is a partner and head of research at Energy Impact Partners. Andy recently wrote a piece called Four ways to store sunlight, which compares lithium-ion batteries, heat storage, ion-air batteries, and hydrogen. Andy and Shayle cover topics like: The storage trifecta: short duration, diurnal, and multi-day seasonal Andy’s guess at how low the price of lithium-ion batteries could go Why we would use heat storage and hydrogen, despite their low round-trip efficiencies Why molten-salt heat storage didn’t take off High hopes for iron-air batteries’ low costs Blending hydrogen into gas turbines How all these technologies are competing against carbon capture and storage (CCS) Recommended Resources: Andy Lubershane: Four ways to store sunlight  Form Energy: Enabling a True 24/7 Carbon-Free Resource Portfolio for Great River Energy with Multi-Day Storage  Catalyst is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.Support for Catalyst comes from Climate Positive, a podcast by HASI, that features candid conversations with the leaders, innovators, and changemakers who are at the forefront of the transition to a sustainable economy. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.Catalyst is supported by Scale Microgrids, the distributed energy company dedicated to transforming the way modern energy infrastructure is designed, constructed, and financed. Distributed generation can be complex. Scale makes it easy. Learn more: scalemicrogrids.com.

Are you a utility or climatetech startup looking to understand how artificial intelligence will shape your company? Come to our one-day event,<a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/transition-ai-boston-tickets-619429429097" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Transition-AI: Boston</a>, on June 15. Our listeners get a 20% discount with the code PSPODS20.On the<a href="https://www.canarymedia.com/podcasts/catalyst-with-shayle-kann" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Catalyst with Shayle Kann</a> podcast this week:The good news: the U.S. has about 47 days’ worth of energy stored up for later use. The bad news? Virtually all of it is in the form of fossil fuels – coal, oil and natural gas. By comparison, if you add up all the energy stored in batteries, pumped hydropower and other zero-carbon storage, it adds up to just a few seconds’ worth.This small scale of low-carbon energy storage is a big problem. We’re building out intermittent renewables fast, and we need enough energy storage to back up wind when turbines slow down and solar when the sun isn’t shining. But there are technologies that could get us there. In this episode, Shayle talks to his colleague <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/andy-lubershane-0ab3bb24" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Andy Lubershane</a>, who is a partner and head of research at Energy Impact Partners. Andy recently wrote a piece called <a href="https://steelforfuel.substack.com/p/four-ways-to-store-sunlight" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Four ways to store sunlight</a>, which compares lithium-ion batteries, heat storage, ion-air batteries, and hydrogen. Andy and Shayle cover topics like:<ul> <li>The storage trifecta: short duration, diurnal, and multi-day seasonal</li> <li>Andy’s guess at how low the price of lithium-ion batteries could go</li> <li>Why we would use heat storage and hydrogen, despite their low round-trip efficiencies</li> <li>Why molten-salt heat storage didn’t take off</li> <li>High hopes for iron-air batteries’ low costs</li> <li>Blending hydrogen into gas turbines</li> <li>How all these technologies are competing against carbon capture and storage (CCS)</li> </ul> Recommended Resources:<ul> <li>Andy Lubershane: <a href="https://steelforfuel.substack.com/p/four-ways-to-store-sunlight" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Four ways to store sunlight</a> </li> <li>Form Energy: <a href="https://formenergy.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/24-7-Carbon-Free-Resource-Portfolio-4.24.23.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Enabling a True 24/7 Carbon-Free Resource Portfolio for Great River Energy with Multi-Day Storage</a> </li> </ul> Catalyst is a co-production of<a href="https://postscriptmedia.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Post Script Media</a> and<a href="https://www.canarymedia.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Canary Media</a>.Support for Catalyst comes from Climate Positive, a podcast by HASI, that features candid conversations with the leaders, innovators, and changemakers who are at the forefront of the transition to a sustainable economy. <a href="https://www.hasi.com/newsroom/podcast/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Listen and subscribe</a> wherever you get your podcasts.Catalyst is supported by Scale Microgrids, the distributed energy company dedicated to transforming the way modern energy infrastructure is designed, constructed, and financed. Distributed generation can be complex. Scale makes it easy. Learn more: <a href="http://scalemicrogrids.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">scalemicrogrids.com</a>.

Four ways to store sunlight

Are you a utility or climate tech startup looking to understand how artificial intelligence will shape your company? Come to our one-day event, Transition-AI: Boston on June 15. Our listeners get a 20% discount with the code PSPODS20.Last year, the Supreme Court struck down the EPA’s first attempt to limit greenhouse gas emissions from existing power plants. But it also preserved the EPA’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. The agency just needed to find the right approach. The question for the EPA was: What legal tools would pass the scrutiny of the court?Last week, Biden’s EPA came out with its answer. The proposed plan requires new and existing power plants to meet emission standards. The agency estimates that the rule would reduce GHG emissions by a total 617 million tons through 2042, a small but meaningful fraction of the total. Right now the U.S. power sector emits about 1.5 billion tons per year. It’s an approach that dovetails with the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which is expected to dramatically reduce the cost of key emissions-reducing technologies, such as carbon capture and storage (CCS) and hydrogen. If the IRA was the Biden administration’s carrot for reducing climate emissions, then the new rule is the stick. In this episode, Shayle unpacks the proposal with John Larsen, who leads U.S. climate policy research at the Rhodium Group. In March, John’s team modeled the impact of hypothetical power emissions standards on the U.S. power fleet, finding that many coal plants might shut down rather than install CCS.Shayle and John dig into specifics, like: The four main options available to power plant operators under the proposed rules: shut down, install carbon capture and storage (CCS), co-fire with hydrogen, or just run less The differences in rules for new and existing plants How the standards become more stringent with higher capacity factors The role of states in the rules and the “off-ramps” they could use to get around some of the rules The power plants that would be exempt from the rules, such as gas peaker plants with low capacity factors What the changing economics of CCS and hydrogen could mean for the effect of the regulations The legal gauntlet that the plan is sure to face, including lawsuits from Republican states  Recommended Resources:  Rhodium Group: Pathways to Paris: Post-IRA Policy Action to Drive US Decarbonization  Rhodium Group: Has the Supreme Court Blocked the Path to the 2030 Climate Target?  Heatmap: What the EPA Can’t Say About Its New Power Plant Rules  Canary: The EPA has a controversial new plan to clean up power plants Catalyst is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.Support for Catalyst comes from Climate Positive, a podcast by HASI, that features candid conversations with the leaders, innovators, and changemakers who are at the forefront of the transition to a sustainable economy. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.Catalyst is supported by Scale Microgrids, the distributed energy company dedicated to transforming the way modern energy infrastructure is designed, constructed, and financed. Distributed generation can be complex. Scale makes it easy. Learn more: scalemicrogrids.com.

Are you a utility or climate tech startup looking to understand how artificial intelligence will shape your company? Come to our one-day event, <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/transition-ai-boston-tickets-619429429097" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Transition-AI: Boston</a> on June 15. Our listeners get a 20% discount with the code PSPODS20.Last year, the Supreme Court struck down the EPA’s first attempt to limit greenhouse gas emissions from existing power plants. But it also preserved the EPA’s authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. The agency just needed to <a href="https://rhg.com/research/supreme-court-2030-climate-target/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">find the right approach</a>. The question for the EPA was: What legal tools would pass the scrutiny of the court?Last week, Biden’s EPA came out with its answer. <a href="https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/epa-proposes-new-carbon-pollution-standards-fossil-fuel-fired-power-plants-tackle" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The proposed plan</a> requires new and existing power plants to meet emission standards. The agency estimates that the rule would reduce GHG emissions by a total 617 million tons through 2042, a small but meaningful fraction of the total. Right now the U.S. power sector emits about <a href="https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=77&amp;t=11" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1.5 billion tons per year</a>. It’s an approach that dovetails with the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which is expected to dramatically reduce the cost of key emissions-reducing technologies, such as carbon capture and storage (CCS) and hydrogen. If the IRA was the Biden administration’s carrot for reducing climate emissions, then the new rule is the stick. In this episode, Shayle unpacks the proposal with John Larsen, who leads U.S. climate policy research at the Rhodium Group. In March, John’s team <a href="https://rhg.com/research/ira-us-climate-policy-2030/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">modeled the impact</a> of hypothetical power emissions standards on the U.S. power fleet, finding that many coal plants might shut down rather than install CCS.Shayle and John dig into specifics, like:<ul> <li>The four main options available to power plant operators under the proposed rules: shut down, install carbon capture and storage (CCS), co-fire with hydrogen, or just run less</li> <li>The differences in rules for new and existing plants</li> <li>How the standards become more stringent with higher capacity factors</li> <li>The role of states in the rules and the “off-ramps” they could use to get around some of the rules</li> <li>The power plants that would be exempt from the rules, such as gas peaker plants with low capacity factors</li> <li>What the changing economics of CCS and hydrogen could mean for the effect of the regulations</li> <li>The legal gauntlet that the plan is sure to face, including lawsuits from Republican states </li> </ul> Recommended Resources:<ul> <li> <a href="https://rhg.com/research/ira-us-climate-policy-2030/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Rhodium Group</a>: Pathways to Paris: Post-IRA Policy Action to Drive US Decarbonization</li> <li> <a href="https://rhg.com/research/supreme-court-2030-climate-target/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Rhodium Group</a>: Has the Supreme Court Blocked the Path to the 2030 Climate Target?</li> <li> <a href="https://heatmap.news/politics/epa-power-plants-supreme-court" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Heatmap</a>: What the EPA Can’t Say About Its New Power Plant Rules</li> <li> <a href="https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/utilities/is-carbon-capture-viable-in-a-new-rule-the-epa-is-asking-power-plants-to-prove-it" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Canary</a>: The EPA has a controversial new plan to clean up power plants</li> </ul> Catalyst is a co-production of<a href="https://postscriptmedia.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Post Script Media</a> and<a href="https://www.canarymedia.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Canary Media</a>.Support for Catalyst comes from Climate Positive, a podcast by HASI, that features candid conversations with the leaders, innovators, and changemakers who are at the forefront of the transition to a sustainable economy. <a href="https://www.hasi.com/newsroom/podcast/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Listen and subscribe</a> wherever you get your podcasts.Catalyst is supported by Scale Microgrids, the distributed energy company dedicated to transforming the way modern energy infrastructure is designed, constructed, and financed. Distributed generation can be complex. Scale makes it easy. Learn more: <a href="http://scalemicrogrids.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">scalemicrogrids.com</a>.

Unpacking EPA’s newly proposed power emissions rule

Depending on who you talk to, Bitcoin mines are either great for the grid or the worst thing that’s ever happened to it. These warehouses of computers essentially turn electricity into bitcoins. Proponents argue that mines can do a number of things for the grid, like: Support grid reliability by reducing demand during peak hours Incentivize new renewable generation by raising the prices that solar and wind farms receive Reduce methane emissions by capturing flare gas from fossil fuel wells and then using that gas to generate electricity for mine operations Meanwhile, opponents argue that the mines raise emissions and electricity prices. So how do we make sense of the great Bitcoin energy debate?In this episode, Shayle talks to Ben Hertz-Shargel, global head of grid edge at Wood Mackenzie. The New York Times recently reported on the role of Bitcoin mining on the grid, and Ben was part of a team that contributed to the report.Shayle and Ben discuss:  How Bitcoin mines affect electricity prices for nearby consumers Whether mines use only excess renewable generation or incentivize fossil-fuel generators to ramp up What mines’ load profiles say about their flexibility and price-sensitivity, especially during peak demand The evidence on whether mines are signing long-term power purchase agreements, repowering mothballed projects or otherwise helping to incentivize new renewables construction Alternative crypto currencies that don’t require so much electricity Recommended Resources:  NYT: The Real-World Costs of the Digital Race for Bitcoin  Earth Justice and The Sierra Club: The Energy Bomb: How Proof-of-Work Cryptocurrency Mining Worsens the Climate Crisis and Harms Communities Now  Coinspeaker: Texas Senate Passes Bill to Limit Incentives for Crypto Miners Participating in Demand Response Programs Catalyst is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.Support for Catalyst comes from Climate Positive, a podcast by HASI, that features candid conversations with the leaders, innovators, and changemakers who are at the forefront of the transition to a sustainable economy. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.Catalyst is supported by Scale Microgrids, the distributed energy company dedicated to transforming the way modern energy infrastructure is designed, constructed, and financed. Distributed generation can be complex. Scale makes it easy. Learn more: scalemicrogrids.com.

Depending on who you talk to, Bitcoin mines are either great for the grid or the worst thing that’s ever happened to it. These warehouses of computers essentially turn electricity into bitcoins. Proponents argue that mines can do a number of things for the grid, like:<ul> <li>Support grid reliability by reducing demand during peak hours</li> <li>Incentivize new renewable generation by raising the prices that solar and wind farms receive</li> <li>Reduce methane emissions by capturing flare gas from fossil fuel wells and then using that gas to generate electricity for mine operations</li> </ul>Meanwhile, opponents argue that the mines raise emissions and electricity prices. So how do we make sense of the great Bitcoin energy debate?In this episode, Shayle talks to <a href="https://www.woodmac.com/profiles/people-profiles/ben-hertz-shargel/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ben Hertz-Shargel</a>, global head of grid edge at Wood Mackenzie. The New York Times recently reported on <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/09/business/bitcoin-mining-electricity-pollution.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">the role of Bitcoin mining on the grid</a>, and Ben was part of a team that contributed to the report.Shayle and Ben discuss: <ul> <li>How Bitcoin mines affect electricity prices for nearby consumers</li> <li>Whether mines use only excess renewable generation or incentivize fossil-fuel generators to ramp up</li> <li>What mines’ load profiles say about their flexibility and price-sensitivity, especially during peak demand</li> <li>The evidence on whether mines are signing long-term power purchase agreements, repowering mothballed projects or otherwise helping to incentivize new renewables construction</li> <li>Alternative crypto currencies that don’t require so much electricity</li> </ul> Recommended Resources:<ul> <li> <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/09/business/bitcoin-mining-electricity-pollution.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">NYT</a>: The Real-World Costs of the Digital Race for Bitcoin</li> <li> <a href="https://earthjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/energy_bomb_bitcoin_white_paper_101322.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Earth Justice and The Sierra Club:</a> The Energy Bomb: How Proof-of-Work Cryptocurrency Mining Worsens the Climate Crisis and Harms Communities Now</li> <li> <a href="https://www.coinspeaker.com/texas-bill-incentives-crypto-miners/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Coinspeaker</a>: Texas Senate Passes Bill to Limit Incentives for Crypto Miners Participating in Demand Response Programs</li> </ul> Catalyst is a co-production of<a href="https://postscriptmedia.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Post Script Media</a> and<a href="https://www.canarymedia.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Canary Media</a>.Support for Catalyst comes from Climate Positive, a podcast by HASI, that features candid conversations with the leaders, innovators, and changemakers who are at the forefront of the transition to a sustainable economy. <a href="https://www.hasi.com/newsroom/podcast/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Listen and subscribe</a> wherever you get your podcasts.Catalyst is supported by Scale Microgrids, the distributed energy company dedicated to transforming the way modern energy infrastructure is designed, constructed, and financed. Distributed generation can be complex. Scale makes it easy. Learn more: <a href="http://scalemicrogrids.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">scalemicrogrids.com</a>.

The great Bitcoin energy debate

The U.S. power grid is clogged, and it’s holding back the energy transition. Solar and wind farms are waiting four or more years to connect to the grid. Rising congestion costs are driving up retail electricity prices while hurting generator revenues. And the process of approving projects for interconnection is so complicated and expensive that it’s forcing developers to abandon the projects they were planning to build. We need much more transmission capacity and a better process for connecting projects. And we need it now more than ever. Demand for power will skyrocket as we connect EVs, heat pumps and other new loads to the grid. But Rob Gramlich, our guest today, comes with good news: We did it before. We can do it again. Rob is the founder and president of Grid Strategies. In this episode, Shayle and Rob talk through the three major challenges of transmission – congestion, interconnection, and buildout. And Rob explains how we’ve built out transmission in the past with efforts like ERCOT’s Competitive Renewable Energy Zones (CREZ) and MISO’s Multi-Value Projects (MVPs).They also cover topics like: The history of transmission in the U.S. The three P’s of transmission challenges: planning, permitting, and paying How congestion costs might shoot up over the next few years as grid capacity lags behind generation, causing new generation to slow and retail electricity prices to go up Reforming the slow, complex, and expensive approval process for interconnection at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission Where local opposition fits into transmission’s larger problems Recommended Resources:  Grid Strategies: Transmission Congestion Costs in the U.S. RTOs  Grid Strategies: Fewer New Miles: The U.S. Transmission Grid in the 2010s Catalyst is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.Support for Catalyst comes from Climate Positive, a podcast by HASI, that features candid conversations with the leaders, innovators, and changemakers who are at the forefront of the transition to a sustainable economy. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.Catalyst is supported by Scale Microgrids, the distributed energy company dedicated to transforming the way modern energy infrastructure is designed, constructed, and financed. Distributed generation can be complex. Scale makes it easy. Learn more: scalemicrogrids.com.

The U.S. power grid is clogged, and it’s holding back the energy transition. Solar and wind farms are waiting four or more years to connect to the grid. Rising congestion costs are driving up retail electricity prices while hurting generator revenues. And the process of approving projects for interconnection is so complicated and expensive that it’s forcing developers to abandon the projects they were planning to build. We need much more transmission capacity and a better process for connecting projects. And we need it now more than ever. Demand for power will skyrocket as we connect EVs, heat pumps and other new loads to the grid. But <a href="https://gridstrategiesllc.com/our-team/bios/#rob-gramlich" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Rob Gramlich</a>, our guest today, comes with good news: We did it before. We can do it again. Rob is the founder and president of Grid Strategies. In this episode, Shayle and Rob talk through the three major challenges of transmission – congestion, interconnection, and buildout. And Rob explains how we’ve built out transmission in the past with efforts like ERCOT’s <a href="https://www.texastribune.org/2013/10/14/7-billion-crez-project-nears-finish-aiding-wind-po/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Competitive Renewable Energy Zones</a> (CREZ) and <a href="https://www.utilitydive.com/news/state-regulators-utilities-support-miso-transmission-cost-allocatation/620086/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">MISO’s Multi-Value Projects</a> (MVPs).They also cover topics like:<ul> <li>The history of transmission in the U.S.</li> <li>The three P’s of transmission challenges: planning, permitting, and paying</li> <li>How congestion costs might shoot up over the next few years as grid capacity lags behind generation, causing new generation to slow and retail electricity prices to go up</li> <li>Reforming the slow, complex, and expensive approval process for interconnection at the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission</li> <li>Where local opposition fits into transmission’s larger problems</li> </ul> Recommended Resources:<ul> <li> <a href="https://gridprogress.files.wordpress.com/2023/04/transmission-congestion-costs-in-the-us-2021-update.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Grid Strategies</a>: Transmission Congestion Costs in the U.S. RTOs</li> <li> <a href="https://gridprogress.files.wordpress.com/2022/09/grid-strategies_fewer-new-miles_final.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Grid Strategies:</a> Fewer New Miles: The U.S. Transmission Grid in the 2010s</li> </ul> Catalyst is a co-production of<a href="https://postscriptmedia.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Post Script Media</a> and<a href="https://www.canarymedia.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Canary Media</a>.Support for Catalyst comes from Climate Positive, a podcast by HASI, that features candid conversations with the leaders, innovators, and changemakers who are at the forefront of the transition to a sustainable economy. <a href="https://www.hasi.com/newsroom/podcast/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Listen and subscribe</a> wherever you get your podcasts.Catalyst is supported by Scale Microgrids, the distributed energy company dedicated to transforming the way modern energy infrastructure is designed, constructed, and financed. Distributed generation can be complex. Scale makes it easy. Learn more: <a href="http://scalemicrogrids.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">scalemicrogrids.com</a>.

Understanding the transmission bottleneck

We’re bringing you a special crossover episode this week from Catalyst’s sister podcast, The Carbon Copy. It’s about a rogue startup that was trying to do something we’ve talked about on this show: solar geoengineering. Last year, Time staff writer Alejandro de la Garza found himself on the floor of a hotel room in Nevada with two guys trying to cook sulfur dioxide out of a tin can. Luke Iseman and Andrew Song are the co-founders of Make Sunsets, a startup claiming to be implementing solar geoengineering by launching weather balloons filled with SO2 into the stratosphere.Their first experimental launch in the Mexican state of Baja California resulted in a swift regulatory response from the Mexican government. But when they ran another test launch a few weeks ago just outside of Reno, Nevada, Luke invited Alejandro to join them. This week, we speak with Alejandro about his Time profile of the controversial startup. Plus, we talk with geoengineering experts Holly Buck and Kevin Surprise.“Any single person you talk to in solar geoengineering research, whether they’re bullish or against it, they all think that what Make Sunsets is doing is a bad idea,” explains Alejandro.Make Sunsets represents a turning point for the field of geoengineering, with rogue actors pushing the field from academic debate into the real world. Is the company’s recent balloon launch an act of performance art — or an open door to an uncontrolled climate experiment?Recommended Resources:  Time: Exclusive: Inside a Controversial Startup's Risky Attempt to Control Our Climate  The Guardian: Solar geoengineering could be ‘remarkably inexpensive’ – report  MIT Technology Review: This technology could alter the entire planet. These groups want every nation to have a say.  US Geological Survey: The Atmospheric Impact of the 1991 Mount Pinatubo Eruption  Catalyst: Solar geoengineering: Is it worth the risk? Catalyst is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.Support for Catalyst comes from Climate Positive, a podcast by HASI, that features candid conversations with the leaders, innovators, and changemakers who are at the forefront of the transition to a sustainable economy. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.Catalyst is supported by Scale Microgrids, the distributed energy company dedicated to transforming the way modern energy infrastructure is designed, constructed, and financed. Distributed generation can be complex. Scale makes it easy. Learn more: scalemicrogrids.com.

We’re bringing you a special crossover episode this week from Catalyst’s sister podcast, The Carbon Copy. It’s about a rogue startup that was trying to do something we’ve talked about on this show: solar geoengineering. Last year, Time staff writer<a href="https://twitter.com/AlexSdelaGarza" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Alejandro de la Garza</a> found himself on the floor of a hotel room in Nevada with two guys trying to cook sulfur dioxide out of a tin can. Luke Iseman and Andrew Song are the co-founders of Make Sunsets, a startup claiming to be implementing solar geoengineering by launching weather balloons filled with SO2 into the stratosphere.Their first experimental launch in the Mexican state of Baja California resulted in a swift regulatory response from the Mexican government. But when they ran another test launch a few weeks ago just outside of Reno, Nevada, Luke invited Alejandro to join them. This week, we speak with Alejandro about<a href="https://time.com/6257102/geoengineering-make-sunsets-us-balloon-launch-exclusive/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> his Time profile of the controversial startup</a>. Plus, we talk with geoengineering experts Holly Buck and Kevin Surprise.“Any single person you talk to in solar geoengineering research, whether they’re bullish or against it, they all think that what Make Sunsets is doing is a bad idea,” explains Alejandro.Make Sunsets represents a turning point for the field of geoengineering, with rogue actors pushing the field from academic debate into the real world. Is the company’s recent balloon launch an act of performance art — or an open door to an uncontrolled climate experiment? Recommended Resources:<ul> <li> <a href="https://time.com/6257102/geoengineering-make-sunsets-us-balloon-launch-exclusive/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Time</a>: Exclusive: Inside a Controversial Startup's Risky Attempt to Control Our Climate</li> <li> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/nov/23/solar-geoengineering-could-be-remarkably-inexpensive-report" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Guardian</a>: Solar geoengineering could be ‘remarkably inexpensive’ – report</li> <li> <a href="https://www.technologyreview.com/2023/04/17/1071654/this-technology-could-alter-the-entire-planet-these-groups-want-every-nation-to-have-a-say/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">MIT Technology Review</a>: This technology could alter the entire planet. These groups want every nation to have a say.</li> <li> <a href="https://pubs.usgs.gov/pinatubo/self/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">US Geological Survey</a>: The Atmospheric Impact of the 1991 Mount Pinatubo Eruption</li> <li> <a href="https://www.canarymedia.com/podcasts/catalyst-with-shayle-kann/solar-geoengineering-is-it-worth-the-risk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Catalyst</a>: Solar geoengineering: Is it worth the risk?</li> </ul> Catalyst is a co-production of<a href="https://postscriptmedia.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Post Script Media</a> and<a href="https://www.canarymedia.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Canary Media</a>.Support for Catalyst comes from Climate Positive, a podcast by HASI, that features candid conversations with the leaders, innovators, and changemakers who are at the forefront of the transition to a sustainable economy. <a href="https://www.hasi.com/newsroom/podcast/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Listen and subscribe</a> wherever you get your podcasts.Catalyst is supported by Scale Microgrids, the distributed energy company dedicated to transforming the way modern energy infrastructure is designed, constructed, and financed. Distributed generation can be complex. Scale makes it easy. Learn more: <a href="http://scalemicrogrids.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">scalemicrogrids.com</a>.

The Carbon Copy: A rogue geoengineering startup sparks worry

Hydropower is the world’s largest source of renewable electricity today, according to the IEA. Like gas peaker plants, it’s highly dispatchable, meaning it can complement intermittent renewables like wind and solar. And we could get a lot more of it. The IEA estimates that we could double the amount of energy produced globally. One peer-reviewed study found that global economic potential for hydropower was 21,000 terawatt hours per year, more than five times the current generation today. So how could we deploy more hydropower?In this episode, guest host Lara Pierpoint talks to Gia Schneider, co-founder and CEO of Natel Energy, a hydropower technology company. One key argument Gia makes is that if we can build smaller projects with lower ecosystem impacts, we can tap into more zero-carbon power. Gia and Lara talk through:  How quickly we need to build more hydropower to meet 2050 net-zero targets The benefits of traditional hydro as a full-stack grid resource Different types of hydro technology like run of river, hydrokinetic, and traditional large-scale dams Why smaller, more distributed systems are key to unlocking hydropower potential Different technologies to manage fish and debris like bypass channels, screens and fish-safe turbines The co-benefits of improving riverine landscapes, including making ecosystems and hydroelectric infrastructure more resilient to climate change How hydrology and forecasting can help us better manage dams in a changing climate Recommended Resources:  Energy &amp; Environmental Science: A comprehensive view of global potential for hydro-generated electricity  Bloomberg: The World’s Biggest Source of Clean Energy Is Evaporating Fast Catalyst is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.Support for Catalyst comes from Climate Positive, a podcast by HASI, that features candid conversations with the leaders, innovators, and changemakers who are at the forefront of the transition to a sustainable economy. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.Catalyst is supported by Scale Microgrids, the distributed energy company dedicated to transforming the way modern energy infrastructure is designed, constructed, and financed. Distributed generation can be complex. Scale makes it easy. Learn more: scalemicrogrids.com.

Hydropower is the world’s largest source of <a href="https://www.iea.org/fuels-and-technologies/electricity" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">renewable electricity today</a>, according to the IEA. Like gas peaker plants, it’s highly dispatchable, meaning it can complement intermittent renewables like wind and solar. And we could get a lot more of it. The IEA estimates that we could <a href="https://www.iea.org/reports/hydropower-special-market-report/executive-summary" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">double</a> the amount of energy produced globally. <a href="https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2015/ee/c5ee00888c" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">One peer-reviewed study</a> found that global economic potential for hydropower was 21,000 terawatt hours per year, more than five times the current generation today. So how could we deploy more hydropower?In this episode, guest host Lara Pierpoint talks to <a href="https://www.natelenergy.com/team" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Gia Schneider</a>, co-founder and CEO of Natel Energy, a hydropower technology company. One key argument Gia makes is that if we can build smaller projects with lower ecosystem impacts, we can tap into more zero-carbon power. Gia and Lara talk through: <ul> <li>How quickly we need to build more hydropower to meet 2050 net-zero targets</li> <li>The benefits of traditional hydro as a full-stack grid resource Different types of hydro technology like run of river, hydrokinetic, and traditional large-scale dams</li> <li>Why smaller, more distributed systems are key to unlocking hydropower potential</li> <li>Different technologies to manage fish and debris like bypass channels, screens and fish-safe turbines</li> <li>The co-benefits of improving riverine landscapes, including making ecosystems and hydroelectric infrastructure more resilient to climate change</li> <li>How hydrology and forecasting can help us better manage dams in a changing climate</li> </ul> Recommended Resources:<ul> <li> <a href="https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2015/ee/c5ee00888c" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Energy &amp; Environmental Science</a>: A comprehensive view of global potential for hydro-generated electricity</li> <li> <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2022-10-26/drought-from-china-to-us-hits-hydro-dams-slashing-the-top-clean-energy-source" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Bloomberg</a>: The World’s Biggest Source of Clean Energy Is Evaporating Fast</li> </ul> Catalyst is a co-production of<a href="https://postscriptmedia.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Post Script Media</a> and<a href="https://www.canarymedia.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Canary Media</a>.Support for Catalyst comes from Climate Positive, a podcast by HASI, that features candid conversations with the leaders, innovators, and changemakers who are at the forefront of the transition to a sustainable economy. <a href="https://www.hasi.com/newsroom/podcast/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Listen and subscribe</a> wherever you get your podcasts.Catalyst is supported by Scale Microgrids, the distributed energy company dedicated to transforming the way modern energy infrastructure is designed, constructed, and financed. Distributed generation can be complex. Scale makes it easy. Learn more: <a href="http://scalemicrogrids.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">scalemicrogrids.com</a>.

How to build more hydropower

The battery manufacturing announcements have been coming one after another—a VW cathode facility in Canada; a Tesla factory in Mexico; a Ford battery plant in Michigan.These companies hope to take advantage of the Inflation Reduction Act’s lucrative EV tax credits: Up to $3,750 for strategic minerals mined in the U.S. or its many free trade partner countries Up to $3,750 for battery components produced only in the U.S., Mexico, or Canada. But there’s a catch. A whole bunch of intermediate battery products don’t fit neatly into either bucket. For example, lithium gets processed into precursor cathode active material before it becomes cathode active material, the powder that actually makes it onto the factory floor of a battery manufacturer. Battery electrolytes go through multiple processing steps, too.Until last week, suppliers of these products were left wondering: Where should we manufacture to qualify? And for which credit?Congress had left these details up to the Treasury Department, and on Friday regulators released guidance for these intermediate products, or “constituent materials.” The new rules pleased some and angered others.So what do the changes mean for EV supply chains? In this episode, Shayle talks to Sam Jaffe, our resident EV-supply-chain whisperer. He’s the vice president of Battery Storage Solutions at E Source. He’s come on the show before to talk about the holy grail of batteries and the basics of the IRA’s EV tax credits. This time, Sam explains the new Treasury guidance.They cover topics like: Incentivizing domestic manufacturing while also giving auto companies the flexibility to qualify for credits Why Joe Manchin and European countries are upset about the new rules Japan’s last-minute free trade agreement before the rules came out How hard it will be for EV manufacturers to get qualifying constituent materials anytime soon, especially as they launch new mass market models What we still don’t know about how the Treasury will implement the IRA, including which countries or companies will qualify as “foreign entities of concern” Recommended Resources:  U.S. Treasury: Anticipated Direction of Forthcoming Proposed Guidance on Critical Mineral and Battery Component Value Calculations for the New Clean Vehicle Credit  The New York Times: New Rules Will Make Many Electric Cars Ineligible for Tax Credits  Politico: Bitter friends: Inside the summit aiming to heal EU-US trade rift Catalyst is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.Support for Catalyst comes from Climate Positive, a podcast by HASI, that features candid conversations with the leaders, innovators, and changemakers who are at the forefront of the transition to a sustainable economy. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.Catalyst is supported by Scale Microgrids, the distributed energy company dedicated to transforming the way modern energy infrastructure is designed, constructed, and financed. Distributed generation can be complex. Scale makes it easy. Learn more: scalemicrogrids.com.

The battery manufacturing announcements have been coming one after another—a <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-03-13/vw-to-build-battery-plant-in-canada-to-fast-track-expansion" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">VW cathode facility in Canada;</a> a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/03/business/energy-environment/tesla-nuevo-leon-mexico-factory.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tesla factory in Mexico</a>; a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/13/business/energy-environment/ford-catl-electric-vehicle-battery.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Ford battery plant in Michigan</a>.These companies hope to take advantage of the Inflation Reduction Act’s lucrative EV tax credits:<ul> <li>Up to $3,750 for strategic minerals mined in the U.S. or its many free trade partner countries</li> <li>Up to $3,750 for battery components produced only in the U.S., Mexico, or Canada.</li> </ul>But there’s a catch. A whole bunch of intermediate battery products don’t fit neatly into either bucket. For example, lithium gets processed into precursor cathode active material before it becomes cathode active material, the powder that actually makes it onto the factory floor of a battery manufacturer. Battery electrolytes go through multiple processing steps, too.Until last week, suppliers of these products were left wondering: Where should we manufacture to qualify? And for which credit?Congress had left these details up to the Treasury Department, and on Friday regulators released guidance for these intermediate products, or “constituent materials.” The new rules pleased some and <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-04-02/manchin-steps-up-clash-with-biden-over-electric-car-tax-credits" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">angered others</a>.So what do the changes mean for EV supply chains? In this episode, Shayle talks to <a href="https://www.esource.com/leadership" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sam Jaffe</a>, our resident EV-supply-chain whisperer. He’s the vice president of Battery Storage Solutions at E Source. He’s come on the show before to talk about <a href="https://www.canarymedia.com/podcasts/catalyst-with-shayle-kann/seeking-the-holy-grail-of-batteries" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">the holy grail of batteries</a> and <a href="https://www.canarymedia.com/podcasts/catalyst-with-shayle-kann/is-the-inflation-reduction-act-a-win-for-evs-and-batteries" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">the basics of the IRA’s EV tax credits. </a>This time, Sam explains the new Treasury guidance.They cover topics like:<ul> <li>Incentivizing domestic manufacturing while also giving auto companies the flexibility to qualify for credits</li> <li>Why Joe Manchin and European countries are upset about the new rules</li> <li>Japan’s last-minute free trade agreement before the rules came out</li> <li>How hard it will be for EV manufacturers to get qualifying constituent materials anytime soon, especially as they launch new mass market models</li> <li>What we still don’t know about how the Treasury will implement the IRA, including which countries or companies will qualify as “foreign entities of concern”</li> </ul> Recommended Resources: <ul> <li> <a href="https://home.treasury.gov/system/files/136/30DWhite-Paper.pdf" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">U.S. Treasury</a>: Anticipated Direction of Forthcoming Proposed Guidance on Critical Mineral and Battery Component Value Calculations for the New Clean Vehicle Credit</li> <li> <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/31/business/energy-environment/electric-vehicles-treasury-tax-credits.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The New York Times</a>: New Rules Will Make Many Electric Cars Ineligible for Tax Credits</li> <li> <a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/trade-tech-council-china-subsidies-ira-joe-biden-emmanuel-macron-summit-ttc/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Politico</a>: Bitter friends: Inside the summit aiming to heal EU-US trade rift</li> </ul> Catalyst is a co-production of<a href="https://postscriptmedia.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Post Script Media</a> and<a href="https://www.canarymedia.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Canary Media</a>. Support for Catalyst comes from Climate Positive, a podcast by HASI, that features candid conversations with the leaders, innovators, and changemakers who are at the forefront of the transition to a sustainable economy. <a href="https://www.hasi.com/newsroom/podcast/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Listen and subscribe</a> wherever you get your podcasts. Catalyst is supported by Scale Microgrids, the distributed energy company dedicated to transforming the way modern energy infrastructure is designed, constructed, and financed. Distributed generation can be complex. Scale makes it easy. Learn more: <a href="http://scalemicrogrids.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">scalemicrogrids.com</a>.

What the new Treasury rules mean for EV supply chains

The run on Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) earlier this month was a hair-raising experience for anyone in climatetech. The bank catered to entrepreneurs in tech, especially climate. So when news of SVB’s troubled assets hit social media, startups scrambled to withdraw millions of dollars and draft emergency plans to make payroll. But after the Federal Insurance Deposit Corporation (FDIC) took over SVB and another troubled regional institution, Signature Bank, the dust started to settle. The FDIC announced that it would insure the full deposits at SVB, above the $250,000 guarantee. But how did this all happen? And what does it mean for climatetech today?In this episode, Shayle talks to Saloni Multani, partner at Galvanize Climate Solutions and former chief financial officer for Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign. She came on the show last May to explain what the economic downturn meant for climatetech. This time Saloni and Shayle cover topics like: What led to the problems at SVB, Signature, and others How trends in the broader banking system signal a new environment for climatetech companies  The durability of climatetech opportunities Whether others will fill the hole left by SVB, which was a critical partner to many climatetech projects, including 62% of U.S. community solar projects  Recommended Resources:  The Carbon Copy: A bank collapse threatens climate startups  Canary: Community solar industry says it can ride out Silicon Valley Bank failure  The Guardian: ‘The first Twitter-fuelled bank run’: how social media compounded SVB’s collapse  Catalyst: How will the downturn affect climatetech? Catalyst is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.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 supported by EnergyHub. The company’s platform lets consumers turn their smart thermostats, EVs, batteries, water heaters, and other products into virtual power plants that keep the grid stable and enable higher penetration of solar and wind power. And they are hiring! Learn more and see open roles at energyhub.com/catalystCatalyst is brought to you by Sealed: The experts in home weatherization and electrification upgrades. Sealed is leading the way, with over a decade of experience being accountable to homeowners because they only get paid based on actual energy reductions. Visit Sealed.com/measuredsavings to learn more.

The run on Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) earlier this month was a hair-raising experience for anyone in climatetech. The bank catered to entrepreneurs in tech, especially climate. So when news of SVB’s troubled assets <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/mar/16/the-first-twitter-fuelled-bank-run-how-social-media-compounded-svbs-collapse" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">hit social media</a>, startups scrambled to withdraw millions of dollars and draft emergency plans to <a href="https://www.canarymedia.com/podcasts/the-carbon-copy/a-bank-collapse-threatens-climate-startups" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">make payroll</a>. But after the Federal Insurance Deposit Corporation (FDIC) took over SVB and another troubled regional institution, Signature Bank, the dust started to settle. The FDIC announced that it would insure the full deposits at SVB, above the $250,000 guarantee. But how did this all happen? And what does it mean for climatetech today?In this episode, Shayle talks to <a href="https://galvanizeclimate.com/team/saloni-multani/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Saloni Multani</a>, partner at Galvanize Climate Solutions and former chief financial officer for Joe Biden’s 2020 campaign. She came on the show last May to explain what the <a href="https://www.canarymedia.com/podcasts/catalyst-with-shayle-kann/how-will-the-downturn-affect-climate-tech" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">economic downturn meant for climatetech</a>. This time Saloni and Shayle cover topics like:<ul> <li>What led to the problems at SVB, Signature, and others</li> <li>How trends in the broader banking system signal a new environment for climatetech companies </li> <li>The durability of climatetech opportunities Whether others will fill the hole left by SVB, which was a critical partner to many climatetech projects, including <a href="https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/climatetech-finance/community-solar-industry-says-it-can-ride-out-silicon-valley-bank-failure" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">62% of U.S. community solar projects</a> </li> </ul> Recommended Resources:<ul> <li> <a href="https://www.canarymedia.com/podcasts/the-carbon-copy/a-bank-collapse-threatens-climate-startups" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Carbon Copy</a>: A bank collapse threatens climate startups</li> <li> <a href="https://www.canarymedia.com/articles/climatetech-finance/community-solar-industry-says-it-can-ride-out-silicon-valley-bank-failure" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Canary</a>: Community solar industry says it can ride out Silicon Valley Bank failure</li> <li> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/info/about-guardian-us/contact" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Guardian</a>: ‘The first Twitter-fuelled bank run’: how social media compounded SVB’s collapse</li> <li> <a href="https://www.canarymedia.com/podcasts/catalyst-with-shayle-kann/how-will-the-downturn-affect-climate-tech" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Catalyst</a>: How will the downturn affect climatetech?</li> </ul> Catalyst is a co-production of<a href="https://postscriptmedia.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Post Script Media</a> and<a href="https://www.canarymedia.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Canary Media</a>.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 <a href="http://antennagroup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">antennagroup.com</a> to learn more.Catalyst is supported by EnergyHub. The company’s platform lets consumers turn their smart thermostats, EVs, batteries, water heaters, and other products into virtual power plants that keep the grid stable and enable higher penetration of solar and wind power. And they are hiring! Learn more and see open roles at<a href="http://energyhub.com/catalyst" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> energyhub.com/catalyst</a>Catalyst is brought to you by Sealed: The experts in home weatherization and electrification upgrades. Sealed is leading the way, with over a decade of experience being accountable to homeowners because they only get paid based on actual energy reductions. Visit <a href="http://sealed.com/measuredsavings" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sealed.com/measuredsavings</a> to learn more.

SVB, the banking crisis and climatetech

Landfills, dairy farms and wastewater plants all emit methane, the potent greenhouse gas produced when organic material decomposes in the absence of oxygen. But instead of emitting that methane (often called biomethane or waste methane), it’s possible to capture and refine it, resulting in renewable natural gas, or RNG. Capturing methane that would have been emitted anyway (something that’s still up for debate) creates RNG that’s carbon neutral or carbon negative. And using that RNG to displace fossil-fuel derived natural gas can cut overall emissions.Big players in energy are betting big on RNG. Last fall BP acquired RNG producer Archaea for $4.1 billion, Shell bought Nature Energy for $2 billion and NextEra purchased $1.1 billion in RNG assets from Energy Power Partners.So what’s behind this recent flurry of activity? And to what extent could RNG actually offset carbon emissions? In this episode, Shayle talks to Brandon Moffatt, cofounder of Stormfisher, an RNG and hydrogen producer.They cover topics like: RNG feedstocks like dairy farms, wastewater treatment plants, and landfills How much waste methane is available for RNG How different feedstocks determine RNG’s carbon intensity  Government subsidies like the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) and Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs) Recommended Resources:   Environmental Research Letters: At scale, renewable natural gas systems could be climate intensive: the influence of methane feedstock and leakage rates  Bloomberg: The Gas Industry’s Survival Plan: Make Fuel From Cow Poop  Vox: The false promise of “renewable natural gas”  CBC: Renewable natural gas could help slow climate change, but by how much? Catalyst is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.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 supported by EnergyHub. The company’s platform lets consumers turn their smart thermostats, EVs, batteries, water heaters, and other products into virtual power plants that keep the grid stable and enable higher penetration of solar and wind power. And they are hiring! Learn more and see open roles at energyhub.com/catalystCatalyst is brought to you by Sealed: The experts in home weatherization and electrification upgrades. Sealed is leading the way, with over a decade of experience being accountable to homeowners because they only get paid based on actual energy reductions. Visit Sealed.com/measuredsavings to learn more.

Landfills, dairy farms and wastewater plants all emit methane, the potent greenhouse gas produced when organic material decomposes in the absence of oxygen. But instead of emitting that methane (often called biomethane or waste methane), it’s possible to capture and refine it, resulting in renewable natural gas, or RNG. Capturing methane that would have been emitted anyway (something that’s still <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ab9335" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">up for debate</a>) creates RNG that’s carbon neutral or carbon negative. And using that RNG to displace fossil-fuel derived natural gas can cut overall emissions.Big players in energy are betting big on RNG. Last fall BP acquired RNG producer <a href="https://www.reuters.com/markets/deals/archaea-energy-be-bought-by-bp-41-bln-including-debt-2022-10-17/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Archaea for $4.1 billion</a>, Shell bought <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/shell-buy-danish-firm-nature-energy-nearly-2-billion-2022-11-28/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nature Energy for $2 billion</a> and NextEra purchased <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-10-28/nextera-to-buy-1-1-billion-landfill-gas-to-electric-portfolio" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">$1.1 billion in RNG assets</a> from Energy Power Partners.So what’s behind this recent flurry of activity? And to what extent could RNG actually offset carbon emissions? In this episode, Shayle talks to Brandon Moffatt, cofounder of <a href="https://www.stormfisher.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Stormfisher</a>, an RNG and hydrogen producer.They cover topics like:<ul> <li>RNG feedstocks like dairy farms, wastewater treatment plants, and landfills</li> <li>How much waste methane is available for RNG</li> <li>How different feedstocks determine RNG’s carbon intensity </li> <li>Government subsidies like the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) and Renewable Identification Numbers (RINs)</li> </ul> Recommended Resources: <ul> <li> <a href="https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1748-9326/ab9335/meta" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Environmental Research Letters:</a> At scale, renewable natural gas systems could be climate intensive: the influence of methane feedstock and leakage rates</li> <li> <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-08-31/the-fossil-fuel-industry-s-survival-plan-renewable-natural-gas-from-cow-poop" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Bloomberg</a>: The Gas Industry’s Survival Plan: Make Fuel From Cow Poop</li> <li> <a href="https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2020/2/14/21131109/california-natural-gas-renewable-socalgas" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Vox</a>: The false promise of “renewable natural gas”</li> <li> <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/renewable-natural-gas-1.6346783" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">CBC</a>: Renewable natural gas could help slow climate change, but by how much?</li> </ul> Catalyst is a co-production of<a href="https://postscriptmedia.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Post Script Media</a> and<a href="https://www.canarymedia.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Canary Media</a>.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 <a href="http://antennagroup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">antennagroup.com</a> to learn more.Catalyst is supported by EnergyHub. The company’s platform lets consumers turn their smart thermostats, EVs, batteries, water heaters, and other products into virtual power plants that keep the grid stable and enable higher penetration of solar and wind power. And they are hiring! Learn more and see open roles at<a href="http://energyhub.com/catalyst" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> energyhub.com/catalyst</a>Catalyst is brought to you by Sealed: The experts in home weatherization and electrification upgrades. Sealed is leading the way, with over a decade of experience being accountable to homeowners because they only get paid based on actual energy reductions. Visit <a href="http://sealed.com/measuredsavings" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sealed.com/measuredsavings</a> to learn more.

Betting big on renewable natural gas

Nitrous oxide or N2O is the third largest source of GHG emissions behind carbon dioxide and methane. Also known as laughing gas, it’s long-lived like carbon dioxide and incredibly potent like methane. And it accounts for about 6% of global warming. So where does it come from? And what do we do about it?In this episode, Shayle talks to Eric Davidson, professor at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, and principal scientist at Spark Climate Solutions. Eric studies the surprising source of nitrous oxide: bacteria in the soil. Eric and Shayle talk about topics like:  How the application of nitrogen fertilizer causes more emissions than the production of fertilizer itself The challenging economics of agriculture that cause farmers to over-apply fertilizer How precise and timely application of fertilizer could cut emissions New livestock feed additives that could replace the N2O-intensive crops in animal feed New crops that require less fertilizer Recommended Resources:  Nature Climate Change: Improving the social cost of nitrous oxide  The Conversation: New research: nitrous oxide emissions 300 times more powerful than CO₂ are jeopardizing Earth’s future  Nature: A comprehensive quantification of global nitrous oxide sources and sinks Come watch a live episode of The Carbon Copy! Canary Media and Post Script Media are hosting a live event at Greentown Labs in Somerville, Mass. on April 6. We’ll record a live episode of The Carbon Copy with some very special guests. Get your tickets today.Catalyst is a co-production of Post Script Media and Canary Media.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 supported by EnergyHub. The company’s platform lets consumers turn their smart thermostats, EVs, batteries, water heaters, and other products into virtual power plants that keep the grid stable and enable higher penetration of solar and wind power. And they are hiring! Learn more and see open roles at energyhub.com/catalystCatalyst is brought to you by Sealed: The experts in home weatherization and electrification upgrades. Sealed is leading the way, with over a decade of experience being accountable to homeowners because they only get paid based on actual energy reductions. Visit Sealed.com/measuredsavings to learn more.

Nitrous oxide or N2O is the third largest source of GHG emissions behind carbon dioxide and methane. Also known as laughing gas, it’s long-lived like carbon dioxide and incredibly potent like methane. And it accounts for about 6% of global warming. So where does it come from? And what do we do about it?In this episode, Shayle talks to <a href="https://www.umces.edu/eric-davidson" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Eric Davidson</a>, professor at the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, and principal scientist at Spark Climate Solutions. Eric studies the surprising source of nitrous oxide: bacteria in the soil. Eric and Shayle talk about topics like: <ul> <li>How the application of nitrogen fertilizer causes more emissions than the production of fertilizer itself</li> <li>The challenging economics of agriculture that cause farmers to over-apply fertilizer</li> <li>How precise and timely application of fertilizer could cut emissions</li> <li>New livestock feed additives that could replace the N2O-intensive crops in animal feed</li> <li>New crops that require less fertilizer</li> </ul> Recommended Resources:<ul> <li> <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41558-021-01226-z" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nature Climate Change</a>: Improving the social cost of nitrous oxide</li> <li> <a href="https://theconversation.com/new-research-nitrous-oxide-emissions-300-times-more-powerful-than-co-are-jeopardising-earths-future-147208" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>: New research: nitrous oxide emissions 300 times more powerful than CO₂ are jeopardizing Earth’s future</li> <li> <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2780-0" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Nature</a>: A comprehensive quantification of global nitrous oxide sources and sinks</li> </ul> Come watch a live episode of <a href="https://www.canarymedia.com/podcasts/the-carbon-copy" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Carbon Copy</a>! Canary Media and <a href="https://postscriptmedia.com/?utm_source=registration&amp;utm_medium=web&amp;utm_id=live" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Post Script Media</a> are hosting a live event at Greentown Labs in Somerville, Mass. on April 6. We’ll record a live episode of The Carbon Copy with some very special guests. <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/canary-live-boston-tickets-539295245597" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Get your tickets today</a>.Catalyst is a co-production of<a href="https://postscriptmedia.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Post Script Media</a> and<a href="https://www.canarymedia.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Canary Media</a>.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 <a href="http://antennagroup.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">antennagroup.com</a> to learn more.Catalyst is supported by EnergyHub. The company’s platform lets consumers turn their smart thermostats, EVs, batteries, water heaters, and other products into virtual power plants that keep the grid stable and enable higher penetration of solar and wind power. And they are hiring! Learn more and see open roles at<a href="http://energyhub.com/catalyst" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> energyhub.com/catalyst</a>Catalyst is brought to you by Sealed: The experts in home weatherization and electrification upgrades. Sealed is leading the way, with over a decade of experience being accountable to homeowners because they only get paid based on actual energy reductions. Visit <a href="http://sealed.com/measuredsavings" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Sealed.com/measuredsavings</a> to learn more.

The greenhouse gas you don’t know about

Catalyst with Shayle Kann

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