In our ongoing effort to stay on top of the multiple aspects of the clean energy transition—which has only become more dynamic with the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act—we offer a summary of some of the best podcasts and webinars since our First Quarter DecarbCast. (See Round-Up of Recent Building Decarb Podcasts for a blog dedicated to reducing emissions in the building sector.)
New solutions to address industrial and manufacturing emissions are constantly evolving, making this sector one of the most interesting to follow. Industrial decarbonization is important because the industrial sector accounts for one third of all US greenhouse gas emissions.
Two webinars helped us understand options for decarbonizing the power supply at industrial facilities: ACEEE’s Electrifying Industry's Process Heat Supply with Industrial Heat Pumps (IHPs) explained how IHPs work and updated attendees on current IHP technology advancements, research, and market trends.
In the Implementing Renewable Energy in Industrial Facilities webinar, the Better Buildings team shared insight from their guidance document on renewable energy for industry, including an overview of renewable energy options, such as wind and solar energy, geothermal, and hydropower. Speakers then shared two examples of renewable energy implementation at industrial facilities in Indiana and Rhode Island.
The Big Switch brought us The Race to Green Steel, in which Dr. Melissa Lott and Julia Attwood, head of advanced materials at Bloomberg New Energy Finance, discussed the current state of affairs of various technologies aimed at decarbonizing the steel industry.
With Manufacturing and the Economic Lives of Black, Brown and Other People of Color, a webinar hosted by the BlueGreen Alliance, Dr. Valerie Wilson demonstrated how investing in clean materials manufacturing also offers the opportunity to create good jobs.
Resources for the Future (RFF)’s live event, Decarbonization Policy and International Competitiveness, also focused on the manufacturing workforce and competitiveness. Richard G. Newell of RFF spoke to Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) in the opening session in which they discussed carbon border adjustment mechanisms.
RFF’s Kevin Rennert then moderated a panel consisting of Virgilio Barrera, Holcim US; Anna Fendley, United Steelworkers; Jennifer Hillman, Georgetown Law Center; and Ray Kopp, RFF, who discussed challenges to industrial decarbonization and the desire for an industrial policy that promotes onshoring of manufacturing.
The limited supply of metals needed to make batteries presents a major challenge for the energy transition, particularly for accelerating production of electric vehicles. One of our favorite podcasts, Catalyst with Shayle Kann, explored current developments in EV battery production and the factors that impact the supply of the critical minerals necessary for their production.
In The Great Rush for Battery Metals, Kann interviewed Kurt House, chief executive officer and co-founder of KoBold Metals, to discuss the roles of five key materials (lithium, nickel, copper, cobalt, and rare earth metals) in the energy transition.
A few months later, Kann spoke with Sam Jaffe, vice president of battery storage solutions at E-Source, on Seeking the Holy Grail of Batteries. They explored various factors at play in the development of EV batteries, including the differing roles of automakers and battery manufacturers and the rising cost of critical minerals such as lithium.
One promising trend to address the limited supply of battery materials is increased recycling. On Catalyst’s sister podcast Carbon Copy, host Stephen Lacey spoke to Julian Spector, senior reporter with Canary Media, to discuss several exciting start-ups that are tackling battery recycling in the context of shifting global supply chains.
We are fans of Chris Nelder’s Energy Transition Show, which is generally very wonky, but this time we are highlighting two podcasts with a different bent. In the first, Community Support and Opposition, (#175), Nelder talked to Dr. Sarah Mills of the University of Michigan, who has researched why people don’t want to see wind, solar farms, transmission lines in their communities, particularly rural ones, and what effective strategies are for earning community support for clean energy projects. Many important observations were made.
The second, How the Transition will Unfold (#178) is really worth a listen. Nelder interviewed Dr. Gregory Nemet, a Professor at the University of Wisconsin, where he teaches energy systems and policy analysis. The clean energy transition is so complicated and unfolding in so many disparate ways, fraught with uncertainty and the potential for chaos and disruption.
Nemet and Nelder discussed the need to plunge ahead despite not having everything fully figured out, relying on what we do know has to change and the pathways we’ve identified and course-correct along the way. Avery thought-provoking dialogue for those of us attempting to do our part to accelerate the transformation we know we must make.
American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE)
Better Buildings Webinar Series (Department of Energy)
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