The story of steam

What this episode covers

Addison Stark, co-founder and CEO of AtmosZero, argues that decarbonizing industrial steam is a critical but overlooked opportunity, accounting for roughly 30% of industrial heat in the U.S. He explains why he believes 'waste heat' capture is a distraction due to high capital costs and lack of standardization, advocating instead for standardized, air-source heat pumps. Stark details the thermodynamic differences between saturated and superheated steam, the economics of resistive boilers versus heat pumps, and how regional natural gas prices in the U.S. versus Europe impact the viability of electrification strategies like thermal storage.