Switched On
Episodes
Does Europe Need to Become More Protectionist?
19 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The European Union could be leaning towards a more protectionist stance when it comes to clean industry manufacturing, with policies such as import ta...
Nuclear Harbors Big Dreams Despite Hurdles
12 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The global nuclear industry has been plagued with retirements for over a decade. However, after delegates at the COP28 summit last year voiced aspirat...
Strained Power Grids Test Flexible Market Solution
05 Jun 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As already-strained power grids grapple with rapidly increasing demand, Europe is pioneering an innovative and powerful new tool to help system operat...
Rooftop Solar Boom Turns Australian Power Prices Red
30 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Rooftop solar is celebrating a runaway success in Australia, which has positioned itself to become a renewable energy superpower. From a target of dou...
Self-Driving Vehicles Navigate Funding Speed Bumps
22 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
US ESG Backlash Steps Up as EU Strengthens Standards
15 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Brazil Harnesses Natural Capital to Fuel Green Future
08 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 tr...
US Hydrogen Industry at Odds Over Tax Credit Rules
01 May 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As part of the Inflation Reduction Act, draft guidance for the US hydrogen production tax credit was introduced in December 2023, with the aim of prom...
Green Jet Fuel Mandates Lift Demand for Scarce Supply
24 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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...
China’s Clean-Tech Glut Undercuts US Onshoring Hopes
18 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
China is churning out clean energy technology at a breakneck pace, driving down prices on everything from solar panels to lithium ion batteries. With ...
Do or Die: Carbon Offset Markets Face Critical Year
10 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Voluntary carbon markets are coming off a tumultuous year, with constant public scrutiny and high-profile scandals undermining investor confidence. De...
Methanol Sets Sail as EU Targets Shipping Emissions
03 Apr 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Seaborne freight is the lifeblood of the global economy. It’s also a heavy polluter. Now that shipping companies, retailers and governments are all ...
Canada Tops China for Battery Supply Chain Potential
27 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
As the world races to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles, countries are ramping up their efforts across the supply chain, from mining raw ma...
United Taps Green Jet Fuel as Net-Zero Plan Takes Off
20 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The aviation industry’s pathway to net zero is far from certain. Operational improvements and technologies such as sustainable aviation fuel and zer...
Plastics Greenium Boosts Chemical Recycling Outlook
13 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
With plastic production set to double by 2050, immediate action is needed to address plastic waste pollution and the inefficiencies of existing recycl...
Mind the EV Battery Recycling Gap
07 Mar 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 2...
Wind and Solar Scale Up as China Builds Megabases
28 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The Chinese government is rolling out one of the world’s most ambitious clean energy plans, targeting 1,200 gigawatts of installed renewable capacit...
EVs Race Ahead of Renewables in Transition Investment
21 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
At the beginning of each year, BloombergNEF releases the Energy Transition Investment Trends report, its definitive resource on global investment in t...
Are We Addicted to Cars? The Case for Public Transport
14 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
California has long been proactive when it comes to environmental policy, implementing measures ranging from a carbon market to put a price on emissio...
Things to Watch: Hydrogen
09 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 t...
Wall Street Gets Greener But Fossil-Fuel Habit Lingers
07 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 warm...
Things to Watch: Industrial Decarbonization
05 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s bonus episode of the podcast, Dana is joined by BloombergNEF’s Industrial Decarbonization Specialist, Julia Attwood, to discuss what to...
Things to Watch: Wind
03 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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 f...
Election Fever: Fate of Climate Fight Hangs in Balance
01 Feb 2024
Contributed by Lukas
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. W...
Things to Watch: Aluminum, Copper and Steel
29 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
On today’s bonus episode of the podcast, Dana is joined by BloombergNEF metals analyst Yuchen Huo, to discuss the things to watch in industrial meta...
Gas Versus Solar: South Africa’s Battle to Ditch Coal
24 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
With an energy mix dominated by aging and increasingly unreliable coal power plants, South Africans have been putting up with rolling blackouts all th...
Road Ahead for EVs in 2024: BYD and Tesla Break Away
17 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
The start of each year sees BloombergNEF look at what could play out across the energy transition over the next 12 months. During January, Switched On...
Fires, Floods and Freezes: The Cost of Climate Change
10 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
Extreme weather events like fires and floods are causing companies to take a closer look at the physical risks posed by climate change, and how they c...
BNEF Pioneers Award 2023: Metals and Materials
03 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
BNEF Pioneers is BloombergNEF’s annual climate-tech competition identifying game-changing innovations with the potential to accelerate global decarb...
Farming’s New Frontier: AI Steers Path to Green Future
27 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Pesticides are considered an indispensable part of modern agriculture, but with links to environmental damage and soil pollution, their use comes at a...
OPEC and Peak Oil: Future of Energy in the Middle East
20 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The final agreement signed at the COP28 climate summit marked a significant step forward, addressing for the first time the need to transition away fr...
Guarding the Grid: Hackers Target Smarter Power System
14 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As power grids evolve to accommodate new clean energy sources and smart technology, they are becoming more vulnerable to cyberattackers looking to exp...
US Offshore Wind Blows Cold as Interest Rates Heat Up
06 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
With a quarter of offshore wind project deals having been canceled in the US this year, the Biden administration’s target of having 30 gigawatts of ...
Cruising to a Million: US EV Sales Near Key Milestone
30 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The US has historically lagged behind mainland China and Europe for electric vehicle ownership, but is this about to change? If you believe GM and For...
Solar Supply Glut Crushes Margins But Buildout Booming
23 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It’s a good news, bad news situation for solar right now. On the one hand, annual installations are continuing to break records, with China set to b...
Gridlock: US Struggles to Make Enough Transformers
15 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Large power transformers, or LPTs for short, are integral for the functioning of the energy grid. But with BloombergNEF forecasting that the US will n...
CCS Extends Its Reach Beyond Oil and Gas
08 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Investment in carbon capture and storage is skyrocketing. Last year, the technology attracted some $6.4 billion globally, more than double the year be...
Retreat or Engage? Green Investors’ Big Oil Dilemma
02 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Oil and gas majors have long stated their intention to diversify away from fossil fuels and move toward clean energy production. However, in the last ...
Climate Risks and Rewards: Rating Companies’ Exposure
25 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Climate change and the transition to a net-zero economy presents both opportunities and risks to companies and assets. But how might an investor asses...
Crises Collide: Balancing Net Zero and Energy Security
18 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Energy security has come into sharp focus over the past two years, as the shifting geopolitical landscape shakes up power markets around the world. To...
Pulling Carbon From the Sky: A Pricey Climate Solution
11 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Removing carbon directly from the air might seem like a technology of the distant future, but ‘direct air capture’ is increasingly becoming a real...
Japan Revisits Nuclear But Solar and Wind Are Future
04 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Japan has pledged to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, yet the pathways to this target are complicated by the country’s recent history. In the aft...
Winter Gas Outlook: Cautious Optimism as LNG Steps Up
27 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It’s been a volatile year for natural gas. Last winter, global gas prices spiked in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and European nat...
Lithium Rush: The Key Metal Powering the EV Revolution
20 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Lithium is integral to the majority of electric vehicle battery chemistries, making it one of the world’s most sought-after metals. Once it’s out ...
Domino Effect: How Tesla Is Winning the Charging War
13 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When it comes to charging an electric vehicle in the US, drivers face a complex landscape. Tesla currently dominates the sector with its highly effici...
Ammonia: From Fertilizer to Fuel of the Future
06 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ammonia is one of the world’s most widely used chemicals, found in everything from fertilizers to explosives. But this tiny, crucial molecule has a ...
G-20 Sherpa Sees India as a Global Hydrogen Champion
30 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This month, BNEF’s New Delhi Summit took place alongside the B20 meetings, the official business community engagement forum for the G20. Among BNEF’...
Cream of the Crop: The Business of Plant-Based Milk
23 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The dairy industry relies on 270 million cows to produce over 600 million tons of milk annually, and these cows are having a significant impact on the...
Power Grids: The Backbone of the Race to Net Zero
16 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The transmission grid is a topic that reaches across many of our episodes, but it’s never before been the center of attention. That changes today. W...
Ercot’s Extremes: Weather, Solar and Bitcoin
09 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The Texas power grid has had a volatile few years. As temperatures in the Lone Star State soared earlier this summer, power prices spiked to nearly $5...
Forging a Clean Future: The Challenge for Steelmakers
02 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Steel is one of the world’s most widely used materials. It also accounts for 7-8% of global emissions, and ‘greening’ its production process pre...
Mining for Scrap: The Future of Green Aluminum
26 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Aluminum is one of the most commonly used metals today, appearing in everything from new buildings to food packaging. But what, exactly, makes aluminu...
Embracing Imperfectionism, with Charles Conn
19 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Imperfection is usually considered a negative, but is there something to be said for embracing ‘imperfectionism’? What can we learn from failures,...
Electric Vehicle Outlook 2023: On the Road to Net Zero
12 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Electric vehicle sales are gaining momentum around the world, ushering in the end of the internal combustion era. On today’s episode, Dana speaks wi...
Sun, Wind and Pink Tides in Latin America
28 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Clean energy is booming in Latin America, where wind and solar are breaking records year after year. But as the world battles inflation, can the trend...
Resourceful Diplomacy with Helaina Matza
21 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Countries are racing to acquire the rare minerals and resources necessary for clean energy tech. So how can they secure their own positions while also...
Perennial Possibilities for Agriculture
16 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Agriculture, forestry and land use are among the most climate-sensitive areas of our economy. They also account for almost a quarter of global greenho...
G-20 Climate Policy in Focus
09 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The last year has been a tough one for the G-20 member nations, with soaring energy prices and a global inflationary crisis. Against such a backdrop, ...
DOE Loans and How to Get Them, with Jigar Shah
06 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever wondered what it would take to get a clean energy transition loan from the US government? Jigar Shah knows all about it. An entrepreneur...
Webber on Entrepreneurship in the Energy Transition
31 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
From investing in startups and appearing on TV shows to writing books and teaching the next generation of entrepreneurs, Michael Webber, the CTO of En...
Will Biden’s IRA Spark a New Era in Clean-Tech Supply?
26 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
The passing of the Inflation Reduction Act by the Biden administration was partly designed to stimulate US clean-tech energy projects and equipment pr...
What's in a Name? ESG and Greenwashing
19 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
For more than a century, the ESG label has been used to describe investments that take environmental, social and governance concerns into account. Rec...
Powering the World’s Most Populous Country
12 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Having overtaken China as the world’s most populous nation, and with a developing economy that’s rapidly industrializing, India’s energy demand ...
CEPSA Sets A New Strategy in ‘Positive Motion’
05 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
CEPSA, the Spanish multinational traditionally known for its oil and gas expertise, is looking toward a greener future with its new Positive Motion st...
Presidential Hopeful Baswedan on a Net-Zero Indonesia
25 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Presidential candidate Anies Baswedan spoke to BloombergNEF about his vision for a cleaner future for Indonesia. He shared his views on the country’...
Biofuels and EV Charging in Carbon Credit Tussle
27 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Carbon credit schemes in Europe and North America are making the roll-out of electric vehicle charging infrastructure increasingly profitable. In this...
Google Shakes Up Corporate Renewable Energy Purchasing
10 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Renewable energy power purchase agreements have been integral to many companies’ sustainability strategies. Google was early to enter this space and...
Graichen on Germany’s Way Out of the Energy Crisis
10 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Although the end of winter is approaching, the energy crisis will not end when flowers bloom in the spring. Policymakers around the world are hard at ...
Electrolyzers Help Heat Up the Great Hydrogen Debate
19 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Hydrogen's role in the energy transition is hotly debated. Technology costs, the practicalities of distribution and storage, and potential application...
Expanding Charging Networks with Melanie Lane, Shell Recharge
11 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Electric vehicles (EVs) are gaining market share and reducing transportation-related emissions around the world. Facilitating this roll-out are the cr...
Shifting Supply Chains for Batteries and Solar
02 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When Covid-19 disrupted global supply chains, many people realized for the first time how vulnerable these complex systems really are. Some Western go...
COP27 Scorecard Comes Up Short After Overtime
25 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The 27th Conference of the Parties has concluded in Egypt, with the annual UN climate summit finally reaching a deal after two days of overtime. In to...
Rewiring the European Electricity Grid with Chris Peeters, Elia Group
18 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Europe is constructing a more flexible electricity grid to prepare for what is shaping up to be a volatile transition to net zero. There is a range of...
Europe Breaks Up With Natural Gas
04 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Natural gas prices remain elevated and security of supply is uncertain. In Europe, the reduced flows of natural gas coming from Russia have impacted e...
Sowing Seeds of Innovation with Agriculture Offsets
28 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The voluntary carbon offsets market is growing as companies and countries look to meet their climate goals. Offsets from agriculture have been getting...
Africa and The Road Not Taken
21 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Several countries in Africa are looking to expand their energy systems to meet rising electricity demand. The question remains whether they will indus...
Solar Shines Bright in the Energy Crisis
14 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Solar has a critical role to play in decarbonizing the global energy system. It also has the potential to reduce power price volatility by increasing ...
Scramble for Battery Metals Puts Chemistries in Focus
07 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Batteries for electric vehicles and stationary storage are increasingly in demand. But while ever-cheaper batteries were expected only a couple of yea...
Whatever Floats Your Wind Turbine
30 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Not long ago, floating offshore wind turbines were treated as conceptual cleantech. More recently, they have become reality with gigawatts of capacity...
Nuclear Stages a Comeback
16 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In the years following the Fukushima nuclear disaster of 2011, the conversation around decarbonizing the energy sector moved away from nuclear. Howeve...
Getting Fit for 55
02 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Fit for 55 is designed to support the European Union’s pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030 when compared with 1990 levels. To aid ...
EV Chargers, Coming to a Street Near You
28 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The roll out of charging infrastructure is combatting range anxiety and enabling the adoption of Electric Vehicles. Ryan Fisher, whose research focuse...
Irene Feige from BMW on Designing a Circular Economy Vehicle
17 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode features an interview from BNEF’s Summit in Munich that took place on May 24, 2022. Colin McKerracher, Head of Advanced Tr...
Europe's Energy Future in Focus
10 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
To understand how the energy transition could play out around the world, one might turn to Europe to see how progressive policies and favorable econom...
Mark Carney on the Energy Transition
19 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today’s episode features an interview from BNEF’s recent Summit in New York City, where Ethan Zindler, Head of Americas for BNEF, spoke wi...
Sustainable Finance Gets Organized
17 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Looking to better understand the newly proposed rules on climate-related disclosures from the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), or where nu...
Consumers and Climate Action
05 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
From flight shaming to solar ‘buycotts,’ political consumers are making their voices heard on climate by using their wallet. In today&rsqu...
Movie Marathons and Grid Flexibility
15 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
By the end of the decade, energy demand could grow by 80% across the five countries containing the majority of European data centers. Instead of placi...
Decarbonizing Petrochemicals
29 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
They are also one of the largest sources of industrial emissions. In today’s episode we talk about how companies are looking to reduce these emissio...
Carbon Offsets and the New Wild West
18 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What companies are buying voluntary carbon offsets? How much do offsets cost? Are they truly providing an additional carbon benefit? These are just s...
How to Think About the Future
25 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What must be true today, in order to achieve a net-zero future? That is one of the questions considered by the BloombergNEF Energy Economics team when...
Natural Gas Is Wishing for a Warm Winter
11 Feb 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Recent volatility and high prices in natural gas commodities markets have created a knock-on effect for utilities and consumers. This week, Switched O...
The Future of Geothermal Part 2: The Business Case
07 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In June of this year, the California Public Utilities Commission put out a decision requiring an additional 11,500MW of clean energy capacity to be pr...
The Future of Geothermal Part 1: Technology Development
03 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Geothermal is a small industry, with just about 14 gigawatts of capacity online globally. But where it matters, it matters a lot. In pockets around th...
Rio Tinto Turns to Carbfix to Bury CO2
22 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In late October, Rio Tinto announced plans to capture and bury CO2 from its ISAL aluminum smelter outside Reykjavik in the basalt right under its feet...
Government Net-Zero Strategy Playbook
15 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Hundreds of countries and companies aim to hit net-zero CO2 emissions by 2050, or thereabouts. But even after COP26, most have not laid out clear path...
Methane's Big Moment
05 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Methane is a potent greenhouse gas. When it comes to reducing methane emissions, monitoring technology, economics, and policy all have an important ro...
The Final Countdown: Biden's Last Push Before Glasgow
28 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The pressure is on the U.S. to get its climate house in order before it seeks to lead negotiations in Glasgow. This week, Switched On speaks with BNEF...
Europe Energy Crunch, Explained
11 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Europe's energy crunch is complex and weeks in, does not yet seems to be resolving, with higher gas prices, gasoline shortages and electricity retaile...
Hydrogen 101
05 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Hydrogen is a clean burning molecule that could be used to cut carbon emissions in some of the hardest to abate sectors like steel, cement, and alumin...