The Energy Gang

In his latest State of the Union address, President Obama once again called natural gas a "bridge" to the clean energy future. But is the resource really all the industry claims? We'll take a nuanced look at dynamics in the natural gas market, and ask whether it's helpful or hurtful to renewable energy. We'll also discuss the energy and climate piece of Obama's State of the Union Speech, as well as dissect the forces behind the booming solar jobs market. The Energy Gang is produced by Greentechmedia.com. The show features weekly discussion between energy futurist Jigar Shah, energy policy expert Katherine Hamilton and Greentech Editor Stephen Lacey.

The clean energy industry may soon face some hard choices about tax incentives. Should it continue to push for short-term extensions of the production and investment tax credits, or does it need to lead the conversation on tax reform? It may look to do both in 2014. In this week’s podcast, the Gang will look at the prospects for tax reform in Washington, and ask what it means for the future competitiveness of clean energy. We'll also dig into the President's latest strategy to develop manufacturing clusters, and talk about some very candid words from a parting utility commissioner. The Energy Gang is produced by Greentechmedia.com. The show features weekly discussion between energy futurist Jigar Shah, energy policy expert Katherine Hamilton and Greentech Editor Stephen Lacey.

Google has invested billions of dollars in clean energy projects and startups. Is the internet giant positioning itself to be the next energy giant? In this week's show, we'll look at Google's cleantech investment strategy and ask what the end game may be. Then, we'll examine the recent rise U.S. CO2 emissions, and ask if the global coal industry has reached its peak. The Energy Gang is produced by Greentechmedia.com. The show features weekly discussion between energy futurist Jigar Shah, energy policy expert Katherine Hamilton and Greentech Editor Stephen Lacey.

In 2006, the small wind industry was poised to take off in the U.S. But then solar surged ahead, leaving small wind in the dust. What happened? In this week's show, we'll look at how the small wind industry can regain its footing and live up to its potential. Small wind pioneer Andy Kruse joins us to chat about the ups and downs in the market, and draw some parallels to distributed solar. We'll also talk about the latest developments in the SolarWorld trade complaint against Chinese solar manufacturers, as well as what the widening divide between red and blue states means for energy policy. The Energy Gang is produced by Greentechmedia.com. The show features weekly discussion between energy futurist Jigar Shah, energy policy expert Katherine Hamilton and Greentech Editor Stephen Lacey.

On Sunday, the popular CBS news magazine "60 Minutes" aired a story on a supposed "cleantech crash." Reporter Lesley Stahl looked at the troubles in venture capital, and used them to declare government cleantech investments a virtual failure. In this podcast, we’ll look at the quality of the "60 Minutes" reporting, parse the reactions within the cleantech sector, and fill in some crucial gaps left by the story. Then, we'll ask why Energy Information Administration projections are so far from reality, and ask whether Ford's new solar concept car actually makes sense. The Energy Gang is produced by Greentechmedia.com. The show features weekly discussion between energy futurist Jigar Shah, energy policy expert Katherine Hamilton and Greentech Editor Stephen Lacey.

We may not have been able to predict Time Magazine's person of the year, or Google's most searched term of 2013. But the Energy Gang was on top of the big happenings in cleantech this year. In our year-end podcast, we'll outline our favorite stories of 2013 and make predictions for the coming year. The Energy Gang is produced by Greentechmedia.com. The show features weekly discussion between energy futurist Jigar Shah, energy policy expert Katherine Hamilton and Greentech Editor Stephen Lacey.

There convergence of solar and distributed batteries is underway. Although the use of storage is still very limited in the solar sector, more companies are looking to bring new value to customers by pairing the two technologies. In this week's podcast, the Gang will look at some new business models for customer-sited storage, which include targeting buyers of solar PV. We'll also look at the progress of California's cap and trade market one year after implementation, and speculate about whether President Obama's latest staff shakeup will influence energy policy. The Energy Gang is produced by Greentechmedia.com. The show features weekly discussion between energy futurist Jigar Shah, energy policy expert Katherine Hamilton and Greentech Editor Stephen Lacey.

Everyone agrees Germany is a renewable energy powerhouse. But not everyone agrees on how that’s benefitted the country. The web is littered with conflicting opinion pieces on the German experience – some claiming the country’s aggressive promotion of renewables is an oncoming economic disaster, and some saying those concerns are far overblown, if not totally false. So what are we to believe? In this week's show, we'll look at Germany's evolving relationship with renewables, the impact on electricity prices and the outlook for its nuclear phase-out. Then we'll travel to Japan, which is undergoing a rapid transition after a sudden phase out of nuclear in the wake of the Fukushima disaster. We'll ask if the country can make up for the nuclear gap. Finally, we'll travel to Ontario, where we'll look at the phase out of coal power and changes to the province's troubled feed-in tariff program. The Energy Gang is produced by Greentechmedia.com. The show features weekly discussion between energy futurist Jigar Shah, energy policy expert Katherine Hamilton and Greentech Editor Stephen Lacey.

State electricity regulators are as diverse as the regions they come from. So their thinking on the future of energy varies wildly. With worries about the disruptive threat of efficiency and distributed generation growing, how are these regulators thinking about looming changes? In this podcast, we'll talk with energy consultant Cameron Brooks, who reports on the themes coming out of a major national regulatory meeting. We'll also talk about the net metering compromise in Arizona, as well as the Obama Administration's proposal to scale back the renewable fuels standard. The Energy Gang is produced by Greentechmedia.com. The show features weekly discussion between energy futurist Jigar Shah, energy policy expert Katherine Hamilton and Greentech Editor Stephen Lacey.

What does the nation's top energy regulator, FERC Chairman Jon Wellinghoff, think about the future of solar? "I think we're seeing the Moore's Law cost curve together with the entrepreneurial spirit coming into an industry in a way that is going to overtake a monopolistic, non-innovative structure." This week, we feature a live podcast from the MDV-SEIA Solar Focus 2013 conference in Washington, DC. The Gang took the stage and discussed the merits of East Coast solar policy, innovative business strategies, and chatted with Chairman Wellinghoff about the "creative destruction" caused by distributed generation. Many thanks to MDV-SEIA for inviting the Energy Gang for its first live show!

The wind industry is facing another expiration of the production tax credit at the end of the year, and this time it likely won't get extended quickly. So is the wind industry prepared for a post-PTC future? This week, the Energy Gang will debate the merits of the PTC, whether the industry can thrive without it, and question whether the wind lobby has screwed up the opportunity to develop policy beyond the tax credit. We'll also look at the significance of SolarCity's recent effort to securitize rooftop solar projects, and examine the impact of this week's local elections on energy issues. The Energy Gang is produced by Greentechmedia.com. The show features weekly discussion between energy futurist Jigar Shah, energy policy expert Katherine Hamilton and Greentech Editor Stephen Lacey.

The largest international development banks have made it a priority to deliver energy to the 1.3 billion people without access to the modern grid. But are they approaching a 21st-century market with 20th-century solutions? In this week's show, the gang will discuss whether organizations like the World Bank are botching investment in energy access by ignoring the full potential of distributed energy and mobile infrastructure. The Sierra Club's Justin Guay will join the gang to chat about how to break old ways of thinking about energy access in the developing world. Then, we'll chat about changes on the grid one year after Superstorm Sandy, and explore the coming business model shift within one of Europe's largest utilities. The Energy Gang is produced by Greentechmedia.com. The show features weekly discussion between energy futurist Jigar Shah, energy policy expert Katherine Hamilton and Greentech Editor Stephen Lacey.

It's been four decades since Arab oil producers shut off the oil spigot to America, creating price shocks, gas lines and economic hardship. It also spawned the modern political definitions for "energy security" and "energy independence." So 40 years later, are we really better off? The Gang will look at what's changed, and talk with an energy economist from the EIA about how the availability of information on energy has improved. We'll also take a look at the implications of California's new energy storage mandate, and discuss Arizona Public Service's admission that it gave money to political groups producing anti-solar ads. The Energy Gang is produced by Greentechmedia.com. The show features weekly discussion between energy futurist Jigar Shah, energy policy expert Katherine Hamilton and Greentech Editor Stephen Lacey.

The clean energy industry is headed for yet another dip in global investment. Meanwhile, venture investors are shifting their money toward more "capital-lite" businesses. Should we be worried? The Energy Gang looks at the complex picture behind the numbers. We'll also ask what SolarCity's recent acquisitions mean for M&A activity in downstream solar, and we'll look at how effectively the push toward municipalizing the grid will leverage microgrids and distributed energy. The Energy Gang is produced by Greentechmedia.com. The show features weekly discussion between energy futurist Jigar Shah, energy policy expert Katherine Hamilton and Greentech Editor Stephen Lacey.

No one denies the immense potential of geothermal. Despite that potential, the industry has grown incrementally over the years and failed to attract strong investment flow, particularly in the U.S. So what's keeping growth so low? In this week's podcast, the Energy Gang will look at the industry's two main problems: drilling risk and messaging. Both are holding back growth. We'll also look at the challenges for another "forgotten renewable" -- solar thermal. And finally, we'll ask how ESCOs can continue expanding energy performance contracts for efficiency. The Energy Gang is produced by Greentechmedia.com. The show features weekly discussion between energy futurist Jigar Shah, energy policy expert Katherine Hamilton and Greentech Editor Stephen Lacey.