Volts

Volts

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Volts Jump-Start guide
A list of essential episodes & a tool to search the Volts library
 • Samuel R (Volts team)
1:48:12
All about "reactionary centrism"
Michael Hobbes joins me to diagnose the pundit class's obsession with scolding the left while the right burns down the house.
 • David Roberts
1:08:20
How to make rooftop solar power as cheap in the US as it is in Australia
Nick Josefowitz and Andrew Birch join me to explain how slashing red tape can bring Australian solar prices to the US.
 • David Roberts
Volts community thread #26
Open to all free & paid subscribers.
 • David Roberts and Samuel R (Volts team)
1:15:18
Let's dig a little deeper into virtual power plants (VPPs)
EnergyHub CEO Seth Frader-Thompson joins me to distinguish between old-school demand response and true virtual power plants (VPPs).
 • David Roberts
1:29:10
Making the electricity grid work like the internet
Jonas Birgersson joins me to explain how "packet-switching" for electrons can lead to energy abundance and grid resilience.
 • David Roberts
1:05:03
What's the deal with closed-loop geothermal?
I talk to Eavor’s Jeanine Vany and Mark Fitzgerald about the engineering breakthroughs that could finally make geothermal geography-agnostic.
 • David Roberts
59:21
NYC's congestion pricing has been running for a year now. How's it doing?
Kate Slevin joins me to break down the almost unqualified success of the controversial program's first year.
 • David Roberts
56:41
Sen. Brian Schatz wants permitting reform, but not like this
Hawaii's senator on the Trump "solar ban," the pivot to energy affordability, and the hard lessons of the IRA.
 • David Roberts
Volts 5 year anniversary! + community thread #25
Open to all free & paid subscribers.
 • David Roberts and Samuel R (Volts team)
1:27:31
What's the real story with Australian rooftop solar?
Saul Griffith joins me to debunk the myths surrounding Australia's massive influx of solar energy.
 • David Roberts
1:10:20
The cure for misinformation is not more information or smarter news consumers
Political scientist Samuel Bagg explains why social identity is at the root of the misinformation crisis -- which calls for something deeper than…
 • David Roberts
47:28
Sen. Ruben Gallego has a new energy plan
We discuss nuclear power, permitting reform, data centers, and more.
 • David Roberts
1:14:09
Advocating for decarbonization in 2026
Aliya Haq is working toward a movement that builds rather than blocks.
 • David Roberts
Volts
Volts
A newsletter, podcast, & community focused on the technology, politics, and policy of decarbonization. In your inbox once or twice a week.

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