# AMA: Geoengineering, nuclear, power prices, and more

- Show: [Catalyst](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst)
- Published: 2025-09-04
- Length: 42m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2025-09-04-ama-geoengineering-nuclear-power-prices-and-more

## Summary

Shayle Kann and Lara Pierpoint, managing director of Trellis Climate at Prime, discuss the viability of solar radiation management (SRM) startups, noting that while governments should handle stratospheric aerosol injection, venture-backed companies like Make Sunsets face significant political and public perception hurdles. They analyze the impact of rising electricity prices on decarbonization, arguing that energy efficiency and demand flexibility are critical to maintaining EV and heat pump adoption, while expressing renewed optimism about a 'last shot' nuclear renaissance driven by AI data center demand. The conversation also covers the current climate tech bust cycle, the economic hurdles of Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) technology, and the nuanced role of plastics in climate change, concluding with optimism for the energy sector's central role in the AI revolution.

## Chapters

- [0:07](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2025-09-04-ama-geoengineering-nuclear-power-prices-and-more#t=7) Introduction: Shayle Kann and Lara Pierpoint
- [3:33](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2025-09-04-ama-geoengineering-nuclear-power-prices-and-more#t=213) Solar Radiation Management (SRM) and Venture Viability
- [9:10](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2025-09-04-ama-geoengineering-nuclear-power-prices-and-more#t=550) Rising Electricity Prices and Energy Efficiency
- [20:22](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2025-09-04-ama-geoengineering-nuclear-power-prices-and-more#t=1222) Past Predictions: IRA Shredding and Nuclear Renaissance
- [26:25](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2025-09-04-ama-geoengineering-nuclear-power-prices-and-more#t=1585) The Climate Tech Bust Cycle and Valley of Death
- [32:53](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2025-09-04-ama-geoengineering-nuclear-power-prices-and-more#t=1973) Vehicle-to-Home (V2H) vs. Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G)
- [36:51](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2025-09-04-ama-geoengineering-nuclear-power-prices-and-more#t=2211) Decarbonizing Plastics and Environmental Trade-offs
- [40:14](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2025-09-04-ama-geoengineering-nuclear-power-prices-and-more#t=2414) Optimism for the Energy Sector and AI Intersection

## Topics

- [Energy & climate tech](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/energy-and-climate-tech)
- [Pricing, margins & unit economics](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/pricing-and-unit-economics)
- [Chips, FPGAs & semiconductors](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/chips-and-fpgas)
- [Policy, trade & tariffs](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/policy-trade-and-tariffs)
- [Sustainability & circular products](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/sustainability-and-circularity)

## Most relevant to

large enterprises

## Mentioned

- Trellis Climate (company)
- Prime Coalition (company)
- Make Sunsets (company)
- Carbon Engineering (company)
- Climeworks (company)
- EnergyHub (company)
- Kairos Power (company)
- TVA (company)
- Google (company)
- Tesla (company)
- Kia EV9 (product)
- Powerwall (product)
- Green Blueprint (product)
- Catalyst (product)
- Latitude Media (company)
- Anza (company)
- Antenna Group (company)
- Prelude Ventures (company)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Aligning Passion With Purpose: A Journey to Electrification and Sustainability](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2025-06-17-aligning-passion-with-purpose-a-journey-to-electrification-and-sustainability) (Moore's Lobby)
- [From Solar’s 90% Cost Crash to AI’s Energy Surge: The Economics Driving Climate Tech](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/hardware-to-save-a-planet/2025-09-16-from-solars-90-cost-crash-to-ais-energy-surge-the-economics-driving-climate-tech) (Hardware to Save a Planet)
- [Like a steam engine in your house](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2025-04-15-like-a-steam-engine-in-your-house) (The Amp Hour)
- [Renewable Energy Policy with Ari Gerstman](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-amp-hour/2023-05-02-renewable-energy-policy-with-ari-gerstman) (The Amp Hour)
- [Episode 75: The AI Big $$$ Question](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-circuit/2024-07-16-episode-75-the-ai-big-question) (The Circuit)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/catalyst/2025-09-04-ama-geoengineering-nuclear-power-prices-and-more. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to Catalyst.