Björn Peters is a German physicist and energy economist, as well as the co-founder and CFO of the nuclear-energy startup, Dual Fluid Energy. In this episode, Peters explains why Europe’s energy crisis is all “policy made,” why it’s wrong to blame Russia for the crisis,  how the push for weather-dependent renewables became “a goal in itself,” why SMRs must be scaled up quickly, and why Germany’s energy mistakes are “making life difficult” for other countries in Europe.

Chris Keefer is a Toronto-based medical doctor and president of Canadians for Nuclear Energy. In his fourth appearance on the podcast, (previous appearances were November 2021, May 2021 ) and April 29, 2022) Keefer talks about Ontario Power Generation’s decision to reverse course and extend the life of the Pickering Nuclear Generation Station, a move that could keep the 3.1-gigawatt plant running for another 30 years, the essentiality of the Cobalt 60 isotopes that are produced by CANDU reactors, and why Ontario has “the most pro-nuclear government in the western world.” (Recorded September 30, 2022.)

Alexander Stahel, is a Zug, Switzerland-based commodities investor, energy analyst, and the author of a new report for the Global Warming Policy Foundation called “The Crisis of The European Energy System.” In this episode, Alex explains why Europe is facing years of electricity shortages, France’s mismanagement of its nuclear fleet, why Italy is in particularly bad shape, the long history of anti-nuclear sentiment in Europe, oil production decline rates, and why in modern societies, “electricity is like air.” (Recorded September 27, 2022.)

Jesse Jenkins is an assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Princeton who focuses on energy system modeling. In this episode, Jesse talks about his work on modeling the potential emissions impact of the Manchin-Schumer Inflation Reduction Act, why his model projects a huge increase in renewables (nearly 400 GW of new solar and about 200 GW of new wind capacity), land-use conflicts, California, Europe, and why he believes the $370 billion in spending in the bill will stimulate more investment in the U.S. economy. (Recorded September 15, 2020.)

Chris Lawson is head of fertilizers at CRU Group, a London-based consulting firm. In this episode, Chris discusses the collapse of Europe’s fertilizer sector due to high natural gas prices, why Russia continues to play a key role in the global fertilizer market, China’s restrictions on exports, and how today’s fertilizer challenges will impact future food prices and availability. (Recorded September 22, 2022).

Gail Tverberg is an actuary and the editor of Our Finite World, a website that focuses on “how energy limits and the economy are really interconnected.” In this episode, she discusses oil and coal’s continued dominance of the global energy mix, why the world is “running out of affordable energy,” why raising interest rates to tame inflation won’t work, and why renewable energy’s “true value is close to zero.” (Recorded August 11, 2022.) 

Art Smith is the author of Something From Nothing: Joe B. Foster and the People Who Built Newfield Exploration and the president of Triple Double Advisors, a Houston-based energy consulting and investment firm. In this episode, Art, who has been researching and writing about the energy sector for four decades, talks about the oil industry’s soaring profits, the long-term price of oil, and the companies he believes will perform the best in the years ahead. (Recorded August 2, 2022).

Jorge Piñon spent 32 years working in the oil and gas sector and is now a senior research fellow at The University of Texas at Austin’s Energy Institute. In this episode, Piñon, who spent much of his career working in Latin America and Spain, talks about Cuba’s energy crisis, the devastation of Venezuela’s economy by the Chavistas, geothermal, South America’s dependence on hydropower, and how the U.S. became “the de facto refiner for Latin America.” (Recorded September 1, 2022.)

Michael Shellenberger is a former gubernatorial candidate in California and the author, most recently, ofSanFransicko: Why Progressives Ruin Cities. In his third appearance on the podcast, (previous appearances were on July 6, 2020, and May 27, 2021) Michael talks about the California legislature’s vote to save Diablo Canyon, nuclear’s new-found traction,  his run for governor, why he might run for office again, Greta Thunberg, and the “narcissistic nihilism” of climate catastrophists.

Stephen Wilson is an adjunct professor at the University of Queensland, and the author of a recent report on the future of nuclear energy in Australia. In this episode, Wilson talks about the “church of electricity free markets,” why coal continues to be a dominant fuel for electricity production, the attraction of the “romantic poetry of renewable energy,” and why regulators must play a bigger role in managing electric grids. (Recorded August 11, 2022.)