YPE Podcast

Show notes:

00:47 Kurt's background

05:06 Flibe Energy's mission & the lithium fluoride thorium reactor (LFTR)

11:43 Why did pressurized water reactors (PWRs) become more popular?

15:58 Flibe's founding history & advantages to their design

25:32 Reflecting on Idaho National Lab's net-zero carbon goal

33:24 More specs on the LFTR design, and where it fits in the current regulatory environment

41:16 What concerns Kurt about the energy industry?

Kurt's LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/kurt-harris/

Show notes:

00:36 John's background in computer science & his path to become CEO at Soluna

06:24 Moore's Law, Wright's Law, and their relationship to the energy industry

10:48 Transitioning from software to energy; providing grid flexibility through computing

22:38 Applications for Soluna's computing solutions, including crypto

30:11 The structure and scale of Soluna's projects

40:01 Why Soluna isn't pursuing flare gas or nuclear projects

46:11 What scares John about the energy sector, and John's advice for young professionals in energy

John's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnbelizaire/

John's podcast: https://clean-integration.simplecast.com/

On this episode of the YPE Podcast, we bring you the June edition of DEN Talks: Discussions on Energy and Networking. Mark Hinaman, Director of Engineering Innovation at Franklin Mountain Energy and YPE Denver chapter director, discusses the current state of the oil & gas industry and answers YPE member questions about the topic.

Show notes:

00:54 Oil & gas contribution to the energy mix

07:36 Weighing inexpensive energy vs. a cleaner climate

12:33 The ripple effects of the Shale Revolution on the energy industry

16:28 How does oil & gas play into renewables projects?

19:10 How does Mark respond to oil & gas opponents?

26:39 Is there opportunity in using oil & gas techniques for geothermal?

29:57 How realistic are the zero-carbon targets set for the next few decades?

34:05 Greenwashing in the electric vehicle industry?

40:55 Suggestions for changing the perception of the industry

Mark's LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/markhinaman/

Attend the next YPE event!

https://ypenergy.org/denver/events/

Show notes:

00:39 Paul's background and diverse roles in the nuclear industry

06:51 The MicroNuclear reactor battery design

16:18 Attempting to gain traction in the industry as a small startup; the benefits of downscaling nuclear reactors from the 1,000 MWe designs

25:00 The science of remaining fail-safe in a station blackout scenario

27:34 The timeline for commercializing the MicroNuclear designs; potential applications

33:05 The unfortunate facts about the current energy climate

39:42 How can we change regulations to encourage more innovation?

46:11 Paul's advice for young professionals in energy

Paul's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-marotta-p-e-phd-bcee-04b05012/

MicroNuclear LLC: https://micronucleartech.com/

Rod Adams is a Managing Partner at Nucleation Capital, a venture capital firm investing in innovative companies enabling our transition to a carbon-managed economy. In this episode of the YPE Podcast host Mark Hinaman talks with Rod about the nuclear Navy, blogging before blogging was a thing, and investing in exciting companies.

Show notes:

00:55 Rod's background and experience in the Navy nuclear program

06:11 Rod's work on the B&W mPower small modular reactor project & some causes of its downfall

17:42 Starting the long-running Atomic Insights blog, and later a podcast

22:51 Reflecting on the past two decades of the nuclear industry; optimism for political support of nuclear projects

32:43 Transitioning to Nucleation Capital, and finding tech diamonds in the rough

48:24 Rod's advice for young professionals in the energy industry

Rod's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/atomicrod/

Atomic Insights blog: https://atomicinsights.com/

Nucleation Capital: https://nucleationcapital.com/

Dominique Gómez is deputy director of the Colorado Energy Office. In this episode of the YPE Podcast, Dominique talks with host Mark Hinaman about the many ways that the office works to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and lower consumer energy costs for all Coloradans.

Show notes:

00:31 Dominique's background in sustainability and her path to the energy industry

12:00 The scope, scale, and mission of the Colorado Energy Office

17:48 The importance of weatherization to the state

25:35 Reducing emissions from transportation; efforts to expand electric vehicle charging across the state

33:07 Programs that offer financing options for upgrading building infrastructure

38:06 How the office deals with legislative policymakers & regulators

50:38 Will large-scale renewables implementation lead to increased electricity prices?

54:52 Dominique's advice for young professionals in energy

Dominique's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dominiquegomez/

On this episode of the YPE Podcast, we bring you the May edition of DEN Talks: Discussions on Energy and Networking. Ariel Smith, Director of Sales at ClearTrace, discusses the current state of carbon capture technologies and answers audience questions about the industry.

Show notes:

00:19 Ariel's background and role at Cleartrace.io

02:45 The different scopes of greenhouse gas emissions; carbon accounting & carbon offsets

07:48 Carbon capture and decarbonization in the marketplace

16:37 The benefits of granular carbon accounting

18:36 Why isn't nuclear energy included in the credits?

21:07 How reliable are carbon accounting data? Should we be focusing on reducing energy demand, instead of carbon capture?

31:17 How can crude oil producers be influenced to limit emissions?

Ariel's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/arielexa/

How It Works - Carbon Capture and Storage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyPI20h9kx0

Attend the next YPE event: https://ypenergy.org/denver/events/month/

Miles Abarr is the head of R&D at an incredible new startup, Carbon America. He studied at the University of Colorado and is passionate about reducing carbon emissions globally by creating innovative new technologies to capture carbon at the source of combustion.

Show notes:

00:46 Miles's background in compressed air energy storage

09:42 Receiving his PhD at CU Boulder for research in dynamic modeling and energy storage

19:14 Transitioning to a full-time engineer and spinning off the Carbon America company

45:07 Miles's latest R&D projects, including cryogenic carbon capture

55:16 What in the energy industry keeps Miles up at night, and Miles's advice for young professionals in energy

Miles's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/miles-abarr-a7b32466/

Jeff Merrifield is a partner at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, a global law firm focusing on technology, energy, financial services, and real estate. In this episode of the YPE Podcast, Jeff talks with host Mark Hinaman about the licensing process for building a nuclear reactor, Jeff's time as commissioner of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and what an evolving regulatory environment means for the future of the nuclear industry.

Show notes:

01:29 Jeff's background and exciting career thus far

05:13 The most interesting superfund site Jeff had worked on; Jeff's projects at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission; Jeff discusses the latest advanced nuclear power projects in work across the country

14:36 The diverse work of the Pillsbury international law firm

17:45 Navigating the NRC's expansive rules and regulations to license a new reactor

27:46 Could small- and micro-reactors be implemented under current regulations?

35:42 Will the new regulatory environment lead to more nuclear innovations?

42:20 Is there an equal playing field for the requirements for each type of power generation?

50:49 Jeff's advice for young professionals in energy

Jeff's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeffrey-merrifield-7a343426/

On this episode of the YPE Podcast, we bring you the April edition of DEN Talks: Discussions on Energy and Networking. Saxon McKinven, Sr. Manager of Origination at National Grid Renewables, discusses the current state of renewables development in the U.S. and answers audience questions about the industry.

Show notes:

00:19 Saxon's background and role at National Grid Renewables

03:42 Key considerations for renewables development in the U.S.

14:08 The impact of storage technology on new projects

21:53 Contract structures for power purchase agreements

24:00 What happens to the solar panels after the 20-year contract?

30:39 How to balance transmission distances, land rights, and NIMBY-ism

35:47 Job prospects for U.S. renewables companies; the scale of renewables projects to invest in

41:59 Can we put windmills on top of buildings?

Saxon's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/saxon-mckinven-77095847/

Attend the next YPE event: https://ypenergy.org/denver/events/month/