This week on Everybody in the Pool, Molly Wood talks with Brad Hartwig, co-founder and CEO of Arbor Energy. Brad shares his remarkable journey from SpaceX rocket engineer to climate tech entrepreneur, developing technology that transforms waste biomass into carbon-negative energy using rocket propulsion principles. Yep, you read that right. A guy who used to want to be an astronaut woke up one day and realized this planet was the place to put his energy. Find out how Arbor’s tech could replace fossil fuel plants while simultaneously removing carbon from the atmosphere.
Show Highlights
- Brad's transition from aerospace engineering at SpaceX to climate tech after witnessing California wildfires firsthand
- How Arbor Energy's technology uses "oxy combustion" (inspired by rocket engines) to generate clean electricity while capturing carbon
- The system produces no emissions - only pure CO2 (for sequestration) and clean water
- Potential to replace up to 60 gigawatts of coal and natural gas plants in the US with carbon-negative power
- Uses only waste biomass from agriculture, forestry, and potentially municipal waste
- Economic benefits for wildfire prevention through monetizing brush clearing
- First commercial deployment targeted for 2027
Resources
- Arbor Energy
- Brad Hartwig
- Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson - Climate fiction book mentioned by Brad
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