The Nature of Science Communication - Ellen Spooner

On this episode of the PI Energy Podcast, we talk to Timothy Kim, founder and CEO of ibV Energy Partners. They are a utility-scale solar and storage company who collaborate with businesses and local energy providers to expand solar.

Before founding ibV Energy, Timothy was a Lieutenant in the US Navy, held senior roles in international finance and M&A, and co-founded the U.S. Export-Import Bank’s Office of Renewable Energy Finance. These days, he lives in Washington D.C. and is involved on the Hill in promoting clean energy policy.

Today we are discussing perspectives on the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), which is a budget bill that passed Congress and was signed by the president in August 2022. It is designed to provide long-term support for domestically produced clean energy, and build a domestic manufacturing capability with the end goal of reducing carbon emissions; additionally there are provisions for healthcare and tax reform.

Follow Timothy Kim on Twitter: @solarphreak
ibV Energy Partners Website: https://www.ibvpartners.com/
Follow ibV Energy Partners on Twitter: @ibvenergy
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ibvenergy/

On this episode of the PI Energy Podcast, Phil interviews Dr. Raj DasGupta, CEO of Electrovaya.  Electrovaya  produces lithium ion  batteries, named the Infinity Battery, and is working on a next generation solid state battery technology. They’re looking to bring this technology to E-buses and trucks, autonomous guided robots, and grid energy storage.

Raj’s has a PhD in  materials science. He’s been at Electrovaya working in both R&D and business development, and was recently promoted to the CEO.

They discuss how Electrovaya's Infinity Batteries are so long-lasting, they out outside the current consumer EV heuristic and economies surrounding it,  but have so much potential for commercial and future applications. You can learn more about Electrovaya at:
Website: https://electrovaya.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/electrovaya
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Electrovaya
Twitter: @electrovaya

This week, Phil interviews Charles Bayless, a retired utility executive, lecturer on energy policy and climate change, former provost of West Virginia Institute of Technology, and business advisor to PI Energy. They discuss some of the over-arching issues with utility-scale energy, and how this leaves a lot of room for improvement as we face our climate crisis. Read more about Charles here.

This week Phil interviews Desmond Wheatley, CEO of Beam Global. Desmond gives us his take on the future of electrification of the transportation sector, and how Beam is making that possible. He tells us about the first commercial sunshine-powered plane, the need and want for new car-charging solutions, and the inevitable change in how we think about powering transportation.

This week Phil interviews Dr. Scott Cushing, an assistant professor at Caltech University and Technical Advisor to PI Energy. They discuss lasers, plasmonics, and the PIRET (plasmon-induced resonance energy transfer) project untaken together at PI Energy.

See more about Dr. Cushing’s work here: https://cushinglab.caltech.edu/

Today, Phil interviews Ellen Spooner, a marine biologist and communications specialist with ECS Federal in support of NOAA. Ellen tells us about how she got passionate about marine biology, the nature of science communication, and how NOAA uses scientific data to manage fisheries around the country.

Read more about these programs at https://ecstech.com/solutions/environmental-science/ and https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/

On this episode, Phil interviews Lesley Anderson, a science teacher, researcher, and entrepreneur developing curriculum to introduce the variety science careers to different age groups of students. (Check out her website!)

Lesley tells us about her multitude of summer research projects to help bring real experiences to her students, including at the South Pole Neutrino Observatory, “The IceCube” (and you can also read more from her journals there), and aquarium projects in Cape Town, South Africa. They also discuss problem-solving-focused ways for teaching kids about climate change, and Lesley offers us perspective on why we can be optimistic for the future.

Since recording this episode, Lesley has secured a new adventure through the Einstein Fellowship! You can follow her future adventures on your favorite platform:

Twitter: LAnderson_STEM

Instagram: @adventuresofmslesley

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LesleySouthPole

The PI Energy Podcast is hosted by CEO Phil Layton. Phil invites scientists and leaders in clean technology and renewable energy to discuss the latest trends, technology seen in the clean technology industry, and solutions for helping global climate change. 

This episode, Phil interviews Lane Sharman of the San Diego Energy District Foundation. They discuss Net Metering, the program utilities use to compensate end-users with solar panels on their homes who provide energy back into the grid throughout the day. Lane gives us an overview of Net Metering programs in California, and discusses the upcoming proposed changes that de-incentivize residents to switch to solar and what a more equitable system would look like. He also looks into the role that new technologies are required to play in this type of system.

Read more about Lane’s foundation, the San Diego Energy District: https://www.sandiegoenergydistrict.org/

This episode, Phil interviews David Epstein of Epstein Advisors professor at Stanford University. Dave boasts many titles, from advisor, investor, entrepreneur, engineer, teacher, and coach. He shares with us the complicated processes involved in getting industry-disrupting technologies off the ground, what the solar PV industry is lacking today, and what it was like working as an engineer in the early stages of CPU development. You can read more about Dave’s advising company, Epstein Advisors, on their website.