Reporter Akshat Rathi speaks to Eric Toone of Breakthrough Energy Ventures about what’s hype and what’s not in the world of energy startups. Breakthrough is one of the world’s biggest funders of early stage climate technologies and has poured billions of dollars in more than 120 startups. Toone weighs in on everything from carbon removal to the grid, nuclear fusion, nuclear fission, and green hydrogen.

Explore further:

• Past episode about Commonwealth Fusion System’s reactors
• Past episode about the drilling techniques employed by geothermal startup Fervo
• Past episode about the plethora of carbon capture startups
• Past episode about the energy startup trying to replace coal with a very cheap battery
• Past episode about TS Conductor’s approach to reconductoring
• Past episode with Bill Gates about the areas of the energy sector he’s investing in

Zero is a production of Bloomberg Green. Our producer is Mythili Rao. Special thanks this week to Sharon Chen, Ethan Steinberg, and Jessica Beck. Thoughts or suggestions? Email us at zeropod@bloomberg.net. For more coverage of climate change and solutions, visit https://www.bloomberg.com/green.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

General Electric Co was officially founded in 1892, when several of inventor Thomas Edison's ventures were consolidated into one company. From then on, it was a behemoth. But now that’s changed: A break-up that began last year has concluded with GE splitting off into three separate companies. Scott Strazik is the CEO of GE Vernova, which focuses on wind turbines, nuclear power, and carbon capture, as well as grid solutions such as software and batteries. Strazik joins Zero to talk about how the company is in the "early innings of an investment super cycle," and how it intends to overcome difficulties in offshore wind.

Explore further:

• Past episode about the grid and the march toward electrification
• Past episode about how Microsoft is squaring its AI growth with its carbon negative ambitions
• Past episode with BloombergNEF’s Jenny Chase about the goal of tripling renewables by 2030

Zero is a production of Bloomberg Green. Our producer is Mythili Rao. Special thanks this week to Will Mathis, Siobhan Wagner, Monique Mulima, Ethan Steinberg, Blake Maples, and Jessica Beck. Thoughts or suggestions? Email us at zeropod@bloomberg.net. For more coverage of climate change and solutions, visit https://www.bloomberg.com/green.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It went well past the official deadline, late into the night – but finally, COP29 ended with a deal. Hardly anyone felt victorious. Back from Baku, reporter Akshat Rathi tells producer Mythili Rao why the agreed on New Climate Quantified Goal of $300 billion made both developed and developing countries unhappy, and he shares what heads of state and ministers from Denmark to Mauritania and Indonesia to Israel had to tell Zero about this year’s conference.

Explore further:

• Past episode about COP29 President Mukhtar Babayev’s challenges in Baku
• Past episode about why climate finance fights were expected to dominate COP29
• Past episode with Brazil’s climate secretary about the country’s vision for COP30

Zero is a production of Bloomberg Green. Our producer is Mythili Rao. Special thanks to Siobhan Wagner, Sharon Chen, Jen Dlouhy, Alfred Cang, John Ainger, Natasha White, Will Kennedy, Rakteem Katakey, and Aaron Rutkoff. Thoughts or suggestions? Email us at zeropod@bloomberg.net. For more coverage of climate change and solutions, visit https://www.bloomberg.com/green.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.