Artificial intelligence needs power, and lots of it. If all the data centers in the current US pipeline get built, they could suck up the electricity from 100 nuclear power plants and still be left wanting more. One obvious solution for supplying this massive demand is natural gas, which is plentiful and cheap in the Lower 48, and now has the enthusiastic backing of the Trump administration. But with a global shortage of turbines and lucrative liquefied natural gas contracts competing for supply, gas generation faces an obstacle course rather than a smooth road to running the country’s data centers. On today’s show, Tom Rowlands-Rees talks with BloombergNEF gas market analyst, Henry Eaton, about his recent note “Fueling the Cloud: Data Centers’ Bond With US Gas.”

Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF on the Bloomberg Terminal or on bnef.com

Links to research notes from this episode:

Fueling the Cloud: Data Centers’ Bond With US Gas - https://www.bnef.com/insights/36619

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act has reshaped the US clean energy landscape. Designed to scale back major US decarbonization programs while promoting fossil fuels, the OBBBA has severely restricted the rollout of solar, wind and energy storage projects while also taking direct aim at electric vehicles. The impact of the new law has been dramatic, but could it have been worse? And what does the whiplash between presidential administrations mean for the feasibility of future investments in the US? On today’s show, Tom Rowlands-Rees talks with BloombergNEF’s head of country and policy research, Ethan Zindler, who also previously worked as climate counselor to former US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. Joining them is senior policy associate for North America Derrick Flakoll, and together they discuss recent BNEF notes including “One Big Bill, Many Impacts for US Energy Economy” and “New US Clean Energy Tax Rules Could Have Been Worse.”

Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF on the Bloomberg Terminal or on bnef.com

Links to research notes from this episode:

Trump Signals Deeper Cuts to Clean-Tech Factory Subsidies - https://www.bnef.com/insights/37297

New US Clean Energy Tax Rules Could Have Been Worse: React - https://www.bnef.com/analyst-reactions/t11xthgp9vd100

Trump Slams the Brakes on US Wind and Solar Growth - https://www.bnef.com/insights/37073

One Big Bill, Many Impacts for US Energy Economy - https://www.bnef.com/insights/37051

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Right now, there are technologies that can pull carbon dioxide directly out of the air. That could be a critical tool in a world where climate change is rampant. Yet to fulfill this carbon removal potential, the sky-high costs of direct air capture need to fall. Today, capturing a metric ton of carbon dioxide with DAC costs around $900 on average, presenting a huge challenge to scaling the technology when there are more affordable alternatives available. So what is the cost outlook for direct air capture, and which technology type offers the most financially viable means of growth? On today’s show, Tom Rowlands-Rees is joined by Brenna Casey, an associate on BNEF’s sustainable materials team, to discuss findings from her report “Out of Thin Air: The Cost of Scaling Direct Air Capture”.

Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF on the Bloomberg Terminal or on bnef.com

Links to research notes from this episode:

Out of Thin Air: The Cost of Scaling Direct Air Capture - https://www.bnef.com/insights/37093

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.