Jeff St. John

Jeff St. John

Director of News and Special Projects . .

Jeff St. John is director of news and special projects at Canary Media. He covers the intersection of technological, economic, and regulatory issues influencing the global transition to low-carbon energy in the electricity, transportation, and building sectors. His areas of expertise include innovative grid technologies, rooftop solar and batteries, clean hydrogen, electric vehicles, EV charging, and broader decarbonization policy.

He is the former managing editor and senior grid-edge editor of Greentech Media, and he previously reported for The Fresno Bee, the Tri-City Herald, and the Anchorage Daily News. He lives in Alameda, California, with his wife Tara Donoghue and his dog Lily, and enjoys hiking, baking bread, and playing guitar with his nieces and nephews.

He earned a master’s degree from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism in 2001.

Clean industry

'Electrowinning' could help win the race to clean up dirty steel

Startup Electra wants to replace blast furnaces with battery-like systems that use acid solution and clean electricity to pull pure iron out of low-grade ores.

By Jeff St. John . 25 October 2023
Clean industry

To decarbonize cement, the industry needs a full transformation

Cement production has an enormous carbon footprint. That can be curbed with plug-and-play solutions, but eliminating emissions entirely will require big, ambitious action.

By Jeff St. John . 24 October 2023
Clean industry

6 innovative startups that are kicking CO2 out of cement and concrete

Cement-making is a 150-year-old process. These companies are using new additives, chemistries and methods that could curb the industry's oversize climate impact.

By Maria Gallucci, Jeff St. John . 24 October 2023
Transmission

A $7B power line from Kansas to Indiana moves closer to reality

The Grain Belt Express is an example of what’s required to carry clean power from where it’s plentiful to where it’s needed. Now, it’s almost ready to be built.

By Jeff St. John . 20 October 2023
Transmission

The US just made its biggest-ever investment in the grid

The power grid is not ready to handle the energy transition — or extreme weather. The Biden administration hopes $3.5B in new investments will fix that.

By Jeff St. John . 18 October 2023
Hydrogen

The case against the US government’s big 'blue hydrogen' bet

A slice of the $7B in federal “hydrogen hub” funding will go to creating hydrogen with fossil gas and carbon capture. Advocates say that’s an emissions disaster.

By Jeff St. John . 18 October 2023
Utilities

Utilities still moving way too slow on clean energy

Despite historic wind, solar and battery subsidies from the Inflation Reduction Act, U.S. utilities remain hooked on fossil fuels.

By Jeff St. John . 16 October 2023
Hydrogen

Biden admin picks 7 ‘clean hydrogen hubs’ for $7 billion federal boost

The DOE’s hub picks are scattered around the U.S. — a big first step on the challenging path to building a clean hydrogen economy.

By Jeff St. John . 13 October 2023
Hydrogen

The problem with making green hydrogen to fuel power plants

A new plant in Florida will produce green hydrogen to help power the grid. But experts warn that its approach would be wasteful and ineffective if scaled up.

By Jeff St. John . 10 October 2023
Energy efficiency

These startups are using AI to cut energy waste from buildings

Buildings use — and waste — an enormous amount of energy. A growing number of startups are trying to wield buzzy AI technologies to fix this problem.

By Jeff St. John . 9 October 2023