We all know wind and solar are intermittent -- at some point the sun stops shining and the wind stops blowing. But is wind and solar power reliable? The answer seems to be that at least with a battery, yes, it is. This week Switched On speaks with Nat Bullard, chief content officer for BloombergNEF, about the future of renewables on the grid. We discuss renewables reliability, competitiveness of gas peakers in a renewables-plus-storage world, and what to do with old wind and solar farms.

This episode is based on the weekly Sparklines series from Bloomberg Green, by Nat Bullard.

Users can access this series on bloomberg.com, or on Bloomberg Anywhere at NI BULLARD<GO>. 

Switched On is hosted this week by Mark Taylor.

We all know wind and solar are intermittent -- at some point the sun stops shining and the wind stops blowing. But is wind and solar power reliable? The answer seems to be that at least with a battery, yes, it is. This week Switched On speaks with Nat Bullard, chief content officer for BloombergNEF, about the future of renewables on the grid. We discuss renewables reliability, competitiveness of gas peakers in a renewables-plus-storage world, and what to do with old wind and solar farms.This episode is based on the weekly Sparklines <a href="http://link.mail.bloombergbusiness.com/join/4wm/sparklines-signup&amp;hash=b9b2681361bede0e1069ca238efb1ec2">series</a> from Bloomberg Green, by Nat Bullard.Users can access this series on bloomberg.com, or on Bloomberg Anywhere at NI BULLARD&lt;GO&gt;. Switched On is hosted this week by Mark Taylor.

The future of energy, transport, sustainability and more, as told by BNEF analysts. Each week, Dana Perkins and Tom Rowlands-Rees sit down with BloombergNEF (BNEF) analysts to uncover the key findings and stories behind their latest research.

The future of energy, transport, sustainability and more, as told by BNEF analysts. Each week, Dana Perkins and Tom Rowlands-Rees sit down with BloombergNEF (BNEF) analysts to uncover the key findings and stories behind their latest research.

The future of energy, transport, sustainability and more from Bloomberg analysts

Switched On

Old Wind or Solar Farm: Run it Ragged, or Rebuild?

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/1a29c4b8-96d0-49ed-9ae8-ae3c000c84eb/transcript

Turkey is quietly becoming a renewables heavyweight. Rapid wind and solar deployment is helping the country meet rising electricity demand while reducing exposure to imported fossil fuels. Turkey ranked among the world’s top 10 markets for new wind and solar capacity in 2025, and it is targeting 120 gigawatts of combined capacity by 2035. But sustaining that growth will require much greater investment in the grid, and meeting government transmission targets would require annual investment to rise roughly fivefold from 2025 levels. So can Turkey turn its renewable energy boom into a broader transformation of its power system and strengthen its energy security along the way? On today’s show, Tom Rowlands-Rees is joined by Abdullah Alkattan, BNEF’s Middle East energy transition analyst, to discuss findings from the “Turkey Transition Factbook 2026.”

Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF<GO> on the Bloomberg Terminal or on bnef.com

Links to research notes from this episode:

Turkey Transition Factbook 2026 - https://www.bnef.com/insights/39689

Turkey is quietly becoming a renewables heavyweight. Rapid wind and solar deployment is helping the country meet rising electricity demand while reducing exposure to imported fossil fuels. Turkey ranked among the world&rsquo;s top 10 markets for new wind and solar capacity in 2025, and it is targeting 120 gigawatts of combined capacity by 2035. But sustaining that growth will require much greater investment in the grid, and meeting government transmission targets would require annual investment to rise roughly fivefold from 2025 levels. So can Turkey turn its renewable energy boom into a broader transformation of its power system and strengthen its energy security along the way? On today&rsquo;s show, Tom Rowlands-Rees is joined by Abdullah Alkattan, BNEF&rsquo;s Middle East energy transition analyst, to discuss findings from the &ldquo;Turkey Transition Factbook 2026.&rdquo;
Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF&lt;GO&gt; on the Bloomberg Terminal or on<a href="https://www.bnef.com/"> bnef.com</a>
Links to research notes from this episode:
Turkey Transition Factbook 2026 - <a href="https://www.bnef.com/insights/39689">https://www.bnef.com/insights/39689</a>

Turkey's Renewables Boom Has More Than Climate in Mind

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/555b53c4-222b-4604-9bb9-b4b300718ac1/transcript

America’s data center boom is running into political resistance. Texas, New York and Pennsylvania are moving to slow or pause new projects amid concerns over electricity costs, infrastructure and local impacts. Texas alone accounts for around 20% of the US pipeline, meaning even short delays could cost developers billions. The pushback is increasingly bipartisan, as politicians respond to growing opposition from local communities and overloaded power grids. The result is new uncertainty for developers racing to secure electricity and bring projects online. So has America’s data center boom finally hit the brakes? And what happens next? On today’s show, Kamala Schelling is joined by BloombergNEF’s senior associate for North American policy, Derrick Flakoll, to discuss his recent notes “Texas’ Data Center Pause Could Cost Projects Billions” and “Pennsylvania’s Data Center Pushback Raises Pipeline Risk.”

Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF<GO> on the Bloomberg Terminal or on bnef.com

Links to research notes from this episode:

Pennsylvania’s Data Center Pushback Raises Pipeline Risk - https://www.bnef.com/analyst-reactions/tk0z0wt96osi00

Texas’ Data Center Pause Could Cost Projects Billions - https://www.bnef.com/insights/40105

America&rsquo;s data center boom is running into political resistance. Texas, New York and Pennsylvania are moving to slow or pause new projects amid concerns over electricity costs, infrastructure and local impacts. Texas alone accounts for around 20% of the US pipeline, meaning even short delays could cost developers billions. The pushback is increasingly bipartisan, as politicians respond to growing opposition from local communities and overloaded power grids. The result is new uncertainty for developers racing to secure electricity and bring projects online. So has America&rsquo;s data center boom finally hit the brakes? And what happens next? On today&rsquo;s show, Kamala Schelling is joined by BloombergNEF&rsquo;s senior associate for North American policy, Derrick Flakoll, to discuss his recent notes &ldquo;Texas&rsquo; Data Center Pause Could Cost Projects Billions&rdquo; and &ldquo;Pennsylvania&rsquo;s Data Center Pushback Raises Pipeline Risk.&rdquo;
Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF&lt;GO&gt; on the Bloomberg Terminal or on <a href="https://www.bnef.com/">bnef.com</a>
Links to research notes from this episode:
Pennsylvania&rsquo;s Data Center Pushback Raises Pipeline Risk -<a href="https://www.bnef.com/analyst-reactions/tk0z0wt96osi00"> https://www.bnef.com/analyst-reactions/tk0z0wt96osi00</a>
Texas&rsquo; Data Center Pause Could Cost Projects Billions -<a href="https://www.bnef.com/insights/40105"> https://www.bnef.com/insights/40105</a>

States Put Data Centers on Pause: Analyst Reaction

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/fa6ff578-d11e-4f21-aa0c-b4b000b42ba7/transcript

The electric vehicle boom is entering a new phase. As China’s market matures and the US steps back from EVs, emerging markets are becoming the new hotspot for electrified transport. At the same time, autonomous and shared vehicles are changing how cars are used. Robotaxis can travel much farther each year than private cars, potentially allowing fewer vehicles to provide the same amount of mobility. So as EV adoption evolves and autonomous driving takes off, what does the next phase of road transport look like? On this episode, Aleksandra O’Donovan and Andrew Grant, who lead BNEF’s EV and intelligent mobility teams, join Tom Rowlands-Rees to discuss the newest edition of the Electric Vehicle Outlook.

Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF<GO> on the Bloomberg Terminal or on bnef.com

Links to research notes from this episode:

Long-Term Electric Vehicle Outlook 2026 - https://www.bnef.com/insights/39553

Executive Summary (free to access) - https://about.bnef.com/insights/clean-transport/electric-vehicle-outlook/

The electric vehicle boom is entering a new phase. As China&rsquo;s market matures and the US steps back from EVs, emerging markets are becoming the new hotspot for electrified transport. At the same time, autonomous and shared vehicles are changing how cars are used. Robotaxis can travel much farther each year than private cars, potentially allowing fewer vehicles to provide the same amount of mobility. So as EV adoption evolves and autonomous driving takes off, what does the next phase of road transport look like? On this episode, Aleksandra O&rsquo;Donovan and Andrew Grant, who lead BNEF&rsquo;s EV and intelligent mobility teams, join Tom Rowlands-Rees to discuss the newest edition of the Electric Vehicle Outlook.
Complementary BNEF research on the trends driving the transition to a lower-carbon economy can be found at BNEF&lt;GO&gt; on the Bloomberg Terminal or on<a href="https://www.bnef.com/"> bnef.com</a>
Links to research notes from this episode:
Long-Term Electric Vehicle Outlook 2026 -<a href="https://www.bnef.com/insights/39553"> https://www.bnef.com/insights/39553</a>
Executive Summary (free to access) -<a href="https://about.bnef.com/insights/clean-transport/electric-vehicle-outlook/"> https://about.bnef.com/insights/clean-transport/electric-vehicle-outlook/</a>

EV Boom Changes Lanes as New Markets Take the Wheel

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/30cd1324-d1f1-4e91-91b5-b4ac009d2c35/transcript

Old Wind or Solar Farm: Run it Ragged, or Rebuild?

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