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Shift Key with Robinson Meyer

Shift Key with Robinson Meyer

By: Heatmap News
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Every week, Heatmap News Executive Editor Robinson Meyer and Princeton University Professor and energy systems expert Jesse Jenkins make sense of the biggest shift of our time -- navigating the energy transition away from fossil fuels. Drawing on their years of experience reporting on and researching climate change and decarbonization, Meyer and Jenkins unpack the most important issues of the week and how the impacts of climate change and efforts to address it are transforming our economy, politics, and society at large. Music by Adam Kromelow.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Heatmap News
Earth Sciences Politics & Government Science
Episodes
  • Why the Iran War Is a Warning for Natural Gas
    Mar 2 2026

    The United States and Israel have launched a devastating new war on Iran. What has happened so far, when could it end, and what could it mean for oil, gas, and the global energy shift?

    Rob is joined by Gregory Brew, an analyst with the Eurasia Group’s energy, climate, and resources team focused on the geopolitics of oil and gas. He serves as the group’s country analyst for Iran. He’s also an historian of modern Iran, oil, and U.S. foreign policy, and the author of two books about the subject.

    Shift Key is hosted by Robinson Meyer, the founding executive editor of Heatmap News.

    You can find a full transcript of the episode here.

    Mentioned:

    From Heatmap: War With Iran Isn’t Just an Oil Story

    From Heatmap: How Trump’s War Could Destabilize the Global Energy Market

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    This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by …

    Accelerate your clean energy career with Yale’s online certificate programs. Explore the 10-month Financing and Deploying Clean Energy program or the 5-month Clean and Equitable Energy Development program. Use referral code HeatMap26 and get your application in by the priority deadline for $500 off tuition to one of Yale’s online certificate programs in clean energy. Learn more at cbey.yale.edu/online-learning-opportunities.

    Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    28 mins
  • The Peril of Talking About Electricity Affordability
    Feb 27 2026

    As electricity affordability has risen in the public consciousness, so too has it gone up the priority list for climate groups — although many of their proposals are merely repackaged talking points from past political cycles. But are there risks of talking about affordability so much, and could it distract us from the real issues with the power system?

    Rob is joined by Jane Flegal, a senior fellow at the Searchlight Institute and the States Forum. Flegal was the former senior director for industrial emissions at the White House Office of Domestic Climate Policy, and she has worked on climate policy at Stripe. She was recently executive director of the Blue Horizons Foundation.

    Shift Key is hosted by Robinson Meyer, the founding executive editor of Heatmap News.

    You can find a full transcript of the episode here.

    Mentioned:

    Cheap and Abundant Electricity Is Good, by Jane Flegal

    From Heatmap: Will Virtual Power Plants Ever Really Be a Thing?

    Previously on Shift Key: How California Broke Its Electricity Bills and How Texas Could Destroy Its Electricity Market

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    This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by …

    Heatmap Pro brings all of our research, reporting, and insights down to the local level. The software platform tracks all local opposition to clean energy and data centers, forecasts community sentiment, and guides data-driven engagement campaigns. today to see the premier intelligence platform for project permitting and community engagement. Book a demo today to see the premier intelligence platform for project permitting and community engagement.

    Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Show More Show Less
    36 mins
  • Data Centers Are Creating a New Kind of Battery Monster
    Feb 25 2026

    Just a handful of tech companies plan to spend nearly $700 billion combined this year investing in artificial intelligence — and much of that money will go to data centers and the energy used to keep them on. How is this boom transforming the American energy system, and what does it mean for clean energy?

    On this episode of Shift Key, Rob is joined by Peter Freed, a founding partner at the Near Horizon Group and the former director of energy strategy at Meta from 2014 to 2024. They discuss why data center developers opt for certain energy sources over others, why AI is driving an unprecedented off-grid natural gas boom, and why batteries now pair especially well with gas. Yikes!

    This conversation was originally recorded for a webinar hosted by Heatmap Pro. Shift Key is hosted by Robinson Meyer, the founding executive editor of Heatmap News.

    You can find a full transcript of the episode here.

    Mentioned:

    Breaking Down the Doomsday AI Memo That Spooked Markets

    ​Inside Form Energy’s Big Google Data Center Deal

    The New York Times on AI’s polling problems

    Previously on Shift Key: What’s Really Holding Back New Data Centers

    --

    This episode of Shift Key is sponsored by …

    Heatmap Pro brings all of our research, reporting, and insights down to the local level. The software platform tracks all local opposition to clean energy and data centers, forecasts community sentiment, and guides data-driven engagement campaigns. today to see the premier intelligence platform for project permitting and community engagement. Book a demo today to see the premier intelligence platform for project permitting and community engagement.

    Music for Shift Key is by Adam Kromelow.

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    Show More Show Less
    57 mins
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