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This Week in Cleantech is a new, weekly podcast covering the most impactful stories in cleantech and climate in 15 minutes or less.

This week’s episode features Dana Clare Redden, from our “Cleantecher of the Year” committee, who has picked our Cleantecher of the Year!


This Week in Cleantech — December 20, 2024

1. Trump’s Energy Pick, Chris Wright, Argues Fossil Fuels Are Virtuous — The New York Times
2. Cipher analysis: Emerging clean technologies see sharp drop in investments this year — Cipher News
3. The Age of Electrons Has Arrived, but Maybe Not for the Right Reasons — Heatmap News
4. PG&E Secures $15 Billion Loan From U.S. Energy Department — The New York Times

Watch the full episode on YouTube


Cleantechers of the Year

Most Impactful - Bill Weihl - Climatevoice

Bill Weihl, transitioned from ClimateVoice’s Co-Executive Director to the role of Founder & Chief Strategic Advisor. ClimateVoice leverages corporate influence from climate-positive companies to win policy battles.

Most Entrepreneurial - Emilie Oxel O'Leary - Green Clean Wind LLC

Emilie is actively urging her LinkedIn followers to reach out for their solar recycling needs, highlighting the growing concern over solar components ending up in landfills. She’s asking for every steel pile, aluminum racking component, nut, and bolt, so she can help clean up your site.

Most Disruptive - Michael Tekabe/Hayat Bedene - Kübik

Michael Tekabe, Chief Operating Officer, and Hayat Bedane, Engineering Lead at Kubik, an Africa-based startup, make building materials out of recycled plastic for affordable, sustainable, and easy-to-deploy homes, clinics, and warehouses. Their construction materials reduce 5x less carbon pollution than traditional materials.

Most Innovative - Gregg Patterson- Origami Solar

Gregg is leading the effort to reframe the global solar industry with recycled steel, replacing aluminum solar module frames. This entire effort is designed to lower the carbon pollution footprint of the global solar industry.

Cleantecher of the Year - Jonathan Foley - Drawdown

Jonathan Foley, climatologist and Project Drawdown Executive Director, wrote a piece that shares the impact of agricultural pollution, and how we need to prioritize sustainable agricultural practices. Jonathan shared that total carbon pollution from the food system, including food waste, transport, packaging and refrigeration sits at 34%, making food the single largest polluting economic sector — more than power generation or industry, which both sit at roughly 23%.

Tell us what you think of the show!

This Week in Cleantech is a new, weekly podcast covering the most impactful stories in cleantech and climate in 15 minutes or less.

This week’s episode features Camila Domonoske from NPR, who wrote about how under a second Trump administration, an "all-of-the-above" energy policy is likely to return, meaning support for oil, gas, and renewable energy sources together.

This week's "Cleantecher of the Week," is Kevin Minton, Vice President of Spruce Power, who represented the company on a mission to a small village in Kenya. Over the course of three days, they installed two solar arrays, inverters, and batteries to power facilities, including a schoolhouse, a dispensary, and a small hospital room. These systems also supported laptops for children to learn and televisions for instructional videos. Congratulations, Kevin!

This Week in Cleantech — December 13, 2024

1. The Israeli Investigator Who Delivered Dirt on Exxon’s Enemies — The Wall Street Journal
2. Does talking about climate ‘tipping points’ inspire action — or defeat? — Grist
3. What 4 Years of Delay Means to an Offshore Wind Project — Heatmap News
4. Chinese Carmakers Are Taking Mexico by Storm While Eyeing U.S. — The New York Times
5. Under Trump, an 'all of the above' energy policy is poised for a comeback — NPR

Watch the full episode on YouTube

Tell us what you think of the show!

This Week in Cleantech is a new, weekly podcast covering the most impactful stories in cleantech and climate in 15 minutes or less.

This week’s episode features Izzy Ross from Grist, who wrote about how Michigan's fast-tracking of renewable energy projects under a new law, Public Act 233, is facing legal pushback from about 80 townships and counties.

This week's "Cleantecher of the Week” is Robert Wilson and Louisa Ziane, Co-Founders of Toast Brewing, which brews beer with the surplus of fresh bread from bakeries, reducing agricultural demand for barley and food waste. Every second loaf of bread is wasted in the UK, but since 2016, Toast Brewing has saved enough bread to stack more than four times the height of Mount Everest. Congratulations Robert and Louisa!

This Week in Cleantech — December 6, 2024

1. Utilities build flow batteries big enough to oust coal, gas power plants — The Washington Post
2. Northvolt, Europe’s Hope for a Battery Champion, Files for Bankruptcy — The New York Times
3. US Solar Installs Facing Flat Growth — and That’s Before Trump — Bloomberg
4. A strange new climate era is beginning to take hold — The Washington Post
5. Michigan wants to fast-track renewable development. Local townships are suing — Grist

Watch the full episode on YouTube