Julian Spector

Julian Spector

Senior Reporter . .

Julian is a senior reporter at Canary Media, where he covers batteries and emerging technologies to store clean energy and unlock a carbon-free grid. He also reports on the budding clean hydrogen industry, and chases down clean energy breakthroughs in far-flung locales.

Prior to the launch of Canary Media in 2021, Julian covered the rise of the grid storage industry for much-loved industry news outlet Greentech Media. Previously he covered clean energy and transportation for CityLab at The Atlantic, and conducted grant-funded climate journalism in Bangladesh. His stories have appeared in The Guardian, HuffPost, Al Jazeera America, and other outlets. He speaks regularly at energy-related events and on podcasts. He graduated from Duke University and still misses Carolina barbecue, but enjoys investigating local cuisine wherever his reporting takes him.

Clean energy manufacturing

Clean energy factories, thermal storage get boost from new tax credits

The IRS just released rules on incentives for clean energy manufacturers that make stuff in the U.S. Long-duration storage and thermal batteries could benefit the most.

By Julian Spector . 15 December 2023
Batteries

Chart: Lithium-ion battery prices are falling again

Covid disruptions broke what seemed like an inexorable trend of annual battery price declines. But this year, average pack prices fell 14% to a new record low.

By Julian Spector, Dan McCarthy . 8 December 2023
Clean energy supply chain

New investment firm aims to scale up urgently needed battery materials

Kinterra Capital has raised a $565 million private equity fund dedicated to investing in new mines and processing plants to supply battery and EV factories.

By Julian Spector . 29 November 2023
Clean energy

Portugal just ran on 100% renewables for six days in a row

For nearly a week, the country of 10 million met customer needs with wind, hydro and solar — a test run for operating the grid without fossil fuels.

By Julian Spector . 15 November 2023
Energy storage

Will this startup finally crack the code on flow battery tech?

Germany's CMBlu just pulled in a 100-million-euro investment, is ramping up manufacturing and has contracts with major utilities. Can it succeed where others have failed?

By Julian Spector . 13 November 2023
Utilities

Mainers reject historic bid to make for-profit utilities publicly owned

The ballot initiative aimed to bolster Maine’s energy transition, grid reliability and affordability. Utilities fought the effort with a torrent of cash.

By Julian Spector . 8 November 2023
Clean energy

Kauai became a clean energy leader. Its secret? A publicly owned grid

Making the island’s utility a cooperative resulted in cheaper and cleaner power. It could hold lessons for communities around the country debating local utility control.

By Julian Spector . 7 November 2023
Video

Canary on TV: Confronting the downsides of mining for battery materials

Julian Spector appeared on the Weather Channel to parse the environmental and climate impacts of battery supply chains and how the clean energy industry is working to mitigate them.

By Julian Spector . 6 November 2023
Utilities

Mainers will vote on replacing for-profit utilities with public power

Organizers of the ballot initiative hope to improve service and speed up the shift to clean energy by taking profits out of the utility sector.

By Julian Spector . 30 October 2023
Hydrogen

We need green hydrogen to clean up heavy industry. Who's making it?

There’s essentially no clean hydrogen produced in the U.S. today, but developers are hustling to build projects to supply low-carbon steel, cement and chemicals.

By Julian Spector . 26 October 2023