213 episodes

There are technologies that decouple human well-being from its ecological impacts. There are politics that enable these technologies. Join me as I interview world experts to uncover hope in this time of planetary crisis.

Decouple Dr. Chris Keefer

    • Science
    • 4.9 • 110 Ratings

There are technologies that decouple human well-being from its ecological impacts. There are politics that enable these technologies. Join me as I interview world experts to uncover hope in this time of planetary crisis.

    NuScale, New Problems

    NuScale, New Problems

    The cancellation of the Carbon Free Power Project was a massive blow to US SMR front runner NuScale. James Krellenstein joins me for a deep dive.

    • 1 hr 23 min
    Ontario’s Green Energy Act

    Ontario’s Green Energy Act

    Chris Adlam joins me to discuss Ontario’s attempt to imitate Germany’s Energiewende. It began as an attempt to kickstart a green energy industry by retooling struggling automotive plants in the aftermath of the global financial crisis. The lucrative 20 year feed in tariff contracts for wind and solar will end up costing Ontario more than 62 billion dollars.

    • 43 min
    Enriching Uranium Understanding

    Enriching Uranium Understanding

    One in 20 American homes are powered by Russian enriched uranium because the USA lacks sufficient enrichment capacity to meet its own needs. Energy and fuel security are supposed to be a strong point of the technology but the US nuclear industry faces further reputational risk because no-one is taking responsibility and adequately planning adequate solutions despite NRC licenses being in place. James Krellenstein returns to take our proverbial hands and walk us through the front end of the nuclear fuel cycle. Enjoy!

    • 1 hr 20 min
    US Offshore Wind Dead in the Water?

    US Offshore Wind Dead in the Water?

    The recent cancellation of two large wind projects in New Jersey are the latest in a series of setbacks for the nascent US offshore wind industry. Mark Nelson joins me to analyze whether the nuclear industry is vulnerable to the same cost drivers plaguing this sector.

    • 38 min
    Small Misunderstood Reactors

    Small Misunderstood Reactors

    James Krellenstein joins me to discuss the rationale underlying small modular reactors and in particular the challenges of getting novel reactor concepts from the experimental stage to reliable commercial operation.

    • 1 hr 33 min
    Why is Western nuclear so expensive?

    Why is Western nuclear so expensive?

    Jacopo Buongiorno joins me to discuss the cost drivers of nuclear and how we can drive them down. For a deeper dive check out this MIT study that Jacopo led. studyhttps://energy.mit.edu/research/future-nuclear-energy-carbon-constrained-world/

    • 45 min

Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5
110 Ratings

110 Ratings

bringtheheater87 ,

Love it !!!

Awesome love the in-depth conversation

Thank you

ReturnMy$ ,

Just so, so well done.

I don’t know how I bumped into this podcast, but I am glad I did. So well done, so well researched. This is a very good example of passionately, researching, and patiently, trying to understand a very complex topic and then making good on that knowledge to the benefit of others.

AL2NZ ,

Meh,

Some experts like Mark Nelson are first rate. Too often it swerves into political seething - we already know that liberals don’t allow much and conservatives don’t conserve much so don’t go there. I can get a vicarious sense of self-satisfaction anywhere. Also, this podcast does itself no favors by criticizing other alternative energy schemes. There is enough positive to say about nuclear and enough detail to cover in why these projects devastate their budgets and schedules and how that might be solved.

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