The Interchange: Recharged

Strategic solar for a stronger gridThe solar industry is at a turning point, shifting from niche investments to a cornerstone of America’s clean energy future. With renewable energy investment soaring and energy needs intensifying, solar's role has never been more crucial.Sylvia Martinez, Principal Analyst at Wood Mackenzie, and David Banmiller sit down with Gregg Felton, CEO of Altus Power, to explore how commercial and community solar are driving the U.S. toward its decarbonisation goals. Gregg shares his journey from investment management to leading a renewable energy powerhouse, detailing how solar has evolved into a viable asset class due to falling costs and rising electricity prices.The pair discuss Altus Power’s strategy of building solar arrays near consumption hubs to ease grid stress and meet rising energy demand. Gregg emphasises the role of state support, partnerships, and incentives in driving growth, as well as the need for stakeholder education for broader solar adoption.———————————————————Subscribe to the Interchange Recharged so you don’t miss an episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Find us on X – we’re @interchangeshow.The Interchange Recharged is brought to you by Anza Renewables. Are you wasting valuable time tracking down solar module information that quickly goes stale? Anza’s revolutionary platform can help with up-to-date pricing, technical, risk, and domestic content data from 110 solar modules. Compare products in minutes and redirect your time to higher value work. Find out more at go.anzarenewables.com/woodmac.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Global investment in renewables is projected to surpass US$2 trillion by 2030, with wind, solar and storage projects leading the way. Syliva Martinez, Principal Analyst at Wood Mackenzie, and David Banmiller are joined by Ray Long, President and CEO at ACORE (American Council On Renewable Energy), to look at how the energy transition is creating jobs, lowering costs and making the U.S. more competitive in the global market. American families are expected to save between US$27 and US$38 billion over the next eight years thanks to clean energy initiatives. However, there are still bottlenecks holding back progress, like transmission gridlock and permitting delays. With bipartisan efforts underway, such as the Manchin-Barrasso permitting bill, Ray explores the impact they’re having, and how the industry is moving toward overcoming the challenges.Subscribe to the Interchange Recharged so you don’t miss an episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Find us on X – we’re @interchangeshow.The Interchange Recharged is brought to you by Anza Renewables. Are you wasting valuable time tracking down solar module information that quickly goes stale? Anza’s revolutionary platform can help with up-to-date pricing, technical, risk, and domestic content data from 110 solar modules. Compare products in minutes and redirect your time to higher value work. Find out more at go.anzarenewables.com/woodmacSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Part two of our analysis of safety developments for energy storage and batteries.Guest host Sylvia Leyva Martinez, Principal Analyst at Wood Mackenzie, joins David Banmiller to explore the challenges and solutions to lithium-ion battery safety. In part one of our two part series, thermal runaway events (which can lead to fires) were a key issue. What are the big players in manufacturing doing to address these? Andrew Tattersall is Industrial Vertical Market Lead for batteries at Siemens, and he joins the show to answer the question. With net zero goals fast approaching, how are Siemens working to improve safety? Early detection systems and regulatory frameworks are key to preventing incidents. Additionally, data analytics play a crucial role in predictive safety measures. Dr Kai-Phillip Kairies is Co-Founder of Accure, a battery analytics company working to study battery behaviour to prevent malfunctions before they occur. Key questions you’ll get answers to in this episode: what are Siemens' Net Zero plans, and how are they addressing sustainability across their operations and supply chain? Andrew discusses Siemens' 2030 net-zero goals and outlines innovations like electric paint lines, and support for suppliers to achieve net zero by 2050. How are battery safety concerns being addressed, particularly around thermal runaway events? Andrew and KP discuss early detection systems and the role of data analytics in preventing safety incidents. Subscribe to the Interchange Recharged so you don’t miss an episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Find us on X – we’re @interchangeshow.The Interchange Recharged is brought to you by Anza Renewables. Are you wasting valuable time tracking down solar module information that quickly goes stale? Anza’s revolutionary platform can help with up-to-date pricing, technical, risk, and domestic content data from 110 solar modules. Compare products in minutes and redirect your time to higher value work. Find out more at go.anzarenewables.com/woodmacSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Exploring fire risk mitigation in the face of lithium-ion challenges.Battery and energy storage-related fires are still relatively rare, but when they do occur, they are challenging to manage due to the high energy density of lithium-ion batteries. So how is the industry working to mitigate these risks? To find out, David is joined by Kelly Sarber, CEO of Strategic Management and Vice Chair of NY-BEST, a battery industry trade group in New York. Kelly advocates for educating communities with planned energy storage projects, especially around risk management. A recent survey revealed that 42% of these communities expressed safety concerns, primarily due to fears of fires. The conversation emphasises the importance of involving local communities and first responders early in the planning process to build trust and transparency.Lithium-ion battery fires can be particularly difficult to suppress due to the risk of thermal runaway, which can cause the fire to reignite even after being extinguished. Anthony Natale, Director of Risk at the Fire & Risk Alliance, works on identifying and managing risks in utility and battery storage. Anthony and Kelly discuss the complexities of controlling these fires and stress the need for better containment and isolation strategies during incidents. They also explore necessary design changes in battery energy storage systems (BESS), such as direct injection of suppression agents, to improve fire response.Subscribe to the Interchange Recharged so you don’t miss an episode. Find us on X – we’re @interchangeshow.The Interchange Recharged is brought to you by Anza Renewables. Are you wasting valuable time tracking down solar module information that quickly goes stale? Anza’s revolutionary platform can help with up-to-date pricing, technical, risk, and domestic content data from 110 solar modules. Compare products in minutes and redirect your time to higher value work. Find out more at go.anzarenewables.com/woodmacSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.