What if it works?

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Energy storage is heating up Nov 19, 2025

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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

How energy systems are shaped Jul 16, 2025

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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

Unraveling DNA to transform carbon Jun 04, 2025

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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

The economics of clean energy May 21, 2025

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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

Hydrogen beneath our feet May 07, 2025

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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

Removing fossil fuels from industrial processes Apr 23, 2025

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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

Turning light into electricity Apr 09, 2025

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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

The race to fusion Mar 26, 2025

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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

Adding nuclear to the mix Mar 12, 2025

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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 reality of capturing carbon Feb 26, 2025

Show notes

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

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