VX News is the editorial voice of the annual VerdeXchange Conference, featuring in-depth interviews with industry leaders and policymakers driving innovation in clean energy, water, transportation, and climate policy.
Water’s Global Challenge: Booky Oren on De-Risking Innovation to Scale Implementation
Water doesn’t fail for lack of technology—it fails for lack of implementation. In this VX News interview, Booky Oren, former executive chair of Israel’s national water utility and CEO and founder of Booky Oren Global Water Technologies, explains why scaling proven water solutions remains so difficult, what utilities actually need to manage risk, and how global knowledge-sharing can accelerate resilience.
Lauren Faber O’Connor on Scaling Tech That Wins — The Unf**ck Thesis
In conversation with VX News, climate veteran Lauren Faber O’Connor—now at Lowercarbon Capital and formerly with the City of Los Angeles, CalEPA, EDF, and the UK Foreign Office—argues that the next era of decarbonization won’t hinge on policy ambition, but on technologies that simply outperform the fossil economy. Her message is direct: if governments drop their perfectionism and engage early with innovators, and if private capital keeps scaling these breakthroughs, we have the tools to unf**k the planet while actually improving daily life.
NEDO Chairman Tamotsu Saito on Japan–California Collaboration
At VerdeXchange Conference 2025, Tamotsu Saito, Chairman of Japan’s New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), underscored the critical role of international innovation partnerships in navigating an era of climate and geopolitical uncertainty.
Sir Andrew Steer on Catalyzing Climate Finance — Net Zero Delivery Summit
At the Net Zero Delivery Summit, Sir Andrew Steer emphasized the new economics of climate change, arguing that it is no longer just an environmental issue but a growth opportunity for the 21st century. He stated that bold action can drive economic efficiency, new technologies, and lower risks. Steer also highlighted the critical role of the private sector and the need for transition finance to help industries decarbonize. He stressed the importance of balancing a sense of "fear and dread" with "hope and possibility" to motivate action, and urged for a shift away from disagreements and towards building broad public support for the transition.
Jigar Shah & CEC’s Robert Chun on Battery Storage Deployment in California
VX News shares framing remarks from Jigar Shah, co-host of the Open Circuit podcast and former director of the USDOE Loan Programs Office, and Robert Chun, Chief of Staff to California Energy Commission Chair David Hochschild, who elaborate on the necessity and advantages of battery storage for meeting the state’s energy and affordability needs as well as actions taken by the state and the CEC to ensure safe deployment of grid-scale battery technology.
EPRI Current Excerpt—Battery Energy Storage Systems: Lessons in Safety, Risk, and Deployment
With the causes and impacts of the Eaton & Palisades Wildfires in Los Angeles and Moss Landing fire bringing into sharp focus both the resilience opportunities that Distributed Energy Resources affords as well as safety concerns surrounding battery deployment in communities, VX News shares this excerpt from a recent episode of the EPRI Current podcast elaborating on the evolving safety protocols, research and resources—including EPRI’s Battery Electric Storage System Failure Incident Database and Analysis on Failure Root Cause—informing operational best practices for deployment of battery and energy storage technologies.
