The Clean Energy Show

What happens when batteries become so cheap that every home can afford one? In this encore episode, Brian and James explore a future where ultra-low-cost batteries transform the electric grid, eliminate blackouts, and make renewable energy even more powerful.
They also take a look at a hydrogen-powered bicycle unveiled in Europe and ask whether hydrogen has any future in personal transportation. Plus, Paris slashes air pollution ahead of the Olympic Games, Italy unveils a plan to support clean energy and food security in Africa, and Ford opens EV sales to all of its dealerships.
In The Lightning Round: Canadian EV sales surge, solar power keeps breaking records, oil demand faces an uncertain future, Switzerland votes for more solar, and China's renewable energy investments reach staggering levels.
All that and more on this encore presentation of The Clean Energy Show.
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Copyright 2026 Sneeze Media.

James is recovering from surgery so here's a shortened version of last week's bonus episode for our Patreon supporters.
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First, Brian says he's maintaining a nearly 300-day Wordle streak and why a simple word puzzle can become an unexpected source of anxiety.
Then things get much more serious as James recounts a destructive hailstorm that hit his neighborhood. The conversation turns to insurance claims, climate change, and the growing financial impact of increasingly extreme weather events.
The guys also revisit China's auto market, where gasoline-only vehicles continue to lose ground. New sales data shows EVs, plug-in hybrids, and range-extended electric vehicles now dominate the country's best-selling models, highlighting how quickly the market is changing.
Staying with China, Brian and James discuss BYD's plans for Canada and the company's move to bring its ultra-fast flash-charging network north of the border. Could Canadian EV drivers soon see charging speeds that rival a gas station stop?
Finally, they head to Finland, where waste heat from Microsoft data centers is being captured and used to warm entire communities. It's a fascinating example of how creative energy solutions can turn a problem into a resource.
Plus: weather complaints, technology tangents, and the usual bonus-show chaos.
Thank you for supporting The Clean Energy Show through Patreon. Your support helps keep the show independent and growing.
Contact Us
cleanenergyshow@gmail.com or leave us an online voicemail: http://speakpipe.com/clean
Support The Clean Energy Show
Join the Clean Club on our Patreon Page to receive perks for supporting the podcast and our planet!
Our PayPal Donate Page offers one-time or regular donations.
Store
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Copyright 2026 Sneeze Media.

China's EV revolution is delivering a surprising health benefit. New research suggests electric vehicles have cut air pollution enough to prevent an estimated 262,000 premature deaths, while gas-powered vehicles have completely disappeared from China's top ten best-selling vehicle rankings.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup may face an unexpected opponent: extreme heat. New analysis suggests players, fans, and organizers could all be challenged by rising temperatures and humidity across host cities in Canada, the U.S., and Mexico.
California's first major eight-hour battery storage facility is now online, providing a glimpse of how solar power could keep the lights on long after sunset and helping pave the way toward a fossil-free electricity grid.
Move over agrivoltaics. Researchers in Denmark are exploring offshore wind-aquaculture, using wind farm areas to grow seaweed that could become food, animal feed, and industrial materials while making better use of ocean space.
We also hear from Eric in California about municipal utilities and why some communities pay far less for electricity than customers served by large investor-owned utilities.
In the Lightning Round: a major uranium enrichment expansion in the United States, an advanced microreactor reaches a key milestone, questions emerge about a much-hyped battery startup, BYD's rapid expansion in Mexico, synthetic aviation fuel, a massive new transmission line linking Quebec and New York City, Waymo's latest acquisition, and more.
Plus, Brian reports from Waterton Lakes National Park, James talks about a recent high school presentation, and we discuss why fossil fuels are increasingly looking like a national security risk while renewable energy keeps getting cheaper.
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Copyright 2026 Sneeze Media.

The surprising solar phenomenon called the "cloud edge effect" shows how panels can sometimes generate more power than their rated capacity.
Also this week: a new wildfire study reveals that while fewer hectares are burning globally, the fires that do occur are increasingly hitting wealthy, populated areas—causing far greater economic damage. And France's nuclear utility EDF is considering adding cooling towers to some reactors as climate change warms rivers and challenges plant operations.
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In This Episode:
North America's grid enters summer in stronger shape than last year
Why solar and batteries are improving reliability across the U.S.
Saskatchewan remains at risk during extreme heat events
The Philippines experiences explosive rooftop solar growth
Why solar can occasionally exceed its rated output
The "cloud edge effect" explained
Wildfires are burning less land but causing more destruction
Canada records another year of extreme wildfire emissions
How climate change is affecting nuclear power operations in France
EDF's plans to climate-proof its reactors and hydro assets
Lightning Round:
Australians are illegally connecting portable home batteries
Tesla patents a camera-cleaning system for self-driving cars
China's flying car industry takes another step forward
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Support The Clean Energy Show
Join the Clean Club on our Patreon Page to receive perks for supporting the podcast and our planet!
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Store
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Copyright 2026 Sneeze Media.

From Americans now being able to use healthcare savings accounts to buy e-bikes, to a massive new 5 GWh thermal battery project in South Dakota that stores renewable electricity as heat inside giant carbon blocks. James and Brian also discuss the UK's record May heatwave and growing calls for air conditioning in schools and care homes as climate change pushes temperatures higher.
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The guys also explore why rooftop solar is exploding in Pakistan while prices remain stubbornly high in Canada, and they react to listener mail from a Chevy Bolt owner who received an oil change reminder for an EV with "0% oil life remaining."
In the Lightning Round:
Cuba begins installing turbines at its largest-ever wind farm

Tesla launches "Quiet Charging Zones" at some Superchargers

Africa ramps up domestic solar panel manufacturing

China-built car exports to Europe surge

EVs are expected to hit 28% of global new car sales in 2026

Waymo pauses freeway robotaxi trips over construction-zone issues

India surpasses the United States in EV adoption rates

Why even an EV powered entirely by coal can still beat a gas car on emissions

Plus, James shares a shocking comparison between lead pollution during the Flint water crisis and 1970s Los Angeles that helped shape Brian's environmental worldview.
Contact Us
cleanenergyshow@gmail.com or leave us an online voicemail: http://speakpipe.com/clean
Support The Clean Energy Show
Join the Clean Club on our Patreon Page to receive perks for supporting the podcast and our planet!
Our PayPal Donate Page offers one-time or regular donations.
Store
Visit The Clean Energy Show Store for T-shirts, hats, and more!.
Copyright 2026 Sneeze Media.