In this insightful episode of "Redefining Energy Tech" (part 1/2) Professor Amy Wagoner Johnson, a materials scientist from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, delves into her groundbreaking work in coral reef restoration. Transitioning from her background in bone tissue engineering, Amy discusses how she applies similar principles to innovate in the field of coral regeneration, utilizing advanced techniques such as 3D printing and material science. Wagoner Johnson begins by...

In the second half of the discussion with Kevin Antcliff from XWing, the focus shifted to the transformative power of autonomy in aviation, exploring its broad applications, the hurdles it faces, and its potential to reshape industries like cargo delivery and aerial photography. The conversation illuminated the critical function of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) across diverse sectors, highlighting their operations within tightly controlled environments managed by advanced ground stations...

In a captivating episode of "Redefining Energy Tech," host Michael Barnard welcomed Kevin Antcliff, the head of product at X Wing, to discuss the transformative trends in the aviation industry. Kevin, who has an impressive background with a 13-year tenure at NASA, shared his journey from a childhood fascination with aerospace to leading product vision at X Wing, a startup focusing on autonomous aviation. At NASA, Kevin was deeply involved in projects related to urban air mobility and autonomy...

In this insightful second episode, Roberta Cenni, the head of biofuels at the Maersk McKinney Mueller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping, delves into the potential of biofuels as a sustainable energy source for the shipping industry. With biodiesel currently being the only commercially available biofuel derived from fats, oils, and greases, she discusses its limitations due to supply constraints and explores the possibilities of other biofuels like biomethane and biomethanol, which could be...

In the latest episode of "Redefining Energy Tech," hosted by Michael Barnard, we had the pleasure of welcoming Roberta Cenni, head of biofuels at the Maersk McKinney Moller Center for Zero Carbon Shipping. With a rich background in chemical engineering and a passion for sustainability, Roberta shared her journey and the pivotal decision to join the center. This pioneering organization, established by Maersk as a non-profit, spearheads the mission to decarbonize the shipping industry through...

Michael Barnard welcomes back Mark Wilson, CEO of Intelligent Land Investments of Scotland for the second half of their discussion. They embark on a detailed discussion about the intricacies of pumped hydro facilities, including engineering, design considerations, and the role of pumped hydro in the evolving landscape of renewable energy. Mark Wilson sheds light on the design aspects of pumped hydro facilities, particularly focusing on the size and length of tunnels, and emphasizes a broad...

Welcome to the latest episode of "Redefining Energy Tech," where host Michael Barnard delves into the evolving world of renewable energy technology. In this engaging session, Michael introduces his esteemed guest, Mark Wilson, CEO and founder of Intelligent Land and Investments (ILI) of Scotland. Mark shares his remarkable journey, beginning with securing land for eco-friendly housing projects, leading up to his current ventures into renewable energy projects such as onshore wind and pump...

In this episode of "Redefining Energy Tech," host Michael Barnard continues and concludes his conversation with Cornelis Plet, DNV's VP for Power Systems Advisory in North America. They delve into high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission, focusing on the contrast between Line Commutated Converters (LCC) and Voltage Source Converters (VSC). Cornelis explains LCC's suitability for stable grid connections and VSC's advantages in control and reduced harmonics, also noting the prominence of...

In this episode of the podcast, host Michael Barnard welcomes Cornelis Plet, Vice President for Power Systems Advisory at DNV North America. Cornelis, nicknamed 'Case', shares his journey from the Netherlands to studying electrical engineering in Germany and London, and his involvement in offshore wind projects with Shell. He further discusses his Ph.D. in inverter-controlled resources in distribution grids and his role in HVDC transmission projects at DNV, particularly the Promotion project...

In this insightful second part of the episode, Michael Barnard welcomes listeners to a conversation focused on the cutting-edge topic of decarbonizing shipping ports. His guest, Sahar Rashidbeigi, holds a pivotal role at A.P. Moller Maersk, spearheading the decarbonization efforts for their APM Terminals division. Sahar shares her experiences and the complexities faced in adopting new, more sustainable technologies in the shipping industry. The conversation delves into the high costs and...

In this insightful podcast episode, host Michael Barnard talks with his guest, Sahar Rashidbeigi, a dynamic professional working for APM Terminals, a division of A.P. Moller Maersk, a leading global shipping and ports management firm. Sahar Rashidbeigi's Career Journey The episode unfolds with Sahar sharing her diverse and inspiring career journey. Beginning as a civil engineer in Iran, Sahar's path led her to offshore projects in Vietnam and Thailand with Schlumberger. Seeking a change,...

In the second half of the discussion with Dr. Joseph Romm, hosted by Michael Barnard, the conversation focuses on sustainability and the critical examination of various climate solutions. They delve into the challenges and potential pitfalls of relying on bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), emphasizing its inefficiency and the unrealistic land requirements for scaling it up. They point out that solely planting trees won't suffice to address climate change or achieve net-zero...

Welcome to another episode of "Redefining Energy Tech," hosted by Michael Barnard. Today, we have the pleasure of having Dr. Joseph Romm, a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania Center for Science, Sustainability, and the Media. Dr. Romm, with a rich background in physics and public policy, has significantly contributed to our understanding of climate solutions, especially in areas like direct air capture and offsets. Dr. Romm shared about his journey, recounting his time...

In the second half of the "Redefining Energy Tech" podcast, host Michael Barnard continues his conversation with Dan Katz, CEO of Orbital Sidekick. They delve into the innovative hyperspectral satellite imaging technology that detects methane emissions from space, discussing its implications for the energy sector and the environment. Kessler Events & Space Debris: Dan elaborates on the potential dangers of Kessler events, where collisions in low Earth orbit can lead to cascading debris...

In this episode, Michael talks with Dan Katz, the CEO and co-founder of Orbital Sidekick, launcher and operator of hyperspectral imaging satellites that keep an eye on methane emissions from space. Dan shares his fascinating journey from having a background in STEM, physics, and astronomy to co-founding Orbital Sidekick. The company, which started as a bootstrapped venture in Dan's garage, now pioneers in leveraging hyperspectral imaging technology. This advanced tech is used on satellites...

Join Michael Barnard as he delves into the pressing issue of energy poverty with Trish Cozart from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory for the second part of their conversation. Together, they explore innovative solutions and collaborations aimed at improving heating and cooling in low-income buildings. Key Takeaways:Discover the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator's focus on energy-efficient solutions like sash heat pumps and Radiator Labs' Cozy system.Dive into the potential of...

Dive into the world of renewable energy with Michael Barnard as he chats with Trish Cozart, the driving force behind the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) and the Wells Fargo Innovation Incubator (IN2). Discover NREL's groundbreaking initiatives like Integrated Energy Systems and their journey to electrify everything while solving grid challenges. Cozart delves deep into the world of clean tech, from the intricacies of Technology...

Part 2 of this intriguing discussion continues with Michael Barnard and Vincent Pluvinage discussing battery technologies and their future. They navigate the competitive landscape, comparing Vincent's unique approach to other industry players and emphasizing the role of safety and cost reduction in advancing battery tech. Key aspects of supply chain localization and scaling up production for affordability and efficiency are also explored. Battery Tech Comparisons: The segment kicks off with...

In this engaging episode, host Michael Barnard welcomes Vincent Pluvinage, the physicist, inventor, and CEO of OneD Battery Sciences, discussing his diverse background, love for physics, and the path that led him to become involved in silicon-based batteries. From his initial work in designing chips for programmable hearing aids to meeting influential figures like Andy Grove and David Packard, Vincent shares his unique journey. The conversation delves into the development and potential of...

Michael Barnard welcomes back Elisabet Liljeblad, the sustainability and energy lead with Stena Teknik, for the second half of their conversation on redefining energy Tech. They start by discussing the efficiency of electric drive trains in shipping and compare it to reciprocating engines. Methanol is explored as a shipping fuel with lower emissions and cleaner burning properties. Ammonia is discussed as a potential transportation fuel but poses toxicity and safety challenges. Hydrogen is...

Michael Barnard welcomes Elisabet Liljeblad, PhD, the sustainability and energy lead with Stena Teknik, to discuss decarbonization in the maritime industry. Elisabet shares her diverse background including studying the magnetosphere of Mercury and a stint in Afghanistan keeping the peace, and how she ended up in shipping. Full transcript. They explore the scale of the maritime industry and its challenge of decarbonization due to its size, variety of vessels, and dependency on fossil fuels....

In the second part of his conversation with David Cebon, head of the Centre for Sustainable Road Freight and professor of mechanical engineering at Cambridge, Michael Barnard discusses the challenges of integrating logistics activity and energy activity in decarbonization efforts. The need for bigger batteries in trucks is temporary and will eventually become a matter of economics. Transcript. However, the challenge lies in charging infrastructure at warehouses, where vehicle turnarounds...

In this episode of Redefining Energy Tech (part 1 of 2), host Michael Barnard interviews David Cebon, director of the Centre for Sustainable Road Freight at the University of Cambridge. They discuss David's expertise in heavy ground transportation and his involvement in the hydrogen science coalition. Full transcript. Cebon spent 20 years studying how heavy road vehicles actually impacted roads. That segued a dozen years ago to look into how the segment would decarbonize. Cebon stresses...

Michael Barnard welcomes CEO and co-founder of Camus Energy, Astrid Atkinson, to Redefining Energy - Tech for the second half of their lengthy discussion. Astrid shares her background in big tech at Google before transitioning to grid management in the energy industry. She discusses the parallels between building reliable software systems and decarbonizing the grid. Her interest in climate change inspired her to apply her skills towards creating utility grade reliability for electrical...