We at the Clean Energy Transition Institute are regularly asked to suggest the most up-to-date, reliable information about the exceptionally dynamic world of decarbonization. I recently pulled a list of my top podcasts in 2021 in response to such a request and decided to share it with a broader audience on our blog.

Catalyst

Top of my list is Shayle Kann, a partner at Energy Impact Partners, who has a new terrific podcast, Catalyst, in partnership with Canary Media. Kann kicked off the pod on November 4 and all of the posted episodes are good. I definitely recommend giving these three a listen:

• A bumpy ride toward decarbonizing aviation
• The future of natural gas
• Kick-starting a $1 trillion market for carbon removal

Energy Transition Show

Next up is Chris Nelder’s Energy Transition Show. Nelder had been producing ETS during his time at the Rocky Mountain Institute, but this summer he left RMI and now devotes himself full time to this excellent podcast.

The archive is a treasure trove for decarbonization enthusiasts, and the show notes are extremely useful. If you are interested in the nuts and bolts of decarbonization, and care about the technical details, you will want to poke around the archive. These are some of the ones that stuck with me this year:

• Episode 155 Marine Energy
• Episode 140 Methane Leakage

In addition, Nelder did a deep dive on hydrogen in 2021 that I found very helpful:

• Episode 142 Hydrogen Economy2.0 Part 1
• Episode 143 Hydrogen Economy2.0, Part 2
• Episode 147 Hydrogen Innovations and Applications
• Episode 149 Green Hydrogen and Carbon Prices

You can listen to a short version of each podcast for free or pay $60 to subscribe, which I recommend: it is great value for the price.

The Big Switch

Dr. Melissa Lott, Senior Research Scholar and Director of Research at Columbia University’s Center of Global Energy Policy, hosts The Big Switch, which launched in 2020 with five episodes on decarbonizing the electricity grid.

The 2021 episodes focus on decarbonizing the transportation sector. All 10 podcasts are worth a listen, but I highlight two here:

• Roadmap to the Net-Zero Economy with energy system modeler Amber Mahone
• Heavy-duty Trucking with Dr. Ben Sharpe, a Senior Researcher at the International Council on Clean Transportation, Anna Gonzalez, Interim Executive Director and Faraz Rizvi, Special Projects Coordinator, both at the Center for Community Action and Environmental Justice

Volts

A year ago, the esteemed climate journalist David Roberts left Vox and launched Volts, a newsletter about technology, politics, and decarbonization policy, on Substack. He reads his articles on his podcast. It is worth paying to subscribe to Volts. My top picks for 2021 include:

• Podcasts with Princeton Assistant Professor and Energy Modeler Jesse Jenkins: Jenkins on energy modeling and full transcript (subscription required)
• All about methane: Interview with Sarah Smith of the Clean Air Task Force
• Good news about clean energy with Kingsmill Bond, Carbon Tracker’s Energy Strategist
• 24/7 Carbon-free electricity: Roberts did three pods on this topic—all very interesting
• Disinformation and propaganda: Interview with Amy Westervelt, environmental journalist and host of Drilled (another great podcast). This is not about decarbonization, but it is worth a listen to learn about the long history of disinformation in the United States

The Interchange

Finally, I call out a few episodes from Shayle Kann’s former podcast, The Interchange, that he produced with Stephen Lacey of Postscript Media since their days at Greentech Media, which Wood Mackenzie purchased:

• Why fertilizer is such a big climate problem Kann with Nico Pinkowski of Nitricity
• Where are we in the hydrogen hype cycle? Kann with author and investor Ramez Naam
• Pathways to transforming heavy industry Kann with Rebecca Dell at the ClimateWorks Foundation
• The magnitude of 24/7 zero-carbon energy Kann with Michael Terrell, Google’s Director of Energy

Happy listening!