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This Week in Cleantech is a weekly podcast covering the most impactful stories in clean energy and climate in 15 minutes or less featuring Paul Gerke of Factor This and Tigercomm’s Mike Casey.

This week’s episode features special guest Tim McDonnell from Semafor, who wrote about Google's moves to drive down the energy consumption of AI search queries to lower its carbon footprint.

This week's "Cleantecher of the Week" is Guy Nicholson, head of zero-carbon grid solutions at Statkraft. StatKraft is a Norwegian startup that created a 100-ton spinning machine turning at 3,000 rotations per minute to help stop blackouts as more cheap solar power is added to the grid. It can absorb excess power, if there’s too much, or inject power into the grid, if there’s too little. Akshat Rathi covered this company in a Bloomberg piece, and Guy was the spokesperson. Congratulations, Guy! 

This Week in Cleantech — August 22, 2025 

1. Why Can’t the U.S. Build 5-Minute E.V. Chargers? — The New York Times
2. Will Oil Demand Peak Soon? Trump Administration Doesn’t Want to Hear It. — The New York Times
3. Texas Energy Crunch To Worsen as Trump Policies Target Solar, Wind Power — Bloomberg
4. Solar panels that fit on your balcony or deck are gaining traction in the US — Associated Press
5. Google wants to make AI’s energy footprint a ‘non-consideration,’ but it’s not there yet – Semafor

Want to make a suggestion for This Week in Cleantech? Nominate the stories that caught your eye each week by emailing [email protected]