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Asegun Henry, an innovator and professor at MIT, says that energy storage is arguably the single most important technological problem we have to solve. He is developing and commercializing a new type of battery based on thermal energy conversion instead of the conventional electro-chemical reaction—a battery that’s been dubbed, “sun in a box.” He shares what it takes for a new technology to compete in today’s market and how his technology might be the gamechanger we need to decarbonize the power grid. What if it works? is a production of the MIT Energy Initiative. This episode was hosted by Rob Stoner and Kara Miller.   Transcript and show notes at energy.mit.edu/podcasts

We rely on our energy systems to allow us to do work, travel, process information, and support all sorts of economic activity. MIT Professor Jessika Trancik helps us zoom out for a big picture view of how energy systems are shaped and where there is opportunity to innovate. What if it works? is a production of the MIT Energy Initiative. This episode was hosted by Rob Stoner and Kara Miller.   Transcript and show notes at energy.mit.edu/podcasts

MIT professor and entrepreneur Ariel Furst is used to people underestimating what biology can do. But she is proving that DNA and microbes can help us decarbonize energy: DNA can be harnessed to transform carbon into useful products and in her words, “microbes are the coolest,”—they can be engineered for use in all kinds of recycling. Furst shares how sometimes the simple (and even microscopic) solutions can have big results. What if it works? is a production of the MIT Energy Initiative. This episode was hosted by Rob Stoner and Kara Miller.   Transcript and show notes at energy.mit.edu/podcasts

As an economist, Namrata Kala has considered how incentivization can alter human behavior and help policies succeed. She leverages this expertise to help us examine how the world's most populous country, India, is thinking about clean energy and the implications of electrification on its energy demand. She also explores how economics, as well as U.S. policy shifts, might affect their trajectory. What if it works? is a production of the MIT Energy Initiative. This episode was hosted by Rob Stoner and Kara Miller.   Transcript and show notes at energy.mit.edu/podcasts

As a clean energy source, hydrogen has shown to have a lot of potential. But when generated using fossil fuels, hydrogen production can have a large environmental impact—even if the energy source itself doesn’t generate emissions. So, what if we can get readily available hydrogen from the ground instead? Brad Hager, a professor of earth, atmospheric, and planetary sciences at MIT, explores the potential of geologic hydrogen, looks at some of the possible pitfalls, and asks what it might take to get more companies invested in it. What if it works? is a production of the MIT Energy Initiative. This episode was hosted by Rob Stoner and Kara Miller.   Transcript and show notes at energy.mit.edu/podcasts

We talk a lot about decarbonizing cars, planes, and electricity, but about the hidden processes that are used to produce the steel in our buildings or the chemicals fertilizing our food? Yogi Surendranath, a chemist and chemical engineer at MIT, explores the surprisingly carbon-intensive processes behind so much of the things making up our world and considers ways to remove fossil fuels from the equation to make a real dent in deep decarbonization. What if it works? is a production of the MIT Energy Initiative. This episode was hosted by Rob Stoner and Kara Miller.   Transcript and show notes at energy.mit.edu/podcasts

2023 Nobel Prize winner Moungi Bawendi, a professor of chemistry at MIT, has thought a lot about how to reimagine clean energy technologies. His early work with quantum dots led to more energy-efficient lighting, televisions, and solar cells. Bawendi helps explain the energy of light and shares how we can transform that light into electricity with energy-efficiency in mind. What if it works? is a production of the MIT Energy Initiative. This episode was hosted by Rob Stoner and Kara Miller.   Transcript and show notes at energy.mit.edu/podcasts

For years, the running joke was that fusion energy is always 30 years away, but today we are actually closer than ever. Dennis Whyte, a leader in fusion research, shares how MIT’s fusion program has started the move from the lab to market, and explains how unlocking commercial fusion could be a gamechanger for our energy system. What if it works? is a production of the MIT Energy Initiative. This episode was hosted by Rob Stoner and Kara Miller.   Transcript and show notes at energy.mit.edu/podcasts

Nuclear power has been the topic of controversy over the years, despite its current contribution of nearly 20% of the electricity generated in the United States. Jacopo Buongiorno, a nuclear scientist at MIT, argues that you can't get to a robust clean energy portfolio without nuclear and we have learned a lot more about making nuclear power safer. He provides a run-down of the benefits and risks associated with nuclear and the role it plays in achieving a clean energy mix. What if it works? is a production of the MIT Energy Initiative. This episode was hosted by Rob Stoner and Kara Miller.   Transcript and show notes at energy.mit.edu/podcasts

The Earth’s biological systems cannot keep up with the sheer scale of carbon that is being dumped into the atmosphere from human industrial systems, transportation, and more. So how can we remove it? Howard Herzog, a senior research engineer at the MIT Energy Initiative, lays out some of the cutting-edge ways to take carbon out of our world and helps us understand the challenges these technologies face. What if it works? is a production of the MIT Energy Initiative. This episode was hosted by Rob Stoner and Kara Miller.   Transcript and show notes at energy.mit.edu/podcasts

All of our cars, planes, buildings, batteries are made of stuff—stuff that, when mined and manufactured, is responsible for over a third of global greenhouse gas emissions. MIT materials scientist Elsa Olivetti explains the environmental impact of materials and why it is critical that we make thoughtful choices at every stage of their lifecycle—from design to manufacturing to recycling—that further decarbonization to protect our planet and prevent unintended consequences. What if it works? is a production of the MIT Energy Initiative. This episode was hosted by Rob Stoner and Kara Miller.   Transcript and show notes at energy.mit.edu/podcasts

Methane is the only greenhouse gas that will change the rate of warming in our lifetimes, according to MIT Professor Desirée Plata. So, why aren’t we talking about it more? Plata explains methane’s role in climate change and shares how she, perhaps counterintuitively, is accelerating the rate at which methane converts to carbon dioxide to help combat climate change. What if it works? is a production of the MIT Energy Initiative. This episode was hosted by Rob Stoner and Kara Miller. Transcript and show notes at energy.mit.edu/podcasts

Large parts of the world don’t have access to energy. So how do we encourage cleaner sources when for many people that's not the real priority? According to Amos Winter, a professor of mechanical engineering at MIT, the key is to find solutions that allow people to do what they want but are by default better for the environment. He highlights the importance of understanding people’s lives when developing technologies and how these innovations might even have unforeseen implications for other communities across the world, helping us find new ways to power our lives with less energy required. What if it works? is a production of the MIT Energy Initiative. This episode was hosted by Rob Stoner and Kara Miller.   Transcript and show notes at energy.mit.edu/podcasts

Larry Susskind, a professor of urban and environmental planning at MIT, often finds himself in the role of mediator between renewable energy project developers and the communities affected. And he says there is one big thing stopping these projects in their tracks: a lack of representation of local interest. Susskind helps us understand the challenges during this last mile to renewable energy implementation, how bringing communities to the table earlier can speed success, and how universities can help mediate this process. What if it works? is a production of the MIT Energy Initiative. This episode was hosted by Rob Stoner and Kara Miller.   Transcript and show notes at energy.mit.edu/podcasts

While the carbon tax has received a lot of negative publicity in the United States over the decades, more and more countries have been implementing carbon pricing schemes of their own. It raises the question, could carbon pricing be the cost of decarbonization? Economist Catherine Wolfram delves into economic policy and the many creative economic incentives to reduce carbon emissions, gives us a look at where things currently stand in the United States and abroad, and explores whether American carbon pricing might soon be feasible. What if it works? is a production of the MIT Energy Initiative. This episode was hosted by Rob Stoner and Kara Miller.   Transcript and show notes at energy.mit.edu/podcasts