With oil prices at the time of this interview–April 2026–close to $100/ barrel because of the war in Iran, will we see higher deployment of renewable energy and electric vehicles (EV)?

Wesley Herche, co-founder of Sustainability Decoded and director of energy and sustainability solutions at Prologis, where he deploys solar, battery storage and commercial EV charging infrastructure for the world's largest companies, provides a global perspective on the status of clean energy and the effects of high oil prices.

Topics discussed include:

• Why large U.S. companies are investing in renewable energy and how high oil prices could affect them.

• EV purchases make up 80% to 90% of new car sales in certain parts of the world. Will this trend continue?

• How China's aggressive deployment of solar will impact oil prices there.

• How Pakistan is insulated to some degree by its solar deployment.

• Why gasoline prices have jumped so quickly in the U.S.

Learn more about host Lisa Cohn at https://cleanenergywriters.com/

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Enel North America's Blue Jay Agrivoltaics project in Grimes County, Texas spans 2,700 acres, produces 270 megawatts (MW) of solar and includes a 59-MW battery storage system. It uses sheep for vegetation management and includes pollinator habitat, veteran-managed apiaries and drone maintenance. Jesse Puckett, director of sustainability projects and community affairs at Enel North America describes how the project helps improve the company's business, bottom line, the environemnt and the local community.

Millions of people are driving electric vehicles (EV) which, with bidirectional charging, can provide value to the electrical grid and back up homes and businesses during outages.

What's standing in the way of unlocking these benefits? Steve Letendre, an  energy economist, senior advisor to the Vehicle-Grid Integration Council and the founder and editor of V2G News, says bidirectional charging technology is trapped behind one-way rules. He offers policy ideas that could advance bidirectional charging.

About the Guest:

Steve Letendre's work centers on unlocking the value of distributed energy resources, especially bidirectional EVs to accelerate the clean energy transition. He has led regulatory affairs at two leading V2G companies (Fermata Energy and Nuvve), where he developed and executed cross-functional strategies to shape state and federal policy, influence regulatory proceedings and align market rules with emerging technologies.

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Since 2021, Public Service Electric & Gas (PSE&G), New Jersey's largest utility, has added 30,000 electric vehicles (EV) to its system, in part by offering rebates and other incentives. Before January 2026, the growth rate was double-digit, but is now flat, because of the loss of the federal EV tax credit and changes in the market.

Dawn Neville, senior manager of electric transportation at PSE&G, describes the program's successes and challenges. How to get more chargers installed at multi-family housing complexes? How much do demand response programs for EV drivers help out in the summer? And how might a new time-of-use rate that varies from 9 cents/kWh (off peak) to 60 cents/kWh (on peak) help save money for people who charge at home?

About the guest:

Dawn Neville, an environmental engineer who transitioned from working on hazardous waste sites to transportation electrification at PSE&G's EV charging program

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Elliott Steele, a researcher at the UC Davis Wild Energy Center, is now studying how a floating solar array at the Nelson Family Vineyards in Mendocino County, Calif. affects birds. He's also studying how a 6-MW floating solar array–Califronia's largest– in Sonoma County is influencing wildlife. In Florida, he says, alligators and other animals hang out on the solar systems.

Wildlife can also affect the floating solar panels, by defecating on them, for example, and lowering the solar output.

This is a follow up to my last podcast episode about Nelson Family Vineyards' floating solar array.

Guest:

Elliott Steele, Ph.D, solar postdoctoral scholar, Wild Energy Center

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Nelson Family Vineyards in Mendocino County, Calif., will soon power up its floating solar system, deployed on pontoons on an irrigation pond, expecting to cut utility costs, which jumped 180% over the last three years, by about $90,000 annually.

Researchers at the University of California Davis are studying how the system will affect wildlife–the focus of our next podcast, which will touch on how songbirds at the farm are affected by the system–and how alligators in Florida climb onto these systems.

The Nelsons are looking into selling or transferring a 30% investment tax credit to help pay for the system.

Guests

Tyler Nelson, vice president, Nelson Family Vineyards

Tate Tussing, business development manager at Noria Energy.

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Learn more about Lisa at CleanEnergyWriters.com

Itanna and Yosafe Murphy are working to use agrivoltaics--co-locating solar PV energy production with agricultural activities on their 160-acre farm--to provide healthy, fresh and tasty food to their community, along with STEM education and energy resilience.

In addition to agrivoltaics, the project, located in Oregon's Willamette Valley, will integrate vertical farming and hydroponics. Oregon State University, Ecotrust, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and others have joined the effort as technical partners.

Despite the loss of funding sources from the federal government under the Trump administration, the pair are moving forward with a "blank canvas and a really big idea," hoping to create a model for other farmers.

Visit Sheba Farm to learn more.

Background:

Hay Farming Doesn't Pay the Bills. Agrivoltaics Does

Oregon Agrivoltaics-Based Microgrid Tackles Crop Warming from Climate Changge--and May Improve the Taste of Lettuce.

Visit host Lisa Cohn at CleanEnergyWriters.com