Clean Integration

In this episode, we’re talking about digitalization and energy.

Peter Kelly-Detwiler, author and energy expert, joins Soluna CEO John Belizaire to discuss the digitization of the energy grid over the last decade, what problems it solves today, and how a decentralized grid may increase energy efficiency in years to come.  

With a 30-year career in energy, Peter has developed a background in both electricity markets and end-use technologies. This gives him unique and valuable insight into the interplay of technology on both sides of the meter.

Peter has worked to solve some of energy’s biggest problems around the world and throughout the U.S. Today, he is the Co-Founder of NorthBridge Energy Partners LLC, an independent consulting organization with expertise and perspective on US energy markets, and the author of the book The Energy Switch: How Companies and Customers are Transforming the Electrical Grid and the Future of Power.

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If you enjoyed this conversation and want to read more on this subject, check out To Win the War Against Fossil Fuels, We Need More Than Energy Storage on our blog! 

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To learn more about Soluna, please visit solunacomputing.com

Bill Nussey and John Belizaire both share a passion for solving the climate crisis and driving the clean energy revolution. 

Their approaches differ–Bill has been dedicated to ramping up local-scale solutions like rooftop or community solar and microgrids, and John has been working with large utility-scale solar and wind projects. While they are working at different scales, the concepts they talk about have applications across the board. 

Bill’s journey into clean energy began with a TED Talk, which grew into 100+ articles and, most recently, a top ten energy podcast called The Freeing Energy Podcast.  

In this episode, Bill and John discuss renewable energy development in Africa, solutions for today's energy grid, and his book Freeing Energy: How Innovators Are Using Local-Scale Solar and Batteries to Disrupt the Global Energy Industry from the Outside In,  where he dives into the Five Orders of Clean-Tech Innovation. 

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If you enjoyed this conversation and want to read more on this subject, check out Soluna Computing Solves the Wasted Energy Problem on our blog! 

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To learn more about Soluna, please visit solunacomputing.com

In February 2021, an extreme winter storm, the coldest in the last 50 years, caused a massive electricity generation failure in the state of Texas. 

It’s been referred to as The Great Texas Freeze. 

The grid failure lasted over two weeks in some parts of Texas and resulted in 

• a loss of power for more than 4.5 million homes,
• an estimated death toll of over 700 people
• and nearly 200 billion dollars in damages.

To put that in perspective, Texas is roughly the same size as France. 

It’s the second-largest state in America (Alaska being the largest). 

It was later reported by The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT)  that the Texas grid was only 4 minutes away from total collapse after this catastrophic storm. 

In this episode, we will unpack some of the causes behind the recent grid failings, how we might fix them, and the future of renewables in Texas.

Our guest today has a thorough grounding in Texas history and politics. Chris Tomlinson, a journalist with the Houston Chronicle and energy expert, has a unique understanding of Texas’ grid setup and the state’s energy politics. Tomlinson is the business columnist for The Houston Chronicle, where he covers energy, state politics, and policy. He previously worked as a correspondent and investigative reporter for the Associated Press in Austin and is the author of two books: Tomlinson Hill: The Remarkable Story of Two Families that Share the Tomlinson Name - One White, One Black and Forget The Alamo–both a reckoning with racism in America. 

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If you enjoyed this conversation and want to read more on this subject, check out Soluna Computing Solves the Wasted Energy Problem on our blog! 

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To learn more about Soluna, please visit solunacomputing.com

In our last episode, we dove into the ongoing debate over crypto mining regulation and the types of incentives that could stabilize the grid and catalyze clean power growth. 

In this episode, we examine a case study from 2014, when new Bitcoin miners quickly set up shop in Chelan County, Washington. Here to talk with us about the good, bad, and learning potential of this experience is Steve Wright, former head of Chelan’s Public Utility District or PUD. 

Like John, Steve was invited to testify at the House Oversight Subcommittee hearing called, “Cleaning up Crypto, the Energy Impacts of Blockchains.” During that hearing, our Members of Congress were seeking information about the sector’s energy use.

Together, John and Steve discuss:

• How Chelan County’s 2018 temporary moratorium on crypto mining changed the county going forward
• How the concept of flexible load change utilities and grid infrastructure in the next decade
• The utility perspective on potential regulations encouraging innovation and ensuring responsible growth in crypto and clean energy

This episode was recorded on February 11, 2022. Since then, President Joe Biden has released an Executive Order on Ensuring Responsible Development of Digital Assets to which John has responded for Blockworks.

If you enjoyed this conversation and want to read more on this subject, check out Bitcoin’s Energy Consumption is a Feature, Not a Bug on our blog! 

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To learn more about Soluna, please visit soluancomputing.com

Lawmakers are ramping up pressure on Bitcoin miners who use fossil fuels to operate. 

On January 20, 2022, CEO John Belizaire was invited to testify at the House Oversight Subcommittee hearing called, “Cleaning up Crypto, the Energy Impacts of Blockchains”   During that hearing our Members of Congress were seeking information about the sector’s energy use. 

On January 27, 2022, Senator Elizabeth Warren sent a letter to the top six crypto companies demanding information about their energy use and impacts “Top Bitcoin Miners Pressed by U.S. Lawmakers to Detail Climate Impact, Power Consumption” 

Previously, On July 27, 2021, the Senate held a hearing called, “Cryptocurrencies, what are they good for?” hearing.  

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In this episode, Soluna Computing CEO John Belizaire is talking about crypto energy policy with Sanjeev Kumar, an expert advisor in the renewable energy space, and Kathyrn Carpenter, Founder of Cecilia Energy, a green hydrogen start-up.

Together, John, Kathryn, and Sanjeev answer:

• Is there a reasonable policy compromise that would increase pressure on ‘dirty’ energy mining and promote innovative practices of using renewable energy excess instead?
• What’s at stake at the ‘PoW vs. PoS’ tension that has been brought into policymakers' focus?
• Is an aspect of this policy debate that the crypto community can rally around?
• What will happen next on the crypto and energy policy fronts?

This episode was recorded on February 4, 2022. Since then, President Joe Biden has released an Executive Order on Ensuring Responsible Development of Digital Assets to which John has responded for Blockworks.

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If you enjoyed this conversation and want to read more on this subject, check out Bitcoin’s Energy Consumption is a Feature, Not a Bug on our blog! 

Connect with us on LinkedIn, YouTube, and Twitter @SolunaHoldings

Subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to know when our next episode drops. 

To learn more about Soluna, please visit soluancomputing.com

We’ll be launching a new season of our podcast this month. 

(You might be familiar with previous Soluna podcast seasons, known as The Kingdom. )

This season, we’re focused on exploring the nexus of computing and clean energy. 

John Belizaire, CEO of Soluna Computing, had some great conversations with top experts about the grid transition, policy implications, new computing technologies, the utility’s perspective on crypto mining, and more. 

In the meantime, here are some of our favorite moments from Season 1. 

We hope this will give you a feel of what to expect in Season 2. 

Timestamps: 

00:27 The Future of Renewable Energy with the Soluna Team, Dip Patel CTO of Soluna 

00:58 The Future of Renewable Energy with Sanjeev Kumar 

01:13 What It Will Take To Be 100% Renewable with Rob Gramlich, Phillip Ng, VP of Corporate Development at Soluna

01:36 Renewable Energy in Bitcoin Mining with Jesse Peltan

Stay tuned for the launch of Season 2 on March 15, 2022. 

Connect with us on LinkedIn, YouTube, and Twitter @SolunaHoldings

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To learn more about Soluna, please visit soluancomputing.com

In this episode, we are talking to Andy Edstrom, CFA, CFP is a financial advisor and also Head of Institutional at Swan Bitcoin. He may be best known in Bitcoin for authoring the book Why Buy Bitcoin, opining that MicroStrategy might borrow in order to buy Bitcoin, and for shaming wealth managers for not owning Bitcoin for their clients.  

We talk about the rising interest in Bitcoin from well-known institutions, the case for Bitcoin as a form of money, and the increase of direct investment in crypto assets. 

• Why is Bitcoin a better alternative to gold?
• What regulatory trends should we be aware of?
• What is Bitcoin’s relationship to renewable energy?

All of this and more on this episode!

If you enjoyed this conversation and want to read more on this subject, check out Bitcoin Is A Better Battery on our blog!

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To learn more about Soluna, please visit soluancomputing.com

This episode was originally released on March 18, 2021, for The Kingdom podcast. 

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In this episode, we’re looking ahead at the role of government and technological innovation in the future of renewable energy. John, CEO of Soluna talks to Jonathan (Jonny) Sultoon, the Head of Markets & Transitions, Energy Transition Practice at Wood Mackenzie. 

Jonathan has over 18 years of experience leading analysis for global energy markets, including power, coal, gas, LNG, and renewables. He joined Wood Mackenzie in 2006 and leads a team of analysts designing research for the energy transition. The team extends across all segments, all markets, and all fuels and technologies. 

In this conversation, we discuss the renewable energy landscape after the Coronavirus pandemic. We question the impact proposed regulations (or lack thereof) will have on Climate Change. We ask about the prospects of green hydrogen, and finally, we prod at the idea that fossil fuel is dead in the light of renewable energy innovation. 

If you enjoyed this conversation and want to read more on this subject, check out Zero-Carbon Cloud: Solving Renewable Energy’s Biggest Challenge on our blog!

Connect with us on LinkedIn, YouTube, and Twitter @SolunaHoldings

Subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to know when our next episode drops. 

To learn more about Soluna, please visit soluancomputing.com

This episode was originally released on February 18, 2021, for The Kingdom podcast. 

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What solutions do batteries offer to renewable energy’s biggest problem?

In this episode, Jeff Bishop, CEO, and co-founder of KeyCapture Energy, a utility-scale battery provider, talked to John Belizaire, CEO, and Suzy Peng, Summer Associate at Soluna. Together, they took a deep dive into the world of batteries.

Jeff’s extensive experience in the battery and energy industries guide our conversation in this episode as we unpack the ins and outs of grid-scale storage. We learn a lot about the business of batteries and battery technology, as well as address the benefits of batteries– such as the solutions they offer to challenges with intermittent power generation. 

If you enjoyed this conversation and want to read more on this subject, check out Disconnected: Our Electric Grid’s Struggle with Renewable Energy on our blog!

Connect with us on LinkedIn, YouTube, and Twitter @SolunaHoldings

Subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to know when our next episode drops. 

To learn more about Soluna, please visit soluancomputing.com

This episode was originally released on November 6, 2020, for The Kingdom podcast. 

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What will the future of crypto mining look like?

In this episode, we’re thinking ahead about the relationship between mining and energy, and where renewables will play a role. John, CEO of Soluna, and Phillip, VP of Corporate Development, talk to Jesse Peltan, co-founder and CTO of HODL Ranch –  a developer of large-scale Bitcoin mining projects in Texas. Jesse dropped out of college to become a co-founder and is on a mission to bring hashrate to the US.

Jesse shares his first-hand experience in the industry since 2017, where value creation in institutional scale mining has shifted. These shifts have inevitably had an impact on power generation, cost, and distribution. You can expect to learn more about the changing mining industry, especially in the competitive deregulated power market in Texas. 

Additionally, we discuss the future of renewable energy in bitcoin mining–where it works and where it doesn’t–and the importance of decentralized finance throughout the world.  

If you enjoyed this conversation and want to read more on this subject, check out The Golden Triangle: Understanding the Long-Term Profitability and Competitive Dynamics of Mining on our blog!

Connect with us on LinkedIn, YouTube, and Twitter @SolunaHoldings

Subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to know when our next episode drops. 

To learn more about Soluna, please visit soluancomputing.com 

In this episode, the team at Soluna is hosting William Eckhardt Professor of Computer Science at the University of Chicago, and Senior Computer Scientist at Argonne National Labs, Andrew Chien. Our work at Soluna builds upon his research that shows adding dispatchable load not only reduces stranded power, but it also improves both grid cost and stability. Ultimately, this allows for higher penetration of renewable energy within an existing system. 

His work started with one crucial question: “How do we minimize the negative impacts of computing, even though it’s doing good or serving a useful purpose?” We learn more about his introduction to computer science, the course of his research in machine learning, cloud computing, and clean energy. We then talk about the practical and theoretical applications of zero-carbon cloud computing now and in the future. 

If you enjoyed this conversation and want to read more on this subject, check out “Zero-Carbon Cloud: Solving Renewable Energy’s Biggest Problem” on our blog.

Connect with us on LinkedIn, YouTube, and Twitter @SolunaHoldings

Subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to know when our next episode drops. 

To learn more about Soluna, please visit soluancomputing.com

What will it take to reach 100% renewable energy? 

John, CEO of Soluna, and Phillip, head of Corporate Development, talk to Rob Gramlich, CEO of Grid Strategies– a company with a mission to heighten the efficiency of the development and operation of energy grids. This chat is rich with information thanks to Rob’s extensive experience in the energy sector. 

You can expect to learn more about the changing structure of energy grids in terms of development and operation and its direct impact on the development of renewables from Rob’s first-hand experience in the industry. Additionally, they discuss the growth (or lack thereof) of energy investment in different parts of the world and what this means for reaching total renewable energy. 

If you enjoyed this conversation and want to read more on this subject, check out Disconnected: Our Electric Grid’s Struggle with Renewable Energy on our blog! 

Connect with us on LinkedIn, YouTube, and Twitter @SolunaHoldings

Subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to know when our next episode drops. 

To learn more about Soluna, please visit soluancomputing.com

This episode was originally released on August 20, 2020, for The Kingdom podcast. 

We talk to Sanjeev Kumar, a strategic advisor to Soluna, and Bill Hayes, former Head of Legal and External Affairs at Kosmos Energy to learn more about the oil, especially as the industry faces disruption during the Coronavirus pandemic. 

Tune in for an interesting educational lesson on the history of oil, its rise as an energy source, and its influence on the global economy. Then, we unpack the complexity of the oil industry from Texas to Africa in the last few decades and the technological innovations that have saved the industry through its historical challenges. 

We question the future of oil and the recent impact of renewables on the industry, gaining invaluable insight from Sanjeev and Bill learnings from their extensive experience in the energy industry. 

Could these recent challenges be the catalyst for a Renewable Future?

For the article Phil Ng mentioned during the episode, read The Shale Apocolypse, and What It Can Teach Bitcoin Miners on our blog! 

Connect with us on LinkedIn, YouTube, and Twitter @SolunaHoldings

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This episode was originally released on July 8, 2020, for The Kingdom podcast. 

To learn more about Soluna, please visit soluancomputing.com

John Belizaire, CEO of Soluna Computing, sits with Ashley Capuzzi to discuss John’s experience with diversity as a leader in the fields of technology and renewable energy. 

In this episode, you’ll also hear John talk about his background in tech, his drive for entrepreneurship, for learning about people, and how he found himself in the renewable energy space.

As one of Soluna’s core values, diversity is not only important to our team but truly makes up our company’s DNA. As we kick off season 2 of our podcast, which will focus on renewable energy, we’re excited to share with you some wonderful conversations with people from all different walks of life, experiences, and expertise. 

Connect with us on LinkedIn, YouTube, and Twitter @SolunaHoldings

Subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to know when our next episode drops. 

To learn more about Soluna, please visit soluancomputing.com

This episode was originally released on June 24, 2020, for The Kingdom podcast. 

Sanjeev Kumar is a veteran in the energy industry. For most of his career, he has led and grown companies at the forefront of energy and innovation. As a strategic advisor to Soluna, he joins us in conversation to discuss a bit of energy industry history, the future of renewable energy, climate change, among other things. 

Here’s what you can expect to learn: 

• What shifts have we seen in energy sources?
• How have energy investments and incentives changed?
• What are some barriers to renewable energy adoption?

For more on what you heard today, read “Disconnected: Our Electric Grid’s Struggle with Renewable Energy” on our blog!

Connect with us on LinkedIn, YouTube, and Twitter @SolunaHoldings

Subscribe to our newsletter to be the first to know when our next episode drops.

To learn more about Soluna, please visit soluancomputing.com

This episode was originally released on June 17, 2020, for The Kingdom podcast. 

The Soluna Computing team gets together for a new season of Clean Integration! This season we will be focusing on all things related to renewable energy innovation, including conversations with experts in the field.

To kick off the season, John Belizaire, CEO, is in conversation with Dip Patel, CTO; Phillip Ng, VP of Corporate Development; and Larbi Louyidi, VP of Energy.

Together, they address the need for renewable energy development, investment, and data center innovation, among many other things. Here’s some of what you can expect to hear:

• “There is an appeal that the cost of renewable energy makes it compelling to add to the overall energy market. It’s getting to a point where it could become cheaper than coal.” –John Belizaire, CEO, on renewable energy investment
• “There are about a billion people without access to reliable electricity. That’s 1 of 7 humans on Earth and about half of them live on the African continent.” –Phillip Ng, VP of Corporate Development

Sources referenced in this episode: 2018 IPCC Report, Lazard 2019 Cost Report

For more on what we covered in this episode, check out How to Drive More Renewable Energy Development in Africa (and Beyond) on our blog!

Connect with us on LinkedIn, YouTube, and Twitter @SolunaHoldings

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This episode was originally released on June 10, 2020, for The Kingdom podcast.