US data centre announcements are averaging 435MW a month, and there’s around 175GW of large-load capacity already committed or under construction. AI hyperscalers are looking for innovative ways to meet their energy demands. It’s one of the biggest infrastructure challenges in energy right now: how to deliver reliable, fast power without derailing climate and decarbonisation goals. Joining interim host Bridget van Dorsten is Akhil Batheja, Director of Technology Strategy at Bloom Energy, to unpack why fuel cells have moved from “interesting clean technology” to the epicentre of the data-centre power conversation - and what that shift means for utilities, energy projects, and energy policy.

Together they discuss how solid oxide fuel cells differ from turbines, engines and batteries - from efficiency and permitting advantages to “Lego block” scalability - and why “time to power” is becoming the defining metric for data center owners. Bridget and Akhil explore grid resilience and the realities of operating off-grid campuses, how fuel cells can handle spiky AI workloads using supercapacitors, and why a future high-voltage DC architecture could reshape data-centre efficiency. Finally, they look at pathways to cleaner fuels, including hydrogen, renewable energy-linked fuels like biogas/RNG, and carbon capture, plus the role of energy finance and green finance in accelerating climate change solutions across the energy transition.

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AI is changing the energy system faster than almost anything we’ve seen in decades. Interim host, engineer and energy analyst Bridget Van Dorsten is joined by Ed Crooks, host of Energy Gang and Vice-chair of the Americas at Wood Mackenzie, for a wide-ranging conversation about what’s really driving energy decisions in 2026. From data centres and “speed to power” to energy affordability and US energy dominance, they unpack why reliability, cost and scale are now front of mind for governments, utilities and technology companies.

Bridget and Ed discuss which technologies could step up to meet the demand, from long-duration storage and advanced nuclear to geothermal and grid-enhancing technologies, and whether AI itself could help accelerate innovation across the energy system. Then they debate the costs; how much does AI really cost us in emissions and capital that could arguably be better spent elsewhere. Are data centres out-competing the energy transition for capital and grid access? And what happens if today’s AI investment boom starts to cool, or the bubble bursts?

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At the start of the year things were looking uncertain for nascent renewables like hydrogen and geothermal. With policy support from the previous US administration they had boomed with the IRA, then came July 2025 and the Trump administration’s One Big Beautiful Bill, which tore up tax credits and removed incentives for those renewable technologies. As we approach the end of the year, has anything changed for the better? How are hydrogen, wind and geothermal looking as we prepare for 2026?

Regular host Sylvia Leyva Martinez is on maternity leave until the middle of next year, so her fellow energy analyst Bridget Van Dorsten is stepping up to keep the mic warm. Bridget is an analyst researching hydrogen, but she has an engineer’s understanding of technologies across the energy spectrum. She doesn’t just cover that ‘frustrating, inefficient, expensive-to-move-around molecule’ (as she calls it); she knows what’s real in the energy world and what’s just hype.

To kick off her tenure as host she’s picked out a few highlights from the year relating to those important renewables – geothermal, hydrogen and wind. Looking back on those conversations Sylvia had with experts on those fields, Bridget then gives the energy analyst’s view on how things are progressing in the current policy environment. Expect in-depth analysis on what’s changed, and the key stats and forecasts you need to know as 2026 approaches.

Plus, Bridget looks back on the conversation Sylvia had with energy investors back in July, when we saw the oil and gas majors like Shell and Equinor announce they were scaling back their climate ambitions under pressure from investors. Bridget explores why the energy transition is unfolding slower than expected, how shareholder pressure is reshaping low-carbon strategies, and why companies like TotalEnergies and Shell have retreated from their plans to phase down fossil fuels.

Bridget will be hosting until mid-next-year, and she wants to know what topics you want explored.

Connect with the show and let us know what you want to hear, on LinkedIn, X or Bluesky at @interchangeshow, and follow the podcast so you don’t miss the episodes coming in the new year.

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