Solar Media Editors' Channel

Liam Stoker and Andy Colthorpe are back for another episode of the Solar Media podcast, and the cleantech materials crisis is showing no signs of abating. We discuss the ramifications across the energy sector, reveal while the US energy storage market is like the wild west, and talk exclusively to Honeywell’s Erin Ergin about the prospects for energy storage globally.

Solar Media’s Liam Stoker, Andy Colthorpe and Jules Scully profile the continued rise of long-duration energy storage in this episode of the Solar Media Podcast, sponsored by Honeywell, with a definitive look at the technology, policy and use-cases driving interest in long-duration energy storage. Meanwhile Liam, Andy and Jules also explore what Asia can teach the rest of the world about floating solar, we learn of a threat to solar’s growth in Vietnam and discover what Elon Musk’s up to now.

It's March 2021 and we're back for another episode of the Solar Media Podcast, sponsored by Honeywell. This month we're reflecting on the lessons that can be learned from Texas' winter storm, ranging from renewables to the utilities' response to it, and we also take a look at the huge in-tray awaiting new US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm. Elsewhere, Liam Stoker takes a look at what's driving solar panel prices upwards, and Andy Colthorpe explores the rise of SPACs - or Special-purpose Acquisition Companies - and how they could drive change in the energy sector. 

The February 2021 episode of the Solar Media Podcast reflects on recent market forecasts and asks just how much solar could be deployed in 2021 against a backdrop of gigawatt-scale supply contracts and national auctions. Meanwhile, Andy explores how utility-scale battery storage systems just keep getting bigger on the back of a recently-announced 1.2GW battery earmarked for Australia. There's also discussion around how grid services contracts continue to mature and why battery storage was frozen out of Spain's recent renewables auction. 

The Solar Media Podcast returns for a new season to mark the new year. In this first episode of 2021, sponsored by SKE Engineering, Andy Colthorpe and Liam Stoker cast their gazes at the horizon and profile what the immediate future holds for the solar and storage industries. 

Up for discussion are the world's largest battery storage system which is now switched on and operational in California, as well as just what drove surging growth in Vietnam's solar sector towards the end of 2020, a push which saw more than 6GW of solar installed in just over one month. 

Meanwhile, we also look at yet further additions in both solar manufacturing capacity and renewable energy auctions in Europe slated for 2020, and explore what the repercussions might be as investment in solar and storage, and more specifically the companies in those respective sectors, accelerates further.

In this final episode of the Solar Media Podcast for 2020, Liam Stoker and Andy Colthorpe reflect on what’s been a tumultuous year by assessing some of the most impactful stories. There’s also a look back on some of the lighter developments in 2020, and Liam and Andy provide their predictions for what the next 12 months may have in store.

The Solar Media Podcast will be back in January for an entirely new season, but Andy, Liam and the rest of the Solar Media editorial team wish all of our listeners a happy holidays and a prosperous new year.

November 2020's episode of the Solar Media Podcast starts, perhaps predictably, with the fallout from the US Election. At the time of recording (Friday 6 November) the result wasn't quite yet certain, but there's still ample discussion about what a Biden Administration will do for the climate. Meanwhile, we also digest the latest cost projections of solar and energy storage from Lazard, look at why the IEA is correct to label solar as the "new king of electricity" and explore what the future holds for energy storage. 

In this episode of the Solar Media Podcast, Liam Stoker and Andy Colthorpe take a deep dive into what Elon & Co. presented at Tesla’s Big Battery Day, assess what the recent spate of solar manufacturing expansion announcements mean for the sector, and discuss the current state of energy politics.

Liam Stoker and Andy Colthorpe return for the August 2020 episode of the Solar Media podcast, reflecting on the biggest news stories from the global solar and energy storage ecosystems. Up for discussion this month are California's ongoing heatwave and its impact on energy demand and storage, why looming volatility in the cost of polysilicon should be on everyone's radar, and what we should be taking from the increasing costs of managing grids worldwide. 

Solar Media's Liam Stoker and Andy Colthorpe return for the July 2020 episode of the Solar Media Podcast, starting with a rundown of the 500W+ module race that is shaping the next era of solar PV technologies. Elsewhere we uncover the policy decisions driving a green recovery in markets such as the US, India and the UK, and we learn what's driving recent moves within the energy storage market. 

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