Renewable Energy SmartPod cover art

Renewable Energy SmartPod

Renewable Energy SmartPod

By: Sean McMahon
Listen for free

About this listen

The Renewable Energy SmartPod offers an inside look at the people, technologies and trends that are powering the energy transition. If you want to hear more about the role renewables are playing to decarbonize the global economy and combat climate change, this is the podcast for you. Follow us on Twitter @RenewablesPod or sign up for our newsletter: Renewable Energy SmartBrief.© 2025 Renewable Energy SmartPod Politics & Government Science Social Sciences
Episodes
  • How to Keep Data Centers Secure - with Bill Kleyman from Apolo.us
    Dec 19 2025

    Sponsored by EDF power solutions

    You've seen the headlines about the massive amounts of money that is being poured into AI data centers. You've heard concerns about how AI data centers are going to be powered -- and who is going to pay for it. But you probably haven't heard much about how all those data centers are going to be secured. After all, it sure would be a shame if you spent billions on a data center only to have it knocked offline by a physical or cyber attack!

    Bill Kleyman, the co-founder and CEO of Apolo.us, joins the show to discuss the array of threats data centers are facing and some of the countermeasures that are being deployed. From ransomware and other cyberthreats to drone attacks and physical incursions, Bill outlines all the ways malicious actors can wreak havoc at a data center.

    Bill also delves into some of the findings of the latest "State of Data Center" report. (Note: You can DM Bill on LinkedIn for a copy of the survey results.)

    More resources from this episode

    How Hackers Attack AI Data Centers with Wireless Devices

    How the Internet May Be Taken Down

    More resources from EDF power solutions

    Distribution-Scale Power

    Sign up for the Renewable Energy SmartBrief

    Show More Show Less
    43 mins
  • Climate Risk Data Remains Critical with Larry Lawrence from Intercontinental Exchange
    Nov 25 2025

    Sponsored by: EDF power solutions -- Info@EDF-re.com

    This episode marks the turn of one of the most popular guests we’ve ever had on this show: Larry Lawrence, Vice President of Sustainable Finance Data at Intercontinental Exchange (ICE). When we had him on the show back in 2023, our conversation veered into the various ways data was evolving to drive innovation in sustainable finance.

    Well, it’s 2025 and it’s safe to say … things have changed. The very word sustainable is now taboo in some spaces, but Larry and the team at ICE don’t get caught up in all that. They don’t let semantics get in the way of the data.

    And when it comes to climate risk data, the financial services industry is listening to what the data says. Asset managers are listening. Investors in mortgage-backed securities are listening. And perhaps most importantly, insurers are listening. Natural disasters like wildfires, floods and hurricanes have reshaped insurance markets. So much so that, as the team at ICE shared in a recent report, climate risks are creating affordability risks that can ultimately lead to default risks.

    More resources

    ICE Report: How are home insurance costs changing across the United States?


    Key highlights

    Importance of clarity in climate risk data - (4:27)

    Natural disasters and 'on the ground' data - (6:27)

    Innovative ways investors are using climate risk data - (13:10)

    Impact of climate risk on home insurance costs - (18:38)

    Can the insurance affordability problem be solved? - (20:55)

    A shift in how we talk about 'sustainable' finance - (27:39)

    Real-time markets for climate risk data - (31:06)

    Larry's bold predictions for the future of climate risk data - (34:53)

    Sign up for the Renewable Energy SmartBrief

    Show More Show Less
    40 mins
  • Are AI Data Centers the New Power Centers?
    Oct 23 2025

    Sponsored by: EDF power solutions -- Info@EDF-re.com

    One of the hottest topics these days -- not just in the energy sector, but across the entire economy -- is the anticipated energy demand from AI data centers. In an effort to separate the signal from the noise, Jeffrey Jakubiak, a partner at Vinson & Elkins, stops by the show to share his insights on the specific load demands AI data centers place on the grid. Perhaps most importantly, Jeffrey also discusses whether or not the US will be able to overcome a smorgasbord of challenges in order to build out enough generation capacity to meet that demand.

    One tactic many big tech firms are embracing is colocation. Amid the new 'Bring Your Own Power' (BYOP) environment, Jeffrey and I ponder one possible long-term impact on the grid: Will data centers become power centers?


    Sign up for the Renewable Energy SmartBrief

    Show More Show Less
    33 mins
No reviews yet
In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.