Built for Earth

Latest Episodes:

Batteries that Mimic Plants | Nate Kirchhofer - Founder & CEO of Biozen Batteries Mar 29, 2023

Show notes

*This is a re-published episode of an initial posting from 3/1/23 that was accidentally archived.*

Nate Kirchhofer, an experienced physical electrochemist, co-founded Biozen Batteries in 2019 where he is developing an organic electrolyte fluid for batteries intended to mimic the energy storage process of plants. Prior to starting Biozen, he received his PhD from UC Santa Barbara and was a part of two acquired start-ups. Now, the company is in the process of commercializing their technology to create bio-inspired grid-level energy storage.

In this episode we cover...

What it means to mimic the energy storage process of plants
What is a redox-flow battery
Differences and advantages over lithium-ion batteries
What Biozen is doing to innovate on traditional electrolyte fluids
Challenges facing Biozen as they commercialize
What Nate has learned in the founding process
Nate's strengths as an Ultimate Frisbee professional

Connect with us:

Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn

Episode Recorded on February 22, 2023

Sustainable Farms Powered by Robots & AI | Samuel Bertram - CEO & Co-Founder of OnePointOne Mar 27, 2023

Show notes

OnePointOne (OPO) is developing a revolutionary approach to vertical farming by using robots and AI to produce 250x more plants per acre while utilizing 99% less water.

Samuel Bertram is CEO and Co-Founder of OnePointOne. With backgrounds in robotics and advanced engineering, Sam and his brother, John, were looking to use their education to make a difference in the world. Together, they founded the company in 2017 to “fundamentally rethink how plants are grown, utilized, and optimized” to help the 1.1 billion people who began this millennium malnourished. In 2022 was recognized as a member of Forbes 30 under 30, specifically for social impact.

In this episode we cover...

OPO's inspiration and mission
How the current agriculture system can be improved
What a vertical farm is and how it works
OPO's business model and trajectory for deployment
What it will take to achieve their mission
Challenges facing the business
Sam's learnings as a founder and advice
A fun fact about Sam

Connect with us:

Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn

Episode Recorded on March 16, 2023

Transforming Oil Wells into Energy Storage | Kemp Gregory - CEO & Co-Founder at Renewell Mar 21, 2023

Show notes

Renewell is on a mission to develop Gravity Well’s across the country by repurposing inactive oil and gas wells into low-cost, green energy storage. With over 1,000,000 viable wells in the US, Renewell has the potential to transform these abandoned assets into a vast network of distributed clean energy storage.

Kemp began his journey at UT Austin where he studied mechanical engineering. After graduation, he went on to work for Shell where he coordinated large operations teams to lead projects across the Americas. Kemp then returned to the classroom to pursue his Master’s in Environmental Engineering at Stanford, where he founded Renewell in 2019.

In this episode, we cover...

What inspired Renewell
How a gravity well works
The stage of the company and plans for deployment
How Renewell will drive down the cost of energy storage
Biggest challenges facing Renewell
What Kemp has learned from the founding process
Where Kemp believes the future of energy lies
Kemp's love for ping-pong and Lord of the Rings

Connect with us:

Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn

Episode Recorded on March 17, 2023

Windows that Generate Renewable Energy | Jeff Horowitz - Next Energy Technologies Mar 13, 2023

Show notes

NEXT Energy Technologies is developing transparent photovoltaic window technology that allows architects and building owners to transform windows and glass facades into producers of low-cost, on-site, renewable energy for buildings. NEXT's technology is enabled by proprietary organic semiconducting materials that are earth-abundant, low-cost, and are coated as an ink in a high-speed, low-cost, and low energy process. The Santa Barbara based company has grown to over 30 people and secured partnerships with industry giants including sustainable apparel manufacturer, Patagonia.

Jeff Horowitz has been with NEXT Energy Technologies for over 6 years, where he has led scaling the business and developing industry partnerships. Since completing his Master’s at UC San Diego in 2008, he has spent over a decade in the climate technology industry, most recently as the Director of Clean Technology Development at the US-China Clean Tech Center prior to joining Next Energy.

In this episode, we cover...

How NEXT has evolved in the last 6 years
How photovoltaics (PV) produce energy
What differentiates NEXT's technology from traditional PV
NEXT's recent installation at Patagonia's HQ
Where NEXT can have their biggest impact
Challenges facing NEXT
What inspired Jeff to work in renewable energy
NEXT's love for tacos

Connect with us:

Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn

Episode Recorded on March 8, 2023

Aviation Fuel Made From CO2 | Brad Brennan - Chief Science Officer at Dimensional Energy Mar 06, 2023

Show notes

Dimensional Energy, founded out of Cornell University in 2016, turns captured carbon dioxide into sustainable aviation fuel by using renewable energy. The company is on a mission to decarbonize the aviation industry, which is responsible for over 10% of the United States’ transportation emissions and about 3% of total greenhouse gas emissions.

Dr. Brad Brennan is leading strategic technology and development of proprietary chemical reactors and catalysts to produce Dimensional’s main product, Syngas. He has been with Dimensional since 2019, and previously spent time as a researcher at CalTech and Yale, as well as a leading chemist and consultant across various industries.

In this episode, we cover...

Why commercial aviation will be challenging to electrify
How Dimensional makes their main product, Syngas
Different forms of carbon capture technology
Dimensional's first technology center in Tucson, AZ
Challenges facing Dimensional
Dimensional's experience at the Carbon XPrize
What young people interested in slowing down climate change should do
A fun fact about Dr. Brad Brennan

Connect with us:

Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn

Episode Recorded on March 1, 2023

Next-Gen Small-Scale Nuclear Reactors | Bret Kugelmass - CEO & Founder of Last Energy Feb 24, 2023

Show notes

Bret Kugelmass is the founder and CEO of Last Energy, the most commercially successful next-gen nuclear company in the world. The company has 55 projects under development across Europe, with their first commercial project anticipated to be completed by 2025. He also founded the Energy Impact Center, a Washington DC-based research institute that focuses on climate restoration with a nuclear power specialization. As part of his work at the Energy Impact Center, he started the Titans of Nuclear Podcast, where he has interviewed over 400 experts in the world of nuclear power.

In this episode we cover...

What led Bret into the nuclear industry
Misconceptions about nuclear fission and nuclear waste
How light-water nuclear reactors generate power
Last Energy's differentiated business model
Other technologies Bret believes are critical to slowing down climate change
Stories from the founding process
Bret's thoughts on nuclear fusion
What young people interested in slowing down climate change should do
Bret's favorite ice cream flavor

Connect with us:

Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn

Episode Recorded on February 23, 2023

Long Duration Energy Storage | Arpit Dwivedi - CEO & Founder of Cache Energy Feb 17, 2023

Show notes

Arpit Dwivedi is the CEO & Founder of Cache Energy. Cache is developing a long-duration, non-flammable energy storage material that can be safely stored at room temperature and transported easily. Founded just last year, Cache has already raised funding from leading venture capitalists and accelerators including Third Derivative and Evergreen Climate Innovations.

In this episode we cover...

Arpit's journey to founding Cache
A high-level description of how thermo-chemical energy storage works
Why we need long term storage as alternative to lithium-ion batteries
What makes Cache unique and what they are currently working on
Biggest challenges facing the company
Stories from the founding process
What it will mean for the energy transition if Cache is able to achieve scale
What young people interested in slowing down climate change should do
A fun fact, not about Arpit the founder, but about Arpit the person

Connect with us:

Instagram | Twitter | LinkedIn

Episode Recorded on February 16, 2023

Introduction to Built for Earth Jan 14, 2023

Show notes

"We’re still putting 162 million tons of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere every single day and the accumulated amount is now trapping as much extra heat as would be released by 600,000 Hiroshima-class atomic bombs exploding every single day on the earth." - Former Vice President, Al Gore January 23rd, 2023

The scale of the climate crisis is alarming. We have to act NOW to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and to suck greenhouse gasses out of the sky. On this podcast, hear from the people who are building game-changing climate technology companies that will enable us to do just that. Join us for the ride.

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected