Win or Learn: Shane Battier on Energy’s March Madness Moment
Win or Learn: Shane Battier on Energy’s March Madness Moment  
Podcast: Political Climate
Published On: Tue Mar 31 2026
Description: March was defined by blown predictions, resilience, wins, losses, and last-minute turnarounds—and not just in college basketball. In many ways, those same forces are shaping the energy sector today. Shane Battier—NCAA champion at Duke in 2001 and two-time NBA champion with the Miami Heat—knows a thing or two about performing under pressure. Now, he’s bringing that playbook to cleantech. In this episode of Political Climate, we sit down with Shane to talk about what March Madness can teach us beyond the court. Then, we shift gears to break down some of the latest developments across the energy landscape, including: 21:45 - Key takeaways from CERA Week 30:40 - Powering AI: contrasting projects from Google and SB Energy  33:11 - New efforts to boost grid utilization— not just build out 38:02 - A surprising coal comeback in Alaska an beyond 43:14 - vWhy the U.S. is paying TotalEnergies $1 billion to abandon offshore wind plans 48:24 - A Democratic bid to lower costs by restoring tax clean energy tax credits  From the Final Four to the future of the grid—this episode covers the strategies, setbacks, and big bets shaping energy today. Political Climate is presented by ClearPath, one of the most influential organizations working to advance American energy innovation while reducing global emissions. Subscribe to catch all of our latest episodes! And head on over to ⁠politicalclimatepodcast.com⁠ to sign up for our soon returning newsletter.