# 2023 trends: biomass, ESG, batteries and more

- Show: [Catalyst](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst)
- Published: 2023-02-23
- Length: 40m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2023-02-23-2023-trends-biomass-esg-batteries-and-more

## Summary

Nat Bullard, a senior contributor at Bloomberg Green and venture partner at Voyager Ventures, presents his 140-slide decarbonization trends report to host Shayle Khan. They analyze land use dynamics, noting that 40% of U.S. corn goes to ethanol, and discuss the political backlash against ESG, arguing it should be broken into specific risk screens. The conversation concludes with battery market data, highlighting that while pack prices rose 7% in 2022, system costs rose 25%, yet demand remains strong due to grid ROI, with Asian manufacturers like CATL, LG, and BYD dominating production.

## Chapters

- [0:02](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2023-02-23-2023-trends-biomass-esg-batteries-and-more#t=2) Introduction: Nat Bullard and the Decarbonization Trends Report
- [6:21](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2023-02-23-2023-trends-biomass-esg-batteries-and-more#t=381) Land Use and Ethanol: 40% of U.S. Corn for Fuel
- [14:27](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2023-02-23-2023-trends-biomass-esg-batteries-and-more#t=867) Global Agricultural Efficiency and Land Use Trends
- [18:04](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2023-02-23-2023-trends-biomass-esg-batteries-and-more#t=1084) China's Power Sector: Renewables Surpass Europe
- [25:23](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2023-02-23-2023-trends-biomass-esg-batteries-and-more#t=1523) The Backlash Against ESG and Fund Flows
- [32:18](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2023-02-23-2023-trends-biomass-esg-batteries-and-more#t=1938) Battery Costs vs. System Costs and Market Demand
- [37:36](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2023-02-23-2023-trends-biomass-esg-batteries-and-more#t=2256) Asian Dominance in Battery Manufacturing: CATL, LG, BYD

## Topics

- [Energy & climate tech](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/energy-and-climate-tech)
- [Policy, trade & tariffs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/policy-trade-and-tariffs)
- [Batteries & low-power design](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/batteries-and-low-power)
- [Sourcing & supply chain](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sourcing-and-supply-chain)

## Most relevant to

large enterprises

## Mentioned

- BloombergNEF (company)
- Voyager Ventures (company)
- EnergyHub (company)
- CATL (company)
- LG (company)
- BYD (company)
- Panasonic (company)
- Tesla (company)
- LFP (other)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Like a steam engine in your house](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2025-04-15-like-a-steam-engine-in-your-house) (The Amp Hour)
- [Electric Car Superiority | The Supply Chain is All Mine | Cookies for Calculus](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ee-times-current/2020-07-10-electric-car-superiority-the-supply-chain-is-all-mine-cookies-for-calculus) (EE Times Current)
- [Navigating Financial Trends Amid Political Change - EMS & The Economist, August 2024](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/ems-c-level/2024-08-12-navigating-financial-trends-amid-political-change-ems-the-economist-august-2024) (EMS@C-LEVEL)
- [224. Geothermal Could Save the Grid. So Why’s No One Talking About It?](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-next-byte-podcast/2025-07-15-224-geothermal-could-save-the-grid-so-whys-no-one-talking-about-it) (The Next Byte Podcast)
- [Test Point Accupuncture](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2025-09-15-test-point-accupuncture) (The Amp Hour)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2023-02-23-2023-trends-biomass-esg-batteries-and-more. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Catalyst.