Episodes

  • Solar Panels Get a Second Life in Developing Countries

    Solar Panels Get a Second Life in Developing Countries
    Nov 13 2024

    1. Solar panels are built to last, often functioning for decades beyond their warranty. When they’re replaced, many are finding a second life in energy-poor regions like sub-Saharan Africa, where access to electricity can transform communities. Programs like Solar Sister help distribute these panels to power mobile phone chargers, e-bikes, and even entire villages. For example, an original Bell Labs PV cell from 1954 is still producing power 70 years later.

      Join The Clean Energy Show's CLEAN CLUB on Patreon or YouTube for exciting perks!

    2. This holiday season, Australia will pioneer V2G technology that allows electric vehicles to feed electricity back to the grid, helping balance supply and demand. Learn more about this development in Electrek’s report.

    3. Could a single solar panel lift someone out of energy poverty?

    4. In a surprising move, Exxon’s CEO has urged the U.S. to remain in the Paris Climate Agreement. This unexpected stance from an oil giant hints at complex motivations. Check out the details in Bloomberg’s report.

    Listener Mail:

    • Alex: A listener and sustainability expert, Alex, wrote in to share insights on the longevity and recycling of solar panels, noting that panels can often be used beyond their initial lifespan for energy-poor regions.
    • Nate from Oregon Seaweed: Nate, the chief scientist at Oregon Seaweed, left us a voicemail discussing the potential of kelp as a sustainable energy source.
    • Bob: Listener Bob sent us an article on Canada’s proposed emissions cap on oil and gas companies. Learn more in this piece from the National Observer.
    • Larry from Saskatchewan Renewable Energy Coalition: Larry invited us to discuss the Saskatchewan Renewable Energy Coalition, a group promoting renewable energy education in Saskatchewan.

    Join James at the Saskatoon Fantastic Film Festival Saturday, November 16, 2024 at 11 AM for a panel discussion on the films of Lowell Dean.

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    Copyright 2024.
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    54 mins
  • Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation Could Collapse in 15 Years

    Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation Could Collapse in 15 Years
    Nov 6 2024

    Sheep grazing under solar panels in Australia are producing higher-quality wool! Could agrivoltaics be the future of sustainable farming? Scientists predict that the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) could collapse in just 15 years, threatening severe weather disruptions. Learn what this could mean for global climate.

    Solar Panel Recycling Advances
    A new plant in Georgia will soon recycle up to 99% of solar panel materials, taking a big step toward reducing solar waste. More details here: Electrek

    Listener Mailbag

    • Damon from Tasmania asks about carbon capture's effectiveness.
    • Michael on Patreon shares insights into biochar and praises our climate activism.

    Automotive Updates

    • Toyota's Decline: With EV demand rising, Toyota’s production drops for the first time in four years. Electrek
    • Ford’s F-150 Lightning Halt: Production of the Lightning will be paused for two months. Electrek

    Lightning Round

    • Honda’s Electric SUV Success: Honda's Prologue EV is outpacing the Chevy Blazer in sales, signaling strong consumer interest.
    • Saudi Arabia’s Battery Push: The kingdom launches a tender for 8 GWh of battery storage, one of the largest in the world.
    • Remote Work Reduces Emissions: A report finds Ottawa public servants working remotely produce 25% fewer emissions than office workers. The Energy Mix

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    Copyright 2024.
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    57 mins
  • Hey, Politicians

    Hey, Politicians
    Oct 30 2024

    Louisville has launched America's first 100% electric garbage truck fleet. These trucks are perfectly suited for waste collection with heavy loads, stop-and-go conditions, and low speeds.
    James shares insights from The Saskatchewan Survivor's Guide podcast, featuring former center-left Canadian politician Cathy Sproule. Why climate policies often don’t get political attention, even among left-leaning parties. Revised episode!

    Listen to the Episode

    • Biochar: The Carbon-Saving Solution
      Biochar, a product of burning forest materials at low temperatures, could help sequester carbon when applied to soil, rather than releasing it. This technology offers promising results in fire management and agriculture.

      • Read the Minnesota Public Radio Article
      • More from the U.S. National Forest Service

    • Hurricane Relief with Solar Microgrids
      Following Hurricane Helene, the Footprint Project has provided North Carolina with solar-powered microgrids to replace polluting diesel generators. This initiative powers essentials, from food trucks to water filtration, sustainably.
      Canary Media Article

    • Electric Hydrofoil Ferries in Sweden
      Sweden has launched the world’s first-ever electric hydrofoil ferry service, a cutting-edge leap towards emission-free maritime transport.
      Read More

    Listener Mail
    • Claude from Lethbridge, Alberta:
      Comments on UCP attack ads in the podcast’s pre-roll ads. Thanks for sharing, Claude!
    • Derek:
      Asks about biochar and its applications for carbon reduction.
    Lightning Round Highlights
    • Electricity-powered garbage trucks launch in Louisville, CO.
    • Bloomberg BNEF analysts find electrification outpacing hydrogen in decarbonizing sectors.
      Hydrogen Insight Article
    • Sri Lanka installing solar on religious sites with support from the Indian government.
      Read More

    We love hearing from you!

    • Email: CleanEnergyShow@gmail.com
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    • Join Us on Social Media: @CleanEnergyPod

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    1 hr and 4 mins
  • The Clean Energy Show - Promo: Norway

    The Clean Energy Show - Promo: Norway
    Oct 11 2024
    1 min
  • 145. Apple Inc. will Heat A Small Town; Uganda to Give Away Free E-Motorcycles; Hyundai EVs only for Norway

    145. Apple Inc. will Heat A Small Town; Uganda to Give Away Free E-Motorcycles; Hyundai EVs only for Norway
    Jan 5 2023

    Apple will use its waste heat from a data processing center to heat a small town. Uganda will swap out gas two wheelers for E-motorcycles for free. And Hyundai will stop celling combustion vehicles in Norway. This includes PHEVs.

    Brian struggles with Apple Music.

    James appologizes for getting Brian to buy Tesla stock.

    James's LEAF does something weird again.

    Chevy Bolt customers in Canada get shafted for 2023.

    And the Bolt gets a modest price hike for the United States after the IRA rebates come into effect.

    Out of Spec Reviews does some cold weather testing in Denver.

    What EVs have battery heaters that world when the cars are unplugged?

    More power substation attacks.

    Biggest heat pump manufacturers.


    Mitsubishi Electric

    Carrier Corporation

    Danfoss Power Solutions Co.

    Daikin America, Inc.

    Johnson Controls, Inc.

    Brian’s Book Report - The Psychology of Money: Timeless lessons on wealth, greed, and happiness by Morgan Housel

    James's predictions for 2023. Fleet EVs will rule the day.

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    @cleanenergypod

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    Your hosts:

    James Whittingham https://twitter.com/jewhittingham

    Brian Stockton: https://twitter.com/brianstockton

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    1 hr
  • 144. 2022 Year End Spectacular! The Year in Clean Energy and Electrified Transportation

    144. 2022 Year End Spectacular! The Year in Clean Energy and Electrified Transportation
    Dec 23 2022
    Why 2022 was a good year for clean energy (thanks Putin!), our EV of the year, solar on an abandoned nuclear power plant site, Brian gets stranded by the weather, James's Prius has troubles, and more evidence that the Tesla Supercharger network is the one to beat. The sound of driving next to the Tesla Semi will amaze you. EU emissions are down despite cold weather and a partial return to coal. Why American's should buy an EV in the first two months of 2023. The U.S. Postal Service is finally big on electric vehicles and will go full electric soon. The city of Tokyo mandates solar on the roofs of new homes and buildings. Lyft is giving insentives to electric vehicle drivers basically covering the lease price of their vehicle, then they can save huge on gas and earn significanly more than than their coworkers driving gas vehicles. Hydrogen and chip shortages are also covered. And we wrap of the year that was 2022! Buy us a cup of coffee with PayPal DonateOr Etransfer to cleanenergyshow@gmail.com Thanks for listening to our show! Consider rating The Clean Energy Show on iTunes, Spotify or wherever you listen to our show. Follow us on TikTok! @cleanenergypod Check out our YouTube Channel! @CleanEnergyShow Follow us on Twitter! @CleanEnergyPod Your hosts: James Whittingham https://twitter.com/jewhittingham Brian Stockton: https://twitter.com/brianstockton Email us at cleanenergyshow@gmail.com Leave us an online voicemail at http://speakpipe.com/cleanenergyshow Transcript Hello, and welcome to episode 144 of the Clean Energy Show. I'm Brian Stockton. And I'm James William. Welcome. This week Lyft will incentivize drivers who drive EVs by paying them extra weekly fees. And they're also considering throwing in a free vomit shield for late night rides. Turns out the laser used in last week's Fusion Energy Breakthrough was also used as a set in Star Trek Trek. I'm glad to see the scientific community helping out Star Trek, but where they really need help is with the script writing. Tokyo mandates solar at all new buildings. Unfortunately for their tiny hotel suites, this only requires a solar panel the size of the ones you find on Calculators. The US postal Service commits to 100% electric vehicles. Now, your package will arrive with a lower carbon footprint. However, it'll still be late. Plus, we'll have stories on the chip shortage not going away and why Americans should buy an EV in the next two months, and solar on an abandoned nuclear power plant site. All that and more on this special year end edition of The Clean Energy Show. Yes. I would like to call this the year end spectacular. That's how it's going to be. Okay. The year end spectacular of the clean energy show. Yeah. Which basically means we're going to go along this week. Okay, Brian, we're late this week. Why are we late, Brian? Why are we many days late? Why are our fans craving our show and unable to get their fix of the Clean Energy Show until now? Yes, well, I have a long story to tell about travel, winter travel here in the wilds of western Canada. We were going to be one day late for the podcast because I was traveling, but it ended up to be several days late. But, yeah, we had a lovely trip to Jasper, Alberta, Canada, which is in the Rocky Mountains of Canada. It's an absolutely beautiful place. Have you been to Jasper? I've camped at Jasper at Pocahontas Campground in the north, and I've been through there. It is probably well, the locals like it better than BAMF because it's just less touristy. But it's also known for its highway in the winter being shut down due to dynamiting avalanches. They call it the icefields highway, or parkway, rather. Yeah, well, that's the thing. It is less touristy because it's harder to get to. Like, BAMF is quite close to Calgary, but Jasper is an almost a four hour drive from Edmonton, which is the closest major city. So we were talking recently in France, they have sort of banned some short haul flights because those can be covered by trains and we need to all be flying less. But, yeah, we had to make this calculation of how to get there because it's like an eight hour drive to Edmonton and then a four hour drive to Jasper. So if we drove it, that's 12 hours. It's a bit too long. I'm everyone else in my family has things to do, like exams, and they're not retired, old man, you can do whatever the hell you want. Yeah, but we thought, well, we better fly, and that'll save us a couple of days because people have things to do. So you fly to Edmonton, you rent a car, you drive that to Jasper. So that worked fairly well on the way there, although it was starting to get cold and our flight was delayed a couple of hours out of Vagina, so it was kind of slow to get there. But we picked up the rental car and I wanted to talk a bit about that too, because obviously we talk about EVs a lot on the show and we love EVs, and you and I were in it, though a bit of an EV bubble, like that tends to be all we think about ...
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    1 hr and 29 mins
  • Hydrogen and Hot Air

    Hydrogen and Hot Air
    Oct 14 2020

    Hyundai Kona recall due to fires. CleanTechnica report on decarbonizing Saskatchewan, David Attenborough's Netflix bio doc, Brian finally watches The Long Way Up and his hooked on the scenery and the EV aspect 50/50, Alberta gets behind hydrogen made from its natural gas, hdyrogen is not ready for primetime in spite of billions of new investments, Tesla's full self-driving beta, Model 3 2021 refresh, Model X range increase, Sentry Mode lets you lock your glove box where the usb port now is.
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    48 mins
  • 143. The Fusion Energy Breakthrough vs. Climate Change

    143. The Fusion Energy Breakthrough vs. Climate Change
    Dec 14 2022
    A net energy gain for fusion in a lab is a landmark scientific achievement but we're decades away from commercialization according to experts. We have to decarbonize the planet by 2050. Will fusion energy contribute? Utility solar farm that lays the panels flat on the ground is commissioned. The Salton Sea in California could provide all the United States lithium needs and then some (CNBC video link). And it could be the greenest lithium in the world. The Keystone pipeline spills its wares all over Kansas. Will traditional nuclear energy be effective to reach our climate goals? A study casts shade on that idea. 17:36 - The fusion breakthrough in California. What it doesn't mean for the race to net zero and what it does mean for our grandchildren. Free New York Times article on this. As well we’ll have stories on Canada cancelling fossil fuel subsidies, sorta, an update on the people shooting at a power substation causing blackouts, sails for cargo ships, people who hate wind turbines are more likely to think the moon landing was fake, plus a new study on traditional nuclear helping or not helping the fight against global warming, and much more! A listener in Virginia asks us about a proposed new community solar farm near him and how he should deal with the misinformation floating around. Buy us a cup of coffee with PayPal Donate!or e-transfer to cleanenergyshow@gmail.com Thanks for listening to our show! Consider rating The Clean Energy Show on iTunes, Spotify or wherever you listen to our show. Follow us on TikTok! @cleanenergypod Our YouTube Channel! @CleanEnergyShow Your hosts: James Whittingham https://twitter.com/jewhittingham Brian Stockton: https://twitter.com/brianstockton Email us at cleanenergyshow@gmail.com Leave us an online voicemail at http://speakpipe.com/cleanenergyshow See you next week! Transcript Clip: Simply put, this is one of the most impressive scientific feats of the 21st century. Brian: Hello, and welcome to episode 143 of the Clean Energy Show. I'm Brian Stockton. I'm James Whittingham. This week fusion breakthrough, all clean energy needs have been met. This podcast is no longer necessary a go. Listen to Joe Rogan. Oh, wait. I'm hearing in my ear that people are overreacting to this. News and commercialization is still decades away. The world's first utility scale solar project is going ahead. With solar panels sitting flat on the ground, these green energy hippies were just too lazy to put them up on a proper mount. The salt and sea in California apparently has more lithium than Nevada's. Lake Mead has dead bodies. Some think there's enough lithium to power the entire United States. And then some. Huge congratulations to TC Energy's keystone pipeline that has successfully leaked more oil than any other pipeline since 2010. Wait, I'm being told that's a bad day as well. We have stories on Canada canceling fossil fuel subsidies. While sort of an update on people shooting at power stations sales for cargo ships, people who hate wind turbines, and more are more likely to think that the moon landing was fake. Plus, a new study on traditional nuclear helping or not helping the fight against global warming, and much more on this week's edition of The Clean Energy Show. Yeah, so first up for me is an update. As you know, I'm trying to get rid of fossil fuels in my own house because I love the planet, and I don't want to burn any more fossil fuels than I have good fuel. So made a little bit of progress. Been speaking to a contractor who could put in an Arctic type air source heat pump so I can get rid of my natural gas furnace. And the latest update is that it's 16 weeks from when you order it because there's a backlog four months and they want you to pay upfront. Oh, you got to pay upfront. You got to pay up front. Yeah. So the point being this week, because we talked about these kinds of subsidies upfront 100%, right? You got to pay 100% upfront. Why is heat pump and then wait 16 weeks? Because there's just huge demand for them, which is basically what's going on all over the world. Like, there's a couple of stories here. I've got one from Clean Technica. The title is Heat Pumps Are on Fire globally. They mean, as in getting more popular, heat pump sales rose 15% in 2021, and they're expecting for something similar or greater this coming year. Europe. They rose by 35% in 2021. And of course, they're very much trying to get off of Russian gas in Europe. And heat pumps is definitely one of the ways to do it. And there's another story here from China. China is actually the world leader on heat pump adoption. Of course, they have a very large population. They do things big in China when they, when they do them. So sales are up 35% in Europe and 45% in China for heat pumps. So I bring this all up because we were talking in the last couple of weeks about subsidies that are available for things like heat pumps. So I'm in the Greener Homes Grant in Canada, so I should get about ...
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    54 mins