Switched On

With plastic production set to double by 2050, immediate action is needed to address plastic waste pollution and the inefficiencies of existing recycling systems. Chemical recycling could help process lower-grade feedstocks, significantly upping the amount of plastic that can be given a second life, but is the sector ready to do so?

On today’s show, Dana is joined by Kirti Vasta, a senior associate from BloombergNEF’s sustainable materials team. Together they discuss the different forms chemical recycling can take, what’s driving investment in the space, and the unexpected places that recycled plastics can go.

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:

Chemical Recycling of Plastics (Part 1): Market Update -  https://www.bnef.com/insights/32709

Chemical Recycling of Plastics (Part 2): Tech and Costs -  https://www.bnef.com/insights/32963

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As electric vehicle sales skyrocket, so too will the need for EV batteries and the metals that make them work. That’s where recycling comes in. By 2035, some 3.7 million metric tons of batteries could be nearing the end of their lives. Pull them apart to repurpose their innards, and you could have 10-18% of the key materials needed for battery manufacturing.

On today’s show, Dana is joined by BloombergNEF energy storage analyst Andy Leach. Together they discuss why production scrap from the manufacturing process is the most important feedstock for near-term recycling, how EV ownership rates across different regions will impact the longer-term availability of key metals, and the policies and incentives that are designed to encourage and enforce battery recycling.

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

Links to research notes from this episode:

Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling Market Outlook 2024 - https://www.bnef.com/insights/33401

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Chinese government is rolling out one of the world’s most ambitious clean energy plans, targeting 1,200 gigawatts of installed renewable capacity by 2030. Part of their strategy involves building megabases, huge clean-energy developments that will generate more than one-third of the targeted total. Yet bringing a multi-gigawatt megabase to fruition, and doing it on such a tight time scale, is no minor feat.

On today’s show, Dana is joined by BloombergNEF analysts Tianyi Zhao and Xiangyu Chen. Together they discuss the policies that are driving megabase rollout, how the enormous demand for wind and solar equipment is impacting prices, and the new ultra-high voltage grids that will carry the power generated from remote megabases to major cities.

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

Links to research notes from this episode:

China’s Unprecedented 455GW Energy Megabase Plan - https://www.bnef.com/insights/33031

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At the beginning of each year, BloombergNEF releases the Energy Transition Investment Trends report, its definitive resource on global investment in the low-carbon energy transition. Since the report’s inception a decade ago, investment levels have steadily risen, breaking the $1 trillion mark in 2021 and reaching a record $1.5 trillion in 2022. Was 2023 another record year for energy transition investment, and which sectors saw the most notable growth or decline?

On today’s show, Dana is joined by BNEF’s Deputy CEO, Albert Cheung, and Head of Technology and Innovation, Mark Daly. They discuss financing global supply chains, which clean energy technologies are on track for meeting net-zero targets, and whether climate tech equity financing has rebounded from recent lows.

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

Links to research notes from this episode:

Energy Transition Investment Trends 2024 - https://www.bnef.com/insights/33273

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

California has long been proactive when it comes to environmental policy, implementing measures ranging from a carbon market to put a price on emissions, to legislation to phase out the sale of new gasoline and diesel cars. But are current policies going far enough, and what can be done to ensure the state’s position as the climate leader in the US?

On today’s show, we bring you an interview from our recent San Francisco Summit, where California State Senator Scott Wiener sat down with Corey Cantor, a Senior Associate in BloombergNEF’s Electric Vehicle team. Together they discuss California’s need for better public transportation alongside the shift to cleaner cars, the new law Wiener spearheaded on corporate emissions disclosure, and the potential impact of a Trump second term on the Golden State.

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

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On today’s bonus episode of the podcast, Dana is joined by Kathy Gao, a Senior Associate from BloombergNEF’s Hydrogen team, to unpack the things to watch for the sector in 2024.

Together they discuss offtake agreements and the potential for shipping and aviation to step up as customers, whether nuclear could become a viable method of hydrogen production among the plethora of available options, and the policies that could drive supply and demand in the year ahead.

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

Links to research notes from this episode:

Hydrogen: 10 Things to Watch for 2024 - https://www.bnef.com/insights/33105/view

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For every dollar supporting fossil-fuel supply, at least $4 must be put towards low-carbon energy this decade to keep the world on track to limit warming to 1.5C. But are the capital flows of corporations and financial institutions anywhere close to this balance? BloombergNEF has devised the Energy Supply Investment and Bank-Facilitated Financing Ratios to find out.

On today’s show, Dana is joined by two of BNEF’s Sustainable Finance Associates, Trina White and Ryan Loughead. Together they discuss how energy financing varies by geography, how the sector has been performing against the wider market for debt and equity, and the ratios required to 2030 and in the decades ahead.

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

Links to research notes from this episode:

Energy Supply Investment and Bank Financing Ratios 2022 - https://www.bnef.com/insights/33005

Energy Supply Banking Ratio Tool (ESBRT 2.0.1) - https://www.bnef.com/insights/30865

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today’s bonus episode of the podcast, Dana is joined by BloombergNEF’s Industrial Decarbonization Specialist, Julia Attwood, to discuss what to watch in this space in 2024.

Together they talk about the expanding opportunities to use captured CO2 and the growth in storage capacity for this gas, the momentum in large-scale chemical recycling of plastics, and the potential decarbonization of the steel and cement sectors.

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

Links to research notes from this episode:

Industrial Decarbonization: Things to Watch in 2024 - https://www.bnef.com/insights/33115

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On today’s bonus episode of the podcast, Dana is joined by BloombergNEF’s Head of Wind Research, Oliver Metcalfe, to discuss the things to watch for the wind sector in 2024.

Together they talk about whether this year will offer a more stable environment for offshore wind development, if auctions for such projects will see more success, and the challenges facing Chinese turbine makers.

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

Links to research notes from this episode:

Wind: 10 Things to Watch in 2024 - https://www.bnef.com/insights/33227

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Set against a backdrop of geopolitical tensions, this year will see elections taking place in markets that account for a combined 67% of global GDP. With the uncertainty that changes in leadership can bring, could these crucial votes lead to a slowing of investment in the energy transition as investors wait for the results and clear policy direction?

On today’s show, Dana is joined by BloombergNEF’s Head of Global Policy, Victoria Cuming, and US policy analyst, Derrick Flakoll. Together they discuss the implications for the Inflation Reduction Act should Donald Trump return to the White House, how useful polling data really is, and if growing right-leaning sentiment will be reflected in the upcoming European Parliament elections.

Links to research notes from this episode:

Wave of Elections Poses Risk for the Energy Transition - https://www.bnef.com/insights/33191

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.