My Climate Journey
A growing body of knowledge about climate change and potential solutions. This series traverses disciplines, industries, and opinions with hundreds of deep-dive conversations with science, technology, and climate leaders. Hosted by Jason Jacobs, Yin Lu, and Cody Simms.
Technology
Business
Science
Geothermal for Big Buildings with Bedrock
Jocelyn Lai is the Co-founder and CEO at Bedrock Ene...
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Oct 24 2024 49m
Chapter 1 1 min
Overview of Bedrock Energy and its geothermal approachChapter 2 1 min
How Bedrock’s methods differ from other geothermal generation techniquesChapter 3 2 mins
Joselyn's journey to founding Bedrock EnergyChapter 4 5 mins
Focusing on the existing HVAC marketChapter 5 3 mins
Integration of geothermal systems into commercial buildingsChapter 6 5 mins
Overview of Bedrock's underground geothermal technologyChapter 7 7 mins
On-site footprint of Bedrock’s geothermal solutionsChapter 8 1 min
Proprietary software and drilling innovations for efficient deploymentsChapter 9 2 mins
Understanding Bedrock’s early customer baseChapter 10 4 mins
Challenges related to geology and labor shortagesChapter 11 4 mins
Collaborating with utilities for enhanced grid benefitsChapter 12 5 mins
Bedrock Energy’s progress and milestones so far
Point Source Carbon Capture with Ardent’s Membrane Solutions
Erica Nemser is CEO at Ardent, a Series A stage star...
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Oct 17 2024 47m
Chapter 1 1 min
Rebranding from Compact Membrane Systems to ArdentChapter 2 2 mins
Ardent's membrane-based carbon capture solution and how it differs from other technologiesChapter 3 1 min
Erica's background and how it has informed her leadership at ArdentChapter 4 4 mins
Ardent's go-to-market strategy of partnering for scaleChapter 5 49 sec
The company's hypothesis around facilitated transport membranesChapter 6 4 mins
An overview of Ardent's approach to industrial carbon captureChapter 7 1 min
Ardent’s low-energy membrane systems for carbon captureChapter 8 3 mins
Overview of Ardent’s membrane system setupChapter 9 2 mins
Addressing concerns about prolonging fossil fuel use with carbon captureChapter 10 6 mins
Erica’s perspective on diverse solutions for industrial heatChapter 11 5 mins
“Carbon Capture as a Service” explainedChapter 12 8 mins
Agricultural sector's interest in carbon captureChapter 13 1 min
Ardent’s global presence and talent search
Scaling Hydrogen for Heavy Industry with Hgen
Molly Yang is CEO and co-founder of Hgen, a company ...
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Oct 10 2024 36m
Chapter 1 2 mins
Molly’s background at Tesla and her motivation for starting HgenChapter 2 2 mins
Exploring different solutions for hard-to-abate sectorsChapter 3 53 sec
Hgen’s focus on distributed hydrogen production through alkaline electrolysisChapter 4 4 mins
Comparing alkaline vs. PEM electrolyzersChapter 5 1 min
The challenges and advantages of alkaline electrolyzersChapter 6 5 mins
Targeting markets that use hydrogen today and displacing gray hydrogenChapter 7 2 mins
Various use cases for hydrogenChapter 8 2 mins
Hgen’s progress and business modelChapter 9 18 sec
Hgen is hiring!Chapter 10 6 mins
How different investors view hydrogenChapter 11 1 min
Molly's advice for entrepreneurs
Crafting Landmark Climate Legislation with Russell Kenneth DeGraff
Russell Kenneth DeGraff spent 18 years as a staffer ...
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Oct 7 2024 1h 26m
Chapter 1 6 mins
Russell DeGraffChapter 2 4 mins
Path to Speaker PelosiChapter 3 5 mins
Legislative Strategy and Healthcare ReformChapter 4 9 mins
Legislative Strategy for Climate ActionChapter 5 11 mins
Legislative Strategy and House-Senate NegotiationsChapter 6 8 mins
Challenges in Legislation NegotiationsChapter 7 8 mins
Transformation From Blocker to ChampionChapter 8 10 mins
Legislative Challenges and Future Climate PolicyChapter 9 13 mins
Building Resilience Through Legislative StrategyChapter 10 5 mins
Legislative Strategy and Technology ImpactChapter 11 4 mins
Senate Filibuster Reform and Legislative Gratitude
Startup Series: Battery-Powered Homes with Base
This My Climate Journey podcast episode was recorded...
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Oct 3 2024 41m
Chapter 1 5 mins
Zach's background and journey into entrepreneurship, with a focus on solving energy and climate problemsChapter 2 6 mins
How he landed on batteries and met his co-founder, Justin LopasChapter 3 7 mins
Base's residential approach in TexasChapter 4 3 mins
The company's business model and role in the energy marketChapter 5 2 mins
Base's ideal customerChapter 6 3 mins
The battery's current and future manufacturing strategyChapter 7 1 min
Zach's key learnings from starting a businessChapter 8 4 mins
Base's company culture and who they're looking to hireChapter 9 3 mins
How Base could grow into other energy sectorsChapter 10 1 min
Zach's vision for the future
A Conversation with Oxy CEO, Vicki Hollub
*This My Climate Journey podcast episode was recorde...
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Oct 1 2024 1h 3m
Chapter 1 3 mins
Navigating the trust gap between O&G companies and the publicChapter 2 1 min
Vicki's early career pathChapter 3 2 mins
The O&G boom in the Permian Basin in the mid-2000sChapter 4 5 mins
Vicki's path to becoming the first female CEO at OxyChapter 5 44 sec
Changing dynamics and priorities while running a complex company like OxyChapter 6 3 mins
How Vicki pitched Warren Buffet to invest in Oxy and navigated the impactsChapter 7 5 mins
How Oxy attracts and retains talent, plus generational differencesChapter 8 4 mins
Challenges and opportunities Oxy sees in the energy transitionChapter 9 3 mins
Navigating urgency relative to long-term planningChapter 10 10 mins
How the transition of innovation and legacy businesses could play outChapter 11 5 mins
Oxy's focus on carbon management, including direct air captureChapter 12 3 mins
Challenges in scaling DAC, including partnerships and fundingChapter 13 5 mins
Vicki's thoughts on achieving a net-zero carbon barrel of oilChapter 14 3 mins
Her perspectives on the future of the oil and gas industry and its evolution
Election Special: Climate Action at the Ballot Box
The election cycle can feel overwhelming for the ave...
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Sep 16 2024 1h 12m
Chapter 1 1 min
Intro to Tiernan and LCVChapter 2 1 min
Intro to Caroline and Climate CabinetChapter 3 1 min
Intro to Eliza and Climate ChangemakersChapter 4 6 mins
Climate stakes in this electionChapter 5 5 mins
House and Senate race importanceChapter 6 7 mins
Climate's political divideChapter 7 5 mins
House stakes this cycleChapter 8 4 mins
Texas election outlookChapter 9 2 mins
Key states to watchChapter 10 1 min
Climate champion governorsChapter 11 3 mins
LCV candidate scoringChapter 12 10 mins
Supporting candidates financiallyChapter 13 10 mins
How to participate and engageChapter 14 3 mins
Improving accessibility and outcomes
Startup Series: Nuclear Micro-Reactors with Radiant
Doug Bernauer is the CEO and Co-founder of Radiant. ...
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Sep 12 2024 38m
Chapter 1 1 min
Radiant's micro-reactor technology and applicationsChapter 2 2 mins
Use cases for one-megawatt reactors, including disaster reliefChapter 3 3 mins
Description of Radiant’s reactorChapter 4 1 min
Cooling technologies used by RadiantChapter 5 1 min
Radiant's connection with Idaho National Lab's Pele designChapter 6 3 mins
DOE and DoD funding for Radiant's nuclear technologyChapter 7 3 mins
Customer models and sales strategies for nuclear reactorsChapter 8 1 min
Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approval processes for operating reactorsChapter 9 2 mins
Doug’s hopes for future regulatory parity with diesel generatorsChapter 10 4 mins
Supply chain for High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) fuelChapter 11 3 mins
Challenges of NRC processes for micro-reactorsChapter 12 3 mins
Demand signals from remote and military applications for micro-reactorsChapter 13 2 mins
Current financing status and future fundraising plans
Startup Series: Designing the Future of Home Energy with Haven
Jeff Chapin is the Co-founder and Chief Product Offi...
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Aug 29 2024 47m
Chapter 1 4 mins
Jeff's design-driven journey from IDEO to CasperChapter 2 2 mins
Applying design thinking to home energyChapter 3 2 mins
Retrofitting batteries to existing solar systemsChapter 4 3 mins
Challenges in the battery installation marketChapter 5 6 mins
Customizing battery options and customer incentivesChapter 6 4 mins
Installation process and energy managementChapter 7 2 mins
Financial benefits and tax creditsChapter 8 6 mins
Changes in net metering for rooftop solarChapter 9 6 mins
Growing demand for solar and battery setupsChapter 10 6 mins
Series A funding and growth strategy for Haven
Startup Series: Battery-Electric Rail with Parallel Systems
Matt Soule is the CEO and Co-founder of Parallel Sys...
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Aug 22 2024 47m
Chapter 1 3 mins
Matt's background in rocket engineeringChapter 2 1 min
Energy efficiency: rail vs. trucksChapter 3 1 min
History of US rail transportationChapter 4 1 min
Rail industry ownership and subsidiesChapter 5 3 mins
Rail transportation's environmental impactChapter 6 2 mins
Rail's challenges, especially for short tripsChapter 7 1 min
Industries using rail transportChapter 8 4 mins
Rail for non-critical and luxury use casesChapter 9 5 mins
Overview of Parallel Systems' self-assembling trainsChapter 10 2 mins
Benefits of battery electrification in railChapter 11 2 mins
Cost comparison: Parallel Systems vs. traditional rail and truckingChapter 12 4 mins
Current pilots and safety considerationsChapter 13 1 min
Expansion plans for new geographiesChapter 14 3 mins
Business model: selling vehicles to railroadsChapter 15 3 mins
Future of locomotives in the rail industry
Startup Series: Electrifying Trucking with Flipturn
Katie Siegel is CEO and Co-founder at Flipturn. Flip...
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Aug 15 2024 36m
Chapter 1 39 sec
Flipturn’s mission to electrify trucking and enhance fleet managementChapter 2 1 min
Katie's journey from Samsara to founding FlipturnChapter 3 1 min
From telematics to EV infrastructure innovationChapter 4 2 mins
Transportation's role in pollution and the shift to electrificationChapter 5 3 mins
Focus on electrifying last mile delivery and drayageChapter 6 6 mins
Differences in EV charging needs for delivery vans vs. drayage trucksChapter 7 1 min
Flipturn’s software for efficient fleet chargingChapter 8 3 mins
Strategies for setting up fleet charging stationsChapter 9 5 mins
Challenges and solutions in vehicle electrificationChapter 10 2 mins
Integrating truck OEMs with charging networksChapter 11 3 mins
How fleets choose charging softwareChapter 12 1 min
Hydrogen vehicles in new zero-emissions lawChapter 13 52 sec
Evolving challenges in the trucking industry
Big Tech Betting on Nature-Based Carbon Removals
Julia Strong is the Executive Director of Symbiosis ...
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Aug 12 2024 51m
Chapter 1 7 mins
Symbiosis CoalitionChapter 2 14 mins
Forest Carbon Market Quality CriteriaChapter 3 11 mins
Investing in Nature-Based Carbon RemovalChapter 4 4 mins
Advancing Nature-Based Carbon Removal StandardsChapter 5 5 mins
Nature-Based Carbon Removal CriteriaChapter 6 7 mins
Nature-Based Carbon Removal and Financial Transparency
Decoding Coal Dispatch with RMI
Joe Daniel is a Principal on the Carbon-Free Electri...
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Aug 5 2024 50m
Chapter 1 1 min
Joe's background and work at RMIChapter 2 1 min
Seasonality and cyclical trends in coal usageChapter 3 3 mins
Operation and flexibility of coal plantsChapter 4 2 mins
Merit order and prioritizing resources based on costChapter 5 3 mins
Types of resources and their cost rankingChapter 6 5 mins
Dispatching resources and electricity sourcesChapter 7 3 mins
Non-economic dispatch of coal and cost impactsChapter 8 4 mins
Public utility commissions' role in regulationChapter 9 4 mins
Need for transparency and market price signalsChapter 10 5 mins
Smooth energy transition and coal's future roleChapter 11 1 min
RMI's role in providing expertise and assistanceChapter 12 3 mins
Cost implications and solutions for non-economic dispatchChapter 13 2 mins
Public engagement in utility commission hearingsChapter 14 4 mins
Policy and local engagement in clean energy adoption
Startup Series: Distributed Hydrogen with Fourier
Siva Yellamraju is the Co-founder and CEO at Fourier...
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Jul 31 2024 47m
Chapter 1 2 mins
Siva’s entrepreneurial backgroundChapter 2 2 mins
His decision to work on climate and energyChapter 3 5 mins
Customer pain point understandingChapter 4 2 mins
Potential use cases for distributed hydrogen, including power backup solutions and data centersChapter 5 6 mins
Approaching hydrogen production as a data problemChapter 6 2 mins
Customers working with Fourier as part of a broader movement around clean energyChapter 7 3 mins
Potential use cases for distributed hydrogen, including power backup solutions and data centersChapter 8 6 mins
Advantages of hydrogen over batteries for long-term storage and heavy transportationChapter 9 2 mins
Geographic markets for hydrogen deployment; the US, Germany, India, and IndonesiaChapter 10 1 min
Fourier's success to date and plans for commercial rolloutChapter 11 3 mins
The goals for Fourier's pilots in the US and IndiaChapter 12 2 mins
Siva's learning curves in building an energy companyChapter 13 1 min
Potential for India to become a leader in hydrogenChapter 14 1 min
The name behind FourierChapter 15 1 min
Fourier's current capital and hiring needs
Japan's Energy Mix Post-Fukushima
Japan is important to consider on the global energy ...
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Jul 22 2024 44m
Startup Series: Hoxton Farms’ Cruelty-Free Fats
Max Jamilly, CEO and Co-founder at Hoxton Farms. And...
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Jul 18 2024 50m
Chapter 1 58 sec
Intro to Hoxton FarmsChapter 2 3 mins
Founders' background: Max Jamilly and Ed SteeleChapter 3 3 mins
Meat alternative industry: Challenges and opportunitiesChapter 4 3 mins
Expansion potential beyond meat alternativesChapter 5 4 mins
Cost parity with traditional animal fatsChapter 6 1 min
Scalability, production, and commercialization planChapter 7 5 mins
Consumer appetite for meat alternativesChapter 8 8 mins
Regulatory environment and labeling requirementsChapter 9 1 min
Hoxton Farms' pork fat cultivation processChapter 10 5 mins
Potential for genetic engineering in cultivationChapter 11 2 mins
Overview of Hoxton's facilityChapter 12 3 mins
Capitalization and financing historyChapter 13 1 min
Importance of branding and merchandiseChapter 14 2 mins
Hoxton Farms is hiring !
Startup Series: Permanent Geologic Carbon Storage with Vaulted Deep
Julia Reichlstein is the CEO and Co-founder at Vault...
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Jul 11 2024 56m
Chapter 1 10 mins
Carbon Removal Innovations and ChallengesChapter 2 9 mins
Underground Injection and Carbon SequestrationChapter 3 6 mins
Carbon Removal Company ExpansionChapter 4 5 mins
Carbon Removal and Avoidance CreditsChapter 5 5 mins
Carbon Removal Process and FacilitiesChapter 6 10 mins
Waste Disposal and Carbon Removal BusinessChapter 7 7 mins
Carbon Removal Market Expansion Opportunities
Startup Series: Rhizome's Resilience Planning for Utilities
Mish Thadani is the CEO and Co-founder of Rhizome. R...
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Jun 27 2024 44m
Chapter 1 3 mins
Exploring the definition of resilienceChapter 2 3 mins
Vulnerabilities of utilities to climate and weather extremesChapter 3 4 mins
Data-driven balancing of utility investmentsChapter 4 2 mins
Enhancing decision-making in utilities with Rhizome's softwareChapter 5 1 min
Comparing physical asset and capacity risksChapter 6 4 mins
Reconductor technology as a resilience strategyChapter 7 2 mins
Regulatory challenges in resilience investmentsChapter 8 3 mins
The impact of proactive resilience investmentsChapter 9 3 mins
Inside look at Rhizome's software platformChapter 10 2 mins
Rhizome's market strategy and achievementsChapter 11 3 mins
Federal initiatives on resilience: expectations and realitiesChapter 12 2 mins
AI in resilience: challenges and opportunitiesChapter 13 1 min
Where Rhizome needs help
Onshoring Clean Energy with Giulia Siccardo, DOE's Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains
Today's conversation is all about how the US is tryi...
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Jun 18 2024 1h
Chapter 1 3 mins
History of offshoring manufacturingChapter 2 3 mins
U.S.-China tensions in clean energy manufacturingChapter 3 5 mins
Energy supply chain and workforce intersectionChapter 4 2 mins
AI as a blue-collar workforce generatorChapter 5 4 mins
Evolution of the manufacturing workforce and trainingChapter 6 7 mins
Overview of DOE's Office of Manufacturing and Energy Supply Chains (MESC)Chapter 7 5 mins
MESC's non-dilutive equity effortsChapter 8 2 mins
Critical minerals and materials for energy transitionChapter 9 4 mins
MESC's global collaboration portfolioChapter 10 5 mins
MESC's 48C tax credit programChapter 11 1 min
Considerations for companies approaching MESC during an election yearChapter 12 5 mins
Giulia's background at FrontierChapter 13 3 mins
Data analysis on U.S. supply chain vulnerabilitiesChapter 14 2 mins
MESC's plans to publicly share data and insights
Advancing Nuclear Innovation with INL’s Dr. John Wagner
Dr. John Wagner is the President of Battelle Energy ...
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Jun 10 2024 39m
Chapter 1 3 mins
DOE National Labs OverviewChapter 2 6 mins
Introduction to Idaho National LaboratoryChapter 3 1 min
Current projects & reactors at INL, including Advanced Test Reactor (ATR)Chapter 4 1 min
INL's upcoming projects: MARVEL, PELEChapter 5 3 mins
How INL supports private firms in nuclear tech developmentChapter 6 8 mins
End-to-end reactor devolment cycle, e.g., MARVELChapter 7 4 mins
How entrepreneurs can collaborate with INLChapter 8 1 min
Collaboration with NRC, support for regulatory development and trainingChapter 9 1 min
INL's involvement in fusion researchChapter 10 1 min
John's focus on nuclear fission, U.S. rebuildingChapter 11 3 mins
Future reactor mix: large-scale, modular, advanced
Inside the World of Corporate Clean Energy Procurement
Christina Yagjian leads global renewable energy stra...
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Jun 3 2024 47m
Chapter 1 7 mins
Christina's background and journey in renewablesChapter 2 1 min
Reasons behind corporate power purchasesChapter 3 4 mins
The difference between renewable energy certificates (RECs) and power purchase agreementsChapter 4 6 mins
The role of additionality in power purchase agreementsChapter 5 3 mins
Balancing emissions footprints with the cost of powerChapter 6 4 mins
Role of storage in balancing intermittent renewable resourcesChapter 7 3 mins
Challenges and barriers to clean power procurement, such as cost, timing, and market uncertaintiesChapter 8 3 mins
Considerations in choosing power generators and negotiating PPAsChapter 9 6 mins
An overview of virtual power purchase agreementsChapter 10 2 mins
Managing clean power procurement and the need for robust data systemsChapter 11 1 min
Definition of success in clean power procurement for Cargill
The Science of Startups with Activate's Cyrus Wadia
Cyrus Wadia is the CEO of Activate, a 501(c)(3) nonp...
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May 30 2024 46m
Chapter 1 1 min
The gap Activate fills between academic research and commercializationChapter 2 4 mins
Transition challenges for scientists becoming entrepreneursChapter 3 5 mins
The role of tech transfer offices and the gap in supporting hard tech entrepreneurshipChapter 4 6 mins
Activate's unique approach in supporting fellows through licensing and entrepreneurshipChapter 5 2 mins
The ideal Activate fellow: ready to jump into entrepreneurship head-firstChapter 6 6 mins
Selection criteria for Activate fellowsChapter 7 2 mins
Overview of Activate's program, including support and community involvementChapter 8 3 mins
Financial and strategic support provided to Activate fellowsChapter 9 4 mins
Cyrus Wadia's background and journey to becoming CEO of ActivateChapter 10 4 mins
Future directions and impact goals for Activate
Startup Series: Unlocking Ammonia as Energy with Amogy
Dr. Seonghoon Woo is CEO and co-founder at Amogy. Am...
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May 23 2024 44m
Chapter 1 2 mins
Dr. Woo’s background and journey to founding AmogyChapter 2 1 min
Co-founder roles and decision-making at AmogyChapter 3 2 mins
The company’s impressive Series B funding round and key investorsChapter 4 1 min
Overview of Amogy and its technology: converting ammonia to energyChapter 5 3 mins
Importance of ammonia in global food production and fertilizerChapter 6 1 min
Ammonia as a hydrogen carrier and its applications beyond fertilizerChapter 7 2 mins
Ammonia production processes, challenges of transportation and storageChapter 8 4 mins
Amogy’s innovation to use ammonia as a fuel without combustionChapter 9 4 mins
Ammonia compared with other renewable fuels like methanol and batteriesChapter 10 2 mins
Process and efficiency of converting ammonia to hydrogen on shipsChapter 11 3 mins
Safety considerations for storing and transporting ammonia on shipsChapter 12 4 mins
Amogy’s current traction and building the world's first 100% ammonia-powered vessel, a tugboatChapter 13 3 mins
Where Amogy is looking for help todayChapter 14 2 mins
Future expansion of ammonia adoption in East Asia and globally
Reframing Nuclear Narratives with the Breakthrough Institute
Adam Stein is the Director of Nuclear Energy Innovat...
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May 13 2024 1h 10m
Chapter 1 1 min
Launch of 'Build Nuclear Now' to boost public support for nuclear energyChapter 2 1 min
Shift in public opinion on nuclear energy post-Three Mile Island incidentChapter 3 4 mins
Contrast between post-WWII and current energy policies focusing on efficiencyChapter 4 1 min
Decline of nuclear energy due to increased natural gas from frackingChapter 5 2 mins
Challenges in revitalizing the stagnant US nuclear industryChapter 6 2 mins
Future projections for nuclear load growth by 2050Chapter 7 4 mins
Why renewables and storage alone cannot meet future energy demandsChapter 8 1 min
Additional benefits of nuclear energyChapter 9 3 mins
The role of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the need for reformChapter 10 4 mins
Challenges with traditional nuclear reactor approval processesChapter 11 3 mins
Vogtle reactors and challenges for deploying nuclear plants in the USChapter 12 7 mins
The potential of advanced nuclear reactors and their smaller, adaptable designsChapter 13 3 mins
Strategic focus on Appalachia for repurposing coal plants for nuclear projectsChapter 14 9 mins
Recent legislative efforts to modernize nuclear energy regulation and innovationChapter 15 8 mins
The process and challenges of nuclear fuel management, from enrichment to wasteChapter 16 4 mins
National focus on nuclear innovation, highlighting Idaho's MARVEL reactor developmentChapter 17 4 mins
Role of the Breakthrough Institute in addressing and implementing solutions for nuclear energy barriers
Live from SF Climate Week with Senator Scott Wiener and Shashank Samala
In today's episode, recorded live during San Francis...
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May 6 2024 49m
Chapter 1 3 mins
Senator Scott Wiener's background and personal climate journeyChapter 2 2 mins
Shashank's entrepreneurial background and transition to carbon removalChapter 3 1 min
An overview of HeirloomChapter 4 2 mins
An overview of Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissionsChapter 5 4 mins
SB 253, the Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act, authored by Senator WienerChapter 6 2 mins
California's cap and trade systemChapter 7 5 mins
The importance of carbon accounting and measurement, reporting and verification (MRV)Chapter 8 6 mins
How the Senator's team worked with startups to verify compliance challengesChapter 9 2 mins
Heirloom's categories of carbon buyersChapter 10 1 min
SB 308, Carbon Market Development Act, authored by Senator Josh BeckerChapter 11 3 mins
The role of geography in carbon removalsChapter 12 4 mins
How startups can engage with local policymakersChapter 13 1 min
The benefit of representing San Francisco as a climate tech hubChapter 14 36 sec
Senator Wiener's wishlist for climate policy, including dense housing and world-class public transportationChapter 15 1 min
Shashank's wishlist for climate policy, including SB 308