Good Clean Energy

Cement accounts for 8 percent of global CO2 emissions. The production of one ton of Portland cement — the kind most commonly used — results in one ton of CO2 released into the atmosphere. And since cement is exceptionally cheap and the most massively produced man-made material in the world, those emissions are going to grow. “In a do-nothing scenario, emissions from cement are projected to increase 50 percent between now and 2050,” says Dr. Leah Ellis, co-founder and CEO of Sublime Systems.

Ellis’ company is producing low-carbon cement by replacing the traditional high-temperature, fossil fuel, combustion-driven kiln with an electrochemical approach that operates at ambient temperature and uses renewable electricity.

“I like to say Sublime is the electric vehicle of cement making.”

Covered in this episode:

• [3:18] How Ellis’ background in chemistry led to making carbon-free cement
• [5:51] Why defining cement by its performance is important
• [7:48] The basics of cement
• [9:29] The outrageous amount of cement produced annually
• [11:29] How Sublime Systems produces cement with fewer carbon emissions
• [18:06] The ability to compete economically
• [23:04] Scaling up Sublime’s operations
• [26:37 The leaky tap analogy to understand the climate crisis
• [29:53] A vision for the cement industry in 2035

For show notes and a full transcript, head to the episode page.

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Anu Khan, Deputy Director of Science and Innovation at the nonprofit Carbon180, joins Good Clean Energy to discuss the ins and outs of removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Throughout the industrial era, we’ve emitted roughly 2 trillion tons of carbon dioxide, 1 trillion of which is still in the atmosphere today and is going to continue to cause warming for an extended period of time. Most of that warming is caused by the burning of fossil fuels for energy, and reducing emissions is crucial to keeping global warming below the goal of 2°C. But the challenge doesn’t end there. That’s where carbon dioxide removal comes in.
While there are a few ways to actually remove the carbon dioxide and there’s the question of who should really pay for it, it’s clear that CO2 removal is necessary. “It's fundamentally a climate justice solution, and carbon removed anywhere benefits everyone globally,” Khan said.

Covered in this episode:

• [3:28] The role of carbon in our planet
• [5:42] Why we need carbon removal in addition to clean energy
• [7:38] The difference between carbon capture and carbon removal
• [11:28] How much CO2 we need to remove from the atmosphere
• [15:11] The suite of carbon removal solutions
• [16:38] Who pays for carbon dioxide removal
• [21:04] The personal carbon offset market
• [22:27] The potential for cost-effective CO2 removal
• [25:05] The leading approach to direct air capture
• [28:57] The most compelling argument for CO2 removal
• [32:19] A vision for 2035

For show notes and a full transcript, head to the episode page.

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What are the biggest challenges to widespread adoption of electric vehicles? Cost, range anxiety and charge time. Kedar Munipella, CEO of TAE Power Solutions, joins the show to talk about how his company solves for all that. Working with a radical new approach to power distribution, battery performance is optimized and charge time is reduced. That, in turn, will make EVs less expensive.

For show notes and a full transcript, head to the episode page.

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About 90 percent of the world's trade is transported by sea, on giant polluting cargo ships that burn particularly dirty oil. Last week, the International Maritime Organization, the UN body responsible for regulating global shipping, set a new CO2 reduction target for the industry to get to net zero by 2050. To help us make sense of the transition that will need to happen, Maria Gallucci, a clean energy reporter at Canary Media, joins Good Clean Energy to talk about new green fuels and technologies for the industry.
For a full transcript, head to the episode page.

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Ernest Moniz served as the 13th U.S. Secretary of Energy under President Obama and currently heads the Future Energy Initiative, a nonprofit working to accelerate the clean energy transition. Moniz joins our first episode to talk about the need for low-carbon firm power, the promise of fusion, and what will ultimately drive energy policy. For a full transcript, head to the episode page