AMA: Geoengineering, nuclear, power prices, and more

Sep 4, 2025

Lara Pierpoint, Managing Director of Trellis Climate and host of The Green Blueprint podcast, dives into compelling questions about climate tech. She discusses the contentious status of solar radiation management and the complexities of transitioning to electric systems amid rising energy prices. Lara shares insights on the potential nuclear renaissance and the promising vehicle-to-home technology. They also tackle misconceptions regarding plastics in climate change, emphasizing the need for effective decarbonization strategies.

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INSIGHT

SRM Is Cheap But Hard To Venture-Scale

Solar radiation management (SRM) research shouldn't be a taboo topic despite its political risks.
SRM appears cheap per degree of cooling but struggles to form a viable venture-scale business model.

ANECDOTE

Local SRM Trials Met Public Pushback

Lara recalls an Alameda startup trying to release sea-salt particles that was shut down by the city council.
Shayle describes attending a party where a startup released balloons as a publicity stunt for SRM, calling it the wrong approach.

ADVICE

Invest In Near-Term Electricity Cost Reductions

Prioritize investments that lower near-term electricity costs, like energy efficiency measures.
Energy efficiency often delivers immediate bill relief and deserves more attention from investors.

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You sent in great questions, and today we’re answering them. In this episode, Shayle hands it over to Lara Pierpoint, the managing director of Trellis Climate at the Prime Coalition and host of The Green Blueprint. Together they cover topics like:

Whether solar radiation management will remain the “black sheep” of climate technologies

What technologies will excel in a world of rising power prices

Whether the nuclear renaissance is finally here

Why Lara and Shayle are more bullish on vehicle-to-home than V2G

The thorny plastics problem – and whether it’s core to climate change

Resources:

Catalyst: Solar geoengineering: Is it worth the risk?

Latitude Media: Google, Kairos, and TVA ink historic next-generation nuclear deal

Catalyst: The US power demand surge: The electricity gauntlet has arrived

Credits: Hosted by Shayle Kann. Produced and edited by Daniel Woldorff. Original music and engineering by Sean Marquand. Stephen Lacey is executive editor.

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