This Week in Cleantech (11/13/2026) - Amid data center pushback, big tech tries a new strategy

Tell us what you think of the show! This Week in Cleantech is a weekly podcast covering the most impactful stories in clean energy and climate featuring Paul Gerke of Factor This and Tigercomm’s Mike Casey.This week's episode features special guest Clara Hudson from The Wall Street Journal, who discusses how hyperscale data centers are attempting to deal with local opposition by changing their tone. This week’s “Cleantecher of the Week” is Franco Rodríguez Viau. After family friends in Argentina lost their homes to wildfires, Franco and two buddies launched an AI wildfire early warning system when they were 16. The team says it can spot a fire within its first three minutes, about 35 minutes faster than NASA on average, then alert firefighters by WhatsApp. Last year it helped authorities respond to more than 2,000 wildfires across 21 countries. Congratulations, Franco!This Week in Cleantech — November 13, 2026A nationwide backlash against data centers erupts at the polls — The Washington PostWhy Everything Should Be Electric, Even If the Power Comes From Coal — BloombergDistributed energy could save the U.S. power grid $614B — Factor ThisCan green cement decarbonise the data centre building boom? — Financial TimesBig Tech Is Soft-Launching Data Centers Early, Bracing for Scrutiny — The Wall Street JournalEnergy policy on your mind? Check out all episodes of the Factor This Policycast

Tell us what you think of the show! If you’ve been around the renewable energy industry for any length of time, it’s likely you’ve stumbled across the SolarWakeup newsletter. Founded and written by industry veteran Yann Brandt, the daily digital digest features news, trends, and voices that inform executives and investors across the solar landscape.Although Brandt admits he isn’t much for routines, he has kept SolarWakeup going for 14 years, even through his stint as president and CEO of a publicly traded solar tracker company, FTC Solar. These days, Brandt is working with former SEIA head Abby Hopper on a podcast called Boots on the Ground, billed as straight talk about the headlines shaping solar and storage. Factor This content director Paul Gerke had a chance to catch up with Yann just after the US midterm elections, before both of them head to Las Vegas for the annual renewables bachhanalia of RE+. This episode of the Factor This podcast is the bulk of their conversation, ranging from data centers to distributed energy, from the founding of Solar Wakeup to the next president of the United States.Energy policy on your mind? Check out all episodes of the Factor This Policycast

Tell us what you think of the show! While the reliability of the electric grid has long been a point of pride for the entire utility sector, that stability has simultaneously made modernization efforts especially challenging. When the status quo is keeping the lights on, why make a major change? However, ever-increasing energy demand as well as weather events that are as newly unpredictable as they are powerful has changed the paradigm. These issues are complicating efforts to both plan for and execute infrastructure updates, but they’re also opening up genuine opportunities for utilities to embrace distributed energy resources (DERs) as an essential part of those planning efforts.That said, transforming individual DERs and decentralized virtual power plants (VPPs) into reliable assets capable of delivering real-time power is no small feat. Doing so requires navigating legacy distribution hardware, regulatory friction, and the persistent reality that roughly 80% of behind-the-meter capacity is unenrolled in active programs.Few people understand these challenges from a technical, operational and market perspective as Shikhar Pandey, founder and managing partner of GridCo Group. We talked with him for an episode of the Factor This podcast to explore how he’s been able to bring his perspective on the value of DERs into conversations with utilities that explore operational updates, market realities and policy shifts that will help transform VPPs from emergency assets into foundational pillars for grid planning.Energy policy on your mind? Check out all episodes of the Factor This Policycast

Tell us what you think of the show! This Week in Cleantech is a weekly podcast covering the most impactful stories in clean energy and climate featuring Paul Gerke of Factor This and Tigercomm’s Mike Casey.This week's episode features special guest Kelsey Tamborrino from POLITICO, who discusses how the midterm elections brought permitting reform to the forefront, and how clean energy tax credits could come back to the table. This week’s “Cleantecher of the Week” is Iain Ward, a solar consultant and longtime cranberry farmer in southeastern Massachusetts. Ward manages two bogs that are the first in the country to grow cranberries under working solar panels. Congratulations, Iain!This Week in Cleantech — November 6, 2026 How the biggest renewable energy project in US history finally got built — VoxOld, Polluting Jet Engines Are Being Scavenged to Power Data Centers — The New York TimesDoes it matter that OpenAI is aiming to protect the grid? — Latitude MediaSpain saved $26 billion on gas imports thanks to renewables boom, IEA says — ReutersDemocratic deluge sweeps over energy world — POLITICOEnergy policy on your mind? Check out all episodes of the Factor This Policycast

Tell us what you think of the show! A long-awaited piece of legislation, now before the Senate, is being billed as a "generational opportunity" to improve how the United States builds large-scale energy infrastructure. The Bipartisan American Affordability and Jobs Act of 2026, or BAAJA, has been in the works for more than a year. Its spiritual predecessors have haunted halls on Capitol Hill for far longer.BAAJA promises to accelerate generation and transmission development while making the electricity grid cleaner and more reliable. The legislation mandates regional and interregional planning and requires joint cost allocation. It forces utilities to deploy cost-effective advanced transmission technologies and streamlines permitting reviews for renewables. It protects ratepayers from data center grid upgrade costs, makes it easier for batteries to participate in wholesale markets, and so much more.By establishing a more predictable path to construction, the American Clean Power Association estimates BAAJA will inspire more than $800 billion in new energy infrastructure, including 350+ gigawatts (GW) of clean generation, and increase access to lower-cost, local energy.That all sounds lovely, but the devil is in the details, ain't it? We dive headfirst into BAAJA on this episode of the Factor This Policycast, presented in partnership with the national industry association Advanced Energy United.Can this much-ballyhooed bill really deliver its promised benefits? And equally important: can it pass both the Senate and the House? Host Paul Gerke of Factor This welcomes special guests Liza Reed, vice president of policy and director for climate and energy at the Niskanen Center, the nonpartisan think tank, and Dylan Reed, managing director of political affairs at Advanced Energy United, to tackle those questions and more.Energy policy on your mind? Check out all episodes of the Factor This Policycast

Tell us what you think of the show! This Week in Cleantech is a weekly podcast covering the most impactful stories in clean energy and climate featuring Paul Gerke of Factor This and Tigercomm’s Mike Casey.This week's episode features special guest Brad Plumer from The New York Times, who discusses a new type of battery that can store heat for industrial processes.This week’s “Cleantecher of the Week” is Andrew Redd, founder of Endurance Energy. The former SpaceX engineer just tested the world’s first subsea geothermal power plant at an active underwater volcano off the coast of Oregon. It only produced net-positive power for 8.7 seconds, but that was enough to prove it works, and Endurance is now planning its first commercial project in Tonga. Congratulations, Andrew!This Week in Cleantech — October 30, 2026What the coming copper crunch means for the global economy — Financial Times‘It’s offensively cheap’: How solar power is quietly becoming bigger than nuclear — BBCWhy EVs aren’t powering America’s electric grid yet — AxiosHow solid-state transformers could help power the AI boom — MIT Technology ReviewA New Kind of Battery Is Taking Off. This One Stores Blistering Heat. — The New York TimesEnergy policy on your mind? Check out all episodes of the Factor This Policycast

Tell us what you think of the show! The most robust virtual power plant (VPP) program in the United States is running out of funding at a time when the grid needs it more than ever.Launched in 2022, California's Demand Side Grid Support (DSGS) program coordinates more than 1 gigawatt (GW) of dispatchable capacity from more than 200,000 unique customer sites enrolled across every single legislative district in the state. The program leverages customer-sited resources like home batteries, solar systems, and smart thermostats, bringing clean, flexible, and responsible energy resources online during grid emergencies. Since the DSGS program began, the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) has avoided blackouts and hasn't issued a single Flex Alert, its call for voluntary energy conservation, in more than four years.Despite its impact, the DSGS program was never intended to be permanent, and California's last legislative session ended without dedicating new funding. While still operational through the end of the year, its fate in 2027 and beyond is uncertain at a critical moment: the nexus of rising electricity demand, more frequent extreme weather, and mounting affordability challenges. This edition of DTECH's Factor This Policycast, presented in partnership with national business association Advanced Energy United, explores the future of the DSGS program. Hosted by Factor This content director Paul Gerke, the episode features special guests Brandon García, Advanced Energy United's California director, and Lauren Nevitt, senior director of California policy and energy markets at Sunrun. They react to a new report evaluating how VPPs can lower utility costs and share details of recent record-breaking VPP dispatches. This episode of the Factor This Policycast also addresses critical questions including: Can California's policymakers establish a durable, long-term market pathway to support the nation's leading VPP? What role do distributed energy resources (DERs) play in the state's energy future? And what can California's next Governor do to buoy DSGS before it can't pay its participants?Energy policy on your mind? Check out all episodes of the Factor This Policycast

Tell us what you think of the show! Utilities face mounting pressure to improve reliability and reduce power outage frequency while meeting rising electricity demand.For the Littleton Electric Light & Water Departments (LELWD), Hendrix Aerial Cable Systems (ACS) by Marmon Utility has become an important part of building a stronger, more resilient overhead network for today and tomorrow.In this episode of the Factor This podcast, host Paul Gerke is joined by Ted Gardner, application engineer for overhead solutions at Marmon Utility, and David Ketchen, assistant general manager of LELWD. Together, they explore how electrical utility providers can strengthen reliability through thoughtful distribution system design, discuss the role Hendrix ACS plays in Littleton Electric's reliability strategy, and share practical insights for utilities facing today's evolving infrastructure challenges.Ketchen reveals the factors that led Littleton to adopt Hendrix ACS, the performance improvements the utility has experienced over time, and how the system has helped reduce outages in tree-heavy and neighborhood service areas. Together, Ted and David examine the operational benefits of improved reliability, readiness for greater demand, and long-term system hardening that supports both utility operations and customer satisfaction.As Hendrix celebrates 75 years of serving the utility industry, this conversation also highlights the value of engineering expertise, collaborative partnerships, and proven field performance in helping utilities modernize their overhead distribution systems. Whether you're a utility executive, engineer, operations professional, or public power leader, this episode offers practical insights into strengthening distribution system reliability and building a more resilient electric grid.Energy policy on your mind? Check out all episodes of the Factor This Policycast

Tell us what you think of the show! While utilities of all types and sizes have recognized that affordability is a top-of-mind issue and are doing what they can to ease customer bill pressure, few fully grasp how ratepayers interpret these rising costs. When monthly bills increase, most customers focus on the name on the envelope rather than the complex mix of market forces, policy mandates, and grid modernization efforts that are ultimately driving those increases. Closing this gap requires energy providers to rethink traditional corporate messaging and actively show how system investments deliver value to people in the present while also enabling long-term resilience.It's something that Greg Cornett, President of Rhode Island Energy, has positioned as a cornerstone of his leadership strategy. It’s also something he’s written about and talked about at events like DTECH Northeast, underscoring the importance of the topic across the sector.Once again, Cornett is going to be taking the stage at DTECH Northeast as part of a keynote panel with executive leaders from Eversource and the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities. Before doing so, we connected with Cornett to capture some of his insights about this strategy, why it’s important to treat public trust as a vital operational asset, and more.Energy policy on your mind? Check out all episodes of the Factor This Policycast

Tell us what you think of the show! This Week in Cleantech is a weekly podcast covering the most impactful stories in clean energy and climate featuring Paul Gerke of Factor This and Tigercomm’s Mike Casey.This week's episode features special guest Benton Graham from Grist, who discusses the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's plans to electrify Boston’s Fairmount Line with battery-powered trains.This week’s “Cleantecher of the Week” is Christopher Galarza, a longtime chef and co-founder of EcoChef, which certifies sustainable commercial kitchens. Christopher co-authored a new peer-reviewed study and recruited most of the kitchens in it, finding that 70% of gas-fired restaurant kitchens had nitrogen dioxide levels above EPA and WHO safety limits, even with commercial ventilation. He says working in all-electric kitchens was the first time in his career he could do what he loved without feeling like he was dying. Congratulations, Christopher!This Week in Cleantech — October 9, 2026The energy transition is starting to feed itself — ReutersHow to keep the lights on in an electrified world — The Financial TimesWhat if the world hadn't built wind and solar? — The Climate BrinkUS Solar Panel Makers Try to Catch China With a Big Leap in Technology — The New York TimesThe future of commuter rail could be taking shape in Boston — GristEnergy policy on your mind? Check out all episodes of the Factor This Policycast