

Hardware to Save a Planet
Synapse
Our planet is warming at an unsustainable rate. This climate crisis is being caused by humans and it will take human ingenuity to stop or reverse it... Hardware to Save a Planet explores the technical innovations that are giving us hope in the fight against climate change. Each episode focuses on a specific climate challenge and explores an emerging physical technology solution, with the person bringing it into reality. Hosted by Dylan Garrett, Head of Climate Tech Business at Synapse.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Dec 22, 2022 • 44min
Using Smart Fishing Nets to Sustain Biodiversity and Support Fishers with Dr. Jennifer Blain and Dr. Jesse Senko of ASU
In this episode of Hardware to Save a Planet, Dylan is joined by two professors from ASU, Dr. Jennifer Blain Christen and Dr. Jesse Senko, to discuss an innovative solution for maintaining biodiversity in our oceans by using technology to reduce fishing bycatch and protect species like sea turtles and whales while supporting the business of fishers around the globe.Dr. Jennifer Blain Christen is an associate professor of electrical engineering and the director of the Bioelectrical Systems and Technology Lab at ASU. Dr. Jesse Senko is an assistant research professor and Senior Sustainability Scientist at ASU. Their collaboration aims to maintain the oceans' biodiversity by reducing the impact of fishing bycatch. Episode resources:Dr. Jennifer Blain Christen on LinkedInDr. Jesse Senko on LinkedIn Images from Smart Nets Synapse WebsiteRate and Review Hardware to Save a Planet:Apple PodcastSpotifyRSSHardware to Save a Planet is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.soIf you are interested in sponsoring Hardware to Save a Planet, please see our sponsorship offer here.Previous guests include: Peter Reinhardt of Charm Industrial, Carlos Araque of Quaise, Noah McQueen of Heirloom, Areeb Malik of Glacier, Jeff Satwicz of Bigbelly, Abe Schneider of Natel Energy, Insiya Jafferjee of Shellworks, Paul Gross of Remora, Erika Boeing of Accelerate Wind and Daniel Betts of Blue Frontier.Check out our three most downloaded episodes:Going Big on Clean Energy with Small Fusion Reactors with Robin Langtry, Co-Founder and CEO of Avalanche EnergyThe Role of Energy Storage Systems in Combating Climate Change with Mike Wietecki of Powin and John Thomas of ESSMarine Electrification to Reduce Costs and Environmental Damage: A Conversation with Marcelino Alvarez, CEO of Photon MarineIf you have an interesting hardware solution to the climate crisis and would like the opportunity to share this with our audience, please complete this Guest Application form: https://fame.so/syn

Dec 8, 2022 • 40min
At the Threshold of Greener and Cheaper Electric Motors for EVs with Robert Sansone, Young Innovator and Winner of the Regeneron ISEF Award
In this episode of Hardware to Save a Planet, Dylan is joined by Robert Sansone, a young innovator, a high school student, and the winner of the prestigious Regeneron ISEF award for best innovation by a high school student. Robert shares his journey of inventing a greener electric motor for electric vehicles that don’t use rare earth magnets.Electric motors in all EVs use magnets made from rare earth materials like Neodymium. These elements are found next to highly radioactive materials like Uranium and Thorium, and purifying them creates a highly toxic effluent. Refining rare earth elements into magnets is expensive, thereby increasing the electric motor's cost. Robert is developing an electric motor that uses conventional magnets while overcoming the torque limitation of using conventional magnets. Episode resources:Robert’s LinkedInHardware to Save a Planet LinkedInHardware to Save a Planet WebsiteRate and Review Hardware to Save a Planet:● Apple Podcast● Spotify● RSSHardware to Save a Planet is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.soIf you are interested in sponsoring Hardware to Save a Planet, please see our sponsorship offer here.Previous guests include: Peter Reinhardt of Charm Industrial, Carlos Araque of Quaise, Noah McQueen of Heirloom, Areeb Malik of Glacier, Jeff Satwicz of Bigbelly, Abe Schneider of Natel Energy, Insiya Jafferjee of Shellworks, Paul Gross of Remora, Erika Boeing of Accelerate Wind and Daniel Betts of Blue Frontier.Check out our three most downloaded episodes:Going Big on Clean Energy with Small Fusion Reactors with Robin Langtry, Co-Founder and CEO of Avalanche EnergyThe Role of Energy Storage Systems in Combating Climate Change with Mike Wietecki of Powin and John Thomas of ESSMarine Electrification to Reduce Costs and Environmental Damage: A Conversation with Marcelino Alvarez, CEO of Photon MarineIf you have an interesting hardware solution to the climate crisis and would like the opportunity to share this with our audience, please complete this Guest Application form: https://fame.so/syn

Nov 24, 2022 • 34min
Re-Engineering Chemical Production for Carbon Dioxide Removal with Dr. Laura Lammers, Founder and CEO of Travertine
In this episode of Hardware to Save a Planet, Dylan is joined by Dr. Laura Lammers, Founder and CEO of Travertine. They discuss a novel process for generating carbon-negative sulfuric acid that uses sulfate waste from the industry as an input.Dr. Laura Lammers did her Ph.D. at UC Berkeley and has spent many years doing fundamental research to understand the Earth's natural processes that regulate carbon cycling. In January of this year, she shifted from academia to start Travertine to turn her research into a scalable impact on climate change.Episode resources:Dr. Laura Lammers on LinkedInTravertine WebsiteSynapse WebsiteRate and Review Hardware to Save a Planet:Apple PodcastSpotifyRSSHardware to Save a Planet is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.soIf you are interested in sponsoring Hardware to Save a Planet, please see our sponsorship offer here.Previous guests include: Peter Reinhardt of Charm Industrial, Carlos Araque of Quaise, Noah McQueen of Heirloom, Areeb Malik of Glacier, Jeff Satwicz of Bigbelly, Abe Schneider of Natel Energy, Insiya Jafferjee of Shellworks, Paul Gross of Remora, Erika Boeing of Accelerate Wind and Daniel Betts of Blue Frontier.Check out our three most downloaded episodes:Going Big on Clean Energy with Small Fusion Reactors with Robin Langtry, Co-Founder and CEO of Avalanche EnergyThe Role of Energy Storage Systems in Combating Climate Change with Mike Wietecki of Powin and John Thomas of ESSMarine Electrification to Reduce Costs and Environmental Damage: A Conversation with Marcelino Alvarez, CEO of Photon MarineIf you have an interesting hardware solution to the climate crisis and would like the opportunity to share this with our audience, please complete this Guest Application form: https://fame.so/syn

Nov 10, 2022 • 37min
Transforming CO2 Into an Ally in the Fight Against Climate Change with Claudio Spadacini, Founder and CEO of Energy Dome
In this episode of Hardware to Save a Planet, Dylan is joined by Claudio Spadacini, Founder and CEO of Energy Dome, to discuss the revolutionary technology Energy Dome develops for large-scale and long-duration grid energy storage.Claudio is an innovator and engineer with a track record of developing disruptive technologies to combat climate change. He is also an experienced entrepreneur who founded several businesses in the climate tech space, including Cavaglio Hydropower, Exergy ORC, SEBIGAS Srl, and Agripower SRL.Episode resources:Claudio’s LinkedInEnergy Dome WebsiteHardware to Save a Planet WebsiteSynapse WebsiteRate and Review Hardware to Save a Planet:Apple PodcastSpotifyRSSHardware to Save a Planet is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.soIf you are interested in sponsoring Hardware to Save a Planet, please see our sponsorship offer here.Previous guests include: Peter Reinhardt of Charm Industrial, Carlos Araque of Quaise, Noah McQueen of Heirloom, Areeb Malik of Glacier, Jeff Satwicz of Bigbelly, Abe Schneider of Natel Energy, Insiya Jafferjee of Shellworks, Paul Gross of Remora, Erika Boeing of Accelerate Wind and Daniel Betts of Blue Frontier.Check out our three most downloaded episodes:Going Big on Clean Energy with Small Fusion Reactors with Robin Langtry, Co-Founder and CEO of Avalanche EnergyThe Role of Energy Storage Systems in Combating Climate Change with Mike Wietecki of Powin and John Thomas of ESSMarine Electrification to Reduce Costs and Environmental Damage: A Conversation with Marcelino Alvarez, CEO of Photon MarineIf you have an interesting hardware solution to the climate crisis and would like the opportunity to share this with our audience, please complete this Guest Application form: https://fame.so/syn

Oct 27, 2022 • 51min
Clean Hydrogen on Demand with Max Mankin, CTO and Co-founder of Modern Electron, and Mothusi Pahl, Vice President of Business Development at Modern Electron
In this episode of Hardware to Save a Planet, Max Mankin, CTO and Co-founder of Modern Electron, and Mothusi Pahl, Vice President of Business Development at Modern Electron, join Dylan Garrett to discuss an innovative technology that decarbonizes natural gas use by converting gas to clean hydrogen at the point of use without CO2 emissions.Modern Electron is a cleantech company focused on heat and hydrogen. Its first solution decarbonizes gas use by converting customers’ gas to clean hydrogen onsite without CO2 emissions. Its second solution provides efficiency by transforming heat into power, saving money, reducing carbon footprint, and providing resiliency in blackouts.Episode resources:Max’s LinkedInMothusi’s LinkedInModern Electron WebsiteHardware to Save a Planet WebsiteSynapse WebsiteRate and Review Hardware to Save a Planet:Apple PodcastSpotifyRSSHardware to Save a Planet is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.soIf you are interested in sponsoring Hardware to Save a Planet, please see our sponsorship offer here.Previous guests include: Peter Reinhardt of Charm Industrial, Carlos Araque of Quaise, Noah McQueen of Heirloom, Areeb Malik of Glacier, Jeff Satwicz of Bigbelly, Abe Schneider of Natel Energy, Insiya Jafferjee of Shellworks, Paul Gross of Remora, Erika Boeing of Accelerate Wind and Daniel Betts of Blue Frontier.Check out our three most downloaded episodes:Going Big on Clean Energy with Small Fusion Reactors with Robin Langtry, Co-Founder and CEO of Avalanche EnergyThe Role of Energy Storage Systems in Combating Climate Change with Mike Wietecki of Powin and John Thomas of ESSMarine Electrification to Reduce Costs and Environmental Damage: A Conversation with Marcelino Alvarez, CEO of Photon MarineIf you have an interesting hardware solution to the climate crisis and would like the opportunity to share this with our audience, please complete this Guest Application form: https://fame.so/syn

Oct 13, 2022 • 37min
3D electrodes for Next Generation Batteries with Moshiel Biton, CEO and Co-founder of Addionics
In this episode of Hardware to Save a Planet, Dylan is joined by Moshiel Biton, CEO and Co-founder of Addionics, to discuss Addionics' 3D battery technology that significantly improves battery performance regardless of the chemistry.Moshiel is a deep technical expert in the field. He did his Ph.D. in material science at Imperial College London with a focus on batteries. He co-founded Addionics in 2017 with two of his professors. They are one of only twelve winners of the prestigious Bloomberg NEF award for this year.Addionics is one of the few companies that change the physics of batteries as opposed to their chemistry, thus leading to wide-range socio-economic impacts, decarbonization of energy, reduction of transport pollution, improved air quality, and reduced material waste.Episode resources:Moshiel on LinkedInMoshiel on TwitterAddionics WebsiteHardware to Save a Planet WebsiteSynapse WebsiteRate and Review Hardware to Save a Planet:Apple PodcastSpotifyRSSInstructions on how to rate and review Hardware to Save a Planet can be found hereHardware to Save a Planet is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.soIf you are interested in sponsoring Hardware to Save a Planet, please see our sponsorship offer here.Previous guests include: Peter Reinhardt of Charm Industrial, Carlos Araque of Quaise, Noah McQueen of Heirloom, Areeb Malik of Glacier, Jeff Satwicz of Bigbelly, Abe Schneider of Natel Energy, Insiya Jafferjee of Shellworks, Paul Gross of Remora, Erika Boeing of Accelerate Wind and Daniel Betts of Blue Frontier.Check out our three most downloaded episodes:Going Big on Clean Energy with Small Fusion Reactors with Robin Langtry, Co-Founder and CEO of Avalanche EnergyThe Role of Energy Storage Systems in Combating Climate Change with Mike Wietecki of Powin and John Thomas of ESSMarine Electrification to Reduce Costs and Environmental Damage: A Conversation with Marcelino Alvarez, CEO of Photon MarineIf you have an interesting hardware solution to the climate crisis and would like the opportunity to share this with our audience, please complete this Guest Application form: https://fame.so/syn

Sep 29, 2022 • 39min
Re-imagining the Future of Packaging with Insiya Jafferjee, Co-founder & CEO at Shellworks
In today's episode of Hardware to Save a Planet, Dylan talks to Insiya Jafferjee about the role Shellworks plays in reimagining sustainable alternatives to plastic use cases. They delve into unique and environmentally beneficial product concepts and designs used by Shellworks to address the issue of plastic waste holistically and contextually.Insiya is the CEO of Shellworks, a company comprising a team of scientists, engineers, and designers focusing on reimagining the future of packaging by working with nature. Before founding Shellworks, Insiya worked at Apple as a Manufacturing Design Engineer, where she learned to appreciate quality designs that improve people's lives and are produced at a massive scale.Shellworks introduced a plastic that was created using bacteria that are common in soil and marine environments. Insiya adds that when you discard a product made of Vivomer, bacteria that live in the soil and ocean perceive it as food and consume it, allowing it to decompose in nature without requiring additional infrastructure.Insiya reveals the rationale for Shellworks' current emphasis on cosmetic products. According to Insiya, the beauty industry is likely one of the leading offenders of plastic pollution. Shellworks aims to provide them with sustainable packaging solutions that are petroleum-free, truly compostable, and "perform like plastic" but decompose in about a year, all at a good cost and scale without compromising aesthetics and performance.Episode resources:Insiya on LinkedInInsiya on TwitterInsiya’s WebsiteThe Shellwork’s WebsiteRate & Review Hardware to Save a Planet: Apple PodcastsSpotifyRSSHardware to Save a Planet is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.soIf you are interested in sponsoring Hardware to Save a Planet, please see our sponsorship offer here.Previous guests include: Peter Reinhardt of Charm Industrial, Carlos Araque of Quaise, Noah McQueen of Heirloom, Areeb Malik of Glacier, Jeff Satwicz of Bigbelly, Abe Schneider of Natel Energy, Insiya Jafferjee of Shellworks, Paul Gross of Remora, Erika Boeing of Accelerate Wind and Daniel Betts of Blue Frontier.Check out our three most downloaded episodes:Going Big on Clean Energy with Small Fusion Reactors with Robin Langtry, Co-Founder and CEO of Avalanche EnergyThe Role of Energy Storage Systems in Combating Climate Change with Mike Wietecki of Powin and John Thomas of ESSMarine Electrification to Reduce Costs and Environmental Damage: A Conversation with Marcelino Alvarez, CEO of Photon MarineIf you have an interesting hardware solution to the climate crisis and would like the opportunity to share this with our audience, please complete this Guest Application form: https://fame.so/syn

Sep 15, 2022 • 48min
Developing an Environmentally-Friendly and Fish-Saving Hydropower Turbine with Abe Schneider, Co-founder and CTO of Natel Energy
In this episode of Hardware to Save a Planet, Dylan is joined by Abe Schneider, Co-founder and CTO of Natel Energy, to discuss how the company has developed a new hydropower turbine model, which allows the safe passage of fish in already existing hydropower plants.Abe is a mechanical engineer and fly fisherman. Before Natel, he worked at Timken in power transmission R&D and then at Makani, a Google X project, designing kites to harness high-altitude wind energy. His expertise includes renewable energy product development, the design of hydraulic turbomachinery, mechanical engineering, machine design, and supply chain management. Episode resources:Abe’s LinkedInNatel Energy WebsiteHardware to Save a Planet WebsiteSynapse WebsiteRate and Review Hardware to Save a Planet:Apple PodcastSpotifyRSSHardware to Save a Planet is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.soIf you are interested in sponsoring Hardware to Save a Planet, please see our sponsorship offer here.Previous guests include: Peter Reinhardt of Charm Industrial, Carlos Araque of Quaise, Noah McQueen of Heirloom, Areeb Malik of Glacier, Jeff Satwicz of Bigbelly, Abe Schneider of Natel Energy, Insiya Jafferjee of Shellworks, Paul Gross of Remora, Erika Boeing of Accelerate Wind and Daniel Betts of Blue Frontier.Check out our three most downloaded episodes:Going Big on Clean Energy with Small Fusion Reactors with Robin Langtry, Co-Founder and CEO of Avalanche EnergyThe Role of Energy Storage Systems in Combating Climate Change with Mike Wietecki of Powin and John Thomas of ESSMarine Electrification to Reduce Costs and Environmental Damage: A Conversation with Marcelino Alvarez, CEO of Photon MarineIf you have an interesting hardware solution to the climate crisis and would like the opportunity to share this with our audience, please complete this Guest Application form: https://fame.so/syn

Sep 1, 2022 • 37min
Capturing Semi-Truck CO2 Emissions Directly From the Tailpipe with Paul Gross, Co-founder and Co-CEO of Remora
In this episode of Hardware to Save a Planet, Dylan is joined by Paul Gross, Co-founder and Co-CEO of Remora, to discuss the technology behind Remora's new device that captures at least eighty percent of a semi-truck’s carbon emissions directly from the tailpipe.Paul has been named one of “Forbes 30 under 30” for what he’s achieved with Remora, which he started working on in college. After initially deciding to go into politics to make an impact on climate change, Paul realized there was a quicker and more impactful way to address the issue.He decided to build his company and got obsessed with the idea of capturing carbon emissions from the tailpipes. After meeting his partners, Christina and Eric, they launched Remora.Episode resources:Paul on LinkedInPaul on TwitterRemora’s WebsiteHardware to Save a Planet WebsiteSynapse WebsiteRate and Review Hardware to Save a Planet:Apple PodcastSpotifyRSSHardware to Save a Planet is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.soIf you are interested in sponsoring Hardware to Save a Planet, please see our sponsorship offer here.Previous guests include: Peter Reinhardt of Charm Industrial, Carlos Araque of Quaise, Noah McQueen of Heirloom, Areeb Malik of Glacier, Jeff Satwicz of Bigbelly, Abe Schneider of Natel Energy, Insiya Jafferjee of Shellworks, Paul Gross of Remora, Erika Boeing of Accelerate Wind and Daniel Betts of Blue Frontier.Check out our three most downloaded episodes:Going Big on Clean Energy with Small Fusion Reactors with Robin Langtry, Co-Founder and CEO of Avalanche EnergyThe Role of Energy Storage Systems in Combating Climate Change with Mike Wietecki of Powin and John Thomas of ESSMarine Electrification to Reduce Costs and Environmental Damage: A Conversation with Marcelino Alvarez, CEO of Photon MarineIf you have an interesting hardware solution to the climate crisis and would like the opportunity to share this with our audience, please complete this Guest Application form: https://fame.so/syn

Aug 18, 2022 • 42min
Innovative Waste Recycling: AI and Robotics with Areeb Malik, Co-founder of Glacier
In this episode of Hardware to Save a Planet, Dylan is joined by Areeb Malik, Co-founder of Glacier. They talk about what occurs at recycling facilities and how Glacier is enhancing them using AI and robots to help foster a circular economy.Episode resources: Areeb’s LinkedInGlacier's LinkedInSee a video of the robot in action at the Glacier websiteIf you're interested in job opportunities at Glacier, send an email over to jobs@endwaste.io to get in touch!Rate and Review Hardware to Save a PlanetApple PodcastSpotifyRSSHardware to Save a Planet is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.soIf you are interested in sponsoring Hardware to Save a Planet, please see our sponsorship offer here.Previous guests include: Peter Reinhardt of Charm Industrial, Carlos Araque of Quaise, Noah McQueen of Heirloom, Areeb Malik of Glacier, Jeff Satwicz of Bigbelly, Abe Schneider of Natel Energy, Insiya Jafferjee of Shellworks, Paul Gross of Remora, Erika Boeing of Accelerate Wind and Daniel Betts of Blue Frontier.Check out our three most downloaded episodes:Going Big on Clean Energy with Small Fusion Reactors with Robin Langtry, Co-Founder and CEO of Avalanche EnergyThe Role of Energy Storage Systems in Combating Climate Change with Mike Wietecki of Powin and John Thomas of ESSMarine Electrification to Reduce Costs and Environmental Damage: A Conversation with Marcelino Alvarez, CEO of Photon MarineIf you have an interesting hardware solution to the climate crisis and would like the opportunity to share this with our audience, please complete this Guest Application form: https://fame.so/syn