10.20 Renewable energy sources are going to be a key piece of the puzzle for 24/7 electricity, says Texier. But we also know that to maximize those resources, we’re going to need the storage capacity at low cost, she adds, pointing out that we already know that wind and solar supply can be unpredictable. Like our other speakers, she notes how we’re going to need to reduce emissions, but we’re also going to need to remove emissions that are already in the atmosphere to make a real long-term difference in the future.
10.12 Two years ago, Google committed to achieving a goal of “24/7 carbon-free energy” by 2030. The company says this means “matching each hour of our electricity consumption with carbon-free electricity sources on every grid where we operate.” Read more about its plans to support emerging technologies that can provide carbon-free power around the clock.
10.10 Next up, Maud Texier, who is head of clean energy & carbon development at Google. She leads a team responsible for developing and scaling 24/7 carbon-free energy for Google’s global infrastructure worldwide with various initiatives including new technologies, clean energy supply, and policy efforts.
10.06 “In some ways, climate is more recession-proof because the government has basically written a $370 billion check for it,” says Ransohoff. Read our climate team James and Casey’s takes on the biggest technology wins in the breakthrough climate bill when it was announced back in July.
“I think that applies to some parts of climate, and doesn’t apply to others,” she adds. “But I think we are slowly moving to a world where there is more certainty, and that gives the private markets, investors, and entrepreneurs more certainty that if they build something, there will be customers and they will be able to make money.”
10.00 The fundamental principles of net zero are to measure emissions, reduce it as much as you possibly can, and then deal with the rest, she says.
“I think, I think that carbon removal is a fundamental part of net zero. But I don’t think it’s fully been metabolized by corporates or companies yet, and part of the work of building the ecosystem is figuring out how do we do that,” she adds.
09.50 Stripe’s carbon removal started as an experiment, but positive customer feedback pushed it towards a proper project, Ransohoff says, adding that around 25,000 businesses are contributing to Stripe’s carbon projects. Around 8-10% of companies sign up to this when they first join Stripe, which acknowledges shifting attitudes towards businesses really wanting to contribute to the climate change fight, she says. Lowering friction for them is a really important part of that—making it as easy as possible.
09.45 Our next discussion is with Nan Ransohoff, head of climate at financial company Stripe. Read more about how the company is putting its money where its mouth is to fund carbon removal.
09.43 The top things ordinary people can do to help climate initiatives are: