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
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41:38
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41:38
Unraveling DNA to transform carbon
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
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35:59
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35:59
The economics of clean energy
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
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37:08
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37:08
Hydrogen beneath our feet
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
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42:23
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42:23
Removing fossil fuels from industrial processes
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
Energy powers our homes, our cars, and our lives. But the kinds of energy we use—and the ways we use it—are rapidly changing our climate. We need new and clean energy, now. MIT Energy Initiative hosts Rob Stoner and Kara Miller talk with energy experts about the science, technology, and policies that can transform our energy systems and give us a more sustainable future. Hear from those testing new ideas and working on breakthroughs in labs, industry, and government—the ones who aren’t afraid to ask, “What if it works?”
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