Factor This

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This Week in Cleantech is a weekly podcast covering the most impactful stories in clean energy and climate in 15 minutes or less featuring Paul Gerke of Factor This and Tigercomm’s Mike Casey. 

This week's episode features special guest David Roberts, host of the Volts podcast, who recently sat down with clean-energy analyst Michael Liebreich to discuss calls for a “climate reset” that emphasizes costly technologies over proven clean energy solutions. 

This week's "Cleantechers of the Week" are:

• Andrew Otazo who has hauled more than 17 tons of trash, mostly from the islands around Biscayne Bay. Otazo wants to clear as much trash as he can. 
• Forrest Smith, former chief petroleum engineer for the National Park Service. Forrest was the only individual responsible for cleaning up dozens of abandoned oil and gas wells at national parks across the country. Last month, he was forced to step down and the NPS is not looking to replace him. 
• Juan Naula. Juan struggled to find funding for his ride-sharing startup, so he quit his job to pick up trash on the streets of L.A. Juan started a social media account titled, “Clean L.A. With Me,” and started a nonprofit to raise money and recruit volunteers to help him.

This Week in Cleantech — November 07, 2025

1. How virtual power plants could meet data centre energy demand — The Financial Times
2. White House Fossil Fuel Bet Is Losing to Green Energy — Bloomberg
3. Slow rollout throttled Biden’s big clean energy ambitions, former staffers say — POLITICO
4. $615,000 a Day: Order to Keep Coal Plant Open Ignites Debate in Michigan — The Wall Street Journal
5. Michael Liebreich on a "pragmatic climate reset" – Volts

Energy policy on your mind? Check out all episodes of the Factor This Policycast

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This Week in Cleantech is a weekly podcast covering the most impactful stories in clean energy and climate in 15 minutes or less featuring Paul Gerke of Factor This and Tigercomm’s Mike Casey. 

This week's episode features special guest Shannon Osaka from The Washington Post, who wrote about a new study that blames rising electricity bills on the rising fixed costs of the power grid, rather than just data center growth. 

This week's "Cleantecher of the Week" is Jonathan Shaw, CEO of Nuru. Under his leadership, Nuru commissioned the Democratic Republic of Congo’s first commercial solar mini-grid in 2017, followed by three more that are now powering communities across the country. The company is currently building the largest solar mini-grid in sub-Saharan Africa. Congratulations, Jonathan!

This Week in Cleantech — October 31, 2025 

1. DOE's latest move the most direct yet to smooth data centers' path – Axios
2. Simpler Solar Regulations Would Save Americans $1.2 Trillion — Heatmap News
3. US government and Westinghouse strike $80bn nuclear reactor deal — The Financial Times
4. Georgia has lost $2.9B in clean energy projects amid fed pullback, report says — The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
5. The real reason electricity prices are rising, and it’s not data centers — The Washington Post

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In this episode of the Factor This podcast, Content Director Jeremiah Karpowicz interviews Eric Meier, Planning Modeling Supervisor at ERCOT. The two discuss Meier's thoughts around how ERCOT is pioneering methods to integrate rapid load growth while maintaining system reliability as well as...

• why timing is everything
• the nature of new large loads
• market-based solutions and the role of flexibility

Want to make a suggestion for an upcoming Factor This episode? Get in touch to let us know what people, projects and technology you’d like us to further explore: https://www.renewableenergyworld.com/contribute-content/

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This Week in Cleantech is a weekly podcast covering the most impactful stories in clean energy and climate in 15 minutes or less featuring Paul Gerke of Factor This and Tigercomm’s Mike Casey. Clarion Events Content Director Jeremiah Karpowicz is filling in for Paul Gerke while Paul is on paternity leave.

This week's episode features special guest Kate Yoder from Grist, who wrote about how Democrats are downplaying the term “climate change” after the 2024 election. 

This week's "Cleantecher of the Week" is Cédric Ringenbach, creator of the card game Climate Fresk. The game is based on the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and helps people understand the connections between climate science and climate disasters. Congratulations, Cédric!

This Week in Cleantech — October 24, 2025 

1. Oil, gas and the tax code — The New York Times
2. Why Nucor and Meta are supporting a new low-carbon iron factory — Trellis
3. DOE cancels more than $700M in battery, manufacturing projects — E&E News
4. New England Says Goodbye to Coal as Merrimack Station Powers Down — Inside Climate News
5. Why Democrats aren't talking about climate change much anymore — Grist

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This Week in Cleantech is a weekly podcast covering the most impactful stories in clean energy and climate in 15 minutes or less featuring Paul Gerke of Factor This and Tigercomm’s Mike Casey.

This week's episode features special guest Evan Halper from The Washington Post, who wrote about how global economics are accelerating a renewable surge led by China and India.

This week's "Cleantecher of the Week" is Rishan Wong, former CEO of Reddit and CEO of Terraformation. Terraformation just rolled out its latest product, which is a subscription-based model where individuals can fund reforestation for the monthly cost of a streaming service.

This Week in Cleantech — October 17, 2025 

1. Resilience of the lambs: Some US solar projects are farming much more than sunlight – Factor This
2. How mega batteries are unlocking an energy revolution – The Financial Times
3. Trump administration quietly canceled the nation’s largest solar project – CNN
4. Base Power, a Battery-Focused Power Company, Raises $1 Billion — The New York Times
5. The real winners of Trump’s attack on clean energy aren’t American — The Washington Post

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The U.S. residential solar industry has seen better days.

 Electricity bill credits in rooftop solar-saturated states like California are a fraction of what they once were. Tariffs have made components more expensive, just as federal tax credits are set to sunset. Anti-renewables legislation is casting a long and dark shadow, and a series of bankruptcies among established names in the space has cast further doubt on whether the dollars and cents still make dollars and sense.

But at least one man thinks residential solar can reach a point of profitability. In fact, he's actively proving it.

TJ Rogers, the CEO of SunPower, has led an illustrious career in the solar and semiconductor space. An outspoken free-market evangelist, Rodgers possesses a clear vision of what he believes an American home solar company should be. In this episode of the Factor This podcast, Rodgers shares his recipe for success with host Paul Gerke, detailing the challenges and opportunities in the market. Topics of discussion include:

• The acquisition of SunPower and its plans for the future
• SunPower's path to profitability and the company's lean, quality-focused approach
• Tariffs, subsidies, and their impact on industry efficiency
• The potential of virtual power plants and microgrids

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Energy policy on your mind? Check out all episodes of the Factor This Policycast

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This Week in Cleantech is a weekly podcast covering the most impactful stories in clean energy and climate in 15 minutes or less featuring Paul Gerke of Factor This and Tigercomm’s Mike Casey.

This week's episode features special guest Alexandra White from the Financial Times, who wrote about how private equity firms are rapidly acquiring utilities to capitalize on soaring electricity demand.

This week's "Cleantecher of the Week" is Baltimore-based blind man,  Kevin Stanley. A Bloomberg story notes that Kevin survives on disability payments, but says his energy bill payments are 80% higher than they were 3 years ago, demonstrating the ripple effect of data center buildout. Kudos to Yann Brandt for recommending this Bloomberg story!

This Week in Cleantech — October 10, 2025 

1. China's Clean Energy Exports Are Beating US Fossil Fuels — Bloomberg
2. Buildings are turning to 'ice batteries' for sustainable air conditioning – The Associated Press
3. Renewables overtake coal as world's biggest source of electricity — BBC
4. US Hydrogen Gets Another Look From Investors — Bloomberg
5. Private equity bets big on utilities — The Financial Times

Energy policy on your mind? Check out all episodes of the Factor This Policycast

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This Week in Cleantech is a weekly podcast covering the most impactful stories in clean energy and climate in 15 minutes or less featuring Paul Gerke of Factor This and Tigercomm’s Mike Casey.

This week's episode features special guest Claire Hao from The Houston Chronicle, who wrote about a Texas-based nuclear and data center start-up co-founded by former Gov. Rick Perry that went public on Wednesday after being founded just earlier this year. 

This week's "Cleantecher of the Week" is Samuel Gantner, founder of the Miombo Woodland Restoration Project. His new initiative in Zambia aims to employ 50,000 farmers to protect forests from being cleared for charcoal and to plant tens of thousands of trees, removing about 2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide each year by 2030. Congratulations, Samuel!

This Week in Cleantech — October 3, 2025

1. EVgo Open to Buying Charging Firms as Key Tax Credit Expire — Bloomberg
2. US government takes 5% stakes in Lithium Americas and joint venture with GM — Reuters
3. The world's first carbon border tax will soon go live — shaking up global trade — CNBC
4. White House threat of new green cuts has Democrats seeing red — POLITICO
5. Wall Street joins Rick Perry's bet on nuclear and the AI boom as Fermi America goes public — The Houston Chronicle

Energy policy on your mind? Check out all episodes of the Factor This Policycast

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This Week in Cleantech is a weekly podcast covering the most impactful stories in clean energy and climate in 15 minutes or less featuring Paul Gerke of Factor This and Tigercomm’s Mike Casey.

This week's episode features special guest Christopher Mims from The Wall Street Journal, who wrote about how several startups are bringing solar-powered vehicles closer to reality.

This week's "Cleantecher of the Week" is Ramón Méndez Galain, Uruguay’s energy secretary. Under his leadership, the country went from relying heavily on fossil fuels to establishing a stable grid powered almost entirely by renewable sources. Within just five years after he took over, renewables powered 98% of the country. Congratulations, Ramón!

This Week in Cleantech — September 26, 2025 

1. Pennsylvania Governor Says Biggest US Power Grid Needs Overhaul – Bloomberg
2. Judge allows work to restart on New England wind project that Trump halted — POLITICO
3. Decent work on climate, Gavin Newsom. I still hope California's next governor is better — LA Times
4. The Race Is on to Make Rare Earth Magnets Outside China — The New York Times
5. Solar-Powered Cars and Trucks Are Almost Here — The Wall Street Journal

Energy policy on your mind? Check out all episodes of the Factor This Policycast

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This Week in Cleantech is a weekly podcast covering the most impactful stories in clean energy and climate in 15 minutes or less featuring Paul Gerke of Factor This and Tigercomm’s Mike Casey.

This week's "Cleantecher of the Week" is Tom Steyer, Co-Executive Chair of Galvanize. He reminds us that when we talk about climate now, the conversation is about technology, costs, and politics, which is important. However, we cannot lose sight of what this is truly about: passing on a livable planet. Tom reminds us about this after a weekend camping with his grandkids. Congratulations Tom!

This Week in Cleantech — September 19, 2025 

1. Fossil-fuel firms receive US subsidies worth $31bn each year, study finds — The Guardian
2. Oil Giant Saudi Arabia Is Emerging as a Solar Power — The Wall Street Journal
3. Rodatherm Energy wants to make geothermal more efficient, but will it be cheaper? — TechCrunch
4. Rushing to Meet AI’s Energy Needs: Oil-Field Servicers — The Wall Street Journal
5. The Fed Is Cutting Again. That’s Good for Renewables — But Maybe Not Good Enough. — Heatmap News

Energy policy on your mind? Check out all episodes of the Factor This Policycast