[Episode #35] – Green Bonds
What are green bonds, and how can they help mobilize private capital to fund energy transition and climate change mitigation measures? What kinds of things can green bonds be used to fund? What are the...
View Article[Episode #36] – Climate Science Part 1
With President Trump fully embracing fossil fuels and indicating that he intends to abandon US efforts to address climate change (and even the scientific inquiry underlying those efforts), there is no...
View Article[Episode #37] – Corporate Buyers of Renewables
Although it’s not widely talked about, one of the hottest sectors buying renewables now is the corporate sector. Fortune 500 companies are buying solar and wind power, and renewable energy credits, at...
View Article[Episode #38] – Getting from Here to There
There’s nothing to give you a little perspective on what’s happening on planet Earth like getting off it and seeing its beauty—and it’s human-caused destruction—from space. In this wide-ranging...
View Article[Episode #39] – Transition in Australia
Australia has the highest proportion of households with rooftop solar PV systems of any country in the world. It also has the second-dirtiest grid in the world, getting three-quarters of its power from...
View Article[Episode #40] – Climate Science Part 2 – Taking Planetary Temperatures
In this second episode of our mini-series on climate science, we begin to dive a bit deeper on narrower subjects, starting with a look at how we take the Earth’s temperature, on land, on the sea...
View Article[Episode #41] – Generator Survival Strategies
Owners of old nuclear and coal power generation in the US are on the ropes, because their plants can’t compete with cheaper natural gas and renewables. Some—especially those operating in competitive...
View Article[Episode #42] – Can Renewables Power the World?
Is the net energy of renewables high enough to actually power human civilization? Or will replacing fossil fuels prove too difficult on an energetic basis? What is the state of the art in net energy...
View Article[Episode #43] – Legal Challenges of PURPA and FERC
What are the legal issues around new proposed subsidies for nuclear and coal plants? What are the new ways in which the authority of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has to be...
View Article[Episode #44] – Different Strokes
One thing is sure about energy transition: There is no one-size-fits-all approach. As our previous episodes on individual countries showed, there are different opportunities and challenges in each...
View Article[Episode #45] – Climate Science Part 3 – Paleoclimate
In this third episode of our mini-series on climate science, we talk with paleoclimate scientist Robert Kopp of Rutgers University about what Earth’s past climate can tell us about its future,...
View Article[Episode #46] – Is 100% Renewables Realistic?
[This episode has been released ahead of schedule to coincide with the publication of the paper it covers. Enjoy! --Ed.] Is it really feasible to run the world on 100% renewables, including supply and...
View Article[Episode #47] – Transition in Europe
Europe has been the global leader in energy transition for decades, offering to the rest of the world many useful examples of both policies that work and those that don’t. As a result, European...
View Article[Episode #48] – Climate Science Part 4 – Teaching the Carbon Cycle
In this fourth episode of our climate science mini-series, we dive into the carbon cycle to understand how the greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels accumulate in the atmosphere. We also discuss...
View Article[Episode #49] – Climate Science Part 5 – Business As Usual
When we hear about the emissions scenarios used in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports, do we really understand what they’re assuming about future fossil fuel combustion? And...
View Article[Episode #50] – Siting Long Distance Transmission Lines
Many outlooks for a mostly renewable U.S. power grid include a lot more high-voltage transmission lines. But is this a realistic hope, considering how few of these lines we’ve built in recent years,...
View Article[Episode #51] – Climate Science Part 6 – Emissions Scenarios
Modeling the future of our climate is a complex task that not too many people understand. What do we know about how the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (or IPCC) modeling actually works? Why...
View Article[Episode #52] – 2-Year Anniversary – Destination Unknown
It’s the two-year anniversary of the Energy Transition Show, so we thought we’d take a break from the deep dives and just have a little fun skiing around on the surface for a change. Dr. Jonathan...
View Article[Episode #53] – Electrifying Heating
“Deep decarbonization” is all the rage in energy circles, but what does it really mean for actually retrofitting and remodeling buildings? Is it just about replacing oil and gas-fired boilers and...
View Article[Episode #54] – Resource Limitations
How do we know at what level our consumption is sustainable, and when we’re in planetary overshoot? How do we quantify what the planet’s capacity is to meet human demands, and how much of that capacity...
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