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  • How can we reimagine Scope 3 in order to make faster progress?

    The intention of the original framing of Scope 1, 2 & 3 emissions reporting was to support business understanding of their broader impact on the climate, so they would take responsibility for transformation to net zero and the impact of the complete value chain. Scope 3 emissions reporting in particular has become more of a focus of progressive companies that have developed robust plans for - and taken meaningful steps to address - scope 1 and 2 emissions. As they dig into scope 3, they are often overwhelmed by the accounting that’s required and struggle to develop strategies to meaningfully address impacts in their value chains, especially in ways they can quantify and count towards targets. 

    So how can the industry streamline this process? To find out David Banmiller is joined by Jenny Ahlen, Managing Director at the We Mean Business Coalition. Jenny directs the strategy, coordination, and execution of their net zero programs and campaigns; these include a focus on improving the way scope 3 emissions are approached. We Mean Business were introduced to Ed Crooks - host of our sister podcast The Energy Gang - at COP28, where CEO Maria Mandiluce outlined their mission. That conversation, which also examined the pledge to phase out fossil fuels, you can find on The Energy Gang podcast, wherever you're listening to this.

    The argument is that the reporting standards have created a huge amount of work for organisations without any real benefit to decarbonisation efforts. Companies need to draw up net zero plans, understand Scope 3, manage their supply chain emissions and so on, but to what goal? So, the key question David and Jenny discuss in this week’s episode: is it possible that in focusing so much on the influence big corporations can have on their value chains, we’ve let many companies and stakeholders in the global north off the hook for proactively reducing emissions without that prompt from customers?  

    Jenny explains to David why the need for new, alternative approaches to reporting is crucial to accelerating the energy transition. Scope 3 is about global climate impacts and getting companies engaged to catalyse the system transformations needed. What would this then need to look like to incentivise that type of action at scale? And how do we create an ecosystem to reward those participating and making meaningful progress? Listen to find out.

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  • The Environmental Defense Fund wants changes made to the way the industry analyses hydrogen emissions data.

    A recent study from the Environmental Defense Fund asserts the energy industry is miscalculating the true impacts of deploying hydrogen. Hydrogen systems, with new analysis, could prove to be better – or worse – than the fossil fuels they intend to replace.

    “Clean, green” hydrogen deployment can be considerably better or worse for the climate based on factors typically overlooked in standard assessments. That’s the finding of a new study from the EDF. The climate benefits of hydrogen vary depending on factors such as methane emissions, carbon capture, and hydrogen loss. Steve Hamburg is Chief Scientist at the EDF. He joins David to discuss his findings, and to examine the impact on the energy industry of these new analyses, as hydrogen continues to gain traction as a reliable source of clean energy.

    Improvements are needed for standard hydrogen life cycle analyses as they currently don’t account for all climate warming emissions and impacts over time. By including the warming effects of three crucial and frequently overlooked factors in determining the climate impact of hydrogen deployment pathways the results of an assessment can look surprisingly different. Just how different? Listen to find out.

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  • Over 50 million homes in the US use propane. Within a few years, anywhere from 100-300 million gallons of renewable propane are expected to be available for homes and the transport industry. By 2050, renewable propane could meet half the world’s demand for non-chemical propane. 

    So, the demand is there, but are the means of production? Where is the feedstock coming from and how scalable are production methods? To answer this, David Banmiller is joined by Mike Stivala, President and CEO of Suburban Propane Partners, a nationwide distributor of propane and renewable propane.  

    The benefits of renewable propane are clear: reliability, portability and power, but with four times less carbon intensity than its regular counterpart.  

    How is Suburban Propane Partners tackling the issues of supply chain? Where does Mike see the future of the sector and where is the investment coming from? Listen to find out.

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  • The Department of Energy’s ARPA-E (Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy) is an agency tasked with the research and development of advanced energy technologies. Since 2009, they’ve provided nearly US$4 billion in funding for more than 1500 potentially transformative energy technology projects. 

    One particular area of focus for them at the moment is advanced nuclear. There’s a lot of potential for nuclear to deliver reliable power to millions of American homes, but projects are still finding costs prohibitive. Could advancements in technology be the thing to change this? Jenifer Shafer is Associate Director for Technology at ARPA-E, and she joins David to discuss initiatives in her department, and the focus on reducing imports, reducing emissions, improving efficiency, and enhancing American competitiveness in clean energy manufacturing.  

    What are the priorities for nuclear? Is it advancements in technology, getting costs down, or removing regulatory barriers to deployment? To analyse the current state of the sector, Jenifer and David are joined by David Brown, Director of Energy Transition Practice at Wood Mackenzie, for the second half of the show. Together they explore the impact of the Biden administration's US$900 million support for nuclear small modular reactors, and the government’s role in sponsoring new supply sources for uranium.

     

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  • Demand for heating at industrial sites around the world is rising. How can demand be met sustainably?

    Think of energy storage, and what do you think of? Probably lithium and nickel. But what about salt, and bricks? One of the big challenges for the energy transition is storage. It’s a particular problem for industrial-scale buildings and areas that need a lot of energy. Currently about half the energy demand is heat, and electric batteries are (most of the time) the ones providing it.

    Where you need heat, you need a big battery. Or do you? On the Interchange: Recharged, David Banmiller explores the other options that are emerging. Professor Robert Barthorpe is a lecturer in the Dynamics Research Group in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Sheffield. He joins David to discuss the new technologies that are opening up possibilities when it comes to providing heat to homes in the UK. There are plenty of options on a residential scale, but what about industrial?

    In California, a company called Rondo is approaching the issue of heat delivery to commercial-scale buildings with a novel solution: they’re using bricks to store energy at half the cost of green hydrogen or chemical batteries. What’s the technology look like, and how scalable is it? David talks to CEO John O’Donnell to find out.

    Finally, another innovative way of storing energy in the form of heat comes from Norwegian-based company Kyoto. What they call the Heatcube is a structure of vertical tanks filled with molten salt, that are charged by renewable electricity at periods of low cost. Installed at the site where heat is needed, the Heatcube stores it at 500c for use when required. Camilla Nilsson is CEO at Kyoto, and she joins David to explore the Heatcube and the trends in demand for heat across global industry.

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  • 5x growth in five years: Convergent energy is overseeing $1 billion worth of energy storage development.

    Managing intermittent energy supply is a crucial part of the energy transition. When the wind doesn’t blow, or the sun doesn’t shine, we need a backup. Across two days of the Solar & Energy Storage summit, industry leaders and analysts explored the newest technology providing that service. 

    Peter Cavan is Senior Vice President of Market Development at Convergent. They finance and manage all aspects of on-site renewable energy development and operations to significantly and sustainably lower electricity bills for the industrial sector, electric cooperatives, and municipal utilities, and investor owned utilities. Peter joins David in the SESS podcast studio to discuss the future of energy storage and the trends in the market. 

    Convergent has over 800 MW of storage and 1 GWh of solar-plus-storage capacity operating or under development. How has their approach to storage evolved over the past decade? How are utilities integrating distributed storage into their operations? And where does Peter see the next big innovation in the sector coming from? 

    To wrap up our SESS 2024 coverage, David brings you everything you need to know about distributed energy storage.

    For more information from our sponsor Convergent Energy and Power on their industry-leading battery storage and solar solutions, please go to convergentep.com

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  • The 2024 Solar and Energy Storage Summit has wrapped. What are the key takeaways?

    In the past three years there’s been a lot of advancement in solar deployment. We’ve seen technology develop and policy support increase. The key talking points have changed similarly in the last three years of the event, but a common thread has been consistent: the importance of supportive government policy. 

    David is joined by Vanessa Witte, Senior Research Analyst at Wood Mackenzie, and Kelly Sarber, CEO of Strategic Management Group to recap the summit and explore the impact of the most important climate legislation in living memory: the IRA. New tariffs on solar and storage are part of it – what’s the impact been? What are the policy effects on emerging markets?

    Plus, supply chain issues in 2022 were a major talking point. Have these been resolved? On previous episodes of the show the issue of bottlenecks to new projects was raised as a big concern – Vanessa gives her perspective on this. It’s a high cost of capital environment and it’s causing delays. What can be done?

    Finally, Kelly explores the geopolitical risks, and the impacts of tariffs and policies aimed at strengthening domestic solar manufacturing. 

    Registration for the 2025 Solar and Energy Storage summit will be open soon. Keep an eye on woodmac.com/events to secure your ticket. 

    Subscribe to the show so you don’t miss any of the analysis from the Solar and Energy Storage Summit on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Find us on X – we’re @interchangeshow.

     

    For more information from our sponsor Convergent Energy and Power on their industry-leading battery storage and solar solutions, please go to convergentep.com

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  • Insight and analysis from the second day of the Solar & Energy Storage Summit 2024.

    Day 2 of the 2024 Solar and Energy Storage Summit and the conversation was still in full swing. David Banmiller was there once again to capture all the debate and discussion on the future of the solar energy sector. 

    Electrification is at the heart of the energy transition. There’s been a sharp rise in grid connection capabilities in the last couple of years, and it’s causing a headache for the industry. Permitting queues are long, and connection charges are high. What needs to change to ease these? 

    Kelly Snyder is Senior Director, Origination, at EDP Renewables. She joins David to discuss it, as well as the latest trends in solar PPAs.

    What’s the future of US electricity demand? Data centres, EV infrastructure and widespread electrification are causing a surge in demand, so how much is going to be met by green energy? Leuwam Tesfai is Deputy Executive Director for Energy and Climate Policy at the California Public Utilities Commission. She spoke to David about California’s plans to secure solar and storage supply chains to ensure there’s enough clean energy to meet demand. 

    Plus, conversations with Oscar Araujo, General Manager for North America at Canadian Solar, and Shaun Laughlin of Solaris Energy, on mitigating climate risk and clean energy finance. Connection bottlenecks and possible solutions to the problem, PPAs, solar and storage technology and trends in funding and finance: it’s all here on our recap of day 2 of the summit.

    Subscribe to the show so you don’t miss any of the analysis from the Solar and Energy Storage Summit. Find us on X – we’re @interchangeshow.

    For more information from our sponsor Convergent Energy and Power on their industry-leading battery storage and solar solutions, please go to convergentep.com

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  • Insight and analysis from Day 1 of the Solar & Energy Storage Summit 2024

    The 2024 Solar and Energy Storage Summit from Wood Mackenzie kicked off in San Francisco this week. David Banmiller was there to capture all the debate and discussion on the future of the solar energy sector. If you couldn’t be there in person, we’ve got you covered. David is joined by a roster of expert analysts and industry leaders to explore the key topics. It’s a packed show, with conversation around the technology, policy and financing of the solar industry. 

    There’s over a terawatt of solar, and gigawatts of storage in interconnection queues around the US. If all of that was built today, we’d have all the solar and storage we need to decarbonise the grid. How are these bottlenecks being eased? Why are projects taking years to complete? Becca Jones-Albertus, from US Department of Energy, joins David first on the show to discuss it, and analyse the latest advanced solar tech. 

     Plus, what impact has the IRA had on the industry? Cassidy DeLine is CEO of Linea Energy, and she argues that there are three clear wins from the historic bill. David gets a new perspective on financing for projects from Kelsey Clair, Director at NY Green Bank, and a look at storage technology and government policy with Mike Graveley from the California Energy Commission.

     Finally, it wouldn’t be an energy podcast in 2024 without a look at the integration of AI. Kendra Williamson is Senior Principal at Key Capture Energy, and she talks with David about the nuances of storage optimisation. 

    Subscribe to the show so you don’t miss any of the analysis from the Solar and Energy Storage Summit. Find us on X – we’re @interchangeshow.

     

    For more information from our sponsor Convergent Energy and Power on their industry-leading battery storage and solar solutions, please go to convergentep.com

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  • Increased energy demand is inevitable. How do make sure the grid can cope?

    We’ll likely need a grid twice the size it is today. And balancing supply and demand in the years ahead will require a smart approach.

    Transmission capacity is one of the most important things to address as we accelerate the energy transition. Achieving net zero by 2050 will require an upgrade and expansion of the grid, in the UK and US. So how do we do it?

    David Banmiller is joined by Ben Wilson, Chief Strategy and Regulation Officer at National Grid, to analyze the grid-enhancing technology and investment we need to see deployed. Together they discuss the path to a smarter, more advanced grid.

    Ben highlights the need for policy support as well; streamlining permitting processes is crucial.

    In this episode, find out how National Grid is planning and investing in new infrastructure, the approach to finding and investing in the latest tech, and the importance of dynamic line ratings in managing energy demand.

    About National Grid

    National Grid is an electricity, natural gas, and clean energy delivery company serving more than 20 million people through our networks in New York and Massachusetts. National Grid is focused on building a smarter, stronger, cleaner energy future — transforming our networks with more reliable and resilient energy solutions to meet state climate goals and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

    Catch up on the latest episodes of National Grid’s podcast, The Clean Energy Revolution, which explores the people, policies, and projects that are leading the transition to clean energy.

    For more information, please visit nationalgrid.com

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  • Can innovative new lithium extraction methods prevent a supply chain crisis?

    New lithium extraction methods are essential to meet the rising demand driven by EVs and grid storage. Traditional methods are time-consuming, geographically limited, and in some cases environmentally damaging. The concentration of lithium mines worldwide has implications for the supply chain; the fewer producers there are, the higher the likelihood of disruption. Lithium often travels tens of thousands of miles, so reducing these scope 3 emissions is critical.

    Xerion is a company who are trying to address this issue. John Busbee is Founder and CEO, and he chats to David about Xerion’s development of new lithium extraction techniques.

    Xerion are also developing methods to create newer, more efficient batteries with the lithium they extract. Paul Braun is the Director of the Materials Research Laboratory, and Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Illinois. He also joins the show, and says there’s no escaping lithium as a key component for EVs and batteries, so the question is how to mine it efficiently and with minimal environmental impact.

    New techniques in extraction and battery production promise to reduce CAPex by two-thirds and emissions by 40%. How do they do it? Can these technologies make clean energy more accessible and affordable? David finds out. 

    The Interchange will be at the annual Solar & Energy Storage Summit in San Francisco from the 12th of June. We’ll be recording some special shows from the event, with all the conversation and analysis on the solar sector in the US and beyond. Get your ticket at woodmac.com/events/solar-energy-storage-summit

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  • In the UK, the collaboration between banks and policymakers is crucial for accelerating the energy transition. The financial sector in the UK managed assets worth over 9 trillion UK pounds (11.3 trillion USD) as of 2020, with a considerable portion needing realignment towards sustainable investments to meet the 2050 net zero goal. The Climate Change Committee, an independent advisory board to the UK government, estimates 50 billion UK pounds, or US$60 billion per year, is needed to meet net zero goals.

    Heather Buchanan is co-founder of Bankers For Net Zero, an initiative aiming to involve banks with governments to make better investment and policy decisions for the energy transition. One significant need for investment is the retrofitting of the housing stock; over half of the UK’s homes are old and inefficient. This a major challenge for banks. With host David Banmiller, Heather explores the financial implications of decarbonizing financed emissions from all banking products by 2050.

    Plus, the importance of Energy Performance Certificates and measuring efficiency, the financial incentives to de-risk clean energy investments, and how B4NZ is working to engage banks, government and NGOs to drive us to net zero. Collaboration is crucial, but it’s a constant struggle.

    For more information visit woodmac.com/podcasts. The Interchange is back at Wood Mackenzie’s Solar Energy and Storage Summit, in San Francisco on June 12. To secure your ticket visit woodmac.com/events/solar-energy-storage-summit.

    In this episode:

    00:00:08: Importance of collaboration between banks and policymakers for energy transition

    00:00:43: About Bankers for Net Zero initiative

    00:01:20: Discussion begins about financial community involvement in energy transition

    00:01:35: Introduction and milestones of Bankers for Net Zero

    00:04:19: Focus area for Bankers for Net Zero

    00:06:06: Challenges faced in housing issue and retrofit issue

    00:08:33: Introduction to National Retrofit Hub and role of energy performance certificate

    00:10:40: Ideas to de-risk financial burden of energy efficiency

    00:12:24: Coordinating energy efficiency on a larger scale

    00:14:41: Importance of convincing constituents

    00:15:22: Role of communities in the energy efficiency transition

    00:16:20: Designing policy to support the energy efficiency efforts

    00:18:01: Importance and issues of EPC in retrofitting

    00:20:00: Balancing energy security and costs

    00:23:35: The Role of Financial Institutions & SME's

    00:25:50: Changes to GHG Protocols

    00:27:04: Introduction to Project Perseus

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  • Estimates for the cost of decarbonising could be inaccurate. What does that mean for investment and policy-making?

    About $1.2 trillion is invested annually in climate technology and infrastructure worldwide, with significant portions allocated to China due to its accelerated decarbonization goals. However, experts argue that about $9 trillion could be needed annually to effectively counter climate change, indicating a substantial gap in current funding​. Debate continues over the economic feasibility of such costs, to the detriment of progress, but what if the cost was actually far less? RMI, the research and clean energy advocacy group, says that this may indeed be the case. These forecasts could be overinflated by trillions of dollars. If that’s true, what will it mean for investors, markets and policy? 

    Host David Banmiller is joined by Dan Goldman, managing partner at Clean Energy Ventures, a VC that funds startups developing early stage breakthrough technologies. He says the there’s a significant investment shortfall – regardless of the total cost of decarbonising – currently to stabilise global temperatures. He discusses a downturn in venture capital investments in climate tech, particularly affecting early-stage companies and innovation in new technologies. Challenges remain in scaling up clean energy technologies due to a combination of high interest rates, inflationary pressures, and supply chain disruptions, which increase costs and complicate project implementations.

    There's a specific shortfall in investment for infrastructure necessary for large-scale renewable energy implementations, like wind and solar, which are essential for a robust energy transition. David and Dan discuss how this could be addressed, and analyse the current economic environment, characterized by high costs and uncertain returns.  

    Is it these barriers that are hindering significant capital flow into this sector, or the forecasted cost for decarbonising global energy systems? How can global financial strategies be adjusted to accelerate the necessary investments in clean energy and technology? Find out on the show.

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  • SMRs: a new horizon in Nuclear Power.

    This week on The Interchange: Recharged, David is joined by Ted Nordhaus, Executive Director at the Breakthrough Institute, an environmental research centre in Berkley, California. They focus on finding technological solutions to environmental problems.

    Achieving a net-zero emission grid by 2050, they claim, with a significant nuclear component would not only be feasible but also cost-effective compared to over-reliance on variable renewable energy sources. This approach requires substantial investment, estimated between US$150 to US$220 billion by 2035, escalating to over a trillion dollars by 2050. Together Ted and David discuss the likelihood that the private sector will drive this investment, provided that nuclear technologies are economically viable and regulatory uncertainties are addressed. They look at the Build Nuclear Now campaign, which aims to rally public support for nuclear energy and drive towards grassroots pro-nuclear advocacy. Is this a sign that public sentiment is changing?

    The main challenges hindering the adoption of nuclear energy include regulatory hurdles, financial barriers and ongoing concerns surrounding nuclear safety. Ted explains that regulatory reform and public sector commitment could overcome these obstacles. The Nuclear Energy Innovation and Modernization Act are examples of a policy aimed at modernising the regulatory environment, to facilitate the licensing of advanced nuclear reactors.

    So, are SMRs the solution to everything nuclear? They’re designed to produce between 50 to 300 MW of electricity per module, which is about one-third of the generation capacity of traditional nuclear power reactors. NuScale's design (listen back to our episode from April last year for more on this) for instance, is for a 77 MW module, with plans to deploy modules in groups that can generate up to 924 MW. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has been actively supporting SMR development, investing over US$600 million in the past decade to assist in the design, licensing and siting of new SMR technologies in the U.S. The technology seems to be there, as does the baseline investment.

    What’s next for the nuclear industry? Listen to find out.

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  • New battery technology could get EV prices down and drive mass adoption

    In this week’s episode of Wood Mackenzie’s The Interchange Recharged, host David Banmiller looks at the rapidly evolving landscape of EVs and the battery technology that powers them. Market sentiment in the US is up and down; despite a 40% sales increase from the last quarter of 2022 to the same period in 2023, the industry is struggling with competition from China amid a price war. Batteries have a critical role to play in accelerating mass EV adoption and so their dramatic cost reduction - nearly 90% over the past 14 years – has potentially sparked an EV revolution.

    Joining David is Haresh Kamath, an expert in energy storage and clean tech from the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). Together, they explore the nuances of battery economics, the potential of cutting-edge technologies like solid-state batteries and the imperative of developing efficient recycling methods to sustain this green momentum.

    They examine the challenges of scaling EV infrastructure and supply chains, looking forward at the technologies that will continue to drive down costs and extend EV ranges.

    Subscribe to The Interchange Recharged on your preferred podcast platform, and join the conversation on X – we’re @interchangeshow. 

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  • A breakthrough way of producing hydrocarbons, crucial to the aviation industry, could reduce costs and accelerate decarbonisation.

    Sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is a key component in the aviation industry's path to decarbonization, which contributes to only 2% of global carbon emissions but is actively seeking cleaner solutions. Airbus and other aerospace companies are leading the charge, with Airbus integrating over 11 million litres of SAF in its operations in 2023, reducing carbon emissions significantly. The industry aims to increase SAF production to 17.5 billion litres by 2030, supported by initiatives like the IRA. 

    On this episode of Wood Mackenzie's The Interchange Recharged, David Banmiller speaks with Andrew Symes, founder and CEO of OXCCU. They’re developing a more efficient way of converting CO2 and hydrogen into hydrocarbons, potentially a monumental step towards more scalable and environmentally-friendly fuels. 

    Despite technological advancements, challenges in financing, regulatory support, and talent acquisition persist. SAF's integration with existing aviation infrastructure without the need for modifications is one key benefit; it could create a smoother transition to greener aviation, with expectations for SAF to achieve cost parity with Jet A fuel (the current standard) as technology and scale improve. The SAF industry enjoys broad support from airlines, governments, and regulatory initiatives, who are pushing for increased SAF adoption towards a net-zero future by 2050. The technology behind SAF, and as Andrew explains, the science behind OXCCU, not only promises to revolutionize aviation but also has applications in producing chemicals and plastics, signalling a broader impact on sustainability across various sectors and the goal of a circular economy.

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  • Half of the energy workforce is employed in clean energy technologies. By 2030, over 10 million new jobs will need to be filled as the energy transition continues. China, for example, employs 3 million workers in clean energy manufacturing – accounting for 80% of solar PV and EV battery manufacturing jobs globally. Skill shortages are as significant a bottleneck as lack of investment or supply chain constraints, so how can the industry ensure there’s enough people to build, maintain and design clean energy infrastructure?

    On the show today, David Banmiller is joined by Caleigh Andrews, Energy Analyst and Modeller at the International Energy Agency. The IEA emphasises the need for clear policies that drive demand for clean technologies, in order to attract and retain skilled labor. Reskilling and attracting new people to the energy workforce require a combination of market incentives and political will, so what are these incentives? And what can governments do to incentivise reskilling?

    AI can play a role in easing the skilling burden and establishing standardised credentials, but with manufacturing and maintenance a large part of it, are the use cases for AI limited?

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  • Recent legislation in the US promises to be a boon for geothermal energy production.

    In January, the US House Energy and Commerce Committee passed a bipartisan bill that could have a big impact on the geothermal sector. Effectively putting geothermal on the same footing as oil and gas - by excluding geothermal development from strict NEPA rules – the bill could cut the red tape and boost production in the sector.

    Geothermal has a lot of potential. The DOE estimates it could contribute almost 10% of US energy capacity by 2050. New geothermal technology, which uses horizontal drilling to drill multiple wells into geothermal reservoirs from a single location, is a promising start, but more innovation is needed to become cost competitive.

    Joining David to discuss the legislation, and the technology that underpins the geothermal sector, are Dr Joseph Moore - Research Professor at the University of Utah and Managing Principal Investigator at Utah FORGE, a geothermal research facility managed by the Energy & Geoscience Institute at the University of Utah, and sponsored by the DOE – and Lauren Boyd, Director of the EERE’s Geothermal Technologies Office, which is sponsoring the Utah FORGE laboratory. 

    Together they examine the cost, operation and scope for geothermal energy in the US.

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  • The traditional process of battery development is slow, expensive, and capital-intensive. AI can help overcome the challenges of predicting battery performance, exploring the vast design space, and conducting time-consuming cycle life testing. David Banmiller is joined by Alán Aspuru-Guzik, a professor at the University of Toronto specializing in Chemistry and Computer Science, and Jason Koeller, the CTO and Co-founder of Chemix, to examine the role of machine learning in EV battery development. 

    Chemix is exploring new ways of developing batteries for electric vehicles (EVs) by utilizing AI, aiming to make it faster and more efficient compared to the traditional, slower, and costlier methods. AI not only speeds up the development process by predicting performance and exploring design options, but also – as Professor Aspuru-Guzik explains - leads to innovative battery compositions that improve performance. The machines can do calculations in timeframes inconceivable for a human.

    There are wide-ranging applications for AI in areas beyond battery development, including grid optimization and materials design. Professor Aspuru-Guzik shares insights into the work of the Acceleration Consortium, which aims to be a leading hub for AI-driven scientific advancements in various sectors. Jason addresses some of the practical challenges in the EV industry, such as the need for adaptable battery solutions and the hurdles in introducing new manufacturing technologies. Technological advancement in battery technology and charging infrastructure are progressing together, enabling growth in the EV market.

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  • What’s the outlook for low-carbon hydrogen in 2024?

    Green hydrogen energy, by now well-regarded as a critical component in the energy transition, is still faced with significant challenges. It’s anticipated to significantly contribute to energy needs, with projections suggesting it could supply up to 35% of the UK's energy by 2050, and there's a push in the US to dramatically reduce hydrogen production costs. The sector is experiencing rapid growth with many projects in development but reaching the Final Investment Decision (FID) stage is a key hurdle, especially in the current economic climate of high interest rates and inflation. The sector is trying to manage high initial costs and a tendency for investments to favour blue hydrogen, which is currently more cost-effective.

    To discuss the hydrogen market, and the policy and financial decisions to be made to accelerate the rollout, David Banmiller is joined by Murray Douglas and Vicky Paley. Murray is responsible for Wood Mackenzie’s global hydrogen and ammonia research, while Vicky heads up project delivery at Protium Green Solutions.  

    Together they look at the updates in legislation, permits and overall government policy we’ve seen in the last 6 months and can expect this year. The US, for example, has set definitive treasury rules to give a bit more clarity to the industry.

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