Factor This

Factor This
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May 8, 2026 • 21min

This Week in Cleantech (05/08/2026) - Can Ford revive its struggling EV program?

Tell us what you think of the show! 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 Andrew Moseman from Heatmap News, who discusses Ford's efforts to rebuild its struggling EV program from the ground up.This week’s “Cleantecher of the Week” is Brad Rouse, the volunteer Executive Director of Energy Savers Network. This small non-profit provides free weatherization and appliance upgrades to income-qualified families. Brad co-founded ESN in 2016 and has helped reduce the power bills for over 1500 families in western North Carolina. Congratulations Brad!This Week in Cleantech — May 8, 2026Untapped lithium on East Coast could replace US imports, USGS finds — E&E NewsBrussels bars Chinese-made ‘brains’ of solar panels from EU funding — EuractivThe balcony solar boom is coming to the US — MIT Tech ReviewThieves Are Stealing Chile’s Solar Panels and Cashing In on the Black Market — BloombergInside Ford’s Secret EV Skunkworks — Heatmap NewsWant to make a suggestion for This Week in Cleantech? Nominate the stories that caught your eye each week by emailing  Paul.Gerke@clarionevents.com
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May 1, 2026 • 18min

This Week in Cleantech (05/01/2026) - Are Trump's efforts against clean energy in vain?

Tell us what you think of the show! 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 Oliver Milman from The Guardian, who discussed how the clean energy industry is pushing forward despite Trump's aggressive efforts to suppress it.This week’s “Cleantecher of the Week” is Sean Park, the CEO of Point2. Data centers rely heavily on copper cables, but copper has physical limits on efficiency and is subject to major price swings. Point2 has developed a way to transmit data using radio waves through plastic materials instead, cutting out copper entirely. The company claims this halves power consumption compared to traditional high-speed copper cables. Congratulations Sean!This Week in Cleantech — May 1, 2026 Why Is Your Electric Bill Going Up? Blame the Broken Grid. – The New York TimesTrump administration to pay 2 more companies to walk away from US offshore wind leases – The Associated PressWhy electricity markets are stuck on the gas price rollercoaster — The Financial TimesThe Rise of the High-Range, Less Expensive E.V. — The New York TimesTrump’s attempt to crush clean energy progress not going to plan, experts say — The GuardianWant to make a suggestion for This Week in Cleantech? Nominate the stories that caught your eye each week by emailing  Paul.Gerke@clarionevents.com
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Apr 24, 2026 • 18min

This Week in Cleantech (04/24/2026) - Why the effects on the Iran conflict will be felt on the US grid

Tell us what you think of the show! 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 Bianca Giacobone of Latitude Media, who discussed how Iran's strikes on aluminum smelters in the UAE and Bahrain last month pushed prices up 11% to their highest level since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. This week’s “Cleantecher of the Week” is Michael Chanin, CEO of Cherry Street Energy. Through Shine On, Cherry Street’s Solar School partnership with the nsoro Foundation, they prepare young adults aging out of Georgia’s foster care system for careers in power infrastructure. He highlights Emmanuel, who recently transitioned out of foster care and now helps build and maintain solar at Delta Air Lines’ rooftop at Hartsfield-Jackson.This Week in Cleantech — April 24, 2026 Swedish Green Steel Startup Stegra Gets $1.65 Billion Funding to Complete New Plant – The Wall Street JournalData centers’ mad dash for the Texas grid – POLITICORenewable energies overtook global electricity demand last year, led by solar growth in China, India – The Associated PressWhy the U.S. Is Such an Outlier on EVs – The Wall Street JournalWhy the US grid will end up paying for Iran’s aluminum strikes – Latitude MediaWant to make a suggestion for This Week in Cleantech? Nominate the stories that caught your eye each week by emailing  Paul.Gerke@clarionevents.com
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Apr 20, 2026 • 27min

How intelligence augments infrastructure to unlock latent grid capacity

Tell us what you think of the show! Headlines talking up the surge in energy demand driven by AI and connected to data center development highlight how much has changed across the sector. But what if the capacity to meet this demand is already there, just hidden behind outdated assumptions? To better understand what it means to utilize the existing capacity of the grid to meet this demand, we connected with Shaneez Mohinani, Head of Strategy and Operations at GridCARE. She talked through what it means to utilize the hidden capacity in the grid, the importance of moving beyond worst-case scenario planning, how all of it impacts affordability, and much more.  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
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Apr 17, 2026 • 20min

This Week in Cleantech (04/17/2026) - Utilities are on a spending frenzy to power the AI boom

Tell us what you think of the show! 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 Jennifer Hiller of The Wall Street Journal, who wrote about U.S. utilities' plans to spend about $1.4 trillion over the next five years to upgrade the aging power grid and meet surging electricity demand driven largely by AI data centers.This week’s “Cleantecher of the Week” is Kerry Bowie, President and Founder of Browning the Green Space, or BGS, a nonprofit in Massachusetts that creates job and business opportunities in clean energy for people of color through training programs, startup support, and career pipelines. It also brings together companies and partners to remove barriers and expand access to affordable, equitable energy solutions. Congratulations, Kerry! This Week in Cleantech — April 17, 2026 Stung by Iran war, countries are turning against U.S. fossil fuels — The Washington PostUS power and natgas prices turn negative in Texas and California as mild weather cuts demand — ReutersMichigan regulators to utilities: Incorporate virtual power plants, or else — Factor ThisGreat Britain households to be urged to use more power this summer as renewables soar | Renewable energy — The GuardianUtilities Plan to Spend $1.4 Trillion Over Next Five Years to Power AI Boom — The Wall Street JournalWant to make a suggestion for This Week in Cleantech? Nominate the stories that caught your eye each week by emailing  Paul.Gerke@clarionevents.com
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Apr 10, 2026 • 18min

This Week in Cleantech (04/10/2026) - Federal permits are slowing down clean energy development

Tell us what you think of the show! 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 Kelsey Tamborrino from POLITICO, who wrote a story in E&E News about a new survey of renewable energy developers that found federal permitting requirements are significantly slowing clean energy deployment.This week's “Cleantechers of the Week” are Sam and Juliana Bendek, co-founders of Elastic Energy. The company developed a new tech that stores energy using natural tree sap. Congratulations Sam and Juliana!This Week in Cleantech — April 10, 2026 Wisconsin city passes nation’s first anti-data center referendum — POLITICOExclusive: Record funding for fusion power lands as Trump eyes cuts — AxiosState Climate Laws Targeted Around US as Iran War Spikes Gas Prices — BloombergWill the Iran war derail the energy transition? — The Financial TimesFederal permitting obstructs clean energy deployment, survey finds — E&E NewsWant to make a suggestion for This Week in Cleantech? Nominate the stories that caught your eye each week by emailing  Paul.Gerke@clarionevents.com
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Apr 6, 2026 • 33min

Redefining the utility transformation roadmap

Andy Quick, former Entergy Chief AI Officer now advising utilities at Noteworthy AI, brings decades of utility and AI experience. He discusses how AI became the sector’s biggest disruptor. He outlines where AI adds value, how to choose buy versus build, and the need for organizational champions. He stresses prioritizing real problems, confronting change, and aiming for transformational uses.
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Apr 3, 2026 • 23min

This Week in Cleantech (04/03/2026) - Could this huge CA solar+storage project help farmers cope with water shortages?

Tell us what you think of the show! 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 Jeff St John from Canary Media, who reported on a 21 gigawatt solar and battery storage project in California, which is potentially the largest project of its kind in the world.This week's "Cleantechers of the Week" are Tim Sahay and Kate Mackenzie, hosts of the brand new podcast, The Polycrisis. This podcast will cover geopolitics, climate change, finance and industry. This Week in Cleantech — April 03, 2026 What Americans Really Pay For Electricity — Heatmap NewsTop energy developer warns on overbuilding power supplies for AI — The Financial TimesUS AI Data Center Expansion Relies on Chinese Electrical Equipment Imports — BloombergA Winter Without Snow Depletes Europe’s Clean Energy Reservoir — Bloomberg‘We’re harvesting the sun’: A huge solar project grows in California — Canary MediaWant to make a suggestion for This Week in Cleantech? Nominate the stories that caught your eye each week by emailing  Paul.Gerke@clarionevents.com
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Mar 27, 2026 • 19min

This Week in Cleantech (03/27/2026) - Iran conflict highlights perils of fossil fuel dependence

A roundup of global energy turmoil after the Iran conflict and how fuel dependence shapes geopolitics. Discussion of Asia reverting to coal as gas supplies are squeezed. Warnings about aging U.S. grids and the national security risks they pose. Big Tech’s experiments with virtual power plants and home batteries to cover data center demand. Britain’s new rules requiring solar panels and heat pumps for new homes.
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Mar 23, 2026 • 25min

Why shifting from AMI 2.0 to NextWave AMI could define the future of grid intelligence

Matt Wakefield, Director of Information, Communication & Cyber Security Research at EPRI, researches advanced metering, DER data use cases, and grid cybersecurity. He contrasts old meter-focused AMI thinking with a capability-first NextWave AMI. He highlights grid visibility, DER integration, stacked benefits from platform upgrades, and the need to align people, processes, and data governance.

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