Clean Sweep: Recent Episodes
Harvard Undergraduate Clean Energy Group
Your accessible guide to the lesser traveled parts of the energy world. We're here to bring you interviews with industry professionals, analysis on policy initiatives, and stories about energy that you've never heard before. Produced by the Harvard Undergraduate Clean Energy Group, Clean Sweep is a show created by students who want to accelerate the clean energy transition through action and education. Learn more at huceg.org!
In this special episode, we share the full interview with Professor Don Sadoway of MIT on the current state of battery technology. We spoke with Professor Sadoway last year about his work on aluminum-sulfur batteries. You can learn more about his innovations in episode #003. The interview developed into a broader conversation about the battery technology market today, and we discussed a variety of fascinating topics. Today, hear Sadoway’s perspectives on battery technologies, startups, and companies to watch as batteries become more relevant.
To learn more about Professor Sadoway, check out his website at https://dmse.mit.edu/faculty/donald-r-sadoway/
Dive into this episode where we explore the accelerating pace of the energy transition, systems level change, and industrial decarbonization. Emil and Lisa chat with Jon Creyts of RMI, an organization working to transform the global energy system to secure a clean, prosperous future for all.
What does systems level decarbonization take? Jon describes partnerships for enabling the renewables market and RMI's instrumental role in supporting the Clean Energy Buyers Alliance. We discuss efficiency in industrial processes and eliminating the loss of energy via heat through electrification. We address the democratization of energy resources, where the majority of countries can self-supply renewables. The Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) catalyzes energy system investment through international cooperation for country-led energy transition by expanding access to finance. Listen in for advice for the younger generation on their pivotal role in this transformative era of climate and energy.
RMI is an independent, non-partisan, nonprofit organization of experts across disciplines working to accelerate the clean energy transition and improve lives.
Learn more about RMI and Jon:
https://rmi.org/about/
https://rmi.org/meet-rmis-ceo/
In this episode, we discuss the impact of solar and wind farms on birds and bat populations. Bird and bat deaths from wind turbines and solar panels aren’t consistently tracked, and opponents of renewable energy often cite these deaths as a reason to slow the expansion of alternative energy sources. We interview three researchers at the forefront of this issue, learning about bird and bat tracking methods and the conclusions that scientists have been able to draw about the severity of this issue. We explore the ways in which wind and solar farms can reduce their ecological impact.
View the transcript here: https://share.descript.com/view/I1lUAnj0peA
To learn more about our interviewees, check out their pages below!
Todd Katzner: https://www.usgs.gov/staff-profiles/todd-e-katzner
Daniel Choi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-choi-086a58a4
Robb Diehl: https://www.usgs.gov/staff-profiles/robb-diehl
In this episode of the Clean Sweep, we explore crucial aspects of grid decarbonization with Gray Bender. We discuss the potential for fast-tracking transmission for renewables through the NEPA process in the US. We dive into the game-changing Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and its extension of tax credits for a decade, providing much-needed certainty to developers and accelerating the energy transition. Discover the transition from prescriptive to technology-neutral tax credits and its impact on renewable technologies. We chat about the Geopolitics of Climate and Energy (check out his newsletter here!).
We explore the incredible potential of energy efficiency as a triple-win solution, addressing energy affordability, sustainability, and security. We unpack the challenges faced by renters and landlords in embracing energy efficiency and examine strategies to bridge the gap and incentivize investments.
We shed light on the vast untapped energy capacity awaiting connection to our grid and the critical need for contractor capacity in the deep building decarbonization sector.
Check out Gray’s newsletter on Climate and Energy Geopolitics here: https://climateandenergygeopolitics.substack.com/
In this episode, we talk about new developments in battery technology with Professors Xin Li and Donald Sadoway. We discuss the important properties of batteries and different approaches to creating new battery chemistry, and we talk about how advancements in battery technology intersect with the future of clean energy. Professor Li's lab at Harvard is developing a novel method to create rechargeable lithium-metal batteries, and Professor Sadoway's group at MIT is exploring the chemistry of aluminum-sulfur batteries.
In this episode, we sit down with Spencer Glendon to learn more about climate resiliency, droughts, and deepening connections to nature. Spencer Glendon founded Probable Futures, an organization which aims to change how we think about, talk about, and plan for the future of our society and our planet. Probable futures in partnership with Woodwell Climate is building better frameworks, tools and storytelling to help people prepare for and choose between the future that the climate offers us. Learn more at: www.probablefutures.org
In this episode, we talk with Franz Hochstrasser. Franz is CEO and Co-Founder of Raise Green, a marketplace for local impact investing. He's worked in community sustainability projects, ESG finance, and even in the State Department and White House. We had a great conversation with him back in December of 2021, and we're excited to share it with you!
In this episode, we talk to entrepreneur and engineer Azizi Tucker about his thoughts on the electric mobility industry. With experience in everything from battery swap technology to the inner workings of Tesla, Azizi gave us insight on the past, present, and future of EVs. We talked to him back in January of 2022.
In our first episode, we talked to former Mayor of Toronto, David Miller, who now works for C40 Cities, a coalition of mayors that focuses on delivering climate action on the local level. We interviewed him back in December of 2021 about his career in environmental policy and his thoughts on current climate issues.