Renewable Energy SmartPod Sean McMahon

We can produce all the renewable energy we want, but the march to net zero will take an unnecessarily long time if all that power is being used in inefficient buildings. Buildings are responsible for about 40% of energy related carbon emissions around the world. That means any conversation about reducing emissions and achieving net-zero goals will have to feature insights about the efficient construction and – perhaps more importantly – operation of buildings.

Mark Reinbold, vice president of Global Sustainable Infrastructure at Johnson Controls, joins the show to discuss what he gleaned from attending COP28 in Dubai about how business executives and other experts are factoring infrastructure into their sustainability strategies. Mark shares some of the key findings from research Johnson Controls conducted with Forrester Consulting about smart building trends and outlines the role technologies like artificial intelligence are playing amid the expansion of the concept of net zero buildings-as-a-service.

Highlights from Mark Reinbold

Conversations about sustainability with global leaders - (2:08)
Common roadblocks to more sustainable infrastructure - (6:39)
Have global gatherings like COP and Davos 'jumped the shark'? - (8:19)
Any deal follow-up from COP28 - (10:26)
Expanding Net Zero-as-a-Service - (13:10)
Key takeaways from Forrester Research on smart building trends - (16:20)
Examples of artificial intelligence delivering for smart buildings - (19:16)
Showcase project: University of North Dakota - (23:41)
How renewable energy is factoring into projects - (26:16)


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The battery energy storage sector was already in a strong position before the Inflation Reduction Act. Now, the industry is charging up for a boom.

Mike Wietecki, Senior Vice President of Strategy and Regulatory Affairs at Powin, joins the show to share his insights on the technology and trends that are driving energy storage growth. Mike does a deep dive on how the Inflation Reduction Act is providing additional momentum for the sector, including how investment tax credits related to labor, location and domestic content are having a big impact on manufacturing.

Mike also delves into the jobs-related politics of renewables and the IRA; and how Powin is working with companies like IKEA to create a blueprint for the expansion of the battery energy storage market. 

Highlights from Mike Wietecki

Basics about battery energy storage - (2:41)
Powin's current customer base - (7:15)
Common questions from customers about energy storage - (8:34)
How Powin keeps the lights on in Sydney, Australia - (11:10)
How the Inflation Reduction Act has supercharged the battery sector - (13:20)
The importance of IRA guidance related to domestic content - (15:41)
Powin's current manufacturing footprint - (19:43)
The crucial role the Department of Energy's Loan Programs Office - (21:05)
Untangling supply chain issues - (22:14)
Political headwinds - (25:00)
Why speed is key for IRA projects - (27:22)
Creating a battery blueprint with coporate partners like IKEA - (29:25)
Batteries boosting grid resiliency in places like Texas and Califronia - (32:20)
Mike's bold predicitons - (33:54)
Biden administration's risky IRA politics - (34:30)
Will we see a government pricing scheme for carbon? - (36:35)



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Sponsored by: KPMG

The Statistical Review of World Energy, which is compiled by the Energy Institute, offers a comprehensive look at global energy production, consumption, trade and emissions. Energy Institute Chief Executive Nick Wayth joins the show to discuss some of the key takeaways from the most recent edition of the review, including region- and country-specific growth of renewables and how the industry is navigating a 'Triple Crises' spawned by the pandemic and geopolitics. Wayth also outlines the progress on the energy transition that he hopes will materialize at COP28. 

More resources from KPMG
Energy Institute 2023 Statistical Review of World Energy
The Hydrogen Horizon
Energy & Chemicals

Highlights from Nick Wayth
Background info about the Energy Institute - (2:47)
The history of the Statistical Review of World Energy - (3:47)
Key takeaways from this year's review - (4:59)
Specifics about the growth of renewables - (6:34)
Data related to key minerals - (10:05)
Headwinds for offshore wind - (12:34)
Geopolitics and the 'Triple Crises' - (15:34)
Under-the-radar nuggets of info from the review - (19:07)
The regional outlook for Africa - (22:43)
What to expect from COP28 - (28:33)
Nick's bold predictions about changes to the energy landscape - (30:03)
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Sponsored by: KPMG

It's time to talk about sustainable fuels; specifically sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). Dr. Patrick Gruber is the Chief Executive Officer of Gevo, where he and the team are at forefront of sustainable fuel development. Patrick is here to outline the basics of those fuels, how they fit into a wider energy ecosystem, what it will take for those fuels to see wider adoption, and the hurdles that might be standing in the way. He also explains how some fuels can be carbon negative.

Patrick is a no-nonsense executive who is passionate about growing the sustainable fuel sector in an effort to fight climate change, so enjoy the energy he brings to this episode.

More resources from KPMG
The Hydrogen Horizon
Energy & Chemicals
Energy Institute 2023 Statistical Review of World Energy

Highlights from Patrick Gruber
The basics of what Gevo does - (2:14)
Gevo's supply chain and feedstocks - (3:23)
Overview of various markets for sustainable fuels - (8:53)
Guidelines for SAF and CORSIA eligible fuels - (11:32)
How SAF fits into existing aviation fuel infrastructure - (15:32)
A2J: Alcohol to Jet fuel - (17:16)
Current SAF production capacity - (18:00)
Uncertainty surrounding the Inflation Reduction Act - (20:52)
Growing bi-partisan support for sustainable fuels - (21:43)
Paying farmers more for using better agriculture practices - (24:29)
The impact of climate change on feedstocks - (29:01)
The concept of carbon negative fuels - (30:11)
The share of the global aviation fuel market SAFs can capture - (33:35)
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Sponsored by Deloitte

Environmental liability (E-liability) introduces a simple, accurate, and verifiable calculation for the total cradle-to-gate emissions of any product or service.  Karthik Ramanna is the Co-founder and Principal Investigator at the E-liability Institute . He's also the Professor of Business & Public Policy and Director of the Master of Public Policy Program at the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government. (3:17) Karthik explains the basics of E-liability and makes the case for why companies, standards setters and regulators all around the world should be familiarizing themselves with the concept of E-liability.

Few companies produce as many household products as Colgate-Palmolive. Vance Merolla is the Senior Vice President of Global Sustainability at Colgate-Palmolive and he joins the show (28:28) to discuss how the company tackles sustainability across all its products and brands.  The initiatives Vance outlines include advancements in recyclable toothpaste tubes, what the company learned from getting certain aspects of its Sustainability and Social Impact Strategy approved by the Science-Based Targets initiative and how Colgate-Palmolive recently went about signing a virtual power purchase agreement to help Colgate-Palmolive power its operations.

From Deloitte
Power, Utilities & Renewables services
Start charting your decarbonization path today
Sustainability SmartPod episode featuring Deloitte's John Mennel

More resources about E-liability
Harvard Business Review: Getting a Clearer View of Your Company’s Carbon Footprint
Harvard Business Review: Accounting for Climate Change
Harvard Business Review: Accounting for Carbon Offsets

Highlights from Karthik
What is E-liability? - (3:26)
Mobile phones as an example of how E-liability would work - (5:27)
The impact E-liability could have on supply chains - (9:33)
Pilot program with Giti Tire - (11:34)
How E-liability is better than standard carbon measurement approaches - (14:24)
Bringing more supply chain companies into the process - (15:51)
Eliminating "inspirational disclosure" for Scope 1-3 reporting - (20:34)
What's preventing wider adoption of E-liability - (22:21)
How many companies will adopt E-liability in 3-6 years - (25:52)

Highlights from Vance
The details of Colgate-Palmolive's VPPA - (28:40)
Key points in the VPPA decision-making process - (32:43)
Collborating with other market participants - (34:42)
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Sponsored by: KPMG

Much-anticipated guidance coming down the pipeline from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and Treasury Department is set to define how clean hydrogen can be produced in the US. Amid furious lobbying efforts, the release of this guidance has already been delayed once. With potentially hundreds of billions of dollars on the line, Adi Bhashyam, a hydrogen analyst for BloombergNEF, joins the show to share what he describes as a framework that should be followed for thoughtfully crafting and effectively implementing the hydrogen piece of the Inflation Reduction Act.

From BloombergNEF
Adi's recent article: "US Hydrogen Guidance: Be Strict or Be Damned"

More resources from KPMG
The Hydrogen Horizon
Energy & Chemicals
Energy Institute 2023 Statistical Review of World Energy

Highlights from Adithya Bhashyam
The basics of the 45V hydrogen tax credit - (3:43)
Possible timeline for when to expect the guidance - (5:31)
How is 'clean energy' defined within this guidance? Which colors? - (6:25)
$70 billion in potential tax credits - (7:28)
Not the normal lobbying battle lines - (8:27)
Criteria for qualifying for the 45V tax credit: additionality, time-matching, deliverability - (9:40)
The ideal framework for US hydrogen guidance - (11:23)
Potential timeline for implementation - (14:13)
Outside factors and headwinds to consider - (17:45)
Adi's bold predictions about how it all plays out - (21:32)








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