Decouple podcast

Dr. Chris Keefer에서 제공하는 콘텐츠입니다. 에피소드, 그래픽, 팟캐스트 설명을 포함한 모든 팟캐스트 콘텐츠는 Dr. Chris Keefer 또는 해당 팟캐스트 플랫폼 파트너가 직접 업로드하고 제공합니다. 누군가가 귀하의 허락 없이 귀하의 저작물을 사용하고 있다고 생각되는 경우 여기에 설명된 절차를 따르실 수 있습니다 https://ko.player.fm/legal.

The Big Pitch with Jimmy Carr

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Coming Soon...The Big Pitch with Jimmy Carr 1:08

4일 전1:08

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리스트

1:08

Join us each week as celebrity guests pitch an idea for a film based on one of the SUPER niche sub-genres on Netflix. From ‘Steamy Crime Movies from the 1970s’ to ‘Australian Dysfunctional Family Comedies Starring A Strong Female Lead’, our celebrity guests will pitch their wacky plot, their dream cast, the marketing stunts, and everything in between. By the end of every episode, Jimmy Carr, Comedian by night / “Netflix Executive” by day, will decide whether the pitch is greenlit or condemned to development hell! New episodes on Wednesdays starting May 28th! Listen on all podcast platforms and watch on the Netflix is a Joke YouTube Channel . The Big Pitch is a co-production by Netflix and BBC Studios Audio.…

Decouple

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There are technologies that decouple human well-being from its ecological impacts. There are politics that enable these technologies. Join me as I interview world experts to uncover hope in this time of planetary crisis.

281 에피소드

#Dr. Chris Keefer #Science #Mark Nelson

Decouple

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updated 5일 전

시리즈 홈•Feed

281 에피소드

#Dr. Chris Keefer #Science #Mark Nelson

All episodes

Decouple

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No Risk, All Reward 1:09:38

5일 전1:09:38

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1:09:38

This week, we look beyond the physical infrastructure supporting our lives to the owners taking over that infrastructure: asset managers. Brett Christophers, an author, professor, and economic geographer at Uppsala University in Sweden, joins me to explore the troubling transformation of infrastructure ownership in today's economy. From housing to energy to water, massive asset management firms like Blackstone and Brookfield have positioned themselves more and more between citizens and essential services, extracting wealth while taking minimal risk. Christophers explains how this shift from public to private control has reshaped our relationship with everyday infrastructure, particularly as we attempt to transform our energy supplies. He argues that the profit-driven approach of these financial giants is at odds with the public good, creating a system where even as things like renewable technology get cheaper, their deployment slows due to insufficient returns for investors.…

Decouple

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Hellbrise 1:05:37

12일 전1:05:37

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1:05:37

In the wake of Europe's largest blackout in decades, commodities investor Alexander Stahel helps us to understand the physics of power grids, and how Spain's celebrated renewable transition became its Achilles' heel. He introduces the “hellbrise” phenomenon—excessive, rather than too little, renewable generation—as he considers the role of grid inertia in preventing minor disruptions from cascading into failures in mere seconds. Spanish energy policy isn’t the first time that green idealism has brushed over the fundamental requirements of reliable electricity, and it is unlikely to be the last. But it has certainly provided a stark example of the dangers that await such an oversight.…

Decouple

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The Iberian Blackout 51:27

19일 전51:27

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51:27

This week, we cover the recent blackout on the Iberian peninsula. Guillem Sanchis Ramirez , a Spanish nuclear engineer and advocate, walks us through the event that plunged over 50 million people into powerlessness and the power grid on which it happened. We cover Spain’s precarious dance with renewable energy, its political resistance to nuclear power, possible paths forward for the country’s energy supply, and our essential human reliance on stable electrical systems. Note: This interview was recorded on April 30, 2025, still in the midst of the story’s rapid development.…

Decouple

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Cycles of Life 56:54

26일 전56:54

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56:54

This week, we take a break from nuclear power to talk about larger systems: those of Planet Earth. Professor Andy Knoll, renowned Harvard geologist and author of A Brief History of Earth , reveals how life itself has shaped Earth's chemistry, climate, and geology. From the oxygenation of Earth's atmosphere to the potential colonization of Mars, we explore the constant and delicate dance between life and the planet. Read extended shownotes on Substack .…

Decouple

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Hard Lessons with Hot Helium 1:16:09

5 weeks 전1:16:09

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1:16:09

This week, we talk High Temperature Gas Reactors , or HTGRs, with a Decouple favorite: reactor designer and nuclear historian Nick Touran ( What Is Nuclear | X ). From the first conceptual sketch of an HTGR in wartime labs to today’s revival by players like X-energy and China’s fast-moving reactor fleet, we dissect what makes HTGRs unique—both in engineering promise and the difficulties that have long haunted their success. With helium cooling, TRISO fuel, and ambitions beyond electricity into process heat and industrial decarbonization, HTGRs may be poised for a comeback. But will history repeat itself, or finally break the cycle? Read longer show notes and support Decouple on Substack .…

Decouple

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The Machines Behind The Machines 1:15:07

7 weeks 전1:15:07

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1:15:07

This week, we talk tools. With precision machinist Noah Rettberg, we explore a facet of modernity as important as energy, for it is the technology that energy powers and the technology that makes that technology: machine tools. Noah draws from his professional knowledge and passion for history to takes from Roman metallurgy through the guild-protected craftsmanship of medieval Europe to the steam-powered revolution in machining to the cutting-edge of metalworking tools. Riveting!…

Decouple

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Respect the Rads 1:21:24

8 weeks 전1:21:24

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1:21:24

This week, we talk radiation—the elephant in the room during many conversations about nuclear power. Nick Touran, a reactor designer and nuclear historian, helps us along. While nuclear advocates have made remarkable strides in dispelling public fears about radiation, Touran warns against the pendulum swinging too far toward complacency. We explore why maintaining a healthy respect for radiation remains crucial even as we champion nuclear power's expansion. Read the extended shownotes on Substack.…

Decouple

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Pass the Salt 1:08:50

9 weeks 전1:08:50

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1:08:50

Molten Salt Reactors are often portrayed as nuclear’s great missed opportunity, promising unparalleled safety, efficiency, and fuel sustainability. But are these promises reality or hype? Nick Touran, reactor designer and nuclear historian, joins me to tell the complex story behind molten salt reactors—from their ambitious beginnings during Cold War nuclear airplane experiments to the realities of managing radioactive liquid fuels. This conversation clears the mist around one of nuclear's most intriguing yet misunderstood technologies.Read more in-depth show notes on Substack .…

Decouple

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"Better Water Reactors" 1:14:57

10 weeks 전1:14:57

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1:14:57

This week, we talk Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs) with James Krellenstein, the CEO of Alva Energy. We dive into the engineering, history, and physics of these reactors, how they differ from other designs, and why the United States may have erred in not choosing the Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR) instead of the Westinghouse AP-1000 for the Vogtle nuclear power plant.For this episode, we’ve included a glossary below to help with unfamiliar terms: ABWR: Advanced Boiling Water Reactor ATWS: Anticipated Transient Without Scram BORAX experiments: Historical experiments testing reactor limits through deliberate failures BWR: Boiling Water Reactor COPS: Containment Overpressure Protection System CRDM: Control Rod Drive Mechanism ESBWR: Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactor FLEX: Diverse and Flexible Coping Strategies (post-Fukushima enhancements) FOAK: First of a kind IGSCC: Intergranular Stress Corrosion Cracking NOAK: N-nth of a kind NRC: Nuclear Regulatory Commission NSSS: Nuclear Steam Supply System (N Triple-S) PRA: Probabilistic Risk Assessment PWR: Pressurized Water Reactor RCIC: Reactor Core Isolation Cooling System RPV: Reactor Pressure Vessel SLC: Standby Liquid Control System Read more on Substack !…

Decouple

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The Industrialization Playbook 1:04:49

11 weeks 전1:04:49

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1:04:49

This week, we talk industrial policy. Economist and author Steve Keen joins me to shine light on the present moment by exploring the historical use of tariffs and industrial policy in the development of industrial powers from Britain to China. In his usual style, Keen aims to dismantle the myths of free-market economics, explaining how virtually every successful industrial nation began with protectionist policies. With the US now engaged in a trade war with Canada and other nations under Trump's renewed tariffs, we examine whether such measures can effectively rebuild American industry without the comprehensive industrial policies that powered China's meteoric rise. Hint: Keen believes this simplistic tariff solutions may create more chaos than revival for America's industrial base.…

Decouple

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Fuel for Thought 1:06:07

12 weeks 전1:06:07

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1:06:07

Today, we talk uranium nuclear fuel. MIT Professor Koroush Shirvan, joins me to dive into the hidden complexities of nuclear fuels. From early fuel experiments that saw uranium rods turn into spaghetti-like structures under neutron bombardment to the intricate economics shaping the future of fuels like TRISO, Shirvan offers insights into the realities behind nuclear power’s remarkable yet challenging fuel technologies. Listen to discover how history shaped today's dominant fuel choices, why accident-tolerant innovations are critical, and about the economic realities that could either launch or limit the nuclear renaissance.…

Decouple

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China, the Electrostate 54:12

13 weeks 전54:12

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54:12

This week, we return to China. David Fishman , senior manager at The Lantau Group , joins me again to dissect the unprecedented scale of China’s electrification, which Fishman says is driven by a mix of state planning, brutal market competition, and strategic energy security concerns. Our discussion ranges from the world's largest hydro projects to a coal industry that refuses to die; the forces driving China's power sector; the balance between state planning and market competition; and how this all fits into the larger economic shift towards innovation-driven, rather than imitiation-driven, growth. Read extended shownotes on Substack. Follow David Fishman on X .…

Decouple

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Mission: Recommission 1:14:23

15 weeks 전1:14:23

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1:14:23

This week, Decouple Germany correspondent Noah Rettberg, a physics laboratory technician and precision machinist , talks about the potential to restart German nuclear reactors. A new analysis from Radiant Energy Group examines Germany's potential to redeploy nuclear power using its existing reactor fleet. Through assessment of recently shuttered reactors, their report suggests Germany could restore up to 13 gigawatts of nuclear power to the European grid within eight years – potentially at much lower costs and faster speeds than new construction. As Germany's electricity imports have risen sharply – from 9 TWh in 2023 to 25 TWh by late 2024 – and its economy faces headwinds, the country's nuclear infrastructure might offer a path forward if the political will appears.…

Decouple

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Carbon Capture for Dummies 54:32

16 weeks 전54:32

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54:32

This week, we talk carbon capture. Canadian engineer and entrepreneur Ian MacGregor joins me to explore this misunderstood technology through the lens of someone who's actually built it. MacGregor, the architect behind the Alberta Carbon Trunk Line —the largest carbon capture and storage project in the world—cuts through the hype to discuss the thermodynamic and economic realities that govern this technology. Informed by decades of hands-on experience, he challenges popular narratives while offering a pragmatic vision for how carbon capture might realistically develop. Read more on Substack .…

Decouple

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Electric Dreams 1:11:28

17 weeks 전1:11:28

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1:11:28

This week, we go to China. I spoke with David Fishman , senior manager at The Lantau Group, on the motivations and strategy behind China’s world-leading electrification efforts. What seems like a climate-action utopia to Western analysts appears to be a pragmatic response to pollution and energy security concerns. China's vulnerability to maritime oil blockades has spurred aggressive electrification across transport, industry, and urban infrastructure; and its state capitalist model has enabled a pace and scale of investment in nuclear power, electrified transport, and renewable energy that makes Western efforts to achieve an energy transformation look piecemeal. Watch on YouTube .…