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S1E20 Energy storage is heating up
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…
S1E19 How energy systems are shaped
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…
S1E18 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…
S1E17 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…
S1E16 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…
S1E15 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…
S1E14 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…
S1E13 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…
S1E12 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…
S1E11 The reality of capturing carbon
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?…
S1E10 The environmental impact of “stuff”
All of our cars, planes, buildings, batteries are made of stuff—stuff that, when mined and manufactured, is responsible for over a third of global greenhouse gas emissions. MIT materials scientist…
S1E9 Why we should care about methane
Methane is the only greenhouse gas that will change the rate of warming in our lifetimes, according to MIT Professor Desirée Plata. So, why aren’t we talking about it more? Plata explains methane’s…
S1E8 Unconventional paths to energy efficiency
Large parts of the world don’t have access to energy. So how do we encourage cleaner sources when for many people that's not the real priority? According to Amos Winter, a professor of mechanical…
S1E7 Why do so many renewable projects stall?
Larry Susskind, a professor of urban and environmental planning at MIT, often finds himself in the role of mediator between renewable energy project developers and the communities affected. And he…
S1E6 Putting a price on carbon
While the carbon tax has received a lot of negative publicity in the United States over the decades, more and more countries have been implementing carbon pricing schemes of their own. It raises the…
S1E5 The next four years of U.S. energy
President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to repeal key climate and energy legislation enacted under the Biden administration. What should we expect over the next four years and what will this mean…
S1E4 Rising to the climate challenge
Susan Solomon is a scientist known for her pioneering work explaining the hole in the ozone layer. And she believes that just as we solved that crucial environmental problem, we can also solve the…
S1E3 How to speed up the energy transition
The energy transition is happening—but why is it taking so long? We need to replace fossil fuels, but there is no one silver bullet. MIT Energy Initiative Director William Green explains why shifting…
S1E2 Decarbonizing energy: The government’s role
What is the role of government and policy in decarbonizing our energy systems? As the former U.S. Secretary of Energy, Ernest Moniz helps us understand what its role has been so far and what the…
S1E1 Making the case for climate optimism
Climate anxiety is real—and if you are feeling it, you aren’t alone. Hosts Rob Stoner and Kara Miller are demystifying our current energy landscape, sharing what can be done and what solutions are…
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What if it works? has published 21 episodes since October 2024, covering topics in Science, Technology.
What if it works? is currently dormant with new episodes every 2 weeks. Average episode length is 42m.
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