Switched On

Japan’s power market is creating a stir. Having faced natural disasters, global energy crises and ever more extreme periods of weather, the world’s third-largest liberalized power market has had to contend with some almighty challenges in recent years, and yet it has still piqued the interest of foreign investors. The long process of restarting Japan’s nuclear fleet, completely shuttered after the Fukushima disaster, has dragged on, and with little available land, utility-scale renewables have traditionally struggled to gain a foothold. To fill the energy void, the resource-poor nation has had to import coal, gas and oil to fuel its power plants. Yet the arrival of energy-intensive data centers and semiconductor manufacturing plants mean power demand is once again on the rise, and with it new opportunities for energy installations. On today’s show, Tom is joined by two analysts from BNEF’s Global Power Markets Team, Mariko O’Neil and Yumi Kim, to discuss key findings from the report “Japan Power Market Outlook 2H 2024: Tailwinds Ahead”.

Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF on the Bloomberg Terminal or on bnef.com

Links to research notes from this episode:

Japan Power Market Outlook 2H 2024: Tailwinds Ahead - https://www.bnef.com/insights/34981

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The boom in energy-hungry data centers in the US has led to a revival of interest in nuclear power. Small modular reactors, or SMRs, are often held up as the way forward, but the technology remains in development, which has led some big tech firms – or ‘hyperscalers’ – to explore other pathways for using nuclear power. One alternative is restarting some of the 11 nuclear facilities that have been shut in the US in the last 15 years, an option made all the more attractive given the regulatory hurdles, cost concerns and schedule overruns that tend to plague new nuclear projects. On today’s show, Tom is joined by Chris Gadomski, BloombergNEF’s lead nuclear analyst, to discuss key findings from his report “Hyperscalers’ Energy Appetite Boosts Nuclear Prospects”.

Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF on the Bloomberg Terminal or on bnef.com

Links to research notes from this episode:

Hyperscalers' Energy Appetite Boosts Nuclear Prospects - https://www.bnef.com/insights/35223

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The world is focused on net zero. Yet some companies, like Australian mining giant Fortescue, have set their sights higher, and are now aiming for ‘real zero’. On today’s show, we bring you an interview from the recent BNEF Summit Shanghai, where Fortescue Founder and Executive Chairman Andrew Forrest sat down with Leonard Quong, BNEF’s Head of Australia Research, to talk about green hydrogen, green iron ore, and why real zero is good for people, the planet and the bottom line.

Today’s episode was recorded live at BNEF Summit Shanghai. To learn more about our Summits and to listen to more interviews, please visit https://about.bnef.com/summit/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Emerging markets have big plans when it comes to the energy transition. Today, 95% of developing economies have a renewable energy target in place, and many of them are seeing massive growth in solar and other renewable power technologies. Yet this clean power revolution won’t come cheap. While EMDEs attracted more than $100 billion for clean energy development last year, that’s a drop in the bucket of what it’ll take to reach net zero, and many markets are racing to implement the policy and infrastructure needed to attract many billions more. On today’s show, BloombergNEF researchers Sofia Maia and Ana Paula Fonseca Teixeira present the newest edition of Climatescope, a public BNEF resource that evaluates and ranks emerging markets’ readiness to utilize energy transition investment.

Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF on the Bloomberg Terminal or on bnef.com

Links to research notes from this episode:

Climatescope 2024 - www.global-climatescope.org

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Climate-tech funding is falling precipitously. During the third quarter of 2024, worldwide investment in the sector reached just $10.3 billion, a far cry from the $22.6 billion raised in the third quarter of 2023 and the $40.9 billion seen in 3Q 2022. These dramatic declines have been led in part by manufacturing overcapacity in China, where a collapse in market funding has allowed India to supersede China for the first time in BloombergNEF’s climate-tech rankings. With protectionism on the rise, questions have also arisen about how tariffs will impact equity funding moving forward, but where some see barriers, others see opportunities. On today’s show, Dana is joined by Mark Daly, BloombergNEF’s Head of Technology and Innovation, to discuss key findings from the recent report “Investment Radar 3Q 2024: Funding Drop Again”.

Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF on the Bloomberg Terminal or on bnef.com

Links to research notes from this episode:

Investment Radar 3Q 2024: Funding Drop Again - https://www.bnef.com/insights/35203/view

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“It looks like coal weather today,” is an unlikely forecast, but it shouldn’t be. Coal production and consumption are linked to weather, and the return of a La Niña weather cycle has the potential to extend the lifespan of coal power assets and influence fuel switching. While peak coal demand is close, near-term drivers point to stagnation rather than a rapid decline. Developed economies are shutting thermal power assets at scale, but China is responsible for 56% of global coal consumption and continues to import and stockpile coal in vast quantities.

On today’s show, Dana is joined by Fauziah Marzuki, BloombergNEF’s Global Head of Gas Markets, alongside Yumi Kim, Power Markets Associate, to discuss key findings from their recent report Coal Outlook: Hot and Cold to 2050.

Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF on the Bloomberg Terminal or on bnef.com

Links to research notes from this episode:

Coal Outlook: Hot and Cold to 2050 - https://www.bnef.com/insights/35205

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Wind is key to tripling global clean energy capacity by 2030, but in recent years both onshore and offshore additions have been blowing cold. The landscape improves as we look ahead to 2030, when BloombergNEF expects annual installations of wind to have risen by a massive 70%. China, which is currently responsible for over a half of all global wind additions, is leading the charge. But now that its massive turbine manufacturing base is looking outside its borders, the picture for equipment exports is about to be shaken up.

On today’s show, Tom Rowlands-Rees speaks with BNEF’s head of Wind Research, Oliver Metcalfe, about key findings from three recent reports: Unlocking Investment to Triple Renewables by 2030, 3Q 2024 Wind Turbine Order Dataset: Volume Surges, and Floating Offshore Wind: Big Potential But Big Price Tag. Together they discuss what it’ll take for wind to grow at the pace required to meet net-zero goals, the threat to western turbine manufacturers posed by rising Chinese exports, and the impact floating wind could have on the offshore market.

Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF on the Bloomberg Terminal or on bnef.com

Links to research notes from this episode:

Unlocking Investment to Triple Renewables by 2030 - https://www.bnef.com/insights/34887/view

3Q 2024 Wind Turbine Order Dataset: Volume Surges - https://www.bnef.com/insights/35179/view

Floating Offshore Wind: Big Potential But Big Price Tag - https://www.bnef.com/insights/34913

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.” This proverb is just as apt if you swap out “trees” for “grid investment.” Some $326 billion flowed into the world’s power grids in 2023, up 7% from the year before. Yet while investment may be increasing overall, only a few markets align with a net-zero pathway.

On today's show, co-hosts Dana Perkins and Tom Rowlands-Rees are joined by Felicia Aminoff from BNEF’s Grids and Utilities team. They discuss the growing power demand from new data centers, strategies for protecting the grid from extreme weather events, and how grid authorities are addressing a backlog of renewable energy projects waiting for a connection. This episode draws upon BNEF research found in the 2024 Power Grid Investment Outlook and the New Energy Outlook 2024: Grids.

Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF on the Bloomberg Terminal or on bnef.com

Links to research notes from this episode:

2024 Power Grid Investment Outlook - https://www.bnef.com/insights/34703/view

New Energy Outlook 2024: Grids - https://www.bnef.com/insights/35211

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tariffs and subsidies loom large in the energy transition. The US Inflation Reduction Act, or IRA, has been of global importance, changing trade relationships and causing some governments to rethink their domestic policies. The European Union responded by introducing the Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA), although it has fewer subsidies and trade barriers than its transatlantic counterpart.

On today’s show, Dana speaks with Antoine Vagneur-Jones and Matthew Hales from BNEF’s Trade and Supply Chains team. As they discuss key findings from the report US Clean-Tech Industrial Policy Leaves EU Behind – For Now, they look at the risks the IRA faces in the upcoming US election, the relative effectiveness of US and EU tariffs, and whether western markets can realistically expect to challenge Chinese manufacturers on cost competitiveness.

Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF on the Bloomberg Terminal or on bnef.com

Links to research notes from this episode:

US-Clean Tech Industrial Policy Leaves EU Behind - For Now - https://www.bnef.com/insights/34863

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Heavy transport is at a crossroads. There are many possible paths for decarbonizing aviation, maritime shipping and long-haul trucking, including sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), ammonia, methanol and synthetic fuels. Now that companies are working to secure feedstocks, governments are writing clean-fuel policies, and investors are looking for new fuels to back, will these sectors coalesce around a single low-carbon pathway? Or will a cornucopia of options be the way of the future?

On today’s episode, Colin McKerracher, BloombergNEF’s Head of Transport and Energy Storage, moderates a discussion at the BNEF Summit London on the future of clean fuels in heavy transport. He is joined by panelists Freya Burton, Chief Sustainability Officer at LanzaTech; Chris Johnson, Chief Commercial Officer at C2X; and Lara Naqushbandi, Chief Executive Officer at ETFuels. Together, they discuss which clean fuels are seeing the greatest uptake, what they’d most like to see from government policy, and how to stimulate investor activity across the sector at large.

Today’s episode was recorded live at BNEF's London Summit. To learn more about our Summits and to listen to more interviews, please visit https://about.bnef.com/summit/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.