Catalyst with Shayle Kann

While many energy insiders remain focused on the staggering demand coming from AI and data centers, a much larger and far-reaching shift is happening. We are entering what Energy Impact Partners’ head of research Andy Lubershane calls the "electric supercycle" — a series of interlocking technological flywheels that are accelerating the clean energy transition faster than many may realize. In this episode, Shayle sits down with Andy to map out the interconnected nature of the "electric stack.” They unpack how early investments in solar and EVs are scaling up technologies that are now feeding back into grid infrastructure, and look ahead to the massive electricity demands of the coming robotics and defense industry boom. They also consider the pressing question of the ultimate rate limiters for meeting this demand. Shayle and Andy discuss topics like: - The power grid supply crunch - Why electricity prices have tracked inflation so far, but may surge past it when equipment costs hit retail customer bills. - The four pillars of the electroindustrial tech stack: Solar PV, lithium-ion batteries, EVs, and wide-bandgap power electronics - How a "Robo-Butler" load profile compares to other household appliances - How the defense industry could catalyze climate tech, especially batteries - Why physical transmission corridors remain the top rate limiter for the energy transition - Andy Lubershane’s Substack post, “Riding the Electric Supercycle” - Catalyst: Five big questions about the future of energy (with Andy Lubershane) - Catalyst: Surprising trends in global electricity generation - Catalyst: Live from Transition-AI 2026: Inside Google’s massive AI capex - Catalyst: AI scaling pathways: On grid, on edge, off grid, off planet - Open Circuit: America’s electricity rage is here - Open Circuit: Have we run out of big ideas to fix the grid? Credits: Hosted by Shayle Kann. Produced and edited by Max Savage Levenson. Original music and engineering by Sean Marquand. Stephen Lacey is our executive editor. Tune into Critical Capital, a brand new podcast from Crux and Latitude Studios. Hosted by Crux CEO Alfred Johnson, Critical Capital explores the interlocking forces powering clean and critical infrastructure. Join us every other Tuesday for in-depth conversations at the intersection of energy, government, finance, and global markets. Listen here, or wherever you get podcasts. Catalyst is brought to you by FischTank PR, an award-winning climate and energy tech, renewables, and sustainability-focused PR firm dedicated to elevating the work of both early-stage and established companies. Learn more about their PR approach and how they can support your company’s messaging by visiting fischtankpr.com. Catalyst is brought to you by EnergyHub. EnergyHub helps utilities build next-generation virtual power plants that unlock reliable flexibility at every level of the grid. See how EnergyHub helps unlock the power of flexibility at scale, and deliver more value through cross-DER dispatch with their leading Edge DERMS platform, by visiting energyhub.com.

Despite its ability to deliver ample carbon-free energy, the potential of geothermal and EGS is limited by the number of drilling sites close enough to the earth’s surface. But a few pioneering companies have landed on a potential solution: dig way deeper. In this episode, Shayle speaks with Carlos Araque, the founder of Quaise Energy. The company has developed millimeter-wave drills to vaporize rock, allowing them to dig up to twelve miles underground in search of water around 800 degrees Fahrenheit. That super hot and "supercritical" water packs a huge punch: ten times more energy density than traditional geothermal. Shayle and Carlos explore a range of topics, including: Why 800 degree water is the “ideal” temperature for deep geothermal How "activating" permeability in deep rock differs from traditional fracking The state of Quaise’s Oregon project pilot, including their goal of a commercial-grade flow test by the end of 2026 How the LCOE of super hot geothermal compares to traditional baseload energy sources Resources Catalyst: How geothermal gets built Open Circuit: Is this geothermal’s breakout moment? Latitude Media: Armed with $115 million, geothermal startup Zanskar gets ready to build Green Blueprint: Sage Geosystems’ bet on geothermal energy storage Latitude Media: Fervo’s Tim Latimer is ‘bullish’ on DOE funding for geothermal Credits: Hosted by Shayle Kann. Produced and edited by Max Savage Levenson. Original music and engineering by Sean Marquand. Stephen Lacey is our executive editor. Catalyst is brought to you by Uplight. Uplight activates energy customers and their connected devices to generate, shift, and save energy—improving grid resilience and energy affordability while accelerating decarbonization. Learn how Uplight is helping utilities unlock flexible load at scale at uplight.com. Catalyst is brought to you by Antenna Group, the public relations and strategic marketing agency of choice for climate, energy, and infrastructure leaders. If you're a startup, investor, or global corporation that's looking to tell your climate story, demonstrate your impact, or accelerate your growth, Antenna Group's team of industry insiders is ready to help. Learn more at antennagroup.com. Catalyst is brought to you by EnergyHub. EnergyHub helps utilities build next-generation virtual power plants that unlock reliable flexibility at every level of the grid. See how EnergyHub helps unlock the power of flexibility at scale, and deliver more value through cross-DER dispatch with their leading Edge DERMS platform, by visiting energyhub.com.

For decades, the physical equipment underpinning the electric grid has remained largely unchanged: passive, "dumb" devices installed as far back as the 1970s that lack much real-time control. But today, in the face of skyrocketing energy demand, a new class of technologies has emerged. In this episode, Drew Baglino, the founder and CEO of Heron Power, returns to the show to discuss his company’s new generation of solid-state transformers, or SSTs. After a 17-year career at Tesla — where he led energy and powertrain development — Drew is now focused on replacing the grid’s aging infrastructure with these advanced power electronics. Shayle and Drew take a deep dive into the history of the power transistor, and then explore how the SST has the potential to transform the grid into a highly optimized and intelligent machine. They cover topics like: The evolution of power electronics Why we still haven’t fixed the transformer shortage How Heron Power’s SSTs remove legacy transformers and switches to create a substantial uplift for project developers The potential to remove 70% of traditional electrical equipment at data centers by distributing power directly to the rack Why Drew thinks SSTs offer a "pathway toward affordability" Resources Catalyst: Drew Baglino on Tesla’s master plan Latitude Media: Inside Heron Power’s plan to transform the grid Catalyst: Understanding the electric transformer shortage Open Circuit: The grid resilience dilemma Latitude Media: These Autogrid alums want to change how data centers use power Credits: Hosted by Shayle Kann. Produced and edited by Max Savage Levenson. Original music and engineering by Sean Marquand. Stephen Lacey is our executive editor. Catalyst is brought to you by Uplight. Uplight activates energy customers and their connected devices to generate, shift, and save energy—improving grid resilience and energy affordability while accelerating decarbonization. Learn how Uplight is helping utilities unlock flexible load at scale at uplight.com. Catalyst is brought to you by Antenna Group, the public relations and strategic marketing agency of choice for climate, energy, and infrastructure leaders. If you're a startup, investor, or global corporation that's looking to tell your climate story, demonstrate your impact, or accelerate your growth, Antenna Group's team of industry insiders is ready to help. Learn more at antennagroup.com. Catalyst is brought to you by EnergyHub. EnergyHub helps utilities build next-generation virtual power plants that unlock reliable flexibility at every level of the grid. See how EnergyHub helps unlock the power of flexibility at scale, and deliver more value through cross-DER dispatch with their leading Edge DERMS platform, by visiting energyhub.com.

Spurred by a suite of executive orders and investments from the federal government, new nuclear reactors are coming soon. Or the announcements are at least. The advanced nuclear sector has found itself in the spotlight as companies race to acquire licenses and permits aimed at achieving "criticality.” But what do these milestones signify? And is hitting the deadlines even feasible? In this episode, Shayle talks to Katy Huff, former assistant secretary for nuclear energy at the Department of Energy and current associate professor at the University of Illinois. They unpack the wave of new nuclear announcements, the realities of navigating an arcane regulatory gauntlet, and what Katy considers a realistic timeline for new nuclear deployment. Shayle and Katy cover topics like: The NRC’s “murky” pre-application process The differences between various licensing pathways Why Katy views the DOE’s goal to have three reactors reach criticality by July 4th as “an extremely aggressive milestone” Upcoming revised guidance on nuclear radiation dose rates The challenges facing the DOE amidst a staff shortage Katy’s assessment of a feasible timeline for getting new reactors operational Why Katy doesn’t think microreactors are economically scalable…yet Catalyst: The US nuclear groundswell Open Circuit: Inside Meta’s massive nuclear push Latitude Media: The self-inflicted hurdles facing Trump’s nuclear orders Latitude Media: The Department of Energy’s 2026 playbook⁠ Credits: Hosted by Shayle Kann. Produced and edited by Max Savage Levenson. Original music and engineering by Sean Marquand. Stephen Lacey is our executive editor. Catalyst is brought to you by Uplight. Uplight activates energy customers and their connected devices to generate, shift, and save energy—improving grid resilience and energy affordability while accelerating decarbonization. Learn how Uplight is helping utilities unlock flexible load at scale at ⁠uplight.com⁠. Catalyst is brought to you by Antenna Group, the public relations and strategic marketing agency of choice for climate, energy, and infrastructure leaders. If you're a startup, investor, or global corporation that's looking to tell your climate story, demonstrate your impact, or accelerate your growth, Antenna Group's team of industry insiders is ready to help. Learn more at ⁠antennagroup.com⁠. Catalyst is brought to you by EnergyHub. EnergyHub helps utilities build next-generation virtual power plants that unlock reliable flexibility at every level of the grid. See how EnergyHub helps unlock the power of flexibility at scale, and deliver more value through cross-DER dispatch with their leading Edge DERMS platform, by visiting⁠ ⁠⁠energyhub.com⁠.

We are back for Part 2 of Shayle’s double header conversation with the veteran energy analyst Nat Bullard, dissecting his annual presentation on the state of decarbonization. If you missed it, we recommend you go back and listen to Part 1, which was released last week. In this episode, Shayle and Nat shift their focus from data centers to exploring other intriguing trends found in the data that Nat assembled—from the surprising resilience of clean energy stocks to the rising costs of solar installations in the US. Shayle and Nat dig into more topics including: Why the S&P Global Clean Energy Transition Index outperformed the S&P 500 and Nasdaq last year The steep drop in U.S. energy startup investment—from $8 billion in 2022 to just over $2 billion in 2025—and why Shayle thinks 2026 will see a massive rebound The impacts of an enormous oversupply of oil China’s skyrocketing share of global vehicle production The remarkable pace of residential battery storage adoption in Australia Resources Nat Bullard’s full 2026 presentation Catalyst: 2026 trends: Gas turbines, Texas’ load queue, and China electrifies Catalyst: 2025 trends: aerosols, oil demand, and carbon removal Catalyst: More 2025 trends: DeepSeek, plug-in hybrids, and curtailment Latitude: The year resiliency investment began to go mainstream Credits: Hosted by Shayle Kann. Produced and edited by Max Savage Levenson. Original music and engineering by Sean Marquand. Stephen Lacey is our executive editor. Catalyst is brought to you by Uplight. Uplight activates energy customers and their connected devices to generate, shift, and save energy—improving grid resilience and energy affordability while accelerating decarbonization. Learn how Uplight is helping utilities unlock flexible load at scale at uplight.com. Catalyst is brought to you by Antenna Group, the public relations and strategic marketing agency of choice for climate, energy, and infrastructure leaders. If you're a startup, investor, or global corporation that's looking to tell your climate story, demonstrate your impact, or accelerate your growth, Antenna Group's team of industry insiders is ready to help. Learn more at antennagroup.com.