Podcast
Energy Gang
Hosted by Wood Mackenzie · EN
Covering breaking news in clean tech, going deep on global energy policy, and debating the levers that need to move to accelerate the energy transition. Energy Gang is the podcast covering clean energy technology, renewable energy, and the environment. The world of clean energy moves fast, and you need a reliable source to stay on top of the news that matters. You’ll find it on Wood Mackenzie’s Energy Gang.
How will changes to the US government affect decarbonisation and energy security? When will hydrogen, nuclear and carbon capture deploy at scale? Where’s the money for the energy transition green finance coming from and how much more is needed? What’s the outlook for EVs? What are the energy predictions for solar energy? What's the latest on climate change?
Get answers to questions like these, bi-weekly on Tuesdays at 7am ET. Plus, get special live episodes recorded at the biggest climate and energy events throughout the year, like COP30 and Climate Week NYC. Don’t worry if you can’t make it in person, Energy Gang brings you all the updates on energy policy, energy finance and energy innovation you need to hear.
Energy Gang is presented by Wood Mackenzie and hosted by Ed Crooks, Vice-Chairman of Energy at Wood Mackenzie and a former Financial Times and BBC News journalist. Regular guests are Amy Myers-Jaffe (Director of NYU’s Energy, Climate Justice and Sustainability Lab), and Dr Melissa Lott (Partner at Microsoft) – plus a roster of industry leaders and policy influencers, like Jigar Shah (Industry figurehead and former director of the Loan Programs Office in the US Department of Energy), Caroline Golin (Head of North America, Global Energy Market Development and Policy at Google) and Ambassador Geoffrey Pyatt (Former Assistant Secretary of State for Energy Resources).
If you like The Energy Transition Show, Catalyst with Shayle Kann, The Big Switch from Columbia University, Open Circuit with Stephen Lacey or The Green Blueprint, you’ll enjoy Energy Gang.
Want to get involved with the show? Reach out to podcasts@woodmac.com to:
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Check out another leading clean tech global podcast by Wood Mackenzie, Interchange Recharged: https://www.woodmac.com/podcasts/the-interchange-recharged/
Wood Mackenzie is the leading global data and analytics solutions provider for renewables, energy and natural resources. Learn more about Wood Mackenzie on the offic...
72episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
What can we expect from energy in 2025? The people, places and technologies to watch this year
Jan 8, 202501:03:56Summary readyHost Ed Crooks is joined by regulars Amy Myers Jaffe and Melissa Lott to share their predictions for energy in 2025. They discuss the policy changes expected from Washington under the Trump administration, the crucial role for California as a leader in clean energy, the exciting new technologies that may be launched or ramped up this year, and the political and business leaders who will be shaping our future.The team also discuss some of the threats and challenges the energy industry could face this year. Amy warns that the wind sector is in trouble; is it really? And what about the wild cards: the unexpected events that could force everyone to reassess their plans? Melissa has concerns about the impacts of extreme weather: how will a warming world affect our lives? As the latest news on bird flu shows, the threat of another deadly pandemic is real; Ed analyses the risks.It’s going to be another tumultuous year in energy. To help make sense of it, get all the insights and analysis from us here.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
SummaryThe Energy Gang’s Review of the Year in energy
Dec 23, 202401:02:01Summary readyChina’s booming EV industry, AI and clean energy, questions over hydrogen, and the other big stories from 2024.To round off a momentous year for clean energy, Ed Crooks is joined by regulars Melissa Lott and Amy Myers Jaffe to reflect on the highs and lows of 2024. The gang revisit the predictions they made in January, share their highs and lows for the year, and talk about their favourite episodes of 2024. And, as is fast becoming a tradition on the show, we finish the year with some relevant holiday gifts.Some of our predictions for 2024 were spot on, but others were slightly off. The team discuss the continued rise and rise of China’s largest electric vehicle company BYD, and look ahead to what 2025 holds for the EV industry. Amy predicted big things for hydrogen this year, as did Melissa for geothermal. Did these fast-moving sectors hit the heights that they expected? And where do they go from here?There were some real lows in 2024, mostly related to international politics and conflict. But there were also some much more positive trends related to the energy transition, including the spread of low-cost solar panels and battery storage around the world. As for The Energy Gang: we had plenty of high points through the year. Amy, Melissa and Ed choose the episodes that they most enjoyed taking part in – and listening to – in 2024. Subscribe to The Energy Gang so you don’t miss the first show of 2025, where Ed, Amy and Melissa will look ahead to what promises to be another massive year for clean energy. Listen back to the shows mentioned in the episode:• Is There an Energy Transition? (April)• Cleantech Entrepreneurs at NYU (Climate Week, September)• The Future of AI and the Grid (November)The articles Melissa mentioned: https://www.power-eng.com/renewables/fervo-energy-claims-70-reduction-in-geothermal-drilling-time-2/https://www.eenews.net/articles/blm-approves-massive-geothermal-project-moves-to-ease-permitting/This episode is brought to you by Enbridge. Listen to Enbridge and GZERO’s podcast Energized: The Future of Energy at GZEROmedia.com/theenergygangSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
SummaryBonus episode from COP29: Getting real about methane emissions
Dec 10, 202400:36:41Summary readyMore than 100 countries have pledged to cut methane emissions, with not much to show for it so far. What is being done to change that?Methane – the main component of natural gas – is the second most significant greenhouse gas, after carbon dioxide. It accounts for about 30% of all the human-induced warming the world has experienced since the 19th century.At COP26 in 2021, many countries got together to launch the Global Methane Pledge, to drive action on reducing emissions. There are now 111 countries, accounting in total for almost half of global methane emissions, that have signed up to that pledge. Their goal is to reduce global methane emissions by 30% by 2030.So how much progress has been made in the past few years? Not a lot, is the answer. Instead of starting to decline to meet that targeted 30% reduction, methane emissions have actually been going up.At COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, last month, methane was one of the key items on the agenda. Many people there were talking about ideas for bending the curve, to get methane emissions heading in the right direction at last.While he was at the conference, host Ed Crooks talked to Henrique Bezerra, the regional lead for Latin America for the Global Methane Hub. That's an organization backed by philanthropic money that works on practical projects to cut methane emissions. Henrique discusses the options available to tackle the problem.Ed also talked to a key figure working to change one of the largest sources of methane emissions: the global oil and gas industry. Bjorn Otto Sverdrup is the chair of the executive committee for the Oil and Gas Climate Initiative, a group backed by 12 big international oil and gas companies that works on reducing emissions.He's also the head of the secretariat for a larger group that has signed up for the Oil and Gas Decarbonisation Charter. That includes more than 50 big oil and gas groups, including many leading national oil companies from emerging economies, that have pledged to work together to reach net zero emissions from their operations by 2050.What are companies really doing to cut emissions? What strategies and technologies can help detect and prevent leaks of methane? And how can carbon markets play in role in reducing emissions? Ed and his guests discuss those questions, and assess whether their efforts will start to pay off in time to hit the goals that so many countries have set.This episode is brought to you by Enbridge. Listen to Enbridge and GZERO’s podcast Energized: The Future of Energy at GZEROmedia.com/theenergygangSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
SummaryWhat happened at COP29?
Nov 27, 202400:37:05Summary readyThe climate talks agreed a $300 billion finance deal. Not everyone is happy about it.The COP29 climate talks in Baku, Azerbaijan, finally ended around 5.30am on Sunday morning, almost 36 hours after they had been originally scheduled to close. The good news was that the negotiators representing about 200 countries agreed a deal on climate finance: flows of capital from developed countries to low and middle-income countries, to help them cut emissions and adapt to a warming world. The bad news was that many countries felt the amount agreed – $300 billion a year by 2035 – was much too low. India and other developing countries had suggested a sum of $1 trillion or more a year was needed.Ed Crooks, now back home after attending the talks, is joined by Energy Gang regulars Melissa Lott, the partner general manager for energy technologies at Microsoft, and Amy Harder, the executive editor of the energy and climate news service Cipher. They discuss the outcomes from the negotiations: what was agreed and what it means. We also hear from Amy’s colleague Anca Gurzu, who was following all the action at the talks in Baku.This conference was billed as “the finance COP”. If it had failed to agree a deal on finance, that would have been disastrous for the international effort to tackle climate change through the UNFCCC. But with a deal offering so much less than the amounts that developing countries had been hoping for, where does COP29 mean for the global energy transition? And as we look ahead to the crucial COP30 in Brazil a year from now, can we expect the countries of the world to commit to more ambitious goals for cutting emissions?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
SummaryLive from COP29: One weird trick to solve our energy problem
Nov 21, 202400:54:54Summary readyAs policy changes course in the US, is energy efficiency the key that can unlock a sustainable future?In our latest episode from the COP29 climate talks in Baku, Azerbaijan, host Ed Crooks talks to our guests about the challenges facing the energy transition, including the far-reaching implications of a second Trump administration, as asks whether getting smarter about the ways we use energy can be part of the solution.In the first part of the show, Ed welcomes back Vijay Vaitheeswaran, Global Energy and Climate Innovation Editor at The Economist. He and his team have a couple of big pieces in the latest edition, giving their views on the outlook for the transition in the US and around the world. They are joined by Zach Friedman, Senior Director of Federal Policy at Ceres, which is a US-based group that works with investors and businesses in sustainability issues.The trio discuss how US energy policy is likely to change under the Trump administration and a Republican-controlled Congress. They debate whether innovative mechanisms such carbon tariff for the US that is like the European carbon border adjustment mechanism could help align the administration’s economic objectives with climate goals. They highlight some hopeful signs for clean energy development, including the prospect of permitting reform that could expedite infrastructure projects. And they also explore why energy efficiency—a critical yet often overlooked component of the energy transition—could unlock massive cost and emissions savings while paving the way for renewable energy growth. Later in the episode, Ed speaks with Jon Creyts, CEO of RMI, which describes itself as a “think-tank, a do-tank and a scale-tank”. He makes a compelling case for why energy efficiency is the "first fuel" of the transition: the best fuel of all is the fuel you don’t need. He argues for the central role of efficiency in reducing emissions, lowering costs, and supporting renewable energy targets. At COP28 in Dubai a year ago, the world agreed a goal of doubling of global energy efficiency improvement rates by 2030. So far it has not made any progress towards that goal. But with innovative approaches such as modular retrofits for housing, Jon illustrates how leadership and vision can dismantle structural barriers, making energy efficiency a linchpin of the low-carbon transition.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
SummaryLive from COP29: Everyone is talking about climate finance. What do they mean?
Nov 18, 202400:47:22Summary readyHow a deal at the climate talks could make a real difference to the energy transitionIn our latest episode from the COP29 climate talks in Baku, Azerbaijan, Ed Crooks explores the challenges and opportunities of mobilizing climate finance to support the energy transition in emerging markets.As the "Finance COP", COP29 is under pressure to deliver concrete outcomes on climate finance. The goal is an agreement that could mean $1 trillion a year or more flowing from rich countries to low and middle-income countries, to finance cuts in greenhouse gas emissions and investments to help communities adapt to the impacts of climate change.But what does climate finance really mean for countries tackling the climate challenge? And how can innovative funding solutions and systemic reforms ensure that financing reaches the countries and projects that need it most?On this episode, Ed is joined by Raquel Moses of the Caribbean Climate Smart Accelerator, which helps low-carbon energy projects in the region find commercial backers. She emphasizes the importance of disaggregating climate finance into grants, equity, concessionary loans, and other forms of lending, and explains why it is so important for everyone at COP29 and beyond to be clear about what they mean when they talk about it. Clarity on funding is critical for clearing obstacles to project development, particularly in the Caribbean and other emerging markets.Ben Attia of Allied Climate Partners also joins the discussion. He highlights the shortage of bankable projects in emerging markets, and explains how his organization deploys philanthropic capital to de-risk early-stage infrastructure developments. By preparing projects for commercial investment, ACP helps bridge the gap between available funding and viable projects.Raquel and Ben argue that addressing systemic issues, including the lack of early-stage equity investment, the complexity of aggregating small projects, and the risks associated with currency fluctuations in emerging markets, are essential to unlocking the $1 trillion-plus in annual climate finance needed to meet global goals.Finally, Ed talks to JP Thia, lead economist of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), to discuss the particular challenges for climate finance in Asia. It’s a region with large and often fast-growing economies, with a hunger for increased energy supply. JP discusses the importance of pairing climate goals with economic development, to align incentives and drive participation from the Global South.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Summary
The Energy Gang at the Reuters Global Energy Transition Conference - Day One
Jun 26, 2024Tap to summarizeThis is a special episode of Wood Mackenzie's The Energy Gang, recorded at the Reuters Global Energy Transition 2024 conference in New York. It has a great lineup of speakers from the worlds of business, finance, and government, giving us an opportunity to talk to some of the key people who are driving the energy transition. One of the panellists on the first day was Kristina Skierka, CEO of Power for All, a campaign group working on energy access in low-income countries. Host Ed Crooks talked with her about how decentralized renewables can reduce energy poverty, and how partnerships between business, philanthropy and government can help countries make progress towards the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.Power for All is working on what it calls its “Utilities 2.0” initiative, looking for ways to combine centralized and decentralized energy to create robust, integrated systems that will improve service delivery and stimulate increased demand.Another session at the event was a technology showcase, where we heard from companies developing innovative ways to cut emissions. One of them was Cella, which has a new method for permanent carbon removal. Its approach accelerates the natural geologic process that turns carbon dioxide into a mineral: it injects captured carbon dioxide into volcanic rocks, where mineralization permanently locks it underground.Ed talked with Corey Pattison, Cella’s co-founder and CEO, and they discussed the different methods of carbon mineralization, the geology needed for the process to work, and the potential advantages for this method over conventional carbon dioxide storage. There was also a Town Hall session for attendees, allowing open discussion on any topics the participants wanted to bring up. Ed raised a question suggested on LinkedIn, about the potential trade-off in the transition between speed and scale in the deployment of low carbon technologies, and energy equity. We report back on some of the responses to that question.Look out for the next special episode from day two of the conference, available on Thursday June 27.You can find Ed and the show on most social media platforms: we’re @theenergygang on X. Subscribe to the Energy Gang on Apple Podcasts or Spotify so you don’t miss the next show.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →Jigar Shah returns to the Energy Gang
May 9, 2024Tap to summarizeThe Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office has a grandstand view of the energy transition. Where is it going next?Jigar Shah, one of the originators of the Energy Gang, now runs the Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office, playing a key role in advancing clean energy projects. By helping to bridge the gap between R&D and large-scale deployment, it encourages private sector investment and supports the administration’s work to achieve its net zero goals.Jigar was appointed Director of the LPO in March 2021 with a brief to “to rev those engines back up” after a quiet period under the Trump administration. He returns to the Energy Gang to discuss the progress he has made so far, and the goals he is working towards in the future. In particular, he talks about the hot topic of the moment in energy: how to meet increased demand for electricity driven by data centers for AI, new factories, and electric vehicles.Much of the new load being added to the electricity system will not be flexible. Data centers mostly need to be available 24/7. So how is the grid going to manage these growing demands? Host Ed Crooks is also joined by Amy Myers-Jaffe, Director of NYU’s Energy, Climate Justice & Sustainability Lab, to discuss Jigar’s views on the solutions to these challenges.Topics covered include Virtual Power Plants, enhanced geothermal and advanced nuclear. Those latter two are among the handful of sources of energy that we usually think about when we are discussing “clean firm power”. Geothermal in particular is generating a lot of buzz lately. What will it take to get it deployed at scale? Is it pulling ahead of advanced nuclear in the race to commerciality and large-scale deployment?The Energy Gang will be recording live from the Global Energy Transition event in June in New York. To secure a discounted ticket, use the ENERGYGANG500 discount code. Visit https://events.reutersevents.com/energy-transition/global-energy-transition-new-york to book.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →The Energy Gang at Distributech 2024 in Orlando
Feb 28, 2024Tap to summarizeWhat AI means for the energy transition in the electricity industryWelcome to a special episode of Wood Mackenzie's The Energy Gang, recorded at the Distributech 2024 conference in Orlando. Distributech is the leading event in North America for the electricity transmission and distribution industry. It provides a fantastic opportunity to talk to the companies that provide technology for moving and managing electricity, and to the utilities and other companies that use that technology.The impact of artificial intelligence is one of the central themes of the conference, and host Ed Crooks has been meeting industry leaders to discuss the implications of AI and other new technologies for the future of electricity. From the need for more power to supply data centers for AI applications, to the potential for AI tools for managing the grid, to the possible breakthroughs in nuclear power that could be discovered using AI, the speakers explore a vast range of possibilities. Hussein Shel, chief technologist for AWS (Amazon Web Services), talks about both the opportunities and the challenges of the new types of AI. Zack Kass, a futurist who was formerly a senior executive at OpenAI, discusses the prospect of an age of “energy abundance” that could be unlocked by sophisticated AI. He argues that abundance, possibly provided by nuclear fusion power, will be the way that the world can meet the increased demand for power created by advanced AI systems. Quinn Nakayama, the senior director of Grid Research Innovation and Development at the California utility PG&E, talks about the practical decisions involved in adopting AI technologies in today’s utilities. Tom Deitrich, chief executive of Itron, a supplier of technologies for utilities and cities to manage energy, water and traffic, joins Ed to discuss the increasingly urgent need for more advanced technologies in grid management. And finally, Anthony Allard, the head of Hitachi Energy’s North American business, talks about what they have been hearing from their customers in terms of two critical issues in the industry: the progress of digitalization, and shortages of critical equipment in the supply chain.You can find us on most platforms: we’re @theenergygang. Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify so you don’t miss the next one, out every second Tuesday.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →The Energy Gang at the London Hydrogen Conference – Part 1
Sep 26, 2023Tap to summarizeHost Ed Crooks brings you the first of two special episodes recorded live from Wood Mackenzie’s Hydrogen ConferenceIndustry leaders and energy analysts gathered recently for the second annual Wood Mackenzie Hydrogen Conference, where they debated the potential of hydrogen in the global energy mix. Join host Ed Crooks in the first of two special episodes from the conference, with part two coming out tomorrow.The conference provided a forum to discuss how hydrogen, with all its potential and challenges, can help to shape the course of the energy industry. Hydrogen, long considered the energy carrier of the future, is finally claiming its position in the present reality of decarbonised energy systems. As the world debates how best to meet the challenge of climate change, low-carbon hydrogen is becoming a central part of the conversation about the clean energy transition.The shift towards hydrogen presents both challenges and opportunities for energy companies around the globe. The rising prominence of hydrogen will require concerted efforts to surmount obstacles related to safety, emissions, social acceptability, and above all, cost. Andy Lane, the Vice President of Hydrogen and Carbon capture in the UK for BP, spoke on a panel at the event and discussed the importance of China for the future of clean energy and the fight to limit climate change. In the US, the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), passed last year, is intended to establish the nation as one of the world leaders in low-carbon hydrogen. Rick Beuttel from Bloom Energy and Mona Bagat of KBR Consulting talk about the impact of those government incentives, and how the US is positioned in the low-carbon hydrogen race. They also debate the relative advantages and drawbacks of “green” hydrogen, made by electrolysing water using renewable energy, and “blue” hydrogen, made from natural gas and with the carbon emissions captured and stored. This conference also provided insight into technology leaders navigating the challenges of a rapidly-evolving energy market. Ines Kraft from German electrolyser company, Sunfire, explained how they recently installed the world's first multi-megawatt high temperature electrolyser for green hydrogen production. She discusses the daunting challenge the EU faces in meeting its 2030 goal for developing a new low-carbon hydrogen industry. Finally, we wrap up part 1 from the conference with Andre Pina from EDP Renewables discussing opportunities for an international market in hydrogen and its derivatives traded around the world.Don’t forget part 2 from the conference is out tomorrow, subscribe so you don’t miss an episode! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcribe →