Decarbonizers: Innovators building a cleaner future

Decarbonizers
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Hosted by Idrees Madni, Decarbonizers brings you conversations with the founders, CEOs, and leaders behind the clean tech revolution. From solar-powered stoves to breakthrough green technologies, these innovators are shaping the future of sustainability. Tune in for stories of innovation, challenges, and the strategies driving a cleaner, greener planet, one solution at a time.

Episodes

  1. Sep 3

    The Big Lie Your HVAC Contractor is Telling You

    Did you know that your home emits about as much carbon as the car in your driveway,  sometimes even more? In colder climates, it can be the equivalent of two or three cars. And yet, we’ve had the technology to fix this for decades. In this episode of Decarbonizers, host Idrees Madni sits down with Stephen Lake, co-founder of Jetson, to explore the massive opportunity hiding in plain sight: home electrification. Stephen shares his unexpected journey from building augmented reality glasses for Google to launching a vertically integrated heat pump company that's making all-electric heating and cooling affordable, transparent, and actually enjoyable for homeowners. They dive into why heat pumps have been misunderstood for years, how modern cold-climate units perform even at -22°F, and why most HVAC contractors still oversize systems – costing you money and comfort. Stephen explains Jetson's direct-to-consumer model, their instant online quoting system, and how connected heat pumps with AI-driven monitoring are turning homes into smart, efficient, and healthy environments. The conversation also covers the real economics of heat pumps, the recent federal policy changes that hurt electrification, and why the home of 2035 will be fully electric, with solar, batteries, and smart devices all talking to each other. From the comfort benefits of variable-speed systems to the joy of real-time air quality monitoring, this episode makes the case that going electric isn't just better for the planet – it's better for your wallet, your health, and your peace of mind. If you've ever wondered whether a heat pump works in cold weather, whether it saves money, or why your contractor keeps pushing a gas furnace, this episode is for you. In This Episode: [00:00] Dynamic intro [00:38] Welcome to Decarbonizers [01:41] Steve's background and how Jetson started [02:40] Why homes emit as much carbon as cars [03:37] The 21% residential energy stat [04:54] Cost comparison: heat pumps vs. gas [07:13] How a heat pump actually works [09:13] Inside the pump: variable speed and comfort [12:13] Instant online quotes vs. traditional site visits [12:55] Why in-home visits are really sales visits [16:52] What happens to the old gas furnace and line [17:43] How system sizing really works [19:44] The oversizing problem and Jetson's guarantee [21:25] Markets where heat pumps make sense (and don't) [24:10] Rising demand and lingering misinformation [26:58] Do solar/EV owners adopt heat pumps faster? [29:38] Federal, state, and utility incentives [30:30] Best state incentives right now [31:44] The smart thermostat, app, and AI layer [36:26] Tech company vs. clean tech company vs. past ventures [39:23] Most common customer objection [40:53] Customer reactions and NPS scores [41:46] Jetson's near-term goals [42:24] Vision for the home of 2035 [45:17] Rapid-fire takes [46:45] A policy change Steve would reverse [48:05] Wrap-up and thanks  Our Guest Stephen Lake is the co-founder of Jetson, a vertically integrated heat pump company making all-electric home heating and cooling affordable, transparent, and smart. Prior to Jetson, Stephen spent 10 years building a leading augmented reality company that was acquired by Google. His background in consumer hardware and software now drives Jetson's mission to decarbonize homes at scale with a customer-first experience. Resources and Links Decarbonizers Podcast https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/decarbonizers-innovators-building-a-cleaner-future/id1876026317 Stephen Lake Linkedin Jetson Idrees Madni LinkedIn

    The Big Lie Your HVAC Contractor is Telling You

  2. Jun 11

    Vehicle-to-Grid, Virtual Power Plants, and the End of the One-Way Grid

    Your garage isn't for storage. It's a power plant waiting to be switched on. Most people look at an electric vehicle and see transportation. Luis Rivas sees the largest untapped energy storage system on the planet. As CEO of Tether EV, he's building the software that turns parked cars into intelligent grid assets. These assets can stabilize power networks, prevent blackouts, and even generate passive income for their owners. In this episode of Decarbonizers, host Idrees Madni sits down with Luis to explore a radical flip in thinking. What if the clean energy transition isn't just about building more solar farms and batteries, but about unlocking the capacity already sitting idle in our driveways? The average car is parked 96% of the time. In a gas car, that's wasted space. In an EV, it's a 50 to 100 kWh battery that could be powering a home, smoothing out renewable intermittency, or earning money in frequency regulation markets. Luis shares his journey from fixing blackouts at Florida Power & Light to designing gas turbine controls at GE, then to Northvolt, and finally to founding Tether. He explains why Europe is ahead of the US on virtual power plants, why battery degradation fears are largely overblown, and how Norwegian drivers are already living in the future with 100 percent EV new sales. He also breaks down the difference between V1G and V2G, why bidirectional charging costs eight times more right now, and why that won't matter in five years. If you think an EV is just a car, this conversation will change your mind. The garage of the future isn't for parking. It's for powering.Let’s dive in! Key Takeaways Why parked EVs could become giant batteries for the power grid How virtual power plants help stabilize electricity systems Why most cars sit unused 96% of the time The real reason Europe is leading EV and grid innovation How EV owners could eventually generate passive income Why battery storage is becoming critical for renewable energy The connection between EV adoption and energy security How extreme weather events are reshaping grid infrastructure Why AI could become essential for managing modern power systems How vehicle-to-grid technology could change the value of owning a car  In This Episode: [00:00] Dynamic intro [00:38] Podcast introduction [01:27] Luis Rivas's background in energy [02:19] The genesis of Tether EV [06:02] EVs as energy infrastructure [07:23] Virtual power plants in Europe vs. the US [08:26] The importance of grid frequency [10:31] The role of EVs in grid balancing [12:23] EV adoption in Europe [14:33] Vehicle-to-grid (V2G) and battery degradation [17:04] OEMs and V2G technology [18:03] Modern EV battery resilience [20:42] The garage as a home power plant [23:18] The future of EV features [25:16] Potential consumer earnings with Tether EV [26:55] Societal and financial benefits of V2G [31:08] Analyzing driver and charging behavior [33:19] The value of availability [36:05] AI's role in managing the modern grid [38:18] The future of V2G and mobility [40:49] Geopolitics and EV adoption [43:49] Rapid-fire questions Our Guest Luis Rivas is the CEO of Tether EV, a company turning electric vehicles into intelligent energy assets through vehicle-to-grid technology and decentralized energy systems. He holds a background in electrical engineering (power systems), has worked at Florida Power & Light, General Electric (gas turbine controls and solar integration), and Northvolt (European battery manufacturing). He’s based between Sweden and Mexico, and thinks Americans buy trucks that are slightly too large (but admits that’s exactly why V2G works so well here). Resources and Links Decarbonizers Podcast Link Luis Rivas Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/luis-medina-rivas?originalSubdomain=es Website: https://tetherev.io/ Idrees Madni LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/idreesmadni/

    Vehicle-to-Grid, Virtual Power Plants, and the End of the One-Way Grid

  3. May 26

    How Big Oil Controls What You Think About Climate Change

    Did you know that the fossil fuel industry spends roughly $7 billion a year on advertising and PR? That's seven presidential campaigns' worth of money, every single year. And according to today's guest, pretty much every claim they make is a lie. In this episode of Decarbonizers, host Idrees Madni sits down with Duncan Meisel, Executive Director of Fossil Free Media and founder of Clean Creatives, to unpack how the fossil fuel industry has spent decades shaping public opinion through advertising, PR, and strategic misinformation. Duncan explains why oil and gas companies invest billions into influencing perception, how greenwashing became one of the industry’s most powerful tools, and why most people dramatically underestimate public support for climate solutions. Duncan also shares why he chose to focus on advertising agencies and PR firms instead of directly targeting oil companies, arguing that fossil fuels rely heavily on creative industries to maintain social acceptance. From comparisons to cigarette advertising bans to discussions around social media algorithms, political polarization, and climate influencers, this conversation explores the hidden communication systems behind the energy transition. The episode also dives into the emotional side of climate communication. Why do fear and hope dominate the conversation? Why aren’t more clean tech companies telling compelling stories? And how can sustainability become culturally aspirational rather than politically divisive? From solar adoption in neighborhoods to the rise of climate creators online, this episode explores why winning hearts and minds may matter just as much as building better technology. If you’ve ever wondered why clean energy doesn’t advertise like Chevron  or why your neighbour thinks solar is political, this episode is essential listening. Key Takeaways Why the fossil fuel industry spends billions shaping public opinion How advertising and PR became critical tools for protecting oil and gas interests The concept of “pluralistic ignorance” and why people underestimate support for climate solutions Why greenwashing is often just strategic misinformation How climate communication became politically polarized The similarities between fossil fuel advertising and cigarette marketing How community adoption makes technologies like solar and batteries spread faster Why sustainability becomes powerful when people feel proud to share it  In This Episode: [00:00] Dynamic Intro  [00:46] Introduction  [01:37] What Fossil Free Media does [02:24] Duncan origin story [03:57] PR money influence [05:33] Clean energy messaging gap [06:51] Beyond hope and fear [08:23] Hidden climate majority [10:24] “Lie every time” strategy [14:10] Polarization and GOP ties [16:19] Why target agencies [19:24] Greenwashing explained [20:35] Does lying work? [21:33] Legal accountability fight [22:34] Tobacco ad ban parallel [23:16] Ban fossil fuel ads [24:50] Selling solar value [31:56] Making climate cool [34:43] Hope and clean energy [37:37] Rapid-fire takes [39:24] Wrap-up and thanks  Our Guest Duncan Meisel is the Executive Director of Fossil Free Media, a nonprofit media lab that runs campaigns to weaken the economic and cultural power of the fossil fuel industry. He is also the founder of Clean Creatives, a campaign that has convinced over 1,500 advertising and PR agencies worldwide to pledge not to work with fossil fuel companies. Previously, Duncan spent nearly seven years at 350.org, where he worked on the Keystone XL pipeline fight and helped launch the global divestment movement. Decarbonizers Podcast Link Duncan Meisel Linkedin Fossil Free Media Clean Creatives Aalo Atomics  Idrees Madni LinkedIn Mentioned in the episode: Volts podcast (David Roberts) Climate Town (YouTube) Jacob Simon (climate optimism content) Bill McKibben’s newsletter Base Power (Austin-based battery company) Resources and LinksOuterknown (sustainable fashion)

    How Big Oil Controls What You Think About Climate Change

  4. Mar 23

    A new era of nuclear: Safer, cheaper, and visually stunning

    What if nuclear energy didn’t mean 10-year construction timelines, multi-billion-dollar budgets, and massive gray concrete towers on the skyline? What if reactors could be built in factories, shipped where they’re needed, installed in months, and designed so beautifully you wouldn’t mind seeing one nearby? In this premiere episode of Decarbonizers, host Idrees Madni sits down with Yasir, co-founder and CTO of Aalo Atomics, to unpack a bold new vision for nuclear power. Yasir’s story starts in Bangladesh, studying by candlelight during daily power outages. That early frustration turned into curiosity, then into a career. He went from taking apart stereos as a kid, to joining Westinghouse as Fukushima reshaped the industry, to leading advanced reactor design at Idaho National Laboratory, and eventually launching Aalo Atomics to fix what traditional nuclear got wrong. He explains how “economies of scale” quietly became “economies of size,” making plants slower and more expensive. Microreactors flip that model to “economies of numbers,” small, repeatable, factory-built systems. With liquid metal cooling and physics-based safety, these designs aim for true “walk-away safe” operation. Even nuclear waste gets a fresh look, reframed as a manageable engineering challenge rather than an unsolvable crisis. From powering AI data centers to creating beautiful, community-friendly plants and enabling modern “micro Bell Labs,” this episode reimagines nuclear as fast, scalable, and human-centered. Not a relic of the past, but a serious contender for a decarbonized future. If you care about the future of clean power, advanced technology, or rebuilding infrastructure at scale, this episode is a must listen. Key Takeaways Why nuclear energy has a speed and cost problem, not a physics problem The difference between scaling by size versus scaling by manufacturing volume How microreactors can be built as products instead of mega construction projects Why Aalo is targeting AI data centers first How physics-based safety reduces complexity and cost Why nuclear waste is more manageable than most people think The vision for factory-built reactors producing a gigawatt per year How decentralized nuclear could reduce grid dependence Why learning velocity is a founder’s greatest advantage In This Episode: [00:00:00] - Dynamic Intro [00:01:27] - Introduction [00:02:18] - Early Inspiration in Bangladesh [00:03:39] - Climate Change Realities [00:04:52] - Discovering Nuclear Energy [00:06:58] - Career at Westinghouse [00:09:33] - Learning from Large-Scale Projects [00:11:58] - The Arctic Inspiration. [00:14:14] - Defining "Micro Reactors" [00:19:10] - The Marvel Program [00:23:09] - Market Focus: AI Data Centers. [00:24:12] - Pod Architecture. [00:26:00] - Liquid Metal Cooling [00:32:48] - Addressing Nuclear Waste [00:38:28] - Mass Manufacturing Goals [00:39:55] - Speed of Deployment [00:43:52] - Cost Forecast [00:46:17] - The "Mini Bell Labs" Idea Our Guest Yasir Arafat is the co-founder and CTO of Aalo, an advanced nuclear energy company building factory-manufactured microreactors designed for rapid deployment. A former Westinghouse engineer and leader of the Department of Energy’s MARVEL microreactor program at Idaho National Laboratory, Yasir is focused on solving nuclear’s biggest barriers: speed, cost, and scalability. His mission is to deliver reliable, carbon-free energy through mass production and innovative plant architecture. Resources and Links Yasir Arafat Linkedin Website X Aalo Atomics  Idrees Madni LinkedIn

    A new era of nuclear: Safer, cheaper, and visually stunning

  5. Season 1 Trailer

    Trailer

    Hosted by Idrees Madni, Decarbonizers brings you conversations with the founders, CEOs, and leaders behind the clean tech revolution. From solar-powered stoves to breakthrough green technologies, these innovators are shaping the future of sustainability. Tune in for stories of innovation, challenges, and the strategies driving a cleaner, greener planet, one solution at a time.

Trailer

About

Hosted by Idrees Madni, Decarbonizers brings you conversations with the founders, CEOs, and leaders behind the clean tech revolution. From solar-powered stoves to breakthrough green technologies, these innovators are shaping the future of sustainability. Tune in for stories of innovation, challenges, and the strategies driving a cleaner, greener planet, one solution at a time.

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