Andrei Klochko: Reversible Heat Pumps, Decarbonization, and Earth vs Mars | Hard Tech Podcast #6
Andrei Klochko, founder and CEO of Airthium, explains his company's reversible heat pump technology, which converts electricity to heat and vice versa using a modified Ericsson cycle with fast near-isothermal compression. He argues that decarbonizing industrial processes, particularly by replacing natural gas in food and agro-industry steam generation, is critical for fixing Earth rather than focusing on Mars colonization. Klochko discusses the economic drivers of carbon taxes in Europe, the technical advantages of his engine over Stirling cycles, and the need for long-term energy storage solutions like hydrogen in salt caverns to balance intermittent renewable sources.