TFIE At A Glance -

TFIE Strategy Inc was founded by Michael Barnard in 2018 after a global technology and business strategy career and a decade of analysis and publication on decarbonization. TFIE’s mission is to ensure that as much of the trillions invested in climate solutions over the coming decades is spent intelligently, wisely and quickly. TFIE’s name stands for The Future Is Electric because that’s much of what the future will be, with electrons replacing molecules in far more places than most realize.

Michael spends his time projecting scenarios for decarbonization 40-80 years into the future and assisting boards, investors and executives to pick wisely today. His leadership positions in North America, Asia and Latin America enhance his global point of view. He’s been invited to sit on multiple advisory boards and publishes regularly in the TFIE Strategy Briefing substack, CleanTechnica and others on cleantech investability, business and policy. He is an occasional host of Redefining Energy, the award-winning podcast that investment bankers Laurent Segalen and Gerard Reid created. His research has been published in books and peer-reviewed journals, and he is regularly invited to speak at corporate, technical and academic conferences.

Contact Michael via email or follow him on LinkedIn.

You can view Michael Barnard’s TFIE Strategy Briefing on SubStack in three ways: as a Free Subscriber, a Paid Subscriber, or as a Founding / Professional Supporter.

Hidden Costs Complete the Picture

The hidden cost of hype in Clean Tech companies have lost nearly $100 billion of shareholder value in hydrogen, eVTOL, and SMR’s. What’s the takeaway?

While modern technologies are exciting, that doesn’t necessarily mean they will make money.

When deciding, investors need to consider all aspects of the product or service including infrastructure, certifications, financing, operating costs, and customers willing to purchase the product. A technology can be technically feasible but never become financially viable on a large scale.

When evaluating a technology for potential investment, determine if the economics are there and not just whether the technology is impressively engineered.

Clean tech investors should focus on rigorous analysis rather than looking for the next big breakthrough.

Check out the full story here.

Britain’s 40-year bus privatization experiment reveals a crucial lesson for electric transport: success depends on coordinating the whole network, not just the operators.

As cities electrify their fleets, charging depots, grid connections and infrastructure become long-term commitments that cannot easily move when routes or contracts change.

Private operators can deliver efficiencies, but transport authorities must ensure essential assets remain accessible and networks function as a coherent system.

The lesson? Plan infrastructure and governance together to accelerate electrification without locking tomorrow’s transport network into today’s decisions.