Catalyst with Shayle Kann

How to Save a Planet: Spark Tank! How Do We Solve the Energy Storage Problem?


Listen Later

It’s shark week! Or ‘spark’ week? Today we’re bringing you an episode of How to Save a Planet, in which Shayle steps into the shoes of a Shark Tank-style judge.

This episode is all about (drum-roll please): Storage!

...Exciting, right? Ok, we’ll prove it to you. Each day, more and more of our electricity comes from intermittent renewables like wind and solar. To balance out our electric grid in the future, we’ll need new ways of storing extra energy, so we can still turn on our lights when the wind isn’t blowing and the sun isn’t shining. This week, with help from Dr. Leah Stokes and Shayle Kann, we explore the wild world of energy storage, from a hidden underground lair to a piping hot thermos full of poison. And did we mention it’s a gameshow?

Guests

  • Dr. Leah Stokes, Professor of Climate and Energy Policy at University of California, Santa Barbara
  • Shayle Kann, Climate Tech Investor at Energy Impact Partners
  • Len Greene, Director of Government Affairs and Communications, FirstLight Power
  • Curtis VanWalleghem, CEO of Hydrostor
  • Dr. Cristina Prieto, Professor of Engineering at the University of Seville
  • Calls to Action

    • Learn more about energy storage
    • Pumped Hydro
    • Compressed Air
    • Molten Salts
    • And for a really wild one: check out Energy Vault
    • Learn more about our electric grid, with our episodes How We Got our Grid and How We Get a Better One and Party Like It’s 2035
    • We still want to see your climate Venn diagrams! For inspiration, check out ClimateVenn.info. Post your diagram to Instagram and tag us at @how2saveaplanet. We’ll be reposting examples listeners share with us.

    • Check out our Calls to Action archive for all of the actions we've recommended on the show. Send us your ideas or feedback with our Listener Mail Form. Sign up for our newsletter here. And follow us on Twitter and Instagram.

      This episode of How to Save a Planet was produced by Daniel Ackerman. The rest of our reporting and producing team includes Kendra Pierre-Louis, Rachel Waldholz and Anna Ladd. Our supervising producer is Matthew Shilts. Our editor is Caitlin Kenney. Our intern is Janae Morris. Sound design and mixing by Peter Leonard with original music from Emma Munger. Our fact checker for this episode was James Gaines.


      Catalyst is supported by Antenna Group. For 25 years, Antenna has partnered with leading clean-economy innovators to build their brands and accelerate business growth. If you're a startup, investor, enterprise, or innovation ecosystem that's creating positive change, Antenna is ready to power your impact. Visit antennagroup.com to learn more.

      

      Solar Power International and Energy Storage International are returning in-person this year as part of RE+. Come join everyone in Anaheim for the largest, B2B clean energy event in North America. Catalyst listeners can receive 15% off a full conference, non-member pass using promo code CANARY15. Register here.

      ...more
      View all episodesView all episodes
      Download on the App Store

      Catalyst with Shayle KannBy Latitude Media

      • 4.9
      • 4.9
      • 4.9
      • 4.9
      • 4.9

      4.9

      270 ratings


      More shows like Catalyst with Shayle Kann

      View all
      Planet Money by NPR

      Planet Money

      30,685 Listeners

      Odd Lots by Bloomberg

      Odd Lots

      1,993 Listeners

      Energy Gang by Wood Mackenzie

      Energy Gang

      1,245 Listeners

      Columbia Energy Exchange by Columbia University

      Columbia Energy Exchange

      401 Listeners

      Interchange Recharged by Wood Mackenzie

      Interchange Recharged

      505 Listeners

      The Indicator from Planet Money by NPR

      The Indicator from Planet Money

      9,556 Listeners

      Redefining Energy by Laurent Segalen and Gerard Reid

      Redefining Energy

      130 Listeners

      Switched On by Bloomberg

      Switched On

      104 Listeners

      Cleaning Up: Leadership in an Age of Climate Change by Michael Liebreich, Bryony Worthington

      Cleaning Up: Leadership in an Age of Climate Change

      80 Listeners

      Hard Fork by The New York Times

      Hard Fork

      5,599 Listeners

      Volts by David Roberts

      Volts

      641 Listeners

      The Green Blueprint by Latitude Media

      The Green Blueprint

      203 Listeners

      The Latitude by Latitude Media

      The Latitude

      124 Listeners

      Hot Buttons by Latitude Media

      Hot Buttons

      71 Listeners

      Zero: The Climate Race by Bloomberg

      Zero: The Climate Race

      227 Listeners

      With Great Power by GridX and Latitude Studios

      With Great Power

      85 Listeners

      Shift Key with Robinson Meyer by Heatmap News

      Shift Key with Robinson Meyer

      119 Listeners

      Open Circuit by Latitude Media

      Open Circuit

      142 Listeners