Electrify This! Podcast

Electrify This! is a podcast focused on electrification as a primary pathway to decarbonize and revitalize our economy. Featuring diverse experts, the show examines the most important policy, regulatory, and market issues surrounding the shift to electrified transportation, buildings, and industry. Electrify This! helps demystify issues surrounding the transition to clean electricity and the electrification – replacing the technologies and systems that still run on fossil fuels, such as gas and oil, with alternatives that run on electricity, like electric vehicles, heat pumps, and induction stoves. Each show, we discuss cutting edge topics, policy successes, market challenges, and scalable solutions. Electrify This! is an original Energy Innovation podcast hosted by Sara Baldwin, Senior Director of Electrification.

Our podcasts are accessible under the CC BY license. Users are free to copy, distribute, transform, and build upon the material as long as they credit Energy Innovation for the original creation and indicate if changes were made.


A Roadmap for the Zero-Carbon Industrial Transition (Part 1 of 3)

Did you know that industrial activity around the world is responsible for one-third of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions? In the U.S. alone, direct emissions from the industrial sector make up 23 percent of our total emissions. The industrial sector is…

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“What’s Really Needed To Cut U.S. Emissions Faster This Decade?”

Season 4 of Electrify This! kicks off the new year to unpack a big question: “What’s really needed to cut U.S. emissions faster this decade?” Host Sara Baldwin is joined by guests Ed Rightor and Sue Tierney, two co-authors of…

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An Electrifying Year: A 2023 Retrospective

From the implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to myriad actions on EVs, buildings, hydrogen, and renewable energy. EI’s Sara Baldwin is joined by experts to recap top electrification headlines and discuss the trends ahead.

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Billions in New DOE Home Energy Retrofit Programs and Workforce Funding: What States Need To Know

Over $8 billion in rebates for home energy efficiency programs have become available to state and federal governments through the Inflation Reduction Act. On this episode of Electrify This!, Sara Baldwin discusses the state-based home energy rebates with Karen Zelmar and Mary MacPherson, two program managers at the Department of Energy’s Office of State and Community Energy Programs.

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States in the Electric Vehicle Driver’s Seat

States have driven transportation electrification and are accelerating action to adopt and implement electric vehicle (EV) policies, regulations, and programs. On this episode of Electrify This!, Sara Baldwin discusses how states are supporting EV markets, building EV supply chains, and ensuring equitable EV access with Peter Huether of the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy’s Transportation Program and Nevada State Assemblyman Howard Watts.

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On the Move: Policy Accelerates the U.S. Electric Vehicle Market

Vehicle electrification is accelerating thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Inflation Reduction Act, and state policies. In addition, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s newly proposed tailpipe pollution standards for light-, medium- and heavy-duty vehicles could transform our transportation future. Host Sara Baldwin speaks with Thomas Boylan of the Zero Emission Transportation Association and Tricia DelloIacono of CALSTART to discuss the U.S. electric vehicle market, exciting supply chain developments, and how to ensure a smooth transition.

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Making Energy Efficiency And Electrification Programs Work For People

The Inflation Reduction Act allocates billions of dollars in rebates and incentives for home and building upgrades over the next ten years. In this episode, host Sara Baldwin speaks with researchers Dr. Yunus Kinkhabwala of PSE Healthy Energy and Dr. Arjun Makhijani of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research, as well as heat pump and efficiency expert Dana Fischer with Mitsubishi Electric US to discuss program design and strategies that will ensure all people, especially low- to moderate income households and underserved communities, benefit from new funding.

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National Leaders on the Future of Climate and Electrification

Three national climate policy stars kick off season 3 of Electrify This! to recap 2022 successes, predict what’s in store for 2023, and outline Inflation Reduction Act benefits. Host Sara Baldwin speaks with U.S. Senator Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, U.S. Representative Kathy Castor of Florida, and Kelly Speakes-Backman, Executive Vice President of Public Affairs with Invenergy to get their insights on how we made major progress last year and why we can expect an action-packed year ahead!

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From COP 27 to Corporations: Electrifying Industry to Meet U.S. Climate Goals

At COP 27, the United States, Canada, Germany, Japan, and other nations backed 25 “Priority Actions” to decarbonize industry, but what does that agreement mean for industrial stakeholders? Exciting electrification advancements are paving the way toward industrial decarbonization, and this episode discusses two new reports on industrial heating innovations and why the time is right for corporations to implement the technologies that reduce emissions at scale.

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The Inflation Reduction Act: What It Means For The U.S. Workforce, Consumers, And Climate

The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 is the most significant climate legislation in United States history and will accelerate transportation and building electrification, invigorate the U.S. clean energy supply chain, and enhance U.S. global competitiveness. But how will it help workers and consumers, and what will it take to successfully implement the bill? In this episode of Electrify This!, host Sara Baldwin breaks it all down with help from experts at the Blue Green Alliance and the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy.

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Connecting the Dots: Cooking, Climate, and Clean Air

On this episode of Electrify This!, host Sara Baldwin speaks with a physician, a research scientist, and a professional chef about the climate and health harms of cooking with gas stoves, along with electrification solutions so that everyone can cook clean!

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Environmental Justice Impacts of the Hydrogen Economy

On this episode of Electrify This, host Sara Baldwin speaks with energy equity advocates to discuss which hydrogen applications have the most potential and which are problematic. You’ll also hear how some hydrogen uses could harm environmental justice and frontline communities, as well as more promising and equitable solutions.

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Looking For Freedom From Fossil Fuels: Decarbonizing The European Union

On this episode of Electrify This!, host Sara Baldwin speaks with energy policy experts at the Regulatory Assistance Project and Agora Energiewende to explore how the EU can end its reliance on Russian gas and oil, achieve its climate goals, and ensure its consumers benefit from the transition. Tune in to learn how consumers can lead the way through electrification combined with a clean grid that puts the EU on a path to a more prosperous, safe, and peaceful future.

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How to Electrify Your Life: Getting Started at Home (Part 2 of 2)

In part two of our how-to series, Electrify This! host Sara Baldwin speaks with residential HVAC contractor Larry Waters, founder of Electrify My Home, LLC and commercial HVAC specialist Steve Kroh, commercial manager for Shamrock Sales, Inc. Both contractors respond to top electrification questions from our listeners. Tune in to learn all you need to know to reduce pollution, address climate change, and plug in to the electrification movement where you live and work.

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How to Electrify Your Life: Getting Started at Home (Part 1 of 2)

In this special two-part series of Electrify This!, host Sara Baldwin talks with Joel Rosenberg, the author of the new e-book “Electrify Everything in Your Home,” and Panama Bartholomy of the Building Decarbonization Coalition about the steps homeowners and renters can take to transition to a clean, electrified life. They also discuss the big electrification wins of 2021 and the new The Switch is On campaign aimed at helping households and contractors plug in to the electrification movement.

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That’s A Wrap! 2021 Reflections and 2022 Predictions with Three Electrification Dynamos

An all-star line-up closes out the year with reflections on 2021 and predictions for 2022. Host Sara Baldwin speaks with electrify everything pioneer Saul Griffith, policy expert Katherine Hamilton, and leading clean energy commentator David Roberts. Tune in to hear three electrification dynamos recap 2021’s biggest developments in the transition to clean electricity, share the latest scoop on the Build Back Better Act, and predict what’s in store for electrification in 2022.

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Changing The Way We Build With Electrified Construction

The landmark $1.2 trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act offers a tremendous opportunity to reconsider how we build. In this episode of Electrify This!, host Sara Baldwin speaks with three experts leading the global effort to scale clean, electrified construction practices. Learn how governments, the private sector, and non-governmental organizations are working collaboratively to create greater demand for electrified equipment, and hear insights into how these technologies could revolutionize the way we build.

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Now We’re Cooking With…Electricity

More than a third of U.S. households cook with gas and 50 percent of single-family homes feature gas stoves (up from thirty percent in the 1970s). Yet, when it comes to climate stability, air quality, and our health, gas stoves have serious impacts. In this episode of Electrify This! a pediatrician, a chef, and a real estate agent discuss the perils of gas stoves and the pioneering movement to clean up our kitchens.

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Farewell Fossil Gas, Hello Better Buildings: A Building Electrification Status Update

To reach net-zero by 2050, we must electrify all new buildings by 2025 and all new building equipment by 2030. So how do we do this? Who is leading and who is stalling? In this episode of Electrify This!, two building electrification experts discuss efforts underway to get gas out of buildings and switch to clean electricity, including city leadership and California’s new, landmark 2022 Energy Code.

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The Road To Clean, Electrified Transportation: State And Federal Pathways (Part 3 Of 3)

In the third episode in the three-part series on transportation electrification, two policy experts discuss how a smart combination of federal and state actions can pave the way to a highly electrified transportation future and unlock all the climate, health, and job benefits of EVs. You’ll get to hear from the chief architect of the most important achievements in pollution control from transportation in the U.S. and get the inside story on how Minnesota became the first Midwest state to adopt clean car standards.

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Accelerating Clean, Electrified Transportation and a Clean Grid by 2035 (Part 2 of 3)

In the second episode in a three-part series on transportation electrification, electric vehicle and electricity policy experts talk about the most critical policies needed for an all-electric transportation transition that also help achieve a carbon-free grid within 15 years. You’ll also get insights into the current state of play of federal EV and charging infrastructure policies, a federal clean electricity standard, and approaches to ensure an equitable transition.

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Accelerating Clean, Electrified Transportation by 2035 (Part 1 of 3)

In this first episode in a three-part series on transportation electrification, guests discuss the findings of two landmark transportation electrification reports that show how we can achieve all-electric new vehicle sales by 2035 with strong policy, and why accelerated transportation electrification would bring major benefits to consumers, the economy, and the climate.

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Climate Resilience In The Electrified Future

Episode five of Electrify This! explores how electrification can support collective and equitable climate resilience in the clean, highly-electrified energy future. Guests delve into the ways clean technologies, demand response, distributed solar, and energy storage can strengthen the grid as increasingly frequent climate change-fueled events create new threats and more homes and vehicles plug into the grid.

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Accelerating Equitable Transportation Electrification

Episode four of Electrify This! examines equitable transportation electrification, exploring how to transition the U.S. economy away from fossil-fueled vehicles in an equitable way. We look at states in the fast lane of clean transportation policy, states that are running on empty, and what’s needed to accelerate transportation electrification in the coming decade.

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Industrial Electrification: Unlocking Deep Decarbonization With The Power Of The Grid

Episode three of Electrify This! explores what it will take to decarbonize industry, which policies can help accelerate deployment of electric technologies, how the Biden Administration and Congress can revitalize American industry, and which industries stand to benefit!

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All I Want For The Holidays Is An All-Electric Home

This holiday-themed episode of Electrify This! looks at how our homes and buildings impact climate and public health, and what can be done to shift the building sector away from fossil fuels. Three building electrification experts share how to build better buildings and healthier homes.

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Plugging In To The Electrification Movement

In the inaugural episode of Electrify This!, host Sara Baldwin speaks with Rose McKinney-James, Sue Gander, and Mike Henchen to explore the burgeoning movement to electrify everything as a core strategy to decarbonize all sectors of our economy, and the most important policy, regulatory, and market issues surrounding electrification of transportation and buildings.

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Trailer: Introducing Electrify This!

Electrify This! investigates promising electrification work underway across the country, focusing on what policymakers, regulators, businesses, and even individual households should know and do to support economy-wide electrification. Check out the trailer to learn more!

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