WE'RE BACK from our December break. At the end of '25, Kemp Gregory — CEO and co-founder of Renewal — joined good traffic for a conversation about energy infrastructure, the hidden potential of idle oil wells, and why the future of renewable energy storage might already be in the ground. As cities debate electric cars, housing development, and transit expansion, energy remains the crucial constraint — one that demands innovation beyond conventional batteries and solar panels.

Kemp walks us through Renewal's unconventional approach: converting millions of abandoned oil and gas wells into gravity-based energy storage systems. He explains how 30,000-pound weights moving up and down inside existing steel infrastructure can discharge power to the grid when needed and store it when it's cheap. From his early days as a petroleum engineer, to his pivot into clean energy at Stanford, Kemp shares how technical knowledge from fossil fuels is being repurposed for renewable infrastructure — and why working with local drilling crews and engineering firms matters more than reinventing everything from scratch.

We also touch on: Why energy storage is the bottleneck for electrification. The geometry problem of EVs and infrastructure strain. How data centers highlight AI's energy costs. Standing on the shoulders of the oil and gas industry. Why rural Texas and California need the same solutions. The importance of making technical work accessible. Biking at Stanford and burning calories without trying.

Timeline:

00:00 Energy as the missing conversation.

01:07 The electric car paradox.

02:13 Data centers and AI's energy appetite.

03:03 Clean energy as infrastructure policy.

03:30 Introducing Kemp Gregory and Renewal.

04:15 Making the technical accessible.

04:56 From petroleum engineer to clean tech.

05:39 Leaving shell for Stanford.

06:27 The startup that had to happen.

06:47 How gravity-based energy storage works.

07:36 Reusing existing infrastructure.

08:10 Standing on the shoulders of giants.

12:43 Why abandoned wells matter.

15:21 The economic model of energy storage.

18:09 Peak demand and grid stability.

20:45 Texas grid challenges and opportunities.

23:17 Working with local drilling firms.

25:33 Regulatory differences: California vs. Texas.

28:40 Environmental reviews and timelines.

31:28 Why rural energy storage serves cities.

34:15 The transmission challenge.

37:22 Collaboration over reinvention.

40:06 Proving the technology at scale.

42:50 Trust and partnerships with legacy industry.

45:30 Local knowledge and expertise.

47:02 The commute question.

47:43 Audiobooks in Argentina.

48:17 Biking at Stanford.

50:27 Wrapping up and happy holidays.

For context:

More on Renewell's tech (via Pique Action).

Renewell website.

On LinkedIn.

LEAVE US A REVIEW, PLEASE. It's extremely helpful, wherever you listen! Thanks so much for your time.

Who doesn't love a Halloween pot-mortem on the week of Thanksgiving? Aly is back, and we dig into the rise of trunk-or-treat events, what gets lost when Halloween moves from sidewalks to parking lots, and how this one holiday reveals so much about walkability, safety, protectionism, and kids’ independence in American car-dependent neighborhoods.

Timeline:

00:00 Aly's back.

00:56 What trunk-or-treat is replacing.

03:32 Kids losing low-stakes social interaction.

04:33 Gamifying community interaction with candy.

05:58 Cars as “safety crutches” in American life.

08:42 Halloween vs. the parking lot version.

10:12 Navigation and independence for kids.

12:01 Why Halloween should be the safest night to walk.

14:47 Holidays as community infrastructure.

16:02 The middle zone of connection.

17:03 Wrapping up and heading into the holidays.

Nolan Gray — Senior Director of Legislation and Research at California YIMBY — is in good traffic this week for a discussion on how the state with America’s biggest housing problem has become a national leader in reforming the rules of the built environment. California is often treated as both a cautionary tale and a blueprint — derided for its crises yet envied for its innovation.

Nolan walks us through California’s last decade of housing policy evolution — from failed early bills like SB 827 and SB 50 to seismic wins like SB 79, which legalized mid-rise multifamily housing near transit, and AB 130, which exempted infill housing from certain environmental reviews. He explains how bipartisan coalitions, local data, and a willingness to rethink outdated laws like CEQA have made real change possible.

We also touch on: Why density is environmentalism. The cultural paradox of Los Angeles and car dependence. How Sacramento quietly became California’s model midsized city. The future of transit funding and infill development. Lessons from working across political divides to make housing work. How storytelling and communication shape real policy progress.

Timeline:

00:00 The nuance of California.

01:15 The contradictions of California’s reputation.

02:29 Economic powerhouse, housing failure.

04:21 Newsom, YIMBYs, and the new momentum.

05:20 Nolan Gray.

07:23 California’s housing crisis explained.

08:47 Why families are leaving the state.

09:51 The political wake-up call.

10:12 Origins of recent SBs.

11:33 Early lessons from failed reforms.

12:24 The ADU revolution.

13:20 Environmental review reform (AB 130).

14:17 Construction costs and the next frontier.

15:11 Inside the CEQA reform victory.

20:02 Rethinking “environmentalism” in housing.

22:47 How CEQA became weaponized.

24:20 The irony of “greenfield” development.

25:40 Real environmentalists vs. procedural ones.

26:09 Bridging divides across California.

27:37 Exporting the housing crisis inland.

28:18 Bipartisan coalitions and shared values.

29:28 Property rights and family housing narratives.

30:14 SB 79 as a national model.

31:14 The transit funding question.

32:18 Transit agencies as landowners.

33:02 Revenue models for sustainable transit.

33:47 Building costs and American inefficiency.

34:31 Transit as geometry, not ideology.

35:14 The LA paradox.

36:08 Car culture as identity.

37:23 Angelenos waking up to change.

38:38 Sacramento’s quiet leadership.

45:34 Practical vs. theoretical planning.

47:20 UCLA and the civic responsibility of planners.

48:06 Donald Shoup’s influence.

50:33 Communicating policy and nuance.

52:24 The gap between research and perception.

53:05 Policy storytelling and responsibility.

54:16 How to make complexity accessible.

55:06 Why housing reform depends on communication.

56:22 Wrapping up.

For context:

Read Nolan's work on Substack.

On SB79.

On CEQA.

California YIMBY.

Nolan's book, on zoning.