Change Makers: Kent Williamson, author American Heat Engine (Ep. 207)

Conduit Power is a Houston-based independent power producer and services platform working behind the meter to co-locate distributed gas-generation assets alongside the projects of its commercial and industrial customers. The three-year-old company, backed by Grey Rock Investment Partners, also works in front of the meter through a model that allows upstream producers in the Permian Basin to share in the upside of converting their low-value natural gas molecules to higher-value electricity. Travis Windholz, CFO at Conduit Power, joins Hill Vaden and Sam Humphreys to discuss how Conduit’s modular dispatchable generation projects use natural gas to provide the reliable and fast-to-deploy power that its oilfield, data center, and other industrial clients require. Learn more about Conduit Power at: https://conduitpower.co/ Learn more about S&P Global Commodity Insights energy coverage at: https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en

Holtec International is an established company focused on nuclear energy technology, specializing in spent fuel storage, small modular reactors (SMRs), and nuclear plant decommissioning. Its Palisades Power Plant in Michigan was shut down in 2022 and is now in the final stages of restarting after becoming in 2025 the first nuclear plant in the US to return to operations from decommissioning. Patrick O’Brien, Director of Government Affairs and Communications at Holtec, joins Hill Vaden and Sam Humphreys to discuss how Holtec has transitioned from decommissioning nuclear power plants to restarting them, and how the company is on track to have its Palisades Plant in Michigan up and running later this year. Learn more about Holtec International at: https://holtecinternational.com/ Learn more about S&P Global Commodity Insights energy coverage at: https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en

Carbon Catalyst is a UK-based carbon capture & storage project developer focused on a portfolio of carbon transport and storage projects within the North Sea.  Nick Terrell, executive director of operations at Carbon Catalyst, joins Hill Vaden and Sam Humphreys to discuss how the pure-play carbon transport and storage company is working with partners to leverage depleted gas fields in North Sea in the development of its Poseidon and Orion CO2 sequestration projects. Learn more about Carbon Catalyst at: https://carboncatalyst.com/about-us/ Learn more about S&P Global Commodity Insights energy coverage at: https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en

Houston-based VoltaGrid is a portable energy infrastructure company that has deployed more than 1,500 MW of distributed natural gas generation capacity since its founding in 2021. Nathan Ough, VoltaGrid CEO, joins Hill Vaden and Sam Humphreys, to discuss how the fast-growing company has expanded beyond its initial focus on powering electric frac fleets in the oilfield to meeting the speed-to-power demands of energy-hungry datacenters. Learn more about VoltaGrid at: https://voltagrid.com/ Learn more about S&P Global Commodity Insights energy coverage at: https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en

American Heat Engine invites readers to “buckle up and … take a road trip” as it embarks on a history of how hydrocarbon development and use has shaped the United States. Kent Williamson, author of American Heat Engine: Hydrocarbons and the Power of the United States, joins Hill Vaden and Sam Humphreys to discuss his motivation for writing the new book and how he’s organized the narrative around 15 “strategic hydrocarbon bridges” that mark significant inflection points and transitions for American energy. Learn more about S&P Global Commodity Insights energy coverage at: https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en

Ameresco designs, builds, owns, operates and maintains energy infrastructure with the stated goal of helping its customers reduce costs, enhance resilience and decarbonize operations. John Plack, Ameresco Senior Vice President of Engineering, joins Hill Vaden and Sam Humphreys to discuss why the cleantech integrator is turning its attention to geothermal and how it works with universities, hospitals and large-scale military housing to establish and expand the emerging technology. Learn more about Ameresco at: https://www.ameresco.com/ Learn more about S&P Global Commodity Insights energy coverage at: https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en

Crux is a Capital Markets platform, designed to streamline and modernize commercial workflows in the energy sector. Alfred Johnson, Crux’s co-founder and CEO, joins Hill Vaden and Sam Humphreys to discuss the company's journey and the market intelligence offering customers can benefit from, so they not only facilitate transactions, but also offer insights into market behaviors. Learn more about Crux at: https://www.cruxclimate.com/ Learn more about S&P Global Commodity Insights energy coverage at: https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en

San Francisco-based Halcyon is developing an AI-assisted search and information platform that aggregates and summarizes regulatory information that pertains to US power and gas markets. The sector-specific software is designed to improve workflows and decision-making by energy professionals.  Alex Klaessig, Halcyon Chief Data Officer, joins Hill Vaden and Sam Humphreys to discuss how his experience as an energy expert informs Halcyon product development and why domain specialization improves the user experience and generated results when working with artificial intelligence models. Learn more about Halcyon at: https://halcyon.io/about Learn more about S&P Global Commodity Insights energy coverage at: https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en

London-based Pavegen makes triangular floor tiles that convert kinetic energy from human footsteps into electricity. The company’s technology has been installed in places that include airports, schools, dance floors, and stadiums in more than 40 countries. Laurence Kemball-Cook, founder and CEO of Pavegen, joins Hill Vaden and Sam Humphreys to discuss the idea behind converting footsteps into renewable energy and how Pavegen is embarking on a fresh funding round as it positions itself for scale within the smart-city sector. Learn more about Pavegen at: https://www.pavegen.com/ Learn more about S&P Global Commodity Insights energy coverage at: https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en

Energy Recovery, with roots in the desalination industry, designs and manufactures energy-efficiency technology solutions to generate cost savings and support environmental sustainability for its global set of customers. Rodney Clemente, Energy Recovery Senior Vice President of Water, joins Hill Vaden and Sam Humphreys to discuss how the company is using its membrane-separation technologies to improve the energy intensity and economics of water desalination. Learn more about Energy Recovery at: https://energyrecovery.com/about/ Learn more about S&P Global Commodity Insights energy coverage at: https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en