logo
episode-header-image
May 2022
49m 33s

Getting Serious About Our Energy Future

DR. CHRIS KEEFER
About this episode
tail spinning
Up next
Jun 24
CANDU: The Truly Modular Reactor w/ Navid Badie
In this reactor deep dive, Chris Keefer is joined by Navid Badie, Chief Nuclear Engineer at Candu Energy Inc, to explain the inner workings of the distinctive CANDU reactor. They trace how Canada’s decision to use natural uranium led to heavy-water moderation, horizontal pressure ... Show More
1h 9m
Jun 17
The Birth of America’s Nuclear Power Industry
James Krellenstein returns to take apart one of the most persistent myths in energy discourse: the idea that there was a golden age when nuclear power was cheaper than coal. The plants people point to, Oyster Creek, Dresden, Point Beach, Quad Cities, were cheap to the utilities t ... Show More
1h 2m
Jun 4
Limits to Growth of LLMs w/ David Helmer
AI hype has bled deep into the nuclear sector, and in this episode, Chris Keefer sits down with returning guest David Helmer, an engineer and AI advisory consultant with a decade advising the US government on machine learning and autonomous systems, to examine what the technology ... Show More
1h 32m
Recommended Episodes
Aug 2024
146. NREL: “Our Renewable Energy Future” - Aug24
A special interview with one of the great minds of the Energy Transition. Dr. Doug Arent is the Executive Director of Strategic Public– Private Partnerships at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado, U.S and Distinguished Fellow, World Economic Forum.   He j ... Show More
31m 19s
Dec 2015
Future of Energy
Professor Jim Skea, from the Faculty of Natural Sciences, Centre for Environmental Policy at Imperial College London, joins Jack Stewart in the studio and brings his insight from the Paris climate talks. Paul Younger, the Rankine Chair of Engineering and Professor of Energy Engin ... Show More
27 m
May 2025
The Future of Energy After Oil in the GCC | Dr. Adnan Shihab-Eldin
<p>Senior visiting research fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, Dr Shihab-Eldin joins us on The afikra Podcast to discuss his extensive career in nuclear and solar energy research, particularly his work in Kuwait on pioneering solar energy projects. We explore the ... Show More
59m 53s
Sep 2025
Could solar panels in space be the energy source of the future?
As new research looks at the financial and environmental case for solar panels in space, we explore how likely the technology could be to power our future energy needs back on Earth. Marnie Chesterton hears from the author of a new study into the topic, Dr Wei He from King’s Coll ... Show More
28m 7s
Apr 2025
Weekly: First brain engineering in a mammal; landmark in fossil fuel lawsuits, the legacy of Pope Francis
Episode 300 The first genetically engineered synapses have been implanted in a mammal’s brain. Chemical brain signals have been bypassed in the brains of mice and replaced with electrical signals, changing their behaviour in incredible ways. Not only did they become more sociable ... Show More
29m 3s
Apr 2024
Throwback/Encore Presentation: Dan Reicher's Rationally Optimistic Take on Progress and Potential in the Fight Against Climate Change
<p>One of our most popular episodes of 2023 is back, with this encore presentation, just in time for Earth Day! </p> <p>Dan Reicher's interest in and advocacy for environmental protection and clean energy began when he was a child and has continued throughout his life.  In additi ... Show More
53m 39s
Feb 2023
Science Of ‘The Last Of Us’ Fungi, New U.S. Nuclear Power. Feb 3, 2023, Part 1
<p>Wind And Solar Were Europe’s Top Energy Sources In 2022</p> <p>The European Union reached a major renewable energy milestone in 2022. For the first time, <a href="https://www.sciencefriday.com/segments/wind-solar-europe-2022/?utm_source=wnyc&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=sci ... Show More
47m 15s
Aug 2025
Simon Goes Nuclear with nuclear energy influencer Isabelle Boemeke
“Nuclear” might make you wince—but the real problem isn’t the energy, it’s the branding. Safe, low-carbon, and scalable, nuclear could be a climate hero—if only we told the story right. Isabelle Boemeke is on a mission to change how we think about nuclear energy. A Brazilian mode ... Show More
1h 6m
Jul 2024
033: CEO of Natura Resources Doug Robison, From Oil and Gas to Nuclear
Text me your feedback! Are you curious about how successful oil and gas personnel are adopting nuclear? Listen here to find out.Doug Robison, CEO of Natura Resources is a third-generation oil and gas leader now taking his pioneering spirit into the nuclear sector. Natura Resource ... Show More
47m 32s
Oct 2025
How To Move Away From Fossil Fuels Faster — Bryony Grills Michael on The Pragmatic Climate Reset | Ep228
<p>This summer, Michael Liebreich wrote two essays under the title of the Pragmatic Climate Reset. The first challenged the idea that the clean energy transition has failed. And the second challenged the clean energy and climate community to a reset, exploring eight areas which h ... Show More
1h 5m