Best Smart Grid Forums Podcasts (2025)

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The tape that led to a fusion breakthrough 50:41

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6 days ago50:41

50:41

In 2021, Commonwealth Fusion Systems proved it had built the most powerful magnet in the world. The breakthrough was based on a specific material - a tape - that conducts massive amounts of current with very little loss. Rick Needham, Chief Commercial Officer for CFS, says the breakthrough led to a $1.8 billion Series B fundraising round. Since the…

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Frontier Forum: Fixing distributed energy's finance gap 41:55

12 days ago41:55

41:55

Clean energy attracts nearly $3 trillion in investment annually, but most of that capital flows to massive utility-scale projects through the world's biggest banks and large-scale asset managers. Meanwhile, smaller distributed projects — rooftop solar, batteries, microgrids — face a structural financing challenge that Amanda Li calls "death by a th…

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Will AI Replace Power Grid Jobs or Reinvent Them? 10:21

12 days ago10:21

10:21

Mandana White sits down with Ronan McKeown, Future Networks Director at NIE Networks, to explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping the energy workforce.By Smart Grid Forums

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Solving the Grid’s Talent Crisis 16:40

19 days ago16:40

16:40

As demand for clean energy surges, grid operators face a new challenge: attracting and retaining the next generation of engineers. In this episode, Ronan McKeown breaks down the workforce crisis gripping the energy sector. One Planet. One Power GridBy Smart Grid Forums

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FOAK tales 52:55

20 days ago52:55

52:55

This week, we're bringing you a special episode of Catalyst with Shayle Kann, a show about how to decarbonize the planet. In this episode: what it takes to secure investments for first-of-a-kind infrastructure projects. First-of-a-kind projects need infrastructure investment, the kind of money that costs less than venture capital and usually comes …

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Using AI to Stabilize the Workforce and Accelerate Transition 18:30

22 days ago18:30

18:30

What if AI could solve the workforce crisis in the energy sector? Mandana White talks to Leon Kuiper, Lead Data Scientist at Stedin, about how AI is being used to stabilize the grid workforce and fast-track the energy transition. One Planet. One Power Grid.By Smart Grid Forums

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Closing the Gap Between Grid Leaders and Technicians 21:13

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about a year ago21:13

21:13

Are your grid leaders and technicians speaking the same language? Mandana White, CEO of Smart Grid Forums, sits down with Leon Ashley Boroda, founder of Ashley Boroda Communication and Development. One Planet. One Power Grid.By Smart Grid Forums

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Building Fervo's geothermal giant 42:38

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about a year ago42:38

42:38

In 2023, Sarah Jewett was on her honeymoon in France when she received a life-changing text: steam was flowing from Fervo Energy's first commercial geothermal project in Nevada. That moment confirmed their revolutionary approach—applying horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing from the oil and gas industry to tap heat resources previously cons…

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What does it take to lead in a transforming grid landscape? 26:55

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about a year ago26:55

26:55

Torsten Roeglin and Dr. Mihai Paun reflect on the strategic value of SGT25—from the technologies shaping grid modernization to the high-impact conversations that happened behind the scenes. This episode offers key insights on where the industry is heading, and how to stay ahead. One planet. One power grid.…

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Were you at SGT25? What stood out? 15:55

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about a year ago15:55

15:55

As we look ahead to SGT26, what do you want to see more of? Deeper collaboration, real-world case studies, honest conversations about what’s working (and what’s not)? In the first episode of Powering the Future, Mandana White puts these questions to leading SGT vendors Paul Van Dijk and Johan Malstrom. One planet. One power grid.…

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Terawatt Infrastructure’s billion-dollar strategy 33:43

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about a year ago33:43

33:43

In 2021, Neha Palmer co-founced Terawatt Infrastructure with a bold mission: create the backbone for America's electric trucking revolution. Within its first year, Terawatt secured a billion-dollar investment. But as the company developed plans for a nationwide charging network, it confronted the daunting challenge of building infrastructure for an…

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The scrappy beginning of Tesla’s energy business 35:40

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about a year ago35:40

35:40

In 2014, Drew Baglino was helping build Tesla's energy division with a passionate, scrappy team. Using parts from Tesla's vehicles, they created the first Powerwall home battery. But as demand grew, they hit a critical bottleneck: cell shortages. Customers across multiple markets were already excited about the new product, but Drew’s team struggled…

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LineVision's quest to win over utilities 29:16

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about a year ago29:16

29:16

In 2018, LineVision was a young company with revolutionary technology for electric transmission lines. Its dynamic line rating sensors and software could increase the capacity of existing power lines by up to 40% without building new infrastructure — a critical solution for integrating renewables and meeting growing electricity demand. But to prove…

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Nextracker's blueprint for 100 gigawatts of solar trackers 32:14

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about a year ago32:14

32:14

Dan Shugar has been trying to move solar panels around since the 1980s. What started with a few experiments as a young engineer has turned into one of the biggest solar tracker companies in the world. In 2012 he founded Nextracker with a single product. Since then, Nextracker has revolutionized tracking technology through an array of innovative pro…

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Electric Hydrogen’s bet on supersized electrolyzers 35:53

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about a year ago35:53

35:53

When Raffi Garabedian co-founded Electric Hydrogen in 2020, he saw existing electrolyzers as too small and expensive to make green hydrogen economically viable. Instead of building standard sub-megawatt units, his team aimed for 100-megawatt systems at half the industry cost. Initial market enthusiasm brought millions in capacity reservations, fuel…

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How supply chain chaos sank Sunfolding 42:41

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about a year ago42:41

42:41

Leila Madrone founded Sunfolding in 2012 with an innovative idea – build a solar tracker using pneumatic "airbags" instead of motors and torque tubes. By 2015, the company was deploying the technology in a field test in Davis, California. Over the next six years, Sunfolding iterated on the technology’s design, built out the supply chain, and tried …

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Open Circuit: Jigar, Katherine, and Stephen are back 51:52

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about a year ago51:52

51:52

This week, we’re featuring an episode of Open Circuit, a new show from Latitude Media that reunites Jigar Shah, Katherine Hamilton, and Stephen Lacey. Many listeners may remember them from The Energy Gang, a show they co-hosted for eight years. They are back together, co-hosting a weekly roundtable that will cover the latest news – to explain what'…

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The first commercial construction project for low-carbon cement 33:28

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about a year ago33:28

33:28

In May 2024, Yanni Tsipis was watching as his team prepared to pour a low-carbon version of concrete — one that had never been used in a commercial project. As senior vice president of WS Development, he was in charge of the team building Boston’s largest net-zero office building for operating emissions (not embodied emissions), and he had spearhea…

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Pioneering one of the first IRA tax credit transfers 32:30

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about a year ago32:30

32:30

When Chris Taylor and his team at GridStor were building Santa Barbara county's largest battery storage project in Goleta, CA they saw an opportunity: become one of the first companies to transfer tax credits under the newly passed Inflation Reduction Act. But there was no playbook to follow. Instead of working with smaller, specialized investors, …

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Building the world’s biggest DAC facility 35:10

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about a year ago35:10

35:10

On Christmas Eve 2023, Doug Chan wasn't celebrating with family. Instead, he was in Hellisheiði, Iceland with his team, preparing to commission Mammoth — what would become the world's largest operational direct air capture facility. Getting there wasn't easy. After building two successful smaller plants, Climeworks faced its biggest challenge yet i…

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A complex path for building heat batteries 34:25

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about a year ago34:25

34:25

In 2022, John O’Donnell and Peter von Behrens figured out how to design a heat battery that would deliver heat at very high, constant temperatures. The breakthrough came on the heels of two years of research and development, some of which took place in Peter’s garage. Now, John and Peter were ready to prove their technology at commercial scale. So …

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The ‘third inning’ of the energy transition [partner content] 35:19

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about a year ago35:19

35:19

In the aftermath of the presidential election, the clean energy industry is scrambling to figure out what a second Trump administration would mean for their companies and projects. But Tom Burton isn't just looking at the next four years. After 25 years serving the industry with the law firm Mintz, he's thinking about the growth of the industry ove…

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The risk of scaling 100x 29:41

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about a year ago29:41

29:41

In 2022, Via Separations was getting ready to build its commercial-scale filtration system, a technology that could help cut emissions and costs for a wide range of industries like paper, chemicals, and food processing. And when the company faced two paths — scale up 10x or 100x — CEO and co-founder Shreya Dave decided to scale faster by building a…

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Why concentrated solar couldn’t compete 33:38

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about a year ago33:38

33:38

In 2009, John Woolard’s team flipped the switch on a first-of-a-kind concentrated solar power project. The pilot paved the way for BrightSource Energy, where John was CEO, to build its first commercial CSP plant, a 440-megawatt project in the Mojave Desert called Ivanpah. John and his team believed they were far ahead of the competition, including …

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Introducing: The Green Blueprint 2:44

about a year ago2:44

2:44

We’ve already invented many of the solutions needed to decarbonize the global economy. But a big chunk of emission reductions will come from technologies that are not yet commercial. We don’t have decades to get these commercialized – we have years. So what can we learn from the people who are bringing new technologies from the lab to the market, c…

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An update on what's ahead for this show, and more 3:04

about a year ago3:04

3:04

Since we stopped The Carbon Copy, some listeners had questions about what’s next. Here's a preview of our new podcast, the Transition-AI event in December, and a new newsletter called the AI-Energy Nexus. Stay tuned to the feed for our new show, dropping later this fall!By Latitude Media

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Frontier Forum: How rates will make or break the energy transition 49:24

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about a year ago49:24

49:24

Dynamic pricing is everywhere – and impacts all of us. Whether it's the time of day, your location, or the amount of demand, so many of our decisions are driven by real-time pricing changes. But it's still a relatively new concept in electricity. This week, we're featuring a conversation with Scott Engstrom of GridX and Economist Ahmad Faruqui on t…

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Our final episode: The top stories of 2024 so far 1:02:07

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about a year ago1:02:07

1:02:07

Some news: this will be our final installment of The Carbon Copy. But don’t go anywhere! Later this fall, the feed will be transformed into a new show that will profile the people architecting the clean energy economy. We promise it will be a valuable part of your media diet. For our last episode, we brought back some old friends: Jigar Shah, direc…

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Avoiding mistakes from the first smart meters 25:10

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about a year ago25:10

25:10

When millions of smart meters rolled out across the country at the turn of the last decade, many people hoped it would create the backbone of a digital grid. Today, you’ll find few who think meters lived up to expectations. One survey found only 3% of advanced meters supported by the 2009 stimulus bill brought customer savings. Mike Phillips, the C…

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Why ditching aluminum is key to securing the US solar supply chain 44:06

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about a year ago44:06

44:06

Solar is the fastest growing electricity-generating technology in history. That rapid scaling was a result of squeezing cost reductions out of every step of production. But there's one critical piece that hasn't changed much: frames. Aluminum frames now make up one-quarter of the cost of a PV module. And that metal mostly comes from China, a countr…

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AI-fueled geothermal and ‘the edge of the possible’ 40:04

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about a year ago40:04

40:04

A lot of climate tech investors are still trying to figure out how to invest in artificial intelligence. Will it become a unique investment category? Or just a natural enhancement of what many startups are already building? There’s an emerging class of startups with AI at the center of their business. Citrine Informatics is using generative AI to s…

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A macro view on the state of climate tech 32:00

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about a year ago32:00

32:00

We need to invest many trillions of dollars every year to build a climate-positive economy. We know what those technologies are – but they're all at very different levels of readiness. So what would it take to scale critical climate technologies? That was the simple-but-complicated question recently posed by a group of energy, industry, and high-te…

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Energy is now the ‘primary bottleneck’ for AI 56:22

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about a year ago56:22

56:22

Data centers are an impressive energy success story. Over the last 25 years, internet traffic has climbed more than 500x while data center electricity use has remained flat. The servers and energy infrastructure have gotten wildly more efficient, and the biggest tech companies have focused on powering those warehouse-scale computers with renewables…

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Tesla’s extremely hardcore pivot 33:35

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about a year ago33:35

33:35

The origin of Tesla was rooted in two goals: electrify transportation to drive down emissions that are warming the planet; and do it by driving down the cost of EVs to make them accessible to the masses. Is Musk now walking away from both? “He's decided I'm not a car company. I’m an AI and robotics company. It's astonishing what's happening with Te…

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The news quiz episode! 46:14

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about a year ago46:14

46:14

This week, we have something a little different: a news quiz. We recently took the stage with four investors at the Prelude Climate Summit — armed with a bell, a buzzer, and four different categories of questions. We tested two teams of venture investors on their knowledge of the most recent industry news. Shayle Kann and Cassie Bowe, partners at v…

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Political Climate: Is the IRA under political threat? 42:53

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about a year ago42:53

42:53

This week, we have a drop-in episode from our new podcast at Latitude Media: Political Climate. Since the Inflation Reduction Act became law in August 2022, we’ve asked ourselves a big question: could the government and the private sector actually get this sprawling set of climate programs up and running? So far, many would answer “yes.” The IRA ha…

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An influx of EVs. Surging peaks. Can AI help? 41:00

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about a year ago41:00

41:00

AI is suddenly in use everywhere – and it’s headed for the power sector. New research from Latitude Intelligence and Indigo Advisory Group shows a coming wave of AI integration, inside and outside of utilities. Distributed energy companies are increasingly integrating AI into their products, and many power companies are building teams to take advan…

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The rise of heat batteries 41:38

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about a year ago41:38

41:38

John O’Donnell co-founded and ran two solar thermal companies. He watched as the technology shifted from being the most promising utility-scale solar technology, to getting out-competed by photovoltaics everywhere. But he stayed passionate about heat. Today, he’s CEO of Rondo Energy, which makes a “heat battery” for industrial applications using br…

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Inside Apple’s failed car program 32:13

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about a year ago32:13

32:13

Mark Gurman has been covering Apple since 2009. His reporting career is full of scoops about new products or strategic decisions from inside the company. His latest scoop in February: Apple is finally shutting down its efforts to build an autonomous electric car. Apple first started exploring an electric car in 2014. At that point, cars had already…

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The Latitude: Could government rules hinder green hydrogen? 23:00

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about a year ago23:00

23:00

The US green hydrogen industry is at a critical juncture. After months of input and debate, the government put out draft rules for tax credits at the end of last year – setting strict requirements for matching new, local renewables to hydrogen production. It was hailed by many as a really important step for ensuring that green hydrogen actually liv…

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The achilles heel of AI in the power system: data 27:57

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about a year ago27:57

27:57

There are many forces that could hold back AI in the power system: computing infrastructure, power availability, regulation, and corporate inertia. The biggest one? Good data. Utilities and grid operators are awash in data. But getting access to it – or making sense of it – is very difficult. For a better understanding of how to change that, we tur…

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The urgent need to simplify clean energy finance [partner content] 15:27

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about a year ago15:27

15:27

Early in her career, Amanda Li worked on many deals in solar and storage as part of a billion-dollar sustainable infrastructure fund. And she discovered a problem that often hinders deployment: the underwriting process is cumbersome and slow. “All of it was in spreadsheets, word documents, emails. When you look at a solar deal, there's a lot of doc…

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New demand is straining the grid. Here’s how to tackle it. 29:59

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about a year ago29:59

29:59

When Brian Janous took charge of Microsoft’s clean energy strategy in 2011, the company’s data center demand was modest. He was measuring new demand in the tens of megawatts. Over the years, that grew to hundreds of megawatts of new demand as hyperscale computing expanded. And then everything changed in the spring of 2023, with the public launch of…

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The right way to recycle batteries [partner content] 21:59

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about a year ago21:59

21:59

In the early 2000s, Steve Cotton ran a company serving the fast-growing data center industry with backup battery systems. And when those systems reached the end of their lives, the company monetized kilotons of lead-acid batteries by sending them to recycling facilities – industrial plants that break down and burn the components. “It's very dangero…

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A view of the $1.8 trillion clean energy economy 47:52

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about a year ago47:52

47:52

Can a couple trillion dollars feel small? Global investments in the energy transition – from the buildout of factories and power projects to project finance and government debt – hit nearly $1.8 trillion last year. That’s almost as big as the GDP of South Korea. It’s nearly 20% more than the year before, and nearly eight times more than a decade ag…

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Virtual power plants: the ‘sandwich’ for the grid 36:59

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about a year ago36:59

36:59

If we want any chance of affordably and reliably building a grid powered 100% by zero-carbon resources, we need to triple the capacity of virtual power plants. That’s the conclusion of a report released last fall by the Department of Energy, which examined the different business models and integration approaches for tying solar, batteries, thermost…

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Pricing and tech trends shaping the global battery storage market 33:33

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about a year ago33:33

33:33

The storage market is full of surprises. Last year, global storage installations were a third higher than expected, driven mostly by Chinese policy to attach batteries to renewables. Meanwhile, a ramp-up in manufacturing is causing oversupply – and a potential shakeout for smaller battery makers. By 2030, the world could see 1.8 terawatt-hours of s…

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US power demand is set to boom. How will we meet it? 56:29

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about a year ago56:29

56:29

As President Biden’s green industrial policies reignite the US manufacturing base, AI computing workloads soar, and machines across the economy turn electric, the power grid is facing an historic increase in demand. After almost two decades of flat electricity consumption, suddenly America’s grid planners are doubling their forecasts for demand – r…

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How AI is rapidly advancing new materials for clean energy 33:25

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about a year ago33:25

33:25

Artificial intelligence is quickly accelerating drug discovery, healthcare services, product design, and manufacturing efficiency. Now it's here for materials development – and it could be one of the most influential uses of AI in energy. A decade ago, Greg Mulholland started playing around with machine learning as a way to accelerate product devel…

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Venture investors riff on headwinds, hype, and wildcards of 2023 45:16

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about a year ago45:16

45:16

Turbulent. Equilibrating. Those are the words that investors Gabriel Kra and Carly Anderson use to describe the last year for venture capital in climate tech. We now have a full picture of the year for climate tech venture investing in 2023. Fresh data from Sightline Climate shows a decline in deal counts, round sizes, and a dropoff in repeat inves…