Payne Institute Morgan Bazilian contributes to this podcast about how Ford Motor Co. reports that it sold twice as many electric vehicles in the month that just ended as it did in October of last year. But as demand for electrics is surging, manufacturers are facing yet another shortage of yet another crucial material — not lithium this time, but graphite. November 3, 2022.
Payne Institute Fellow Alex Gilbert is featured on this podcast about the latest developments in nuclear energy innovation, policy, and deployment. In the podcast, he discusses the types of nuclear technologies in the development pipeline, how they differ from older technologies, which technologies are being piloted, and how recent policies—especially the Inflation Reduction Act—are incentivizing the deployment of these technologies. September 27, 2022.
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Jessica Smith is featured on this podcast exploring the impact of the world’s hunger for lithium-ion batteries, an important tool in the fight against climate change. Mining of lithium used to manufacture batteries in electric cars comes with a cost to the local environment and access to water. September 13, 2022.
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Kathleen Hancock is featured on this podcast about how Ukraine and the IAEA say they’ve learned of a serious development at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The challenges facing the European Union as ministers meet to discuss what to do about soaring energy prices, as Russia threats to cut off natural gas supplies to Europe. September 9, 2022.
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributes to this podcast about how over the past few days, Europe’s energy crisis has started to look like it might turn into a financial crisis as well. The turbulence in the natural gas market is threatening the ability of some European utilities to buy the gas they need. September 6, 2022.
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian is featured on this radio show about how sweltering temperatures continue to sweep nearly every continent this summer, with millions of people experiencing temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Billions of people need air conditioning to combat the deadly heat, which raises the question: Should access to it be a human right? August 10, 2022.
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian contributed to this podcast about how there’s a lot of stuff baked into the 755-page Inflation Reduction Act, which was approved in the Senate and is expected to pass in the House. Top of mind for many is the nearly $370 billion set aside for energy transition and climate change mitigation. In fact, some are calling the Democrats’ measure the biggest piece of climate legislation in U.S. history. On the surface, that sounds like it could be bad news for traditional fossil fuel companies, specifically Big Oil and Gas. But believe it or not, some of them sound fairly encouraged by the bill. August 8, 2022.
Payne Institute Director Morgan Bazilian is featured on this podcast about how hoping to curb the pain consumers are feeling at the pump right now, President Biden has called for a suspension of the federal gasoline tax. Biden asked Congress on Wednesday for a three-month suspension of the tax, a lot of which helps pay for roads and bridges, to provide some relief. June 23, 2022.
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Ian Lange is featured on this podcast about how Saudi Arabia is ready to start pumping more oil onto the market, which could bring oil prices down a bit. But oil and gas aren’t the only fossil fuels in tight supply. A lot of miners are having to tell customers that even if they wanted to sell them coal at these high prices, they just don’t have any ready and they have to fulfill their prior commitments. June 2, 2022.
Payne Institute Faculty Fellow Angel Abbud-Madrid contributes to this podcast about how as the modern space race has taken off, thanks in large part to the growing role played by private companies. As businesses send up more missions, build their own space stations and even think about mining the moon, they will need to find and train new types of workers. On the first episode of The Wall Street Journal’s special series of Tech News Briefing about the developing space economy, host Zoe Thomas looks at space jobs that go beyond astronauts. May 31, 2022.