The global nuclear industry has been plagued with retirements for over a decade. However, after delegates at the COP28 summit last year voiced aspirations to triple nuclear capacity by 2050, the industry could be poised for growth. The usual regulatory, environmental and economic hurdles remain, but small modular reactors have the potential to ameliorate several of these obstacles if they can get off the ground. Meanwhile, exuberance for nuclear energy has been dampened by fluctuations in the price of enriched uranium.

On today’s show, Dana is joined by BloombergNEF’s lead nuclear analyst, Chris Gadomski. He shares insights from the recent report Nuclear Market Outlook 1H 2024: Big Dreams Despite Hurdles, and provides perspective on the feasibility of a comeback story for the nuclear industry.

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:

Nuclear Market Outlook 1H 2024: Big Dreams Despite Hurdles - https://www.bnef.com/insights/33819

 

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As already-strained power grids grapple with rapidly increasing demand, Europe is pioneering an innovative and powerful new tool to help system operators manage grid constraints. These local flexibility markets help balance electricity supply and demand by enabling distributed energy resources, such as electric vehicles or storage operators, to solve grid bottlenecks.

On today’s show, Dana is joined by BloombergNEF’s Head of Grids and Utilities, Sanjeet Sanghera, along with Felicia Aminoff, lead author of the recent BNEF report, Europe’s Local Flexibility Markets: Aiding a Strained Grid. Together they discuss the mechanisms that can be used to create a flexibility market, the potential scale of future markets and the technology required to grow them, and the existing regulatory models that underpin flexibility in an energy system.

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:

Europe’s Local Flexibility Markets: Aiding a Strained Grid - https://www.bnef.com/insights/33289/view

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Rooftop solar is celebrating a runaway success in Australia, which has positioned itself to become a renewable energy superpower. From a target of doubling its renewable energy capacity by 2030 to $1.2 billion in the federal budget dedicated to the clean energy sector, the country has big plans for its energy transition. Yet the country still has a ways to travel before reaching its goals, with substantial legacy coal-fired power stations still contributing to the energy mix.

On today’s show, Dana is joined by Leonard Quong, BloombergNEF’s Head of Australia Research. Together they discuss the state of the energy transition in Australia, including how large volumes of rooftop solar are leading to negative power prices, the country’s ambitions to become a leader in green hydrogen, and how its exports of coal, liquefied natural gas and other commodities continue to shape the region. 

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:

1H 2024 Australia Market Outlook - https://www.bnef.com/insights/33285?context=eyJjb250ZW50VHlwZSI6Imluc2lnaHQiLCJpbnNpZ2h0LXR5cGUiOls4XSwicmVnaW9uIjpbImF1cyJdLCJzZWN0b3IiOltdLCJhdXRob3IiOltdfQ==

 

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Autonomous vehicles might be the cars of the future, but following a flurry of venture capital and private equity funding a decade ago, investment in this space has since tapped the brakes. Last year saw VC/PE fundraising fail to reach $4 billion for the first time since 2017. While green shoots have come in the form of Tesla’s upcoming robotaxi launch, in such a capital-intensive industry, which levels of autonomy are the rest of the field still betting on?

On today’s show, Dana is joined by BloombergNEF’s Head of Intelligent Mobility, Andrew Grant. Together they discuss the recent drop in investment, advances in self-driving vehicle development, and Tesla’s continued resistance to following its peers in adopting laser-based sensor technology known as lidar.

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:

Automated Vehicles: State of the Industry 2024 - https://www.bnef.com/insights/33597

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The first quarter of 2024 has seen a flurry of sustainable finance policy activity and a wave of mandatory reporting rules. Yet on the flip side, anti-ESG policies are gaining traction in the US. On today’s show, Dana is joined by Maia Godemer, senior associate for green and sustainable finance at BloombergNEF, to discuss this rapidly changing environment. Together, they consider BNEF’s new Sustainable Finance Policy Quarterly, touching on the new EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and how it differs from the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB).

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:

Sustainable Finance Policy Quarterly 1Q 2024 - https://www.bnef.com/insights/33831

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As the host of this year’s G-20 meetings and next year’s COP30 climate conference, Brazil is in the spotlight. Ranked sixth globally for energy transition investment in 2023, and third for both wind and solar capacity additions, Brazil is aiming to use its vast array of natural resources to ensure its future as a clean energy powerhouse.

On today’s show, Dana is joined by BloombergNEF’s head of Latin America research, James Ellis, and analyst, Vinicius Nunes. They discuss Brazil’s potential for green hydrogen production, growing electric vehicle (EV) adoption in a market that is already dominated by vehicles powered by biofuels, and the role of the Amazon forest in voluntary carbon markets.

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:

Latin America Market Outlook 1H 2024: Brazil Drives Growth - https://www.bnef.com/insights/33999

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As part of the Inflation Reduction Act, draft guidance for the US hydrogen production tax credit was introduced in December 2023, with the aim of promoting decarbonization in hard-to-abate sectors and enhancing energy security in the country. While some applauded the draft guidance for preventing greenwashing and driving real decarbonization, others view these requirements as excessive, and fear they could potentially discourage investment in green hydrogen production.

On today’s show, BNEF’s head of hydrogen research, Martin Tengler, hosts a conversation on hydrogen production in the US, with panelists Kathleen Barron, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer at Constellation; Claire Behar, Chief Commercial Officer at Hy Stor Energy; Elena Scaltritti, Chief Commercial Officer at Topsoe; and Andy Vesey, President and Chief Executive Officer at Fortescue North America. They discuss whether the tax credit rules are helping or hurting green hydrogen production in the US, the lack of demand incentives compared with the EU, and the role that nuclear could play in the hydrogen sector’s future.

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

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Sustainable aviation fuel, or SAF, has the potential to help decarbonize aviation and is the most scalable technology for this hard-to-abate sector in the near term. With offtake agreements for SAF surging over the past two years, the nascent industry has been showing promise. However, hurdles remain due to scarcity of supply, resource competition from renewable diesel, and a lack of technological diversification.

On today’s show, Dana is joined by Daisy Robinson and Rose Oates, two members of BloombergNEF’s renewable fuels team. Together they discuss the regional policies that are driving the uptake of cleaner jet fuels, the different feedstocks used to produce SAF, and the greenium that SAF faces when compared with traditional fuels.

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 Sustainable Aviation Fuel Outlook: Getting Airborne - https://www.bnef.com/insights/33497/view

 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

China is churning out clean energy technology at a breakneck pace, driving down prices on everything from solar panels to lithium ion batteries. With supply far exceeding demand, the timing couldn’t be worse for the many countries that are looking to onshore clean-tech equipment manufacturing.

On today’s show, Dana is joined by BloombergNEF’s Head of Trade and Supply Chains, Antoine Vagneur-Jones. They discuss the impetus behind the Chinese government’s drive to dominate the clean-tech export sector, the sheer scale of the global manufacturing overcapacity and whether it’s already sufficient to meet net-zero goals, and the US reaction to Chinese companies potentially offshoring production to countries like Mexico.

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:

China’s Clean-Tech Overcapacity Threatens Onshoring Dreams - https://www.bnef.com/insights/33543

Mexico Won’t Be China’s EV Export Hub to US Anytime Soon - https://www.bnef.com/insights/33761

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Voluntary carbon markets are coming off a tumultuous year, with constant public scrutiny and high-profile scandals undermining investor confidence. Despite the turmoil, the market has grown to a record size, as corporations look to carbon offsets to reach their net zero goals.

On today’s show, Dana is joined by Layla Khanfar, BNEF corporate sustainability and carbon offsets analyst, alongside Kyle Harrison, BNEF’s head of sustainability research for the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. They discuss BNEF’s long-term carbon-market scenarios, the different types of offsets that are available for purchase, and how private companies are stepping in to help fill the regulatory void.

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:

Long-Term Carbon Offsets Outlook 2024 - https://www.bnef.com/insights/33315/view

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.