{"podcast":{"title":"Energy Gang","slug":"energy-gang-887131","podcast_index_feed_id":887131,"rss_url":"https://rss.art19.com/the-energy-gang","website_url":"https://art19.com/shows/the-energy-gang","image_url":"https://content.production.cdn.art19.com/images/eb/77/cd/8a/eb77cd8a-67ce-411b-bf0e-c526711bc1aa/3c13de2a603359e3c72edb66785394ca3cd8d31691034f741cce62e4014c8c528ce94e6791256bba4882574c2084270cc5b6d84e7d332025e5434515d4927872.jpeg","author":"Wood Mackenzie","episode_count":579,"summary":"Covering breaking news in clean tech, going deep on global energy policy, and debating the levers that need to move to accelerate the energy transition. Energy Gang is the podcast covering clean energy technology, renewable energy, and the environment. The world of clean energy moves fast, and you need a reliable source to stay on top of the news that matters. You’ll find it on Wood Mackenzie’s Energy Gang . How will changes to the US government affect decarbonisation and energy security? When will hydrogen, nuclear and carbon capture deploy at scale? Where’s the money for the energy transition green finance coming from and how much more is needed? What’s the outlook for EVs? What are the energy predictions for solar energy? What's the latest on climate change? Get answers to questions like these, bi-weekly on Tuesdays at 7am ET. Plus, get special live episodes recorded at the biggest climate and energy events throughout the year, like COP30 and Climate Week NYC. Don’t worry if you can’t make it in person, Energy Gang brings you all the updates on energy policy, energy finance and energy innovation you need to hear. Energy Gang is presented by Wood Mackenzie and hosted by Ed Crook…","last_synced_at":"2026-07-14T18:23:06.292646+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/energy-gang-887131"},"episode":{"title":"Are VPPs really a viable solution for easing strain on the grid? Tesla say yes, and they have big plans","slug":"are-vpps-really-a-viable-solution-for-easing-strain-on-the-grid-tesla-say-yes-and-they-have-big-plans","published_at":"2026-03-03T12:30:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/energy-gang-887131/are-vpps-really-a-viable-solution-for-easing-strain-on-the-grid-tesla-say-yes-and-they-have-big-plans","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/energy-gang-887131","url":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/rss.art19.com/episodes/483a67f1-c8b4-4972-8a1b-02ed309ae9af.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIg90cmFuc2NyaWJyBjoGRVQ%3D--952c5701c84ad333c69d5faa668f8177091704f0","audio_url":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/rss.art19.com/episodes/483a67f1-c8b4-4972-8a1b-02ed309ae9af.mp3?rss_browser=BAhJIg90cmFuc2NyaWJyBjoGRVQ%3D--952c5701c84ad333c69d5faa668f8177091704f0","summary":"VPPs – virtual power plants – continue to spark heated debate. Are they genuinely a fast, affordable way to add capacity to the grid? Or are they an overhyped concept that falls apart when electricity systems are under stress? To find out, host Ed Crooks welcomes Colby Hastings, the senior director for residential energy at Tesla, to unpack what VPPs can and can’t do for the grid. Colby explains how storage-based VPPs can behave very differently from the classic demand response that relies on consumers changing their behaviour. She sets out Tesla’s thinking on VPPs, including its strategies for customer participation, reliability, and pay-for-performance. Tesla’s model includes opt-outs, backup reserve settings, and transparency via an app. Customer choice is an important principle. Regular guest Amy Myers Jaffy also joins the show, and she debates what’s holding VPPs back from scaling everywhere. Electricity market design can be critical for determining how fast VPPs are adopted. Other issues, including concerns about “double compensation” under net metering systems, are also important. Some regions are moving faster than others. Finally, Colby tells us what’s coming next from Tesla and in the industry. Tesla’s vehicle-to-grid plans are starting to take shape. A pilot, starting with the Cybertruck, was launched last month. And she explains why Puerto Rico is one of the clearest case studies for demonstrating the value of VPPs as critical infrastructure. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .","meta_description":"VPPs – virtual power plants – continue to spark heated debate. Are they genuinely a fast, affordable way to add capacity to the grid? Or are they an overh…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3478,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/energy-gang-887131/episodes/are-vpps-really-a-viable-solution-for-easing-strain-on-the-grid-tesla-say-yes-and-they-have-big-plans/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/energy-gang-887131/are-vpps-really-a-viable-solution-for-easing-strain-on-the-grid-tesla-say-yes-and-they-have-big-plans.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}