Rule follower: Biofuels navigates evolutions in trade, renewable energy policies (Ep 193)

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

Oxford Policy Management (OPM) is a global consultancy working across climate policy, finance, disaster risk, energy, and urban planning helping governments and communities build resilience and reduce emissions.  Katherine Cooke, Principal Consultant and Hub Lead for Climate Finance, and Apar Paudyal, Senior Consultant for Climate Resilience and Sustainability, join Hill Vaden and Sam Humphreys to discuss energy and climate financing and the challenges around raising funds relating to adaptation in every changing environmental landscape.

The United States in 2025 surpassed the technical milestone of more than one gigaton of CO2 injected due, in large part, to CO2’s use in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) operations. Oilfield expert Derek Gonsuron joins EnergyCents with hosts Hill Vaden and Sam Humphreys to discuss how EOR is helping to pioneer carbon capture and utilization technologies that can help mitigate the emissions from hard-to-abate sectors. Read more on the S&P Global Commodity Insights blog here: https://www.spglobal.com/commodity-insights/en/news-research/blog/energy-transition/050925-us-hits-gigaton-milestone-in-co2-injection Learn more about S&P Global Commodity Insights energy coverage at: https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en

ENFRA, formerly Bernhard, provides energy-as-a-service solutions for customers in the healthcare, higher education, hospitality, and industrial market segments. ENFRA CEO Rob Guthrie joins EnergyCents with hosts Hill Vaden and Sam Humphreys to discuss his experience leading the 106-year-old company through its rebranding to ENFRA and how its energy-as-a-service model helps health care and higher education customers focus on their core operations and worry less about managing their energy infrastructure. Learn more about ENFRA at: https://enfrasolutions.com/ Learn more about S&P Global Commodity Insights energy coverage at: https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en

Carbon differentiation allows market participants to assign value to the role of greenhouse gas emissions associated with an economy’s goods and services. Carbon markets experts Kevin Birn and Jonty Rushforth join EnergyCents with hosts Hill Vaden and Sam Humphreys to discuss the evolution of differentiated carbon markets and how consistency in measurement and reporting can align participants’ economic incentives with environment ambitions. Learn more about S&P Global Commodity Insights energy coverage at: https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en

Annual coal use in U.S. power generation has declined since the early 2000s as plants retire and renewables and natural gas win market share. However, 2025 may pause or slow the trend, if only temporarily. Coal-markets expert Wendy Schallom joins EnergyCents with hosts Hill Vaden and Sam Humphreys to discuss how two years of stockpile build and higher gas prices in 2025 have increased the near-term competitiveness of coal in U.S. power markets. Learn more about S&P Global Commodity Insights energy coverage at: https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en 

The data-hungry upstream sector has been working with artificial intelligence for more than 40 years to, among other things, mitigate subsurface risks and predict production. Upstream expert Rachael Moreland joins EnergyCents with hosts Hill Vaden and Sam Humphreys to discuss the oil and gas industry’s history with AI adoption and where in the upstream value chain she’s most excited about the applications of modern innovation. Learn more about S&P Global Commodity Insights energy coverage at: https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en

Global crude demand begins to peak in 2027 despite longer-term growth trajectories for both jet fuel and naphtha, according to the most recent update of S&P Global Commodity Insights’ Annual Strategic Workbook covering oil markets. Oil and refined products experts Matt Andre and Shiva Gupta join EnergyCents hosts Hill Vaden and Sam Humphreys to discuss the key messages from their updated long-term global crude oil forecasts and how oil and refined products remain a meaningful part of global energy supply even after demand peaks. Learn more about S&P Global Commodity Insights energy coverage at: https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en

Lazard Inc. is one of the world's leading financial advisory and asset management firms. The company’s Financial Advisory practice supports its clients on mergers and acquisitions, restructurings, debt and capital structure and capital raising. Its Asset Management segment provides a range investment solutions to institutions, corporations, governments, partnerships, family offices, and high net worth individuals. Spiro Youakim, Lazard’s Global Head of Natural Resources and co-head of European Energy and Renewables, joins EnergyCents hosts Hill Vaden and Sam Humphreys to discuss his role as an advisor at Lazard and share his growing optimism for the prospects of European energy companies after many years of underappreciation by the global investment community. Learn more about S&P Global Commodity Insights energy coverage at: https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en

The US biofuels industry begins 2025 facing significant policy uncertainty, despite having produced record volumes of ethanol, renewable diesel, and sustainable aviation fuel in 2024. Biofuels expert Corey Lavinsky joins EnergyCents hosts Hill Vaden and Sam Humphreys to discuss the current state of US biofuels and the implications of evolving federal policies on developers and their projects. For more information on S&P Global Commodity Insights' energy coverage, visit: https://www.spglobal.com/commodityinsights/en.