Cleantech Talk

It’s one of the coolest raffles on the internet: Win the Tesla or EV of your choice or $50K cash, all while supporting people in need. Learn how ChesedChicago made it happen — and how you can get your chance to win before they run out of tickets. Here's the link to join the raffle, and be sure to use coupon code CLEAN for $25 off 2 tickets or $500 off 15 tickets: https://ccraffle.com/?utm_source=cleantechnica&utm_medium=sponsoredpodcast&utm_campaign=07.30.25Joining CleanTechnica's Zach Shahan today is Moshe Isenberg. Mo has spent over 20 years in the nonprofit and business worlds, with a focus on fundraising, community engagement, and leadership development. He serves on the board of ChesedChicago and is active in several national and local causes all in hopes of making the world a better place.

In this episode of CleanTech Talk, Nick Chaset, CEO of Octopus Energy US, dives into the future of clean energy and how AI technology is reshaping the industry. With operations in 18 countries and nearly 10 million customers, Octopus Energy is leading the charge in making renewable energy more accessible, affordable, and smarter. Chaset shares how Kraken, the world’s only proven end-to-end platform for utilities, is disrupting the space to help to scale up clean energy adoption and improving grid efficiency.Want to know how Octopus Energy is driving the energy transition? Tune in to hear about the next frontier in energy innovation and how Octopus Energy is harnessing the power of technology to create a cleaner, greener, and more affordable future for all.

I recently sat down with Kris Ohleth, Director of the Special Initiative on Offshore Wind, to discuss the challenges, opportunities, and progress in the US offshore wind market. It was a great and fascinating discussion of the US offshore wind industry, what it's been going through in the paste decade or more, where it stands now, and what needs to be done to progress it in coming years. The podcast discussion complements our previous one with Susan Muller, a Senior Energy Analyst with the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), regarding the US offshore wind market and the benefits of offshore wind power.

Offshore wind power has been slower to mature than solar power or onshore wind power, but it offers some big benefits. Its upfront costs may be higher, but the value it offers is immense, and there's also much potential for bringing down utility electricity costs. Susan Muller, a Senior Energy Analyst with the Union of Concerned Scientists, and Zach Shahan, CEO of CleanTechnica, talk much further about these benefits. Enjoy!

CleanTechnica's Jose Pontes and Zachary Shahan talk EV sales trends in Europe, the US, China, and the world as a whole. In particular, they spend a lot of time talking about BYD's growing leadership, Volkswagen Group's fresh rise in the EV market, and Tesla's sales trend, business approach, and potential crises around the world.

GM Energy’s Chief Revenue Officer, Aseem Kapur, and Director of Clean Energy Transportation at PG&E Lydia Krefta join CleanTechnica CEO Zach Shahan to discuss a new Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) pilot program eligible to GM EV owners in Northern California. GM EV owners in the region can now enroll and get up to $4,500 in incentives to unlock the power of bidirectional charging. That means their GM electric vehicle can supply energy back to their home, or eventually even to the grid.

Brian Nelson, ABB’s Renewables Segment Leader in the United States, sits down with CleanTechnica's Scott Cooney to discuss the ins and outs of innovation accelerating the solar economy, the timeline for the next leap forward, and what it means for end-users, utilities, developers, and EPCs.

Mark Z. Jacobson, professor of civil and environmental engineering at Stanford University and author of seven books, including “No Miracles Needed,” talks with CleanTechnica CEO Zach Shahan about renewable energy development over the last 25 years as well as how and why carbon capture & storage is a scam.Read more here: https://cleantechnica.com/2025/02/19/we-need-to-keep-our-eye-on-the-ball-to-save-the-planet/

In this episode, the co-founder and CEO of Climatize, Will Wiseman discusses how Climatize is helping everyday Americans fund solar, energy efficiency, and EV projects via their platform while allowing investors to earn up to 10% annually. Will also discusses what a Trump 2025 presidency means for the United States in terms of renewable energy investments and infrastructure. Founded in 2023, Climatize is an SEC-registered impact investing platform that allows investors to fund renewable energy projects while earning up to 10% annually. Climatize has helped to fund millions of dollars worth of solar projects across the United States. Climatize works with dozens of renewable energy developers across the United States to source projects for its platform. Climatize’s investing platform allows any investor in the United States over the age of 18 to invest in renewable energy projects. Climatize was a finalist in Fast Company's 2024 World Changing Ideas list for both the Company of the Year and Impact Investing cat

In this episode, we delve into the world of alternative plastics. As plastic usage continues to rise, against a backdrop of climate change and the need to reduce emissions and waste across the globe, there is a desperate and time-sensitive need to scale plastics that don’t cost the earth. Lignin Industries is a Swedish-founded company that has done just that, having developed a new bio-plastic from lignin, the second most abundant organic material on Earth. CEO Fredrik Malmfors is this week’s guest. Fredrik Malmfors joined Lignin Industries in April 2023. His background includes 17 years at Accenture, over two spells. His final position at Accenture was leading their Nordic supply chain work. Malmfors' time at Accenture was punctuated by several years at Swedish agricultural cooperative Lantmännen (agriculture, machinery, bioenergy and food products in 20+ markets) in senior leadership positions.

CleanTechnica sits down with LandGate CEO & co-founder Yoann Hispa to discuss the past, present, and future of renewable energy technology and data. Yoann Hispa is CEO and co-founder of LandGate, a leading ClimateTech and PropTech company. Prior to that, he was Executive Director of Engineering at Ruspetro, and led the engineering and drilling operations for a Private Equity’s mineral acquisitions which successfully divested for a 3x. Yoann has 19 years of experience in the energy and carbon industry in various technical and leadership roles. He has been an Instructor of Energy Land Resources at UT-Austin and at the Realtors Land Institute for several years. Yoann holds an Executive MBA from the University of Colorado, an MS in Geosystems Eng. from the University of Texas at Austin, an MS in Geomechanics from the University of Birmingham (UK), an MSc in Civil Engineering from ESTP (Paris, France), and a BS equivalent in Math/Physics.

In this episode of CleanTech Talk, Scott Cooney and Zach Shahan discuss the current state of climate action, reflecting on past US clean energy and EV policies from Obama and Biden, discuss some of the achievements of the Biden administration, and look into the implications of the recent US presidential election and challenges ahead. They explore the impact of local politics on climate initiatives, the role of complacency in political engagement, and the future of electric vehicle adoption in the US. The conversation also touches on global trends in renewable energy and the influence of fossil fuel companies on climate policy — globally and in the US. Scott and Zach delve into the complexities of climate change a little bit, the illusion of technological solutions and geoengineering, and the geopolitical implications of Donald Trump being elected ... twice. They also discuss the evolution of Elon Musk's thinking, influence, and involvement in political narratives, particularly regarding climate issues. The co

Phillip Kobernick, Associate Director of Energy Programs at Peninsula Clean Energy, and Zach Shahan, CEO of CleanTechnica, talk about why Level 1 EV charging is king, and why it's critical for California to achieve its EV charging goals. Phillip and Zach also talked about other matters, such as building codes, the duck curve, and Community Choice Aggregators (CCAs).

Justine Johnson, Michigan’s Chief Mobility Officer and head of the Michigan Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME), talks with CleanTechnica CEO Zach Shahan about how Michigan’s mobility and electrification strategy, guided by the MI Healthy Climate Plan, is innovating and moving the EV ecosystem forward. They really are leading the way on some of the cutting-edge EV topics of the day.

CleanTechnica talks with Withum — a top 25 advisory, tax, and accounting firm that specializes in renewable energy tax credits (among other important topics) and the cleantech industry — about the complex and changing world of these vital credits and what you need to know for your business to thrive in 2025.

CleanTechnica's Scott Cooney, during Climate Week, talks with Mallika Talwar regarding climate change communications and the Yale Program on Climate Change Communication; Sara Newman, founder and executive director of the Climate Mental Health Network; and Zoe Berman, COO of Sound Future, about partying to help save the planet.

CleanTechnica's Scott Cooney talks with Alexia Akbay, CEO of Symbrosia, about natural solutions to reduce livestock methane emissions; a representative of Nuclear Matters, a nuclear advocacy org; Joshua Nodiff, creator of the Climate Imaginarium. climate week

In this episode of the CleanTech Talk podcast, we sat down with Chris Rauscher, Head of Grid Services & Virtual Power Plants at Sunrun, to discuss how the company is empowering homeowners to become energy producers, ensuring a more resilient, sustainable, and efficient grid. We dive into how VPPs are revolutionizing how we think about power generation and grid stability and what went into the making of the country’s largest virtual power plant in addition to the company’s recent milestone of hitting one million customers.

I recently interviewed Mike Spagnola, president and CEO of the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), for our CleanTech Talk podcast series. It was an atypical and interesting conversation for me, because it wasn't with someone entrenched in and coming from the EV industry. This is a more conventional auto guy who's coming at the EV topic from a "normal auto guy" perspective.

In this CleanTech Talk discussion, we focus on the potential for Rivian to seize the moment and explode in scale as it rolls out more affordable, highly appealing models and buyers turn away from Tesla as CEO Elon Musk becomes more and more focused on right-wing politics. Enjoy the discussion between CleanTechnica's Scott Cooney and Rob Simon!