YPE Podcast

Joe Miller is president of the Advanced Technologies division of BWXT, a leading supplier of nuclear components and fuel to the U.S. government.

Show notes:

01:00 Joe's background

03:59 An overview of the BWXT company & its position in the advanced nuclear reactor environment

13:33 Project Pele, a brand new microreactor design

23:01 Technical details & challenges facing the project

31:28 The future of nuclear: Will nuclear ever surpass fossil fuels? What opportunities are available for companies & workers? What skillsets are most sought after?

36:48 Joe's hopes for the coming years in the industry

Joe's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-miller-4a72a595/

Show notes:

01:08 Steve & Tom's backgrounds

04:45 A high-level view of health physics & radiation's effects on the body

11:55 Identifying radiation threats in New York City

14:24 How and why Nevada resisted housing nuclear fuel for decades

24:36 How could we recycle used nuclear fuel? And why don't we do it now?

39:41 Organizations that are pursuing fast reactor technologies

42:57 The Waste to Energy Now grassroots effort, and the timeline for setting their plan into motion

https://wastetoenergynow.org/

Show notes:

01:16 Karin's nuclear & aerospace backgrounds

09:04 What makes the NuScale small modular reactor (SMR) unique? How has the SMR space evolved over time?

13:22 NuScale's path to regulatory license and the trajectory for the company

18:02 Timelines and challenges to implementing the first modules

23:24 Inherently safe features & advantages of the design

27:27 Where Karin sees the nuclear industry in the coming decade; the benefits of gaining a license in the United States

33:08 Karin's advice for young professionals in energy

Karin's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karin-feldman-634b81a/

Jeremy Gottlieb is Co-Founder, President, COO, CSO & Board Member of ComboCurve, a cloud-based analytics and operating platform created to help energy companies better manage their forecasting, valuation, reporting, and decision-making functions. In this episode of the YPE Podcast, hosts Mark Hinaman and Mike Sax chat with Jeremy about co-founding and growing the company.

Show notes:

01:32 Jeremy's financial background & how he got the itch for entrepreneurship

07:28 What is ComboCurve?

16:23 Convincing resistant industry customers to adopt the product

22:05 Prioritizing which market opportunities to pursue; finding software developer talent

30:02 Balancing managing both a business and a family

32:05 How Jeremy views the future of the broader energy market; how ESG requirements affect the ability to raise capital

41:14 ComboCurve's biggest challenges

43:49 What concerns Jeremy about the oil & gas industry & his advice for young professionals in the energy industry

Jeremy's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-gottlieb-cfa-cpa-1853352/

Show notes:

02:34 Brent's background in finance & introduction to the energy markets; his successful partnership with Firefly CEO

12:06 Founding Firefly; evolving the business and patenting the GasLoop storage technology

22:33 Opportunities and challenges with hydrogen storage

31:29 Projects on the horizon for Firefly

36:44 The best ways to network; how to engage with others on LinkedIn

44:55 Brent's predictions for the future of the energy industry

50:33 Brent's advice for young professionals in energy

Brent's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brent-r-smith/

Mary Woollen is Director of Stakeholder Engagement at Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation. In this episode of the YPE Podcast, Mary talks with host Mark Hinaman about her passion for social work, her involvement in environmental squabbles, and navigating the nuclear industry as a nuclear skeptic.

Show notes:

01:14 How a cross-country road trip led to a prominent environmental lawsuit

18:58 Mary's experience at the Nuclear Regulatory Commission as a nuclear skeptic; the numerous roadblocks to the consent-based siting nuclear waste program

26:50 The mission of Ultra Safe Nuclear Corporation (USNC), and the company's innovative TRISO fuel

42:07 What strategies have been most effective in gaining stakeholder engagement?

47:44 Mary's perception of just how (un)popular the nuclear industry is

51:27 Mary's advice for young professionals in energy

Mary's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mary-woollen-7685363b/

Ryan Pickering is an independent researcher, moderator, and public speaker. In this episode of the YPE Podcast, Ryan chats with host Mark Hinaman about his experience in the solar power industry, and his transition from optimism to pessimism about the technology.

Show notes:

01:18 Ryan's lifelong passion for energy

07:30 Working in the emerging solar energy industry

18:33 Transitioning into management roles, but losing faith in solar

33:07 Ryan's exit from the solar industry

40:51 What about nuclear energy?

54:04 Ryan's advice for young professionals in energy

Ryan's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-pickering-80413914/

Nick Deiuliis is President & CEO of CNX, a natural gas development and production company centered in the Appalachia region. In this episode of the YPE Podcast, Nick chats with host Mark Hinaman about his 32 years at the company, the state of the natural gas industry, and CNX's plans for the future.

Show notes:

00:44 Nick's background & the evolution of natural gas throughout his career at CNX

08:48 The sustainable business model of CNX, and the company's investments in the local communities

20:49 CNX's strategies to limit emissions; the role of natural gas in producing cleaner energy, and its advantages over other sources

40:04 Why aren't more pipelines being built?

45:58 Nick's advice for young professionals in energy

Nick's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nick-deiuliis/

Nick's Twitter: https://twitter.com/NickDeIuliis

Nick's podcast: https://nickdeiuliis.com/podcasts/

Show notes:

00:59 Todd's background with Chevron and Microsoft & his return to chemistry by founding OCOchem

10:27 Eliminating captured CO2 by converting to formic acid; the economics of transporting liquids and gases

26:27 Developing reformers to decompose formic acid into on-demand hydrogen

32:20 Benefitting from renewable energy R&D grants; working with Halliburton Labs

44:02 OCOchem's timeline for commercialization

52:34 What scares Todd in the energy industry; Todd's advice for young professionals in energy

Todd's LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/todd-brix-518693/

Laura Singer is a senior policy and regulatory affairs associate at Fervo Energy, a company aiming to combat climate change through geothermal innovations. In this episode of the YPE Podcast, Laura talks with host Mark Hinaman about her fascinating journey to the energy sector, challenges facing the geothermal companies, and her optimism for the future of the industry.

Show notes:

00:59 Laura's background & the influence of Hurricane Katrina on Laura's career path

11:03 Laura's oil & gas research at the U.S. Energy Information Administration, and dealing with recent volatility in the markets

18:22 Moving to Colorado and embracing a balance between energy and the environment

27:02 A primer on geothermal energy & Fervo Energy's role in the space

32:27 Ideal customers/partners for Fervo

38:13 Challenges that the geothermal industry has faced

43:41 Laura's role at Fervo

45:21 Advice for young professionals in energy, and where Laura thinks the industry is going

Laura's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurasinger/

Fervo Energy: https://www.fervoenergy.com/

Learn more about Colorado's carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) research: https://www.mines.edu/carboncapture/state-of-colorado-ccus-task-force/