

Factor This
Factor This
Launched in 2022, the Factor This Podcast has featured many of the most influential leaders driving the energy transition. From solar and battery storage executives to utility CEOs, the Factor This Podcast brings unique insights and answers to the energy industry’s most pressing challenges. Go beyond high-level trends and mainstream talking points with actionable takeaways. The Factor This Podcast grew in 2023 with the addition of This Week in Cleantech, a weekly roundup of the biggest stories in climate and clean energy in 15 minutes or less. With new episodes every Friday, Factor This content director Paul Gerke and Mike Casey, a cleantech commentator and president of Tigercomm, bring listeners the most important headlines of the week while featuring the leading journalists behind the stories.The all-new FactorThis.com is your best source for news, commentary, and analysis of renewable energy and the power grid.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Feb 23, 2026 • 19min
This Week in Cleantech (02/20/2026) - Putting retired EV batteries back to work
Arcelia Martin, reporter for Inside Climate News covering energy and climate, explains how retired EV batteries are being repurposed to support Texas’s grid. She talks about the B2U project reusing batteries as storage. Conversations cover scalability, tradeoffs between reuse and recycling, performance and maintenance, and broader grid and material impacts.

Feb 13, 2026 • 15min
This Week in Cleantech (02/13/2026) - Trump removes legal basis under Clean Air Act
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week's episode features special guest Matthew Daly from The Associated Press, who wrote about how the EPA has rescinded the 2009 “endangerment finding,” the scientific and legal basis under the Clean Air Act that allowed the federal government to regulate greenhouse gas emissions to address climate change.This week's "Cleantecher of the Week" is Brian Hurley, executive director of Friends of Deckers Creek. He and his team are turning toxic, rust-orange acid coal mine drainage into clean water again with low-tech pond systems that bring back fish, salamanders, and frogs. And the cleanup is now helping recover rare earth minerals too, turning pollution into a resource that can fund even more restoration. Congratulations, Brian!This Week in Cleantech — February 13, 2026 Are faked public comments about to tank an Ohio solar farm? — Canary MediaTrump Administration Is Delaying Hundreds of Wind and Solar Projects — The New York TimesWind and solar beat fossil fuels in EU power mix in 2025, energy think tank says — ReutersGeothermal could replace almost half of the EU’s fossil fuel power — GristTrump's EPA revokes scientific finding that underpinned US fight against climate change — The Associated PressWant to make a suggestion for This Week in Cleantech? Nominate the stories that caught your eye each week by emailing Paul.Gerke@clarionevents.com

Feb 9, 2026 • 32min
Prioritizing affordability while modernizing the grid, with Exelon EVP and COO Mike Innocenzo
Tell us what you think of the show! As energy demand reaches historic levels, the utility industry needs to build a 21st-century grid while also keeping monthly bills affordable for the average family. What does it mean to do so on a practical level?To find out, we connected with Exelon EVP and COO Mike Innocenzo. Drawing on a career that began as a field engineer, he explains why affordability has become the starting point for every conversation at Exelon. He shares how the company navigates the massive costs of data center integration and EV adoption while overseeing a $38 billion capital plan. We also explore the reality of hardening the grid, the regulatory innovations needed to streamline costs, how Exelon uses AI to protect their customer’s bottom line 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

Feb 6, 2026 • 14min
This Week in Cleantech (02/06/2026) - Can this safer nuclear fuel make a comeback?
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 "Cleantecher of the Week" is Monika Gerhart, executive director at Gulf States Renewable Energy Industries Association, who is championing clean energy benefits and opportunities in a region well known for its fossil fuel legacy. Monika orchestrated an event last week where various businesses and trade associations held panels on several topics, one of which being how to handle energy demand for huge data centers. Erin Greeson made this nomination, and she noted to never underestimate Louisianians. Congratulations Monika! This Week in Cleantech — February 6, 2026 China’s Solar Power Capacity on Course to Surpass Coal This Year — BloombergGoogle Is Spending Big to Build a Lead in the AI Energy Race – WSJTexas’ Grid Holds Up During Winter Weather — Inside Climate NewsSurge in public charging infrastructure defies EV slowdown — AxiosThe Super Safe, Super Expensive Nuclear Fuel That’s Making a Comeback — 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

Jan 30, 2026 • 24min
This Week in Cleantech (01/30/2026) - How much can New England really depend on Canadian hydro?
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 Jon Chesto from The Boston Globe, who wrote about new questions about how dependable Canadian hydropower will be during severe winter storms.This week's "Cleantecher of the Week" is Andrew Beebe, Managing Director at Obvious Ventures. This week, the company announced Fund 5, which closed at $360,360,360. Congratulations, Andrew!This Week in Cleantech — January 30, 2026 EVs just outsold gas cars in Europe for the first time — Fast CompanyPower Outages Could Rise as Freezing Temperatures Persist After Winter Storm — The New York TimesMichigan attorney general sues oil industry over allegations of collusion against electric vehicles and renewable energy — POLITICOUS Exits Paris Agreement: What Trump’s Withdrawal Means for Climate Change — BloombergNew power line provided little juice to New England during Sunday’s storm, frigid temperatures — The Boston GlobeWant to make a suggestion for This Week in Cleantech? Nominate the stories that caught your eye each week by emailing Paul.Gerke@clarionevents.com

Jan 26, 2026 • 40min
PG&E defines a new utility model for data centers, onsite gas, and community connection
Austin Hastings, VP of Gas Engineering at PG&E, steers gas planning and emissions work. Mike Medeiros, VP of Strategic Commercial Solutions, leads interconnection and customer delivery. They discuss squeezing more grid capacity, renewable natural gas and hydrogen options, the risks of long-term gas investments for data centers, permitting and regulatory hurdles, and collaborative approaches with cities to move projects forward.

Jan 23, 2026 • 21min
This Week in Cleantech (01/23/2026) - What's a life worth to the EPA?
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 Maxine Joselow from the New York Times, who wrote about the EPA's decision to stop assigning a dollar value to lives saved in cost-benefit analyses for major air pollution rules.This week's "Cleantecher of the Week" is funeral director Eric Chamberlain, who helped bring wind power to Rock Port, Missouri, making it one of the first US towns to generate more wind electricity than it used. Nearly two decades later, the wind project is still delivering lasting local benefits through jobs, landowner payments and major county tax revenue. Congratulations, Eric!This Week in Cleantech — January 23, 2026 Supreme Court will not hear Duke Energy’s appeal in anti-monopoly case — The Carolina JournalSoaring Electricity Costs Are Now a Hot Political Issue — The Wall Street JournalTrump Is Obsessed With Oil, but Chinese Batteries Will Soon Run the World — The New York TimesSolar Projects Face Turmoil Under Trump, but Big Business Is Still Banking on Them — The Wall Street JournalWhat’s a Human Life Worth? The E.P.A. Says Zero Dollars. — The New York TimesWant to make a suggestion for This Week in Cleantech? Nominate the stories that caught your eye each week by emailing Paul.Gerke@clarionevents.com

Jan 16, 2026 • 18min
This Week in Cleantech (01/16/2026) - Can American batteries keep up the pace?
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 Nico Rivero from the Washington Post, who wrote about how the rapid growth of grid-scale batteries in the U.S. is likely to pause in 2026.This week's "Cleantecher of the Week" is Darian Nagle-Gamm, Iowa City’s transportation director, who is also the program owner for the city’s fare-free bus system. Ridership eventually grew to 118% of prepandemic levels. Carbon pollution dropped by about 778 metric tons of carbon dioxide a year, roughly the equivalent of taking 167 vehicles off the roads. Congratulations, Darian!This Week in Cleantech — January 16, 2026 Scoop: Local Pushback, Canceled Data Centers Surged in 2025 — Heatmap NewsUS judge lets Denmark's Orsted resume Rhode Island offshore wind project that Trump halted — ReutersNew York Tells Data Centers They Must Pay More for Power — BloombergBig Tech is poaching energy talent to fuel its AI ambitions — CNBCThe American battery boom is on shaky ground — The Washington PostWant to make a suggestion for This Week in Cleantech? Nominate the stories that caught your eye each week by emailing Paul.Gerke@clarionevents.com

Jan 12, 2026 • 40min
Meghan Dewey helps define a human-centric utility at Duke Energy
Tell us what you think of the show! As the Senior Vice President of Products & Services and Pricing Solutions at Duke Energy, Meghan Dewey oversees a portfolio that generates over $1.5 billion in annual revenue. But for her, the true metric of success isn't about spreadsheets or numbers but is instead about empowering the people on both sides of a utility bill.Meghan sits at the intersection of massive corporate scale and human-centric innovation. From the Emerging Technology Office and customer prototype labs to large-scale transportation electrification, her team is essentially designing a blueprint for how utilities can operate in the short and long term. She’s the engine behind how Duke Energy scales high-value solutions while also prioritizing customer experience in a way that resonates.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

Jan 9, 2026 • 23min
This Week in Cleantech (01/09/2026) - Time for a nuclear renaissance?
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 Ivan Penn from The New York Times, who wrote about surging optimism for nuclear power in the U.S.This week's "Cleantecher of the Week" is Mariangela Hungria, a Brazilian agronomist and microbiologist who won the 2025 World Food Prize for her work on microbes that feed plants nitrogen, allowing farmers to cut fertilizer costs and pollution. This Week in Cleantech — January 9, 2026 Trump administration halts offshore wind projects from Virginia to New England, in major blow to clean power — POLITICOThe 4 Things Standing Between the U.S. and Venezuela’s Oil — Heatmap NewsThe Positive Climate News You May Have Missed This Year — BloombergChina’s BYD overtakes Tesla as world’s top EV seller for first time — CNBCOptimism About Nuclear Energy Is Rising Again. Will It Last? — New York TimesWant to make a suggestion for This Week in Cleantech? Nominate the stories that caught your eye each week by emailing Paul.Gerke@clarionevents.com


