Palm Oil Without the Deforestation? It’s Here.

02/19/25 • 48 min

Palm oil is one of the biggest environmental villains, but now a Dutch biotech company has scaled up a breakthrough yeast-based alternative that could drastically cut emissions and deforestation. Meanwhile, New York City is tackling unsafe e-bike batteries by handing out free replacement e-bikes to delivery workers. Plus, France is going all-in on nuclear power to support the AI boom.

Undecided with Matt Ferrell - the popular YouTuber comes to Brian and James's backyard to explore the construction of a wind farm. Great video here. https://youtu.be/rKPYy8RF1RU?si=p8HFcVONNNYHMCks

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Also on this episode:

China’s heavy trucks are electrifying at a record pace.
Russia’s war is increasing global aviation emissions.
New research shows carbon capture may be worse than simply investing in renewables.
Rivian’s electric delivery van, once exclusive to Amazon, is now available for purchase by any fleet.

Listener Mail

Weldon in Winnipeg shares a funny experience about driving an EV in -30°C, proving that gas cars aren’t just bad for the environment but also for visibility!

The Lightning Round

BYD’s solid-state battery breakthrough could double EV range.
A new Airbus A321XLR jet cuts fuel use by 30% per passenger.
Data center electricity demand is skyrocketing worldwide.
EV interest is surging, but cost misconceptions remain high.
The cost of installing a Tesla Supercharger stall? About $40,000.
Home insurance costs in Alberta have soared 90% in a decade due to extreme weather events.
China’s heavy-duty truck market is rapidly shifting to electric, hitting 21% market share this year.

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Monthly shoutouts and merch discounts

If you’re already a Patreon supporter or following us for free, you’re automatically entered!

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Undecided with Matt Ferrell - the popular YouTuber comes to Brian and James's backyard to explore the construction of a wind farm. Great video here. https://youtu.be/rKPYy8RF1RU?si=p8HFcVONNNYHMCks

Join The Clean Energy Show's CLEAN CLUB on Patreon for exciting perks!

Also on this episode:

China’s heavy trucks are electrifying at a record pace.
Russia’s war is increasing global aviation emissions.
New research shows carbon capture may be worse than simply investing in renewables.
Rivian’s electric delivery van, once exclusive to Amazon, is now available for purchase by any fleet.

Listener Mail

Weldon in Winnipeg shares a funny experience about driving an EV in -30°C, proving that gas cars aren’t just bad for the environment but also for visibility!

The Lightning Round

BYD’s solid-state battery breakthrough could double EV range.
A new Airbus A321XLR jet cuts fuel use by 30% per passenger.
Data center electricity demand is skyrocketing worldwide.
EV interest is surging, but cost misconceptions remain high.
The cost of installing a Tesla Supercharger stall? About $40,000.
Home insurance costs in Alberta have soared 90% in a decade due to extreme weather events.
China’s heavy-duty truck market is rapidly shifting to electric, hitting 21% market share this year.

Contest: Win a Free Clean Club Membership!

We’re giving away a one-year membership to our Clean Club, which includes:

Ad-free, high-quality episodes
Early access to new episodes
Exclusive Patreon bonus content
Monthly shoutouts and merch discounts

If you’re already a Patreon supporter or following us for free, you’re automatically entered!

We love hearing from listeners! Send us your feedback:

Email: [email protected]
Voicemail: speakpipe.com/cleanenergyshow
Join our Patreon community for exclusive posts and discussions.

Support the show by rating us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite app. Don’t forget to follow for weekly episodes!

Previous Episode

5th Anniversary Special! Clean Energy Progress Since 2020

Our special fifth-anniversary episode! This week, we take a trip down memory lane to reflect on five years of clean energy news, predictions, and surprises. James takes us through just how much progress has been made in clean energy since we started the podcast five years ago. The growth is staggering, even compared to the most optimistic 2020 predictions!

The Baltic states have officially disconnected from the Russian power grid and joined the EU grid. Workers literally cut the cord and took pieces home as souvenirs, along with safety, security, and peace of mind.

Celebrating Five Years Our first show aired on February 12, 2020, in Brian’s bomb shelter studio, where we recorded the first five episodes.

How Predictions Held Up Back in 2020, some clean energy forecasts missed the mark—by a lot:

A 2020 climate report estimated 2.5 million EVs on the road by 2030. We’re at 85 million today, with four years to go.

EV Boom in Five Years

In 2020, 2.9% of new car sales in Canada were EVs—by the end of 2024, it was 13.2%.
There were only 4 million EVs in the world when we started. Now, 4 million EVs are sold every two months.

China’s Rapid Growth

In 2020, China exported 1 million cars. By 2024, that number skyrocketed to 6.4 million.
When we started the podcast, there were 8 million EVs worldwide. Now, China alone produces 238,000 plug-in vehicles every day!

Join the Clean Club at https://www.patreon.com/c/cleanenergypod for exclusive content, ad-free episodes, and more!

The Lightning Round

Ozempic is reportedly messing with climate predictions by reducing food consumption. Less food, less pollution!
Over $2 trillion was invested in the global energy transition in 2024—a record-breaking amount.
The U.K. would need a forest twice the size of London to offset its airport expansion emissions.
Oxford University, at 699 years old, is replacing gas heating with heat pumps to cut carbon emissions.
The Baltic states successfully cut ties to the Russian power grid and are now fully synchronized with the EU grid.

Thank you for five years of listening! Here’s to the next five!

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Next Episode

Nuclear Stalemate, Solar Breakthrough

In this episode of The Clean Energy Show, James and Brian explore a groundbreaking startup backed by OpenAI's Sam Altman that's turning sunlight into heat stored in bricks. These modular containers can be deployed anywhere, potentially revolutionizing data center power supply. They also discuss how heat pumps continue to outsell gas furnaces in the U.S., signaling a major shift in home heating technology. Meanwhile, Japan's largest nuclear reactor remains inactive, stalled by local political resistance even as public opinion on nuclear power shifts.

Support the Show:

Follow us for free or join our Patreon community at https://www.patreon.com/c/cleanenergypod.
Donate via PayPal at https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=VMDCRPHLNR8YE.\
CONTEST ALERT! If you have a free or Supporter Patreon account and follow our podcast by March 3, 2025, you will automatically be entered to win a free 1 Year Clean Club Membership!

The episode also features a humorous story from the Czech Republic, where industrious beavers thwarted plans for a new dam by building their own—completely free of charge. James and Brian explore the implications of these stories for clean energy adoption and environmental conservation.

Brian revisits a classic SNL clip featuring Mike Myers in a climate change-themed Christmas special, while James shares his thoughts on a YouTube video documenting a train journey from Shanghai to Beijing. He humorously contemplates the highs and lows of communist amenities, including squat toilets.

The hosts dive into the cold hard facts about wind turbines and whether they can function effectively at temperatures below -30°C. They also touch on the challenges of grid stability and energy demands during extreme weather conditions.

In The Lightning Round, they cover a range of fast-paced stories including:

Ram's electric truck with a unique battery reserved just for towing.
India doubling its rooftop solar subsidies to $2.31 billion.
Indonesia’s delayed coal peak timeline and its implications for climate goals.
California’s push towards 100% renewable energy with massive wind energy imports from New Mexico.
China’s clean energy boom, now accounting for 10% of its GDP.
Texas gearing up for its windy season, which could significantly boost wind power output.
A surge in U.S. battery manufacturing, doubling cell production capacity this year.
Solar and battery combinations becoming cheaper than coal and natural gas in key markets.
California’s ambitious offshore wind plans moving forward despite political challenges.

This week’s CES FAST FACTTM reveals how Japan’s largest floating solar plant was redesigned after a typhoon-related fire, highlighting the importance of engineering clean energy projects to withstand extreme weather conditions.

Don't miss this jam-packed episode of The Clean Energy Show!

Contact Us: We love hearing from our listeners! Email us at [email protected] or leave a voicemail at speakpipe.com/cleanenergyshow.

See you in one week!