Volts

Volts: a newsletter focusing on clean energy and political matters. With climate change progressing rapidly and the state of US politics in disarray, the outlook can seem bleak. However, amidst these troubling trends, there is a silver lining: the shift from fossil fuels to clean, carbon-free energy is not only happening but is also speeding up each day.

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A journey from clean-energy wonkery to influencer fame

3 weeks ago | volts.wtf | David Roberts

In this episode, I talk with Taylor Krause, who went from working on hydrogen policy at RMI to finding a quantum physicist husband and unexpected fame on Netflix's Love Is Blind. We unpack her surreal journey from clean-energy wonk to popular influencer and how she's navigating using her newfound influence.
How to reduce the impact of mining

3 weeks ago | volts.wtf | David Roberts

In this episode, I chat with Johanna Wolfson, co-founder of Azolla Ventures, about their unique philanthropic-backed VC model tackling the tough problem of sustainable mining for the clean energy transition. We explore the promising tech Azolla is backing to reduce mining's impact, from using electrochemistry to refine copper without dirty smelting to advanced techniques for processing low-grade ores and even waste.
What the F is happening? Part 3

4 weeks ago | volts.wtf | David Roberts

Current time: 0:00 / Total time: -19:52Audio playback is not supported on your browser. Please upgrade. This week on "What the F is Happening" (periodic episodes in which we reluctantly discuss current events) we talk with Adrian Deveny, a former Senate aide who was in the trenches for the IRA's creation, about the House GOP's "Big Beautiful Bill." In its current form, it amounts to wholesale destruction of the last four years of climate policy.
Parking reform in Washington, parking reform everywhere!

1 month ago | volts.wtf | David Roberts

In this episode, I talk with Catie Gould and Alan Durning of the Sightline Institute about the "dark matter" of urban land use: parking — specifically, the municipal parking mandates that help make housing more expensive and scarce. We discuss a landmark new parking reform bill in my home state of Washington, what it does and the coalition that made it possible, and point to other places where parking reform is coming soon.
The past and future of community choice aggregation

1 month ago | volts.wtf | David Roberts

This week, I chat with Dawn Weisz of MCE Clean Energy about the nitty-gritty of community choice aggregation, where local governments take control of their electricity procurement. We get into issues like navigating utility obstruction, the complexities of rising grid costs they don't control, and their push for smarter, more autonomous regulation. (PDF transcript)(Active transcript)David RobertsHello and greetings, everyone.
A "Google Maps for electrons"

1 month ago | volts.wtf | David Roberts

In this episode, I sit down with Page Crahan, who leads Tapestry, an audacious effort to “make the grid visible.” We explore how disparate, scattered data sources can be stitched together by AI into a coherent realtime map of the grid, to slash operation and maintenance costs and speed up the grid interconnection process. (PDF transcript)(Active transcript)David RobertsHello everyone. This is Volts for May 21, 2025, "A Google Maps for electrons." I'm your host, David Roberts.
Embedding intelligence at the edge of the grid

1 month ago | volts.wtf | David Roberts

Current time: 0:00 / Total time: -57:36Audio playback is not supported on your browser. Please upgrade. In this episode, I’m joined by Marissa Hummon, whose team partnered with NVIDIA to tuck a credit-card-sized GPU computer with AI software into the humble electricity meter. We discuss how that edge computing digests 32,000 waveform samples per second, spots failing transformers, and orchestrates VPPs — plus the guardrails that keep it from becoming Skynet.
Taming the hydrogen hype

1 month ago | volts.wtf | David Roberts

The hype about hydrogen is back with a vengeance, and thus, so is Joe Romm, who just issued a revised and updated version of his 2003 book The Hype About Hydrogen. We discuss the persistent economic and technical hurdles that make widespread hydrogen adoption unrealistic, explain why most applications are better served by direct electrification, and scrutinize the massive investments and motivations behind the current hydrogen push. (PDF transcript)(Active transcript)David RobertsHello, everyone.
Volts community thread #18

1 month ago | volts.wtf | David Roberts

1. 🎤 We’ve got two excellent live events coming up! As always, we’ve set aside a handful of free tickets for paid subscribers. Register your interest via this form; you’ll hear from Sam in the next few days if you’ve won tickets!The first is here in Seattle. On May 20, at the 9Zero Climate Innovation Hub (the same place I did the Climate Papa podcast), I’ll interview Jigar Shah on stage about the difficulties Washington state is facing in financing its ambitious climate policies.
Trying to bring geothermal heat pumps to scale

1 month ago | volts.wtf | David Roberts

In this episode, I chat with Kathy Hannun of Dandelion Energy about ground-source heat pumps, which are twice as efficient as air-source units but still more expensive up front. Dandelion has designed its own drills and heat pumps, and with a new 1,500-home partnership with a developer in Colorado, it’s looking to scale up and bring costs down.