Energy Gang

These are hard times for investment in low-carbon energy. The lack of progress in international climate negotiations, threats to policy support, and an increased awareness of the challenges of decarbonization, have created some strong headwinds. Everyone agrees that more breakthroughs in innovative emissions-reducing technologies are essential for tackling climate change. So how can innovative energy companies raise the ca...

If President Trump’s tariff strategy succeeds in sparking a revival in US manufacturing, one consequence will be surging demand for power. We are already seeing electricity demand starting to pick up after 15 years of stagnation, driven by new data centers for AI and a wave of factory-building for semiconductors and batteries that is already under way. How can the electricity industry increase capacity to meet that growing...

The Chinese car company BYD, the world’s top-selling manufacturer of electric vehicles, is launching two models that can charge in five minutes; about the time it takes to fill a tank with gasoline. It’s news that looks like a landmark moment in the energy transition, the way that the release of the DeepSeek model was for AI. It’s another eye-opening breakthrough out of China that should have the US worried. Or is it?

To ex...

Investors have gone sour on clean energy. In a troubled time for stock markets in general, where is the capital for energy flowing now?

Host Ed Crooks is joined by Shanu Mathew, Senior VP and Portfolio Manager at Lazard Asset Management, and Amy Myers Jaffe, Director of the Energy, Climate Justice, and Sustainability Lab at NYU. Shanu returns to the show to break down how institutional investors, under pressure to deliver r...

Charge when it’s cheap, when energy is abundant, and discharge when the energy is needed. 

The role of energy storage will be critical to the transition to low-carbon technologies. It’s an exciting time in the industry, with spectacular growth in battery storage markets in the US and around the world, and it’s predicted to continue. “We’re in the hockey stick growth phase,” says Swetha Sundaram, VP of solar and BESS (b...

In 2018, President Donald Trump said “I’m a tariff man”, declaring they were the way to make America rich again. Six years on and just weeks into his second term, he is putting that philosophy into practice. President Trump has announced a barrage of new and increased tariffs on imports into the US, including a 10% levy on all goods from China. He has threatened 25% tariffs on imports from Canda and Mexico, although those ...

It’s a historic moment in energy, with a leap forward in AI technology coming as the Trump administration sets a new direction for the US. The Energy Gang break down what it all means.

When they make The Energy Transition – The Movie, the week of 27th January 2025 will be a pivotal scene. The Chinese AI company DeepSeek sent shockwaves through stock markets, as it revealed its model that apparently is capable of better per...

Hydrogen has been called the Swiss Army knife of energy, because it has so many potential applications, from home heating to heavy industry. But so far, deployment around the world has been slow. And in recent months there has been a series of setbacks for plans to use clean hydrogen to decarbonise energy systems. So what’s the problem?

Is it unsuitable infrastructure, policy uncertainty, or fundamental challenges of physic...

Host 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 ...

China’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...

More 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 Me...

The 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...

As 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...

How a deal at the climate talks could make a real difference to the energy transition

In 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...

As many nations face challenges in meeting their Paris Agreement goals, some businesses are stepping up to fill the gap. Climate action is not just a responsibility but a lucrative opportunity 

In this latest episode of The Energy Gang from COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, Ed Crooks explores the critical role of businesses in addressing climate change. He talks to business leaders and experts about the challenges and opportu...

A special COP29 episode exploring the power of states, regions, and cities to advance the energy transition amid uncertain national policies

In this special episode of The Energy Gang from COP29, Ed Crooks brings together a panel of expert guests in Baku, Azerbaijan, to discuss the global implications of the US election and the growing importance of state-level leadership in climate action. He is joined by Wade Crowfoot...

The role of development banks in climate finance

The COP29 climate talks in Baku, Azerbaijan, have climate finance at the top of the agenda. As global leaders and experts gather to deliberate on pathways to a sustainable future, the focus is on how funding from richer nations might facilitate decarbonization and resilience in poorer and middle-income countries. These discussions are not just about altruism, but recogniz...

President Trump plans a sharp change of direction

The US elections last week are set to transform the energy landscape, with the Republicans now in control of the presidency, the Senate, and likely the House of Representatives. They intend to set a new direction for energy policy, emphasising affordability and reliability over sustainability and climate. In this special episode of The Energy Gang, we explore what this s...

Electricity grids rely on transformers. Shortages are slowing down the transition to clean energy.

Transformers are such commonplace pieces of local infrastructure that most people barely notice them. In America, they include those dustbin-shaped objects on poles for power lines, and in the UK they are those rectangular boxes on the pavement. But transformers have a critical function in making the electricity grid work, and...