logo
episode-header-image
May 2023
26m 6s

Can power plants go green?

Vox
About this episode

The EPA has just announced new rules for power plants to clean up their act. But to get to those lower limits, companies might have to switch to two largely untested technologies in the power sector: hydrogen production and carbon capture.

This episode was produced by Avishay Artsy, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Laura Bullard and Amanda Lewellyn, engineered by Paul Robert Mounsey, and hosted by Noel King.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained  

Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Up next
Today
The campus resistance
In this special feed drop of On with Kara Swisher, Princeton President Christopher Eisgruber talks about standing up to Donald Trump and what free speech on campus really looks like. This episode was produced by Cristian Castro Rossel, Kateri Jochum, Michell Eloy, Megan Burney an ... Show More
53m 47s
Yesterday
Saudi Arabia is no joke
The Riyadh Comedy Festival was billed as “two weeks of laughs in the desert” but has comics asking, “At what cost?” This episode was produced by Hady Mawajdeh, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Adriene Lilly, and hosted by Noel King. A poster f ... Show More
26 m
Oct 8
Trump deploys the National Guard
The president is attempting to send the National Guard into two American cities for two (seemingly) different reasons with two (for now) different results. This episode was produced by Denise Guerra and Danielle Hewitt, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Laura Bullard and K ... Show More
25m 55s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2021
Sucking the carbon out of the sky
Most of our efforts to fight climate change, from electric cars to wind turbines, are about pumping fewer greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. But what if we could pull out the gases that are already there? Akshat Rathi, a reporter at Bloomberg with a doctorate in chemistry, kno ... Show More
43m 52s
Apr 2024
New Emissions Rules Could Spell the End of U.S. Coal Plants
A.M. Edition for April 25. The Biden administration issues sweeping new rules to limit power-plant pollution, targeting existing coal and newly built natural-gas plants. WSJ climate reporter Ed Ballard explains how that could affect the U.S. energy mix as power demand surges. Plu ... Show More
13m 51s
May 2023
Green energy gridlock
Lyle Jack wants to build a wind farm on the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. But to make the project work, he has to connect that wind farm to the electric grid. Which is easier said than done. On today's show - how the green energy revolution may live, or die, by bureaucr ... Show More
22m 23s
Sep 2022
Money Talks: Beyond seasonable doubt
Lawsuits aimed at green-house gas emissions are a growing trend, and better science is making them more precise. As ESG comes under attack, could these suits represent a different front in pressuring companies to act on climate change? On this week’s episode, hosts Alice Fulwood ... Show More
37m 50s
May 2023
Babbage: The urgency to green the electric grid
The vast majority of the energy used on Earth comes from fossil fuels. But as governments enact climate-friendly policies, electric grids need to be decarbonised, by using renewable-energy sources. And much more electricity needs to be generated too—to power transport, homes and ... Show More
39m 17s
Nov 2022
Climate tech to save the planet: Hype and hydrogen
The joke about hydrogen is that it’s the fuel of the future, and always will be. But green hydrogen is made from renewable energy and emits only water vapour, so amidst the fight to reduce carbon emissions, has green hydrogen’s moment now finally arrived? In the latest episode of ... Show More
24m 17s
Sep 2022
Money Talks: Beyond seasonable doubt
Lawsuits aimed at green-house gas emissions are a growing trend, and better science is making them more precise. As ESG comes under attack, could these suits represent a different front in pressuring companies to act on climate change? On this week’s episode, hosts Alice Fulwood ... Show More
37m 50s
Oct 2020
Presenting: Drilled
Decades ago, the oil company Exxon made a decision that drastically changed our country’s response to climate change. At the time, the company’s scientists were warning about global warming and Exxon was investing in the research and development of renewable energy technologies. ... Show More
40m 42s
Aug 2023
C&EN Uncovered: Making hydrogen is easy; making it green is a challenge
Hydrogen might be the key to a clean energy future, but only if it can be made without fossil fuels. Most hydrogen today is made from methane.   With generous government tax credits and enthusiasm for sustainable technology, the race is on for green hydrogen.   Craig Bettenhausen ... Show More
13m 54s
Jan 2024
Exploring Sustainable Technologies and Green Chemicals with Eric Bober of NexantECA - Ep 148
Driven by both consumer demand and government policies, the shift towards sustainability in the chemical industry is creating a landscape ripe for innovation and growth. Eric Bober, VP at NexantECA joins host Victoria Meyer on The Chemical Show this week to explore the world of s ... Show More
27m 38s