Intro

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

This week's episode features special guest  Arcelia Martin from Inside Climate News, who wrote about how Texas is using hundreds of retired, repurposed EV batteries as grid-connected energy storage.

This week's "Cleantecher of the Week" is David Kirkpatrick, Managing Director at SJF Ventures. David recently published a piece titled, “Climate Tech is Not Endangered” on LinkedIn. The piece argues that even with the Trump Administration rolling back federal climate policy, market and global momentum toward electrification and decarbonization will continue. Congratulations, David!

This Week in Cleantech — February 20, 2026 

1. Why Living in China Is Like ‘Living in the Future’ — The New York Times
2. Ford turns to F1 and bounties to build a $30,000 electric truck — TechCrunch
3. Data Centers and Your Power Bill — The New York Times
4. Supreme Court strikes down Trump’s sweeping tariffs, upending central plank of economic agenda — AP News
5. Retired EV Batteries Scored a New Gig: Bolstering Texas’ Grid — Inside Climate News

Want to make a suggestion for This Week in Cleantech? Nominate the stories that caught your eye each week by emailing  Paul.Gerke@clarionevents.com