A Positive Climate – Details, episodes & analysis

Nick chats to Tim Washington from JET Charge about using electric vehicles as batteries for our homes.

Vehicle to grid technology could transform not one but *two* trillion dollar industries in energy and transport. All while paving the way to materially reduce carbon emissions and costs.

It is simple enough but does it work? When will consumers have it? What impacts will it have?

And what is it like running a startup with your wife? Thanks to Ellen Liang who also hopped on the mic!

You can enjoy this episode here or in full HD on Youtube.

(00:00) Teaser

(00:38) Introduction

(05:23) Australian EV Uptake Check-in

(11:00) Australian EV Charging Check-in

(13:46) How does Vehicle to Grid work?

(23:46) Consumer Perspectives

(29:54) Economics

(38:31) Challenges for Energy Retailers

(54:15) When Your Co-founder Is Your Spouse

(59:23) Uncomfortable Questions

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If you like the show, please subscribe/review/rate or comment. We really appreciate your support!

You can sign up to our mailing list at www.apositiveclimate.com, say hello@apositiveclimate.com or follow us on https://au.linkedin.com/company/a-positive-climate or www.instagram.com/apositiveclimatepodcast. 

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About the podcast

A Positive Climate is an uplifting podcast about tackling climate change. An entertaining look at the products, people and technologies making a real difference. 

Hosted by Australian climate technology investors and experts Nick Zeltzer and Alex McIntosh. We cover it all on the show while keeping things optimistic and accessible: electric planes, waste eating maggots, plant-based meats, hydrogen made from beer, the solar revolution, the coolest new sustainable products and much much more.

The podcast rated in 2022 and 2023 as the top Australian made podcast in Apple’s Technology podcast charts.

Previous guests have included innovators and technologists from JET Charge, 5B, Amazon, Zoomo, V2Food, Vow, Sea Forest, Great Wrap, Infravision, Zero Co, Hysata, Sicona, OneSmallStep, Tenacious Ventures, CarsGuide, AMSL Aero, Nori, EnergyLab, MicroTau and many more.

Music by the late, great Nick Weaver

Production by our hero Mark Spencer from Here.Media

Alex is taking a podcast break so if you miss everyone's favourite host, let her know via our website!

That’s a wrap! It's our annual review episode, with Alex and Nick covering all the climate technology news from 2023.

The hottest year on record brings a reminder that we need to be doubling down on the right solutions, so we hope you enjoy our reflections about what we think matters.

Thanks again to all you listening out there! It’s been a big year for us - where we hit the Top 5 in tech podcasts (in Malawi) -  and we’ve loved hearing from many of you throughout the season. 

Chapters

(00:00) Intro

(01:20) We announce the Pitch Fest Winner!

(02:23) Our Years Reviewed

(05:32) Large Scale Solar, Batteries and Global Developments (including Alex’s strange love of steel mills)

(21:32) Nuclear Energy (!)

(27:55) APC Season Portfolio Review

(38:41) BIG PREDICTIONS

Companies mentioned: Microtau, All G Foods, Samsara, Uluu, Novalith, SunDrive, Jolt Charge, Infravision, Nourish Ingredients, Goterra, Antora Energy, ahem Positive Ventures, JET Charge, Sicona, AMSL Aero, Renewable Metals, SeaForest, GridMo, Hysata, MGA Thermal, Eku Energy, Akaysha Energy, Zenobe, Raygen, Vast Solar, ThyssenKrupp, NuScale, and the EV company formerly known as “Build Your Dreams” 

See you next year!

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As always if you don’t want to miss any eps, hit that follow button!

We’d also love it if you gave us a review / rating on Apple or Spotify! It helps other listeners find us.

You can sign up to our mailing list, say hello@apositiveclimate.com or follow us at www.instagram.com/apositiveclimatepodcast and https://au.linkedin.com/company/a-positive-climate. 

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About the podcast

A Positive Climate is an uplifting podcast about tackling climate change. An entertaining look at the products, people and technologies making a real difference. 

Hosted by Australian climate technology experts Alex McIntosh and Nick Zeltzer, two friends on a mission to find the solutions to keep our existential crises at bay.

Previous guests have included innovators from JET Charge, 5B, Amazon, Zoomo, V2Food, All G Foods, Vow, Sea Forest, Great Wrap, Infravision, Zero Co, Hysata, Sicona, OneSmallStep, Tenacious Ventures, CarsGuide, AMSL Aero, Nori, EnergyLab, MicroTau and many more.

Music by the late, great Nick Weaver

Production by our hero Mark Spencer from Here.Media

Social Media, Comms and PR by Alistair Perkins

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We speak to Henry Bilinsky from MicroTau. The Sydney-based startup’s shark skin technology applied to planes has the potential to improve the efficiency of aviation by up to 10%, meanwhile saving airlines up to $61 billion a year on fuel.

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If you enjoy the show, subscribe and give us a rating on Apple or Spotify! You can sign up to our mailing list, say hello@apositiveclimate.com  or follow us at www.instagram.com/apositiveclimatepodcast and https://au.linkedin.com/company/a-positive-climate. 

We are proudly supported by Bank Australia (www.bankaust.com.au).

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In Australia we love flying and given our vast and isolated land, we often NEED to fly. While there are a number of options to get to zero carbon transport, many of these solutions may take decades for mass adoption. This includes technologies like battery or hydrogen powered planes (which we covered on our episode with AMSL Aero) or even sustainable aviation fuel.

But in the meantime, we have to pursue anything and everything that can increase the efficiency of aviation. This is where MicroTau’s shark-skin comes in. 

In this episode we cover:

• The challenges of decarbonising long haul transport;
• How Henry came up with the idea;
• How the US Airforce got involved with the idea; 
• Sharks on a plane you say? How does this actually work; and
• How the technology could be applied to other forms of transport

About the podcast

A Positive Climate is an uplifting podcast about tackling climate change. An inspiring look at the products, people and technologies making a real difference. 

Hosted by Australian climate technology experts Alex McIntosh and Nick Zeltzer, two friends on a mission to find the solutions to keep our existential crises at bay. We cover it all on the show while keeping things optimistic and accessible: electric planes, waste eating maggots, plant-based meats, hydrogen made from beer, the solar revolution, the coolest new sustainable products and much much more.

If you’re passionate about the latest sustainable technology, the environment, or are just keen to know more about what’s going on in Australia to tackle climate change, this podcast is for you.

Previous guests have included innovators and technologists from JET Charge, 5B, Amazon, Zoomo, V2Food, Vow, Sea Forest, Great Wrap, Infravision, Zero Co, Hysata, Sicona, OneSmallStep, Tenacious Ventures, CarsGuide, AMSL Aero, Nori and many more.

Music by the late, great Nick Weaver

Production by our hero Mark Spencer from Here.Media

Social Media, Comms and PR by Alistair Perkins

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We’re BACK with our best season yet! Launched on 27 June 2023, we'll release interviews fortnightly, speaking with Australia’s very best startups in the global climate transition. 

They’ve got game changing sustainable technology. They’ve raised hundreds of millions of dollars. And they’re ready to turn the world’s biggest problem into Australia’s great opportunity. 

Low carbon aviation. Cow free dairy. Sustainable lithium mining. Plastic recycling. Next generation solar. The future of EV charging. And much more. Join us to learn more from leaders building what could be billion dollar businesses.

Press “Follow” in your podcast app of choice, share with your friends and follow along with us on LinkedIn, Instagram or via our mailing list at www.apositiveclimate.com

This season is brought to you by Bank Australia (www.bankaust.com.au).

If you're a long time fan of the show we'd love it if you spread the word

About the podcast

A Positive Climate is an uplifting podcast about tackling climate change. An inspiring look at the products, people and technologies making a real difference. 

Hosted by Australian climate technology experts Alex McIntosh and Nick Zeltzer, two friends on a mission to find the solutions to keep our existential crises at bay. We cover it all on the show while keeping things optimistic and accessible: electric planes, waste eating maggots, plant-based meats, hydrogen made from beer, the solar revolution, the coolest new sustainable products and much much more.

Previous guests have included innovators and technologists from JET Charge, 5B, Amazon, Zoomo, V2Food, Vow, Sea Forest, Great Wrap, Infravision, Zero Co, Hysata, Sicona, OneSmallStep, Tenacious Ventures, CarsGuide, AMSL Aero, Nori and many more.

If you’re passionate about the latest sustainable technology, the environment, or are just keen to know more about what’s going on in Australia to tackle climate change, this podcast is for you!

Music by the late, great Nick Weaver

Production by our hero Mark Spencer from Here.Media

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Alex and Nick wrap up 2022 and the end of season three with a wide ranging chat including an update on the international race to decarbonise, trends in cleantech, a check-in on our BIG predictions and our plans to bring you even more great episodes in 2023. 

We cover a lot on this episode:

• How the narrative around decarbonisation has changed in the last 12 months - "The electric bus is leaving the station and you best get on it" 
• International developments: What are other countries doing to incentive change? 
• Trends in the Australian cleantech sector for 2022
• A check-in on our BIG predictions and if we still believe in them 
• Our pick of cleantech deal of the year
• 2023 season plans: Showcasing the best Aussie cleantech startups

Alex also briefly talks about a startup growing mammary glands and Nick discusses why shark skin on planes is the future. 

It's been a huge year and we couldn’t be more proud of the growth of this little podcast in such a short space of time. A HUGE thank you to all our loyal listeners for your continued support. We look forward to bringing you even more great episodes in 2023!

About the podcast

A Positive Climate is an uplifting podcast about tackling climate change. An entertaining look at the products, people and technologies making a real difference. 

Hosted by leading Australian climate technology experts and investors Alex McIntosh and Nick Zeltzer, two friends on a mission to find the solutions to keep our existential crises at bay. A Positive Climate recently charted as the #1 locally produced podcast in the Australian Technology charts for both Apple and Spotify. 

Look out for our prior episodes of optimistic content covering everything from: hydrogen, lithium mining, plant-based and cell-based meats, electric vehicles, drones, cryptocurrency, solar energy, seaweed, electric bikes, edible waste-eating maggots, and much more. 

You can also follow us: on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn or send us a comment at hello@apositiveclimate.com

Music by the late, great Nick Weaver

Production by our hero Mark Spencer from Here.Media

Socials by the legend Rebecca Sather Jenkins

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nick and Alex hear pitches from TEN of Australia’s up and coming climate startups!

This episode brings you something a bit different. We’ve partnered with our friends at EnergyLab (Australia’s leading climate solutions accelerator) to hold a pitch speed round featuring their most recent startup cohort. 

The rules: A 60 second opening free pitch and 10 minutes max for each startup. That’s it! 

If you want to help the startups get in touch with them via the links below AND if you enjoyed the episode we’d love it if you submitted a review on Apple Podcasts.

The startups (drumroll!)

Conrytech (3:19) - Reinventing Airconditioning (Sam Ringwaldt)

Allegro Energy (11:25) - Long Duration Redox Flow Energy Storage (Fraser Hughson)

Acacia (17:43) - The Sustainable Personal Finance Platform (Anil Sagaram)

Raaise (25:59) - The Platform Powering Climate Startups (Amy Carter-James)

National Renewable Network (34:50)- Solar + Battery Solutions at No Upfront Cost (Alan Hunter)

Farmbot (43:08) - Remote Water Management Made Easy (Andrew Coppin)

Solstice AI (51:02) - Intelligent Solar Forecasting (Julian De Hoog)

ValAi (59:36)- Unlocking Sustainable Buildings (Allys Todd)

Ecojoule Energy (1:10:00) - Enhancing the Grid for Renewables (Mike Wishart)

Economical Energy (1:15:46) - The VIPER: Gravity Based Energy Storage (Matthew Forest) 

About the podcast

A Positive Climate is an uplifting podcast about tackling climate change. An entertaining look at the products, people and technologies making a real difference. 

Hosted by leading Australian climate technology experts and investors Alex McIntosh and Nick Zeltzer, two friends on a mission to find the solutions to keep our existential crises at bay. A Positive Climate recently charted as the #1 locally produced podcast in the Australian Technology charts for both Apple and Spotify. 

Look out for our prior episodes of optimistic content covering everything from: hydrogen, lithium mining, plant-based and cell-based meats, electric vehicles, drones, cryptocurrency, solar energy, seaweed, electric bikes, edible waste-eating maggots, and much more. 

You can also follow us: on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn or send us a comment at hello@apositiveclimate.com

Music by the late, great Nick Weaver

Production by our hero Mark Spencer from Here.Media

Socials by the legend Rebecca Sather Jenkins

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We chat to Liam Wallis, Founding Director of Hip v Hype a leading sustainable property developer based in Melbourne about the built environment and how we can make our homes and buildings carbon neutral. 

In our chat with Liam we cover: 

• What goes into creating a sustainable building - what matters the most? 
• How do builders or developers consider designing for sustainability not just in the construction phase but also for the entire life of the building?
• What innovative building materials are emerging? 
• How much of an impact can energy efficiency measures really have? 
• The green premium of building sustainably - Are customers willing to pay? 
• What will our homes and workplaces look like in the future?

More Links!

• More info on the Ferrars & York development here. 

How to support

If you enjoyed the show we’d love your support with a rating/review on Spotify or Apple. 

You can also follow us: on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn or send us a comment at hello@apositiveclimate.com

About the podcast

A Positive Climate is an uplifting podcast about tackling climate change. An entertaining look at the products, people and technologies making a real difference.

Hosted by leading Australian climate technology experts and investors Alex McIntosh and Nick Zeltzer, two friends on a mission to find the solutions to keep our existential crises at bay. Look out for our prior episodes of optimistic content covering everything from: hydrogen, lithium mining, plant-based and cell-based meats, electric vehicles, drones, cryptocurrency, solar energy, seaweed, electric bikes, edible waste-eating maggots, and much more. 

If you’re passionate about the environment, the latest clean technology or just want to know how to get involved in the movement, this podcast is for you!

Music by the late, great Nick Weaver

Production by our hero Mark Spencer from Here.Media

Socials by the legend Rebecca Sather Jenkins

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We chat to Paul Gambill from Nori about their carbon removal marketplace using blockchain technology.

This is the second episode in our two-part series about whether crypto and blockchain can be a positive force for addressing climate change. In this one we cover:

• The role of (and challenges with) carbon offsets
• Carbon avoidance offsets vs carbon removal
• Nori’s carbon removal marketplace and the Nori token
• How Nori can help put a price on carbon
• The energy intensity dilemma of blockchain to date
• Regenerative Finance
• The curious world of seasteading

More Links!

• A simple explainer of Nori via their whitepaper
• A fantastic overview on Youtube of “How Offsets Work” by Paul 

• A collation of all the startups in the “Refi” space progressing blockchain enabled climate solutions www.Refidao.com

How to support

If you enjoyed the show we’d love your support with a rating/review on Spotify or Apple. 

You can also follow us: on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn or send us a comment at hello@apositiveclimate.com

About the podcast

A Positive Climate is an uplifting podcast about tackling climate change. An entertaining look at the products, people and technologies making a real difference.

Hosted by leading Australian climate technology experts and investors Alex McIntosh and Nick Zeltzer, two friends on a mission to find the solutions to keep our existential crises at bay. Look out for our prior episodes of optimistic content covering everything from: hydrogen, lithium mining, plant-based and cell-based meats, electric vehicles, drones, cryptocurrency, solar energy, seaweed, electric bikes, edible waste-eating maggots, and much more. 

If you’re passionate about the environment, the latest clean technology or just want to know how to get involved in the movement, this podcast is for you!

Music by the late, great Nick Weaver

Production by our hero Mark Spencer from Here.Media

Socials by the legend Rebecca Sather Jenkins

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nick and Alex chat about the impact of crypto and blockchain on climate. Is crypto accelerating climate change or can it be a force for good?

Hot off the heels of “the Ethereum Merge” we cover the following in this ep:

• What is cryptocurrency? What is blockchain? 
• Why can crypto be so energy intensive? Can it be improved?
• Bitcoin and Ethereum (including the Ethereum Merge) 
• Dogecoin, GarlicCoin, OnionCoin and Dentacoin 
• Regenerative Finance
• Offsets, Peer to Peer Energy Trading; and
• Attempts at nuance

This episode is intended to be a primer ahead of our next episode that dives a little deeper on how blockchain can be used to address climate change, with a company called Nori, so look out for that one!

P.s. if you notice some slight whirring halfway through when Nick is speaking, it’s a big “we love Australia moment” - it’s not your headphones but CRICKETS outside Nick’s window. 

How to support

If you enjoyed the show we’d love your support with a rating/review on Spotify or Apple. Or hey, why not share it with that crypto friend that has gone real deep into the crypto cave. We all have one.

You can also follow us: on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn or send us a comment at hello@apositiveclimate.com

About the podcast

A Positive Climate is an uplifting podcast about tackling climate change. An entertaining look at the products, people and technologies making a real difference.

Hosted by leading Australian climate technology experts and investors Alex McIntosh and Nick Zeltzer, two friends on a mission to find the solutions to keep our existential crises at bay. Look out for our prior episodes of optimistic content covering everything from: hydrogen, lithium mining, plant-based and cell-based meats, electric vehicles, drones, cryptocurrency, solar energy, seaweed, electric bikes, edible waste-eating maggots, and much more. 

If you’re passionate about the environment, the latest clean technology or just want to know how to get involved in the movement, this podcast is for you!

Music by the late, great Nick Weaver

Production by our hero Mark Spencer from Here.Media

Socials by the legend Rebecca Sather Jenkins

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nick and Alex chat to Ned Ekins-Daukes from UNSW about their breakthrough to create solar energy in the dark.

This is a wide ranging chat about how solar panels could generate all of Australia's electricity at night, where climate solutions come from, the role of UNSW and universities in creating them, the legend of Martin Green, how to commercialise early stage technology, and a little lesson on the correct way to pronounce “solar photovoltaic”.

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Hey! Can we ask a fave? If you are enjoying the pod, we’d love it if you subscribed and gave us a rating/review on Apple or Spotify! It really helps the show.

You can also follow us: on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn or send us a comment at hello@apositiveclimate.com

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.