Every week, Heatmap News Executive Editor Robinson Meyer and Princeton University Professor and energy systems expert Jesse Jenkins make sense of the biggest sh...
Donald Trump’s second term has now entered its second month. His administration is doing much to slow down renewables, and everything it can to slow down offshore wind. Jael Holzman is a senior reporter at Heatmap and the author of our newsletter, “The Fight,” about local battles over renewable permitting around the country. On this week’s episode of Shift Key, Rob and Jesse talk to Jael about the bleak outlook for offshore wind, the use of presidential authority to impede energy development, and why solar has been spared — so far. Shift Key is hosted by Jesse Jenkins, a professor of energy systems engineering at Princeton University, and Robinson Meyer, Heatmap’s executive editor.Mentioned: The FightHeatmap ProOffshore Wind Faces Its ‘Worst Case Scenario’ Under TrumpTrump is targeting Dominion’s Coastal Virginia offshore wind project in VirginiaA Wave of Anti-Renewables Bills Hits State LegislaturesNew York’s Battery BacklashHow Bad Information Is Breaking the Energy TransitionSolar’s Growing “Prime Farmland” ProblemJesse’s upshift; Rob’s upshift.--Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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45:54
Why Solar Might Be Better Off Than You Think
Longtime listeners of Shift Key will recognize the name Intersolar and Energy Storage North America, one of the country’s premier solar industry conferences. Shift Key was live at this year’s event, hosting a panel on the present and future of the solar industry featuring a pair of marquee panelists: Tom Starrs, currently the vice president for government and public affairs at EDP Renewables, North America, who has more than 30 years of experience in the renewables industry; and Maria Robinson, until recently the director of the Department of Energy’s Grid Deployment Office and now the president and CEO of the Interstate Renewable Energy Council. (Robinson is also a repeat Shift Key guest.)On this week’s episode of Shift Key, Rob and Jesse talk with the panelists about the momentum propelling solar energy forward in the U.S. and whether the uncertainty created by the Trump administration could put a damper on that. Shift Key is hosted by Jesse Jenkins, a professor of energy systems engineering at Princeton University, and Robinson Meyer, Heatmap’s executive editor.Mentioned:Previously: Maria Robinson on Shift KeySolar Was the Biggest Non-Loser of Trump’s First DaySolar and storage lead planned new energy additions in 2025Advait Arun on the looming natural gas turbine crisisJesse’s upshift; Rob’s downshift.--Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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47:46
The Early Lessons of Trump’s ‘Energy Dominance’
Congress is still debating the fate of the Inflation Reduction Act, but the Trump administration has already torn up energy and climate policies across the federal government. It’s time to step back and try to take stock. How much damage has the Trump administration already done to decarbonization? What’s most worrying? What was going to happen anyway? And what might still be saved? On this week’s episode of Shift Key, Rob and Jesse go agency by agency to understand the most important changes and try to understand the deeper agenda — including potential points of incoherence or disagreement. Shift Key is hosted by Jesse Jenkins, a professor of energy systems engineering at Princeton University, and Robinson Meyer, Heatmap’s executive editor.Mentioned:Trump’s effort to undo the EPA endangerment findingThe incoherence of Trump’s energy agendaOffshore Wind Faces Its ‘Worst Case Scenario’ Under TrumpTrump’s effort to block the Greenhouse Gas Reduction FundHow Tesla gets rich selling EV compliance creditsThe next front of Trump’s legal war is contract lawJesse’s upshift; Rob’s upshift.--Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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42:55
How to Talk to Your Friendly Neighborhood Public Utility Regulator
The most important energy regulators in the United States aren’t all in the federal government. Each state has its own public utility commission, a set of elected or appointed officials who regulate local power companies. This set of 200 individuals wield an enormous amount of power — they oversee 1% of U.S. GDP — but they’re often outmatched by local utility lobbyists and overlooked in discussions from climate advocates. Charles Hua wants to change that. He is the founder and executive director of PowerLines, a new nonprofit engaging with America’s public utility commissions about how to deliver economic growth while keeping electricity rates — and greenhouse gas emissions — low. Charles previously advised the U.S. Department of Energy on developing its grid modernization strategy and analyzed energy policy for the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.On this week’s episode of Shift Key, Rob and Jesse talk to Charles about why PUCs matter, why they might be a rare spot for progress over the next four years, and why (and how) normal people should talk to their local public utility commissioner. Shift Key is hosted by Jesse Jenkins, a professor of energy systems engineering at Princeton University, and Robinson Meyer, Heatmap’s executive editor.Mentioned:PowerLinesMIT’s Utility of the Future studyWho’s controlling our energy future? Industry and environmental representation on United States public utility commissionsPreviously on Shift Key: How to Fix Utility Bills in AmericaRob’s downshift; Jesse’s downshift.--This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by …Download Heatmap Labs and Hydrostor’s free report to discover the crucial role of long duration energy storage in ensuring a reliable, clean future and stable grid. Learn more about Hydrostor here.Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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1:08:55
What Senator Brian Schatz Wants Climate Advocates to Know
The first few weeks of the new Trump administration have seen an onslaught of anti-climate actions: an order punishing the wind industry, an attempted reversal of the Environmental Protection Administration’s climate authority, and a brazen — and possibly unconstitutional — attempt to freeze all spending under Biden’s climate laws. Democrats’ climate legacy seems to be under assault. How will they respond? Senator Brian Schatz has represented Hawaii in the U.S. Senate since 2010. He is the chief deputy whip for the Democratic Party. A self-described climate hawk, he helped shape what became the Inflation Reduction Act, and he has emerged as an early voice of opposition to the second Trump administration. He was previously Hawaii’s lieutenant governor and a state lawmaker. On this week’s episode of Shift Key, Rob and Jesse talk to Schatz about congressional Democrats’ plan to push back against Trump, what the clean energy needs to do for the next four years, and whether this climate backlash to Trump should be different than the last one. Shift Key is hosted by Jesse Jenkins, a professor of energy systems engineering at Princeton University, and Robinson Meyer, Heatmap’s executive editor.Mentioned:The Courts Blocked Trump’s Federal Funding Freeze. Agencies Are Withholding Money Anyway.How Government Grants Actually Turn Into CashJesse’s downshift; Rob’s upshift.--This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by …Download Heatmap Labs and Hydrostor’s free report to discover the crucial role of long duration energy storage in ensuring a reliable, clean future and stable grid. Learn more about Hydrostor here.Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Acerca de Shift Key with Robinson Meyer and Jesse Jenkins
Every week, Heatmap News Executive Editor Robinson Meyer and Princeton University Professor and energy systems expert Jesse Jenkins make sense of the biggest shift of our time -- navigating the energy transition away from fossil fuels. Drawing on their years of experience reporting on and researching climate change and decarbonization, Meyer and Jenkins unpack the most important issues of the week and how the impacts of climate change and efforts to address it are transforming our economy, politics, and society at large. Music by Adam Kromelow. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.