At the start of the year things were looking uncertain for nascent renewables like hydrogen and geothermal. With policy support from the previous US administration they had boomed with the IRA, then came July 2025 and the Trump administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill, which tore up tax credits and removed incentives for those renewable technologies. As we approach the end of the year, has anything changed for the better? How are hydrogen, wind and geothermal looking as we prepare for 2026?

Regular host Sylvia Leyva Martinez is on maternity leave until the middle of next year, so her fellow energy analyst Bridget van Dorsten is stepping up to keep the mic warm. Bridget is an analyst researching hydrogen, but she has an engineer’s understanding of technologies across the energy spectrum. She doesn’t just cover that ‘frustrating, inefficient, expensive-to-move-around molecule’ (as she calls it); she knows what’s real in the energy world and what’s just hype.

To kick off her tenure as host she’s picked out a few highlights from the year relating to those important renewables – geothermal, hydrogen and wind. Looking back on those conversations Sylvia had with experts on those fields, Bridget then gives the energy analyst’s view on how things are progressing in the current policy environment. Expect in-depth analysis on what’s changed, and the key stats and forecasts you need to know as 2026 approaches.

Plus, Bridget looks back on the conversation Sylvia had with energy investors back in July, when we saw the oil and gas majors like Shell and Equinor announce they were scaling back their climate ambitions under pressure from investors. Bridget explores why the energy transition is unfolding slower than expected, how shareholder pressure is reshaping low-carbon strategies, and why companies like TotalEnergies and Shell have retreated from their plans to phase down fossil fuels.

Bridget will be hosting until mid-next-year, and she wants to know what topics you want explored.

Connect with the show and let us know what you want to hear, on LinkedIn, X or Bluesky at @interchangeshow, and follow the podcast so you don’t miss the episodes coming in the new year.

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Utility-scale clean energy projects in development are still facing connection queues and regulatory barriers. RE+ may be done for 2025, but the debate is still going. Host Sylvia Leyva Martinez, Research Director at Wood Mackenzie, sits down with three leaders who are driving progress from different corners of the energy transition, from utility-scale project development to digital grid optimisation and solar system reliability.

Sylvia Leyva Martinez and her guests discuss how federal and state regulations shape project timelines and financing, the latest innovations in the grid and the future of interconnection studies, the supply chain outlook for developers and technology providers, and how policy and software are converging to accelerate the energy transition.

In this episode you’ll hear from:

Angela Amos from AES Clean Energy - As Director of Commercial Strategy & Innovation, Angela brings a unique vantage point that bridges policy, finance, and market execution. Drawing on her experience at AES, Uplight, and FERC, Angela shares how developers are navigating an evolving regulatory landscape, adapting to federal and state policy shifts, and rethinking how technology integration shapes long-term strategy. She also discusses how AES is approaching supply chain partnerships and what “innovation” really looks like at a global energy developer.

Lindsey Williams from Shoals Technologies Group - Lindsey is VP of Marketing & Communications at Shoals, and she joins Sylvia to unpack the latest in solar and storage performance. Building on Shoals’ recent focus on EBOS (Electrical Balance of System), Lindsey reflects on how component design, reliability, and digital monitoring are redefining project outcomes. She also shares what she heard from the floor at RE+, including the big industry talking points shaping developer confidence and long-term investment certainty in clean energy infrastructure.

Inalvis Alvarez Fernandez from Simple Thread - Inalvis is a Senior Energy Technology Engineer at Simple Thread, and she explains how digital tools like Minerva are helping reduce project backlogs, streamline utility processes, and unlock grid capacity faster. Inalvis also discusses the challenges clean energy companies face scaling renewables and how regulatory clarity can enable more efficient technology deployment.

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Electrification is surging, AI data centres are multiplying, and volatility is rising on both sides of the meter. Can storage step in as the flexible backbone the US grid now needs?

Host Sylvia Leyva Martinez is joined by Joanna Martin Ziegenfuss, General Manager for Strategic Market Development (North America), and Ruchira Shah, General Manager of Software Product Management at Wärtsilä Energy Storage. Together they unpack how high-performance hardware paired with sophisticated control software delivers real-time flexibility, from synthetic inertia and fast frequency response to price arbitrage and microgrid operation.

The conversation tracks the shift from treating storage as a bolt-on to renewables to viewing it as a core reliability asset. Sylvia, Joanna and Ruchi explore how AI-driven load growth and volatile demand profiles change planning assumptions; why interconnection queues are pushing some data centres toward on-site generation plus batteries; and how market rules and policy must evolve to reward flexibility and sub-second response. They also dig into software’s role in future-proofing assets as grid requirements tighten, and where innovators are already meeting new performance thresholds.

If you’re navigating project economics, market design or grid operations in a fast-changing landscape, this episode offers a pragmatic look at what’s working, what’s missing, and why storage is set to anchor a resilient, decarbonised grid.

This episode is brought to you by Wärtsilä Energy Storage – Wärtsilä delivers high performing, large-scale energy storage systems by combining sophisticated software, robust safety, and long‑term reliability—empowering utility, IPP, and data center customers to maximize energy value and investment returns. To learn more, visit: https://www.wartsila.com/energy/energy-storage?utm_source=woodmac&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=energy_storage_saving_the_grid&utm_content=host

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