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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 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

1. Scoop: Local Pushback, Canceled Data Centers Surged in 2025 — Heatmap News
2. US judge lets Denmark's Orsted resume Rhode Island offshore wind project that Trump halted — Reuters
3. New York Tells Data Centers They Must Pay More for Power — Bloomberg
4. Big Tech is poaching energy talent to fuel its AI ambitions — CNBC
5. The American battery boom is on shaky ground — The Washington Post

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