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
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
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38:34
Turning light into electricity
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
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39:51
The race to fusion
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
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47:36
Adding nuclear to the mix
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
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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