*This My Climate Journey podcast episode was recorded in front of a live audience at the Ion during Houston Energy and Climate Startup Week. 

Our guest is, Vicki Hollub, CEO of Occidental Petroleum (Oxy), a century-old oil and gas company employing over 12,000 people globally with a market cap near $50 billion. Recently the company has made significant investments into what they refer to as “carbon management” technologies including the acquisition of Carbon Engineering, a Direct Air Capture (DAC) company, in 2023 for $1.1 billion. Oxy is commercializing Carbon Engineering’s technology through its 1PointFive initiative and aims to deploy 70 DAC facilities by 2035. These efforts include recently receiving draft permits from the EPA for Class VI Injection wells, enabling the permanent geologic sequestration of CO₂, an advance market commitment from Microsoft to purchase 500,000 metric tons of carbon removal, and an award from the US Department of Energy for up to $500M to build a 1M ton per year facility.

The conversation covers a lot of territory. Vicki acknowledges climate change and its effects on extreme weather and natural ecosystems, while also stating that Oxy does not view the energy transition as a shift away from oil and gas. Instead, she describes a future where oil and gas exploration could become carbon-negative through advancements in enhanced oil recovery (EOR), a technology that uses CO₂ to extract fossil fuels from otherwise depleted wells.

This is a notable interview for MCJ as Vicki is the first oil and gas CEO we’ve had on the show. We believe it’s important to understand how a company like Oxy, which has a very large greenhouse gas emissions footprint, thinks about its future plans. We also know that many who listen to this show are interested in Oxy’s DAC efforts and their perspective on the future of the technologies and markets around it. 

Vicki became CEO in 2016, the first woman to lead a major American oil company. We are grateful to Katie Mehnert of ALLY Energy for connecting us with her for this conversation.

In this episode, we cover: 

• [03:28] Navigating the trust gap between O&G companies and the public
• [06:42] Vicki's early career path
• [08:32] The O&G boom in the Permian Basin in the mid-2000s
• [11:18] Vicki's path to becoming the first female CEO at Oxy
• [17:15] Changing dynamics and priorities while running a complex company like Oxy
• [18:00] How Vicki pitched Warren Buffet to invest in Oxy and navigated the impacts
• [21:11] How Oxy attracts and retains talent, plus generational differences
• [26:36] Challenges and opportunities Oxy sees in the energy transition
• [30:45] Navigating urgency relative to long-term planning
• [34:01] How the transition of innovation and legacy businesses could play out
• [44:36] Oxy's focus on carbon management, including direct air capture
• [49:55] Challenges in scaling DAC, including partnerships and funding
• [53:46] Vicki's thoughts on achieving a net-zero carbon barrel of oil
• [59:44] Her perspectives on the future of the oil and gas industry and its evolution

Episode recorded on Sept 11, 2024 (Published on Oct 1, 2024)

Get connected with MCJ: 

• Cody Simms X / LinkedIn
• MCJ Podcast / Collective / YouTube

*If you liked this episode, please consider giving us a review! You can also reach us via email at info@mcj.vc, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

The election cycle can feel overwhelming for the average person who is climate-concerned, but not deeply political enough to understand where and how to plug in. If you have money to give, where should it go? If you have time to contribute, what should you do? We could think of no better group than the experts we have here to help walk us through it. 

Tiernan Sittenfeld is the Senior Vice President of Government Affairs at LCV or the League of Conservation Voters, among many other things. LCV assigns every member of the U.S. Congress with a national environmental Scorecard, which is a handy tool for tracking their voter record on issues related to climate change. 

Caroline Spears is the Executive Director at Climate Cabinet, which she describes as Moneyball meets climate policy. Climate Cabinet analyzes local climate and governance data to uncover high-leverage races and candidates across thousands of local offices. Caroline joined us previously on the pod a few years ago for a deep dive about her journey and her work. 

Eliza Nemser is the Co-founder and Executive Director at Climate Changemakers, a modern climate advocacy network built for busy, productive people. They help individuals take productive climate action through action playbooks, issue briefings and hour-of-action co-working sessions. Eliza is also a repeat guest on the show.

A few disclaimers: One, this episode tends to be pretty pro-Democrat. Some of that comes from top-of-the-ticket sentiment such as former President Trump's withdrawal of the U.S. from the Paris Climate Agreement. Some of it comes from the most recent experience in Congress where the Inflation Reduction Act faced a 51 to 50 vote in the Senate that was evenly split down party lines with Vice President Harris breaking the tie. This is not to say that all Democrats are strong on climate. The Inflation Reduction Act nearly died many times inside the Democratic Party before it passed. And if you look up and down Congress and even farther into state and local politics, there are a wide range of LCV scores for Democratic candidates and there are some Republicans who are strong on climate issues as well. The second disclaimer is that climate is a huge topic. We didn't take time in the episode to talk about what it means to be a "climate voter."

We've learned one thing over the years, that you should never assume that climate-concerned people always agree on solutions. We intentionally didn't spend time going deep into the pros and cons of different policy platforms. And yes, there is an argument to be made that natural gas is a bridge fuel and that replacing coal aggressively with gas will help our emissions problem. But this episode is meant for people who already know they want to see progress around clean energy deployment across our economy and want some ideas on how to get involved in the election cycle. 

*Watch the MCJ Collective member hub for a special Ask-Me-Anything session with Climate Changemakers.  

In this episode, we cover: 

• [5:00] Intro to Tiernan and LCV
• [6:16] Intro to Caroline and Climate Cabinet
• [7:30] Intro to Eliza and Climate Changemakers
• [9:02] Climate stakes in this election
• [15:30] House and Senate race importance
• [21:30] Climate's political divide
• [28:45] House stakes this cycle
• [34:30] Texas election outlook
• [39:20] Key states to watch
• [42:17] Climate champion governors
• [44:13] LCV candidate scoring
• [47:15] Supporting candidates financially
• [57:22] How to participate and engage
• [1:08:21] Improving accessibility and outcomes

Episode recorded on Aug 30, 2024 (Published on Sept 16, 2024)

Get connected with MCJ: 

• Cody Simms X / LinkedIn
• MCJ Podcast / Collective / YouTube

*If you liked this episode, please consider giving us a review! You can also reach us via email at info@mcj.vc, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

Doug Bernauer is the CEO and Co-founder of Radiant. Radiant is developing a portable nuclear micro-reactor to replace diesel generators. They raised a $40 million Series B in 2023 led by a16z, after previously raising capital from investors including USV, Founders Fund, and DCVC. They're targeting the development of a portable, mostly self-contained, one-megawatt nuclear reactor that is roughly the size of a shipping container.

We've been focusing more on nuclear energy lately, exploring whether the US could reclaim its position as a global leader. With bipartisan support reflected in recent legislation like the ADVANCE Act signed into law by President Biden, there are signs of progress, but significant challenges remain.

In this episode, Doug discusses these challenges and delves into Radiant’s technology, use cases, fuel, and more.

In this episode, we cover: 

• [02:28]: Radiant's micro-reactor technology and applications 
• [04:21]: Use cases for one-megawatt reactors, including disaster relief 
• [06:36]: Description of Radiant’s reactor
• [10:26]: Cooling technologies used by Radiant
• [12:20]: Radiant's connection with Idaho National Lab's Pele design 
• [13:40]: DOE and DoD funding for Radiant's nuclear technology
• [17:02]: Customer models and sales strategies for nuclear reactors 
• [20:43]: Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approval processes for operating reactors 
• [21:57]: Doug’s hopes for future regulatory parity with diesel generators 
• [24:18]: Supply chain for High-Assay Low-Enriched Uranium (HALEU) fuel 
• [28:38]: Challenges of NRC processes for micro-reactors 
• [32:24]: Demand signals from remote and military applications for micro-reactors 
• [35:31]: Current financing status and future fundraising plans

Episode recorded on Aug 8, 2024 (Published on Sep 12, 2024)

Get connected with MCJ: 

• Cody Simms X / LinkedIn
• MCJ Podcast / Collective / YouTube

*If you liked this episode, please consider giving us a review! You can also reach us via email at info@mcj.vc, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

Jeff Chapin is the Co-founder and Chief Product Officer at Haven Energy. Haven aims to make it easier for homeowners to install home battery systems, including choosing the right battery, permitting and installation, tax credits, and virtual power plant setup. Haven recently began offering bundled installation of solar and batteries. Jeff has seen scale before as he and his co-founder, Philip Krim, previously co-founded and grew the one-time darling, direct-to-consumer mattress company, Casper. Jeff has a long-time background in design at IDEO and credits this experience with training him for the context switching that's allowed him to move across very different industries, sectors, and technologies.

In this episode, we talk about consumer demand for batteries, how Haven works, the wonky and esoteric net metering regulations in California where Haven is prioritizing their go-to-market, and why Haven added solar to their offering recently. 

In this episode, we cover: 

• [02:08]: Jeff's design-driven journey from IDEO to Casper
• [06:18]: Applying design thinking to home energy
• [08:45]: Retrofitting batteries to existing solar systems
• [11:30]: Challenges in the battery installation market
• [15:28]: Customizing battery options and customer incentives
• [21:35]: Installation process and energy management
• [26:03]: Financial benefits and tax credits
• [28:15]: Changes in net metering for rooftop solar
• [34:46]: Growing demand for solar and battery setups
• [41:06]: Series A funding and growth strategy for Haven

Episode recorded on Jul 23, 2024 (Published on Aug 29, 2024)

Get connected with MCJ: 

• Cody Simms X / LinkedIn
• MCJ Podcast / Collective / YouTube

*If you liked this episode, please consider giving us a review! You can also reach us via email at info@mcj.vc, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

Matt Soule is the CEO and Co-founder of Parallel Systems. 

Parallel Systems is re-imagining how goods can be transported via rail by building automated battery-electric freight rail vehicles. These vehicles resemble box cars that can drive independently and form on-the-fly connections with each other to create mini trains. According to Matt, the goal is not to upend existing rail freight use cases but to rethink what’s possible on current rail infrastructure to address use cases traditionally managed by trucking. 

Before founding Parallel Systems, Matt spent 13 years at SpaceX as an engineering leader in avionics. Parallel Systems has raised around $50 million from investors, including Anthos Capital and Congruent Capital. The conversation begins with a 101 primer on railways, a topic not previously covered on the show.

In this episode, we cover: 

• [2:31] Matt's background in rocket engineering
• [6:14] Energy efficiency: rail vs. trucks
• [7:31] History of US rail transportation
• [9:22] Rail industry ownership and subsidies
• [11:21] Rail transportation's environmental impact
• [14:44] Rail's challenges, especially for short trips
• [17:23] Industries using rail transport
• [18:53] Rail for non-critical and luxury use cases
• [23:05] Overview of Parallel Systems' self-assembling trains
• [28:37] Benefits of battery electrification in rail
• [31:21] Cost comparison: Parallel Systems vs. traditional rail and trucking
• [34:14] Current pilots and safety considerations
• [39:08] Expansion plans for new geographies
• [40:29] Business model: selling vehicles to railroads
• [44:08] Future of locomotives in the rail industry

Episode recorded on July 30, 2024 (Published on Aug 22, 2024)

Get connected with MCJ: 

• Cody Simms X / LinkedIn
• MCJ Podcast / Collective / YouTube

*If you liked this episode, please consider giving us a review! You can also reach us via email at info@mcj.vc, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

Katie Siegel is CEO and Co-founder at Flipturn. Flipturn is an EV charging management platform for fleets and we're diving into the electrification of trucking.

At the beginning of 2024, the Advanced Clean Fleets law came into effect in California creating a number of mandates for zero emissions vehicle adoption in the trucking space. And the law impacts any fleet doing business in California, so there are nationwide implications.

Cody and Katie dig into this as well as the impacts on various types of trucks and routes. As fleet managers begin to anticipate compliance, they're realizing that understanding and managing charging will need to become a core competency for them. All of a sudden, things like power procurement and efficient energy usage will become a huge part of the equation for running a business that moves goods around. Flipturn raised a seed round in 2023 from Accel and Katie brings hands-on experience into the company after having previously grown her career through IPO at Samsara, a leader in telematics and Internet of Things, connectivity services for trucking and logistics. 

In this episode, we cover: 

• [01:48]: Flipturn’s mission to electrify trucking and enhance fleet management
• [02:28]: Katie's journey from Samsara to founding Flipturn
• [03:39]: From telematics to EV infrastructure innovation
• [05:14]: Transportation's role in pollution and the shift to electrification
• [07:19]: Focus on electrifying last mile delivery and drayage
• [10:25]: Differences in EV charging needs for delivery vans vs. drayage trucks
• [17:23]: Flipturn’s software for efficient fleet charging
• [19:00]: Strategies for setting up fleet charging stations
• [22:21]: Challenges and solutions in vehicle electrification
• [27:32]: Integrating truck OEMs with charging networks
• [30:06]: How fleets choose charging software
• [33:23]: Hydrogen vehicles in new zero-emissions law
• [35:12]: Evolving challenges in the trucking industry

Episode recorded on Jun 27, 2024 (Published on Aug 15, 2024)

Get connected with MCJ: 

• Cody Simms X / LinkedIn
• MCJ Podcast / Collective / YouTube

*If you liked this episode, please consider giving us a review! You can also reach us via email at info@mcj.vc, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

Julia Strong is the Executive Director of Symbiosis Coalition. Announced in early 2024, Symbiosis Coalition is an advanced market commitment from Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Salesforce to purchase up to 20 million tons of nature-based carbon removals. 

The forestry credit space has faced challenges over the last couple of years, prompting interest in how Julia and these large tech companies collaborated to stimulate activity in the sector. Conversations about forestry should be relatively straightforward, considering forests, along with oceans and soil, are natural carbon sinks. Preserving and restoring forests is crucial, yet the complexity surrounding forestry credits always brings new insights. We’re grateful to Julia for sharing more about the formation of Symbiosis Coalition, criteria for high-quality credits, barriers to bankability, and more. 

In this episode, we cover: 

• An overview of Symbiosis Coalition
• The formation of the coalition
• Julia's background in nature-based solutions
• Criteria for high-quality forestry carbon removal projects
• Counterfactuals in forest protection vs restoration
• Regions for reforestation efforts
• Motivations for landowners
• The role of project developers
• Barriers to bankability and how Symbiosis is approaching them
• Potential financing and perceived risk
• Symbiosis' quality criteria: conservative accounting, durability, social and community benefits, ecological integrity, and transparency
• Symbiosis' mangrove restoration
• Working with local and indigenous communities
• Goals for Symbiosis' transparency
• Julia's podcast Solving Climate Naturally

Episode recorded on July 9, 2024 (Published on Aug 12, 2024)

Get connected with MCJ: 

• Cody Simms X / LinkedIn
• MCJ Podcast / Collective / YouTube

*If you liked this episode, please consider giving us a review! You can also reach us via email at info@mcj.vc, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

Joe Daniel is a Principal on the Carbon-Free Electricity Team at RMI.

Our topic today is coal, specifically the "non-economic dispatch" of coal. This phenomenon occurs when coal-fired power plants deliver power to electricity grids even when their electricity is not the most cost-effective option, thereby disrupting the "merit order" of electricity dispatch. This complex topic is explored with Joe's help, as he provides insights into this intricate issue. The US electric grid is notoriously difficult to understand, and there may be moments when the conversation becomes challenging. However, Joe and Cody consistently strive to make the concepts clear and accessible.

The complexity of the system contributes to the problems Joe highlights. Information asymmetry creates economic friction, which disadvantages renewables, despite their general economic superiority. Joe's work at RMI involves developing and deploying quantitative tools, such as RMI's Economic Dispatch Hub, which he will discuss. These tools aim to accelerate affordable and equitable utility de-carbonization pathways.

In this episode, we cover: 

• [2:42] Joe's background and work at RMI
• [4:25] Seasonality and cyclical trends in coal usage
• [6:20] Operation and flexibility of coal plants
• [10:05] Merit order and prioritizing resources based on cost
• [12:25] Types of resources and their cost ranking
• [16:01] Dispatching resources and electricity sources
• [21:03] Non-economic dispatch of coal and cost impacts
• [25:02] Public utility commissions' role in regulation
• [29:23] Need for transparency and market price signals
• [33:31] Smooth energy transition and coal's future role
• [39:09] RMI's role in providing expertise and assistance
• [40:30] Cost implications and solutions for non-economic dispatch
• [43:49] Public engagement in utility commission hearings
• [46:16] Policy and local engagement in clean energy adoption

Episode recorded on July 18, 2024 (Published on Aug 4, 2024)

Get connected with MCJ: 

• Cody Simms X / LinkedIn
• MCJ Podcast / Collective / YouTube

*If you liked this episode, please consider giving us a review! You can also reach us via email at info@mcj.vc, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

Siva Yellamraju is the Co-founder and CEO at Fourier. 

Fourier's mission is to make hydrogen universally accessible with on-site and on-demand production. Fourier is not Siva's first startup, it's his fourth. He sold his last company to Apple the one before that to Google and the one before that to Polycom, so he knows a thing or two about entrepreneurship.

Fourier is barely two years old and they raised a seed round in mid-April led by General Catalyst. They've largely operated in stealth. In fact, there's nothing on their website at fourier.earth other than their thesis statement for starting the company, so we were excited to learn from Siva about why he transitioned from a very successful entrepreneurial career in software to tackle a business in the energy sector. We were also eager to learn specifically about what Siva’'s building in distributed hydrogen and what he's learned from the process thus far. 

In this episode, we cover: 

• [2:01] Siva’s entrepreneurial background
• [4:46] His decision to work on climate and energy 
• [7:35] Customer pain point understanding 
• [12:44] Potential use cases for distributed hydrogen, including power backup solutions and data centers
• [15:04] Approaching hydrogen production as a data problem
• [21:47] Customers working with Fourier as part of a broader movement around clean energy   
• [24:01] Potential use cases for distributed hydrogen, including power backup solutions and data centers
• [27:14] Advantages of hydrogen over batteries for long-term storage and heavy transportation 
• [33:20] Geographic markets for hydrogen deployment; the US, Germany, India, and Indonesia
• [35:33] Fourier's success to date and plans for commercial rollout 
• [37:12] The goals for Fourier's pilots in the US and India 
• [40:16] Siva's learning curves in building an energy company 
• [42:29] Potential for India to become a leader in hydrogen
• [44:21] The name behind Fourier 
• [45:34] Fourier's current capital and hiring needs

Episode recorded on July 25, 2024 (Published on Aug 1, 2024)

Get connected with MCJ: 

• Cody Simms X / LinkedIn
• MCJ Podcast / Collective / YouTube

*If you liked this episode, please consider giving us a review! You can also reach us via email at info@mcj.vc, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.

Japan is important to consider on the global energy stage. The country’s emissions footprint is considerably smaller than China and the U.S. While Japan's energy footprint isn't growing as rapidly as India's, it’s still the fifth-largest emitter of any country globally, with emissions representing roughly three to 4% of the global total. Japan's energy system is heavily fossil fuel-based, especially after it cut nuclear power generation from roughly one-third to zero in the aftermath of the 2011 Fukushima incident. 

Today we're diving into the Japanese energy economy and decarbonization efforts with Isshu Kikuma. Isshu has been with Bloomberg New Energy Finance since 2018, and up until last month his role there was Japan Energy Analyst. He just switched his focus to the energy storage world, but clearly brings a wealth of knowledge on Japan, energy, and decarbonization.

We've been doing these geo tours on the pod for a while, covering countries like China, India, Brazil, and Kenya. Just check out our pod archives at the links below.

In this episode, we cover:

• Japan's current power mix and heavy reliance on fossil fuels 
• Decrease in nuclear power generation after the Fukushima incident
• The country's share of renewables
• Challenges and potential of offshore wind in Japan
• Programs and initiatives to encourage emission reductions, including the feed-in tariff scheme
• The structure of Japan's power grid and interconnections between regions
• The role of industry in energy use and emissions reduction
• Japan's emissions targets 
• Market-based levers and consumer programs in Japan, including the RE-100 initiative and EV subsidies
• Japan's funding of coal power plants in other Southeast Asian countries
• Climate change impacts on Japan and resiliency efforts 
• The role of battery energy storage in Japan's power grid
• Geothermal and more

✈️ Travel With Us:

• China’s Role in the Global Energy Transition
• Narendra Taneja on India’s Energy Policies
• Dr. Carlos Nobre’s Roadmap for Brazil’s Climate Future
• Powering Up Kenya

Episode recorded on June 4, 2024 (Published on July 22, 2024)

Get connected with MCJ: 

• Cody Simms X / LinkedIn
• MCJ Podcast / Collective / YouTube

*If you liked this episode, please consider giving us a review! You can also reach us via email at info@mcj.vc, where we encourage you to share your feedback on episodes and suggestions for future topics or guests.