Macro Voices MacroVoices #548 Dr. Carly Anderson: Emerging Energy Technologies Roundup
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Sep 3, 2026 
Carly Anderson, a chemical engineer and founder of Timescale Ventures, explores the coming nuclear renaissance. She discusses small modular reactors, factory-built systems, fuel-cycle innovation, supercritical CO₂ turbines, and fusion’s path to commercialization. The conversation also covers silicon carbide, grid upgrades for AI data centers, geothermal hurdles, industrial robotics, and deep-tech investment opportunities.
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America Needs A Proven Nuclear Reference Plant
- China and Russia currently dominate global nuclear exports, leaving the United States without a proven, timely alternative.
- A successful smaller reference plant could establish credibility, enable an order book, and support larger cost-effective reactors in the early 2030s.
Build The Reference Plant Before Chasing Scale
- Prioritize rapid reference facilities and designs that can ship easily, iterate quickly, and reach cost competitiveness through repeated manufacturing.
- Treat fuel supply as a parallel project because conversion capacity is concentrated, aging, and heavily dependent on Russia.
Laser Enrichment Could Reshape Nuclear Fuel
- Laser enrichment could separate uranium isotopes more selectively than centrifuges, while lithium-based processing may avoid hazardous fluorine chemistry.
- These fuel-cycle advances could also improve rare-earth processing, creating valuable spillovers beyond nuclear energy.