New groundbreaking new data on solar-plus-battery affordability, community-driven efforts to fight wildfire smoke, and the global decline of coal power. Brian prepares for a trip to London, and James shares his latest air quality observations from the smoky Canadian prairies.

They also touch on some big global issues: India’s indoor air pollution crisis, New York’s unexpected plans for new nuclear power, and China’s rapid solar and blimp tech progress. Plus, an update on fusion energy from a listener email and the usual dose of humour, clean tech insight, and righteous frustration.

• Support The Clean Energy Show on Patreon!

Episode Highlights:

• A Saskatchewan First Nation installs air scrubbers in homes to combat wildfire smoke

• Grid-scale batteries have become cheap enough to enable true 24/7 solar in sunny cities

• Ireland shuts down its last coal plant—only to convert it to oil

• New York State proposes a new nuclear plant amid rising demand from data centers

• Lightning Round

Links:

• 🔋 Solar + battery now 24/7 cheap (Electrek)

• ⚛️ Fusion tech breakthrough (Latitude Media)

• 🏭 Ireland ends coal (Power Magazine)

• ⚡ Arctic lightning rising (Yale e360)

• 🍃 Electric lawn tools catch on (Canary Media)

• 🛩️ China’s electric blimp (iThome)

• 🚗 Car ownership hits $12.3k/year (Bilello Blog)

Contact Us

cleanenergyshow@gmail.com or leave us an online voicemail: http://speakpipe.com/clean

Support The Clean Energy Show

e-transfer whittingham.james@gmail.com

PayPal Donate offers one-time or regular donations.

Store

Visit The Clean Energy Show Store.

Smoke from wildfires in the Canadian prairies drifts all the way to Switzerland, ruining a listener’s hike—and James feels personally responsible. Meanwhile, Brian reports that global banks continue to pump money into fossil fuels, all while hiking credit card interest rates. He sums up their attitude perfectly: “We’re evil, we just can’t help it.”

Join The Clean Energy Show's CLEAN CLUB on Patreon for exciting perks!
Get a monthly bonus podcast, early access to our content, behind the scenes content, access to our members-only Discord community and thank-yous in the credits of videos and shoutouts on our podcast! Starting at just one dollar per month!

The Clean Energy Air Quality Project continues with a new discovery—our local landfill is a serious pollution source. James calls it a “foul, disgusting place,” and the data seems to back him up.

Plus, the UK is sweating through a major heat wave just as Brian plans a visit. Will his timing cool things down? King Charles seems to think so.

Also on this episode:

• Global banks’ greenwashing hypocrisy

• Citizen science and the ongoing Clean Energy Air Quality Project

• The unexpected reach of prairie wildfire smoke

• Climate change and travel plans colliding in real time.

Articles

1. Nepal’s EV Leapfrog – CleanTechnica

2. Tesla vs. NHTSA Autopilot Probe – The Verge

3. 25-Year Solar Panel Warranty – Electrek

4. Tesla Battery Recall & Fire Risk – InsideEVs

5. EV Idle Payment via Smart Grid – Canary Media

Let me know if you’d like this in a different format (e.g., for YouTube or Instagram).

Subscribe & Follow:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/thecleanenergyshow
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@cleanenergypod
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cleanenergypod/
Donate via PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=VMDCRPHLNR8YE

Our listeners bought an air quality monitoring station for the podcast and we plan to make the most out of it! Already, James is learning about some bad air from industry in his Canadian city.

💚 Support the show:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/cleanenergypod
Donate via PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=VMDCRPHLNR8YE
E-transfer whittingham.james@gmail.com

• Free link to the chapter Ungovernable by Patricia W. Elliott from the book Unjust transition: The future for fossil fuel workers (pp. 88-116), Fernwood Publishing, 2024.

Also on this episode:

• Saskatchewan’s air pollution is under the microscope — literally. James sets up a $500 air quality monitor near the Regina refinery and shares his findings with the world. Could data transparency change local air policy?

• The UK announces its biggest nuclear investment in a generation.

• South Korea’s new government ditches fossil fuels for an electrified future.

• John Vaillant, author of Fire Weather, pens a powerful op-ed: zombie fires are now surviving two Canadian winters.

In The Lightning Round:

• Protesters torch 5 Waymo robotaxis in L.A.

• BYD plans megawatt EV chargers across Europe.

• Canada's oil sands emissions fall — but not for in situ operations.A $1.60-per-passenger electric flight lands at JFK.

• Hong Kong launches drone-based McDonald's delivery.

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-clean-energy-show/id1498854987
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7nIGJi8pZ9EmiJTPY4VOr5

💬 Contact us:
Email: CleanEnergyShow@gmail.com
Voicemail: https://www.speakpipe.com/cleanenergyshow