Tell us what you think of the show! Five years ago, PG&E's reputation was shattered. California's largest utility had filed for bankruptcy after admitted missteps led to catastrophic wildfires. The climate crisis had wreaked havoc in the state most committed to fighting it. But the urgency of the energy transition required a rebirth of PG&E, especially in light of California's quickly approaching climate deadlines. Today, PG&E is dispelling the myth of the infallible utility by lifting the veil on its shortcomings and calling on industry to fill the gaps. Episode 80 of the Factor ..read more

Tell us what you think of the show! This Week in Cleantech is a new, weekly podcast covering the most impactful stories in cleantech and climate in 15 minutes or less. This week’s episode features Heatmap writer Katie Brigham, who reported on rising interest in sodium-ion batteries as an alternative to lithium-ion. This Week in Cleantech — July 19, 2024 This week's "Cleantecher of the Week" is Scott Wopata of the Rice County Community Action Center. This community offers net-zero housing for people experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity. They have an innovative wall design that deli ..read more

Virtual power plants were always doomed to fall into clean tech's notorious hype cycle. There are plenty of reasons for that, but start with the name. 'Virtual power plant' means everything and nothing all at once. Then there's the origin story—one rooted in the far-less-sexy, and decades-old concept of demand response. Round that out with projections that utilities could save as much as $35 billion in just 10 years by embracing VPPs and you have the makings of a hype cycle even green hydrogen can't reach. But VPPs are proving to have staying power. Federal and state policies have opened new ..read more

This Week in Cleantech is a new, weekly podcast covering the most impactful stories in cleantech and climate in 15 minutes or less. This week’s episode features Semafor climate and energy editor Tim McDonnell, who reported on AI's impact on the grid and how the technology could be used to ease the strain. This Week in Cleantech — June 28, 2024 This week's "Cleantecher of the Week" is Warwick Wise, Head of Video at ABB. He went out to the plains of New Mexico to see how the latest detection and monitoring technology helped find methane leaks and seal them off. Congratulations, Warwick! Supr ..read more

This Week in Cleantech is a new, weekly podcast covering the most impactful stories in cleantech and climate in 15 minutes or less. This week’s episode features Newsweek editor Jeff Young, who reported on President Biden's effort to link his climate goals to good-paying jobs. This Week in Cleantech — June 21, 2024This week's "Cleantecher of the Week" is Megawatt-X founder Laurent Segalen! Solar Power’s Giants Are Providing More Energy Than Big Oil - Bloomberg Green Peace: How the Fight Against Climate Change Can Overcome Geopolitical Discord - Foreign Affairs A Trump Win Puts $369 Billion i ..read more

This Week in Cleantech is a new, weekly podcast covering the most impactful stories in cleantech and climate in 15 minutes or less. This week’s episode features Michael Thomas, author of the "Distilled" newsletter, who reported on the growing size of clean energy projects in the U.S. This Week in Cleantech — June 14, 2024This week's "Cleantecher of the Week" is Andrew Savage, vice president and founding team at electric vehicle and bike sharing company, Lime.  The World Needs More Batteries for Electric Vehicles — But Not This Many — Bloomberg House hearing to be held to consider bill ..read more

Christian Roselund has a strategy for when a new solar tariff petition drops. Turn off your phone. Then get to reading. Had he failed to follow these rules in April, Roselund, a senior policy analyst at Clean Energy Associates, would have gotten an ear full from developers fearful of yet another tariff fight. U.S. solar manufacturing giants First Solar and QCells are putting their weight behind the latest threat to an already fragile supply chain, and it could be much worse than the one that brought the industry to its knees just two years ago. Roselund joined Episode 78 of the Factor This ..read more

This Week in Cleantech is a new, weekly podcast covering the most impactful stories in cleantech and climate in 15 minutes or less. This week's episode features The Guardian's Dharna Norr, who reported on an effort by Vermont leaders to force fossil fuel companies to pay for their emissions impacts. This Week in Cleantech — June 7, 2024 This week's "Cleantecher of the Week" is CleanCapital co-founder Jon Powers! Renewable Energy Wins for Now in Michigan as Local Control Measure Fails to Make Ballot — Inside Climate News World’s biggest solar farm goes online, big enough to power a country ..read more

This Week in Cleantech is a new, weekly podcast covering the most impactful stories in cleantech and climate in 15 minutes or less. This week’s episode features Stephen Robert Miller, who wrote for Yale E360 about an effort to convert existing oil wells for long-duration storage of solar energy. This Week in Cleantech — May 31, 2024  This week's "Cleantecher of the Week" is Gregg Patterson, CEO of Origami Solar! The U.S. just took its biggest step yet to end coal mining — The Washington Post Opinion | Can Biden Win America’s Green Tech Trade War With China? — The New York Times How re ..read more

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has unveiled landmark new rules in attempt to jumpstart the beleaguered transmission system in the U.S. Many are already calling it the most impactful action by the agency in decades, providing a path to meet the needs of the energy transition. Taken together, Orders 1920 and 1977 total more than 1,500 pages, requiring long-term, proactive transmission planning and providing a backstop to some key siting disputes. But experts say there's still plenty of work ahead, and challenges to the rules are likely. Episode 77 of the Factor This! podcast feature ..read more