Shift Key with Robinson Meyer

Latest Episodes:

How to Decarbonize the World’s Biggest Ships Jul 17, 2024

Show notes

Shipping is the backbone of the modern economy. At least 80% of all goods worldwide are shipped as ocean cargo, and the global economy rises and falls on the free movement of gigantic ships across the sea. But container ships and bulk carriers burn what’s known as bunker fuel, one of the dirtiest fossil fuels. The international shipping industry generates 3% of global carbon emissions, a proportion that’s projected to rise through the century.

Most proposals to decarbonize ocean freight have focused on using ammonia or other zero-carbon liquid fuels. But Fleetzero, a Bill Gates-backed startup, is trying to use the only technology that it says can get cheap enough to compete with oil: batteries. The Alabama-based company is building batteries big enough to hybridize — and, eventually, power outright — the world’s largest ships.

This week, Rob chats with Steven Henderson, the cofounder and CEO of Fleetzero and a graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. They talk about Steven’s history in the oil and gas industry, why batteries will beat liquid fuels, and how to put out a fire in the middle of the ocean.

This episode of Shift Key is hosted by Robinson Meyer, the founding executive editor of Heatmap. Jesse Jenkins is on vacation.

Mentioned:

Fleetzero

The Emma Maersk, the world’s largest ship at the time of its construction in 2006

The legal and regulatory background on the Jones Act

This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by …

Watershed’s climate data engine helps companies measure and reduce their emissions, turning the data they already have into an audit-ready carbon footprint backed by the latest climate science. Get the sustainability data you need in weeks, not months. Learn more at watershed.com.

As a global leader in PV and ESS solutions, Sungrow invests heavily in research and development, constantly pushing the boundaries of solar and battery inverter technology. Discover why Sungrow is the essential component of the clean energy transition by visiting sungrowpower.com.

Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What the Supreme Court’s Rulings Mean for Climate Change Jul 10, 2024

Show notes

Jesse is on vacation until August, so this is a special, Rob-only summer episode of Shift Key.

Over the past few weeks, the U.S. Supreme Court has profoundly changed how the federal government does its day-to-day work. In a series of landmark rulings, the high court sharply curtailed the ability of government agencies — including the Environmental Protection Agency — to write and enforce rules and regulations.

That will change how the federal government oversees the products we buy, the air we breathe, and the water we drink. But it could also alter how the government regulates heat-trapping greenhouse gas pollution.

But how, exactly, will these new rulings affect climate law? And is there an upside to the deregulatory revolution? This week, Rob holds a roundtable with two environmental law experts about what the high court’s rulings mean for America’s decarbonization project — and whether the court just inadvertently made the country’s already burdensome permitting process even worse. They are Jody Freeman, a Harvard law professor and former Obama administration lawyer, and Nicholas Bagley, a University of Michigan law professor.

This episode of Shift Key is hosted by Robinson Meyer, the founding executive editor of Heatmap.

Mentioned:

This year’s four big decisions: Loper Bright, Corner Post, Jarkesy, Ohio v. EPA

The Supreme Court Is Slowly Breaking the EPA

How the Supreme Court Just Changed Climate Law, According to 9 Lawyers

The Big Winners of This Supreme Court Term, by Nicholas Bagley

Other important cases to know:

• Massachusetts v. EPAestablished that the agency could regulate greenhouse gas pollution

• West Virginia v. EPAcodified “the major questions doctrine”

This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by …

Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How Europe and America Are Weatherproofing Climate Policy Jul 03, 2024

Show notes

Jesse is on vacation until August, so this is a special, Rob-only summer episode of Shift Key.

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The far right is rising across Europe. The global order seems to be deteriorating. And American politics is careening toward a crisis. Where does climate policy go from here?

On this week’s episode of Shift Key, Rob chats with two leaders at Breakthrough Energy, the Bill Gates-funded climate venture capital and advocacy group. They are Ann Mettler, a former EU official who is now Breakthrough’s vice president for Europe, and Aliya Haq, its vice president for U.S. policy and advocacy. We talk about why Europe was surprised by the Inflation Reduction Act, where American policy goes from here, and how to prepare climate policy for an era of rising geopolitical tensions and security concerns.

This episode of Shift Key is hosted by Robinson Meyer, the founding executive editor of Heatmap.

Mentioned:

More on Texas’ Griddy debacle

Leah Stokes et al. on utilities’ climate record

Rob’s upshift; Jesse’s upshift

This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by…

Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How California Broke Its Electricity Bills Jun 05, 2024

Show notes

Rooftop solar is four times more expensive in America than it is in other countries. It’s also good for the climate. Should we even care about its high cost?

Yes, says Severin Borenstein, an economist and the director of the Energy Policy Institute at the University of California, Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. In a recent blog post, he argued that the high cost of rooftop solar will shift nearly $4 billion onto the bills of low- and middle-income Californians who don’t have rooftop solar. Similar forces could soon spread the cost-shift problem across the country.

On this week’s episode of Shift Key, Rob and Jesse talk with Borenstein about who pays for rooftop solar, why power bills are going up everywhere, and about whether the government should take over electric utilities. Shift Key is hosted by Robinson Meyer, the founding executive editor of Heatmap, and Jesse Jenkins, a professor of energy systems engineering at Princeton University.

Mentioned:

California’s Exploding Rooftop Solar Cost Shift

What rooftop solar costs customers without it, from the California Public Advocates Office

Borenstein on California’s new income-graduated fixed electricity charge

Borenstein on what constitutes a fair electricity bill

Jesse’s upshift; Rob’s downshift.

This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by…

Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to Unlock Super Cheap Rooftop Solar May 22, 2024

Show notes

Why isn’t rooftop solar cheaper in America? In Australia in 2024, a standard rooftop system can cost as little as $0.90 per watt. In the U.S., a similar system might go for $4 per watt. If America could come even close to Australia’s rooftop solar prices, then we would be able to decarbonize the power system much faster than we are now.

Mary Powell has the answers. She is the chief executive officer of Sunrun, a $2.6 billion company that is the largest rooftop solar and battery installer in the U.S. Sunrun has set up or managed more than 900,000 rooftop systems across the U.S. Powell previously led Green Mountain Power, Vermont’s largest investor-owned power company.

On this week’s episode of Shift Key, Rob and Jesse talk about how the rooftop solar business works and what’s driving America’s higher costs. Shift Key is hosted by Robinson Meyer, the founding executive editor of Heatmap, and Jesse Jenkins, a professor of energy systems engineering at Princeton University.

Previously on Shift Key: Does Rooftop Solar Actually Help the Climate?

Mentioned:

What solar panels cost in Australia

The Department of Energy’s quarterly solar update

Introduction to solar soft costs

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This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by…

Watershed's climate data engine helps companies measure and reduce their emissions, turning the data they already have into an audit-ready carbon footprint backed by the latest climate science. Get the sustainability data you need in weeks, not months. Learn more at watershed.com.

FischTank PR uses its decade-plus experience working in the climate tech space to introduce clients to top-tier journalists at the right time, for the right story. We don’t tire-spin — we take action and understand we are hired to get results. To learn more, visit fischtankpr.com.

Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It Was a Big Week for the Power Grid May 15, 2024

Show notes

Transmission has been one of the biggest obstacles of decarbonizing the power grid in America. In the past week, however, the country has taken two big steps toward finally removing it.

Last week, the Department of Energy published a list of 10 high-priority areas for grid development, called National Interest Electric Transmission Corridors, designed to help accelerate some of the most annoying aspects of the siting process. Then on Monday, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission passed a new rule directing grid planners to take a longer view on what America’s future electricity needs will look like.

On this week’s episode of Shift Key, Rob and Jesse talk with two special guests — Maria Robinson, who leads the Energy Department’s Grid Deployment Office, and Heatmap reporter Matthew Zeitlin — about what these measures mean for the Biden administration’s climate policy and how soon we might see new power lines get built. Shift Key is hosted by Robinson Meyer, the founding executive editor of Heatmap, and Jesse Jenkins, a professor of energy systems engineering at Princeton University.

Mentioned:

America’s Power Line Problems Just Got a FERC Fix

Rob on the headache that is permitting reform

Jesse on what it will actually take to electrify everything

FERC’s lone Republican talks with Heatmap

The NIETC map

Jesse’s version of the NIETC map

Jesse's downshift; Rob’s upshift

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This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by…

Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Elon Musk Is Putting the EV Transition in Peril May 08, 2024

Show notes

Tesla is now facing its worst crisis in years. Last week, CEO Elon Musk laid off the automaker’s roughly 500-person Supercharger team and what remained of its policy and new vehicle teams. Before that, it reported its first-quarter financial results — and they were even worse than the lackluster performance that investors were expecting.

Already this year, Tesla has cut around 10% of its employees. Now Musk is promising that it will shift toward becoming an “AI” company.

Does Tesla, long a stalwart of America’s EV transition, now pose a danger to it? On this week’s episode of Shift Key, Rob and Jesse discuss the automaker’s turn away from EVs, and why Musk’s decision to lay off the Supercharger team could throw the entire country’s EV transition off track. Shift Key is hosted by Robinson Meyer, the founding executive editor of Heatmap, and Jesse Jenkins, a professor of energy systems engineering at Princeton University.

Mentioned:

Previously on Shift Key: The U.S. Has a Tesla Problem

Tesla’s Identity Crisis Gets Hardcore

Tesla’s Q1 2024 investor report

BloombergNEF on Superchargers’ profit potential

Rob on how to make sense of Elon Musk’s wacky moves

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This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by…

Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.