TechnologyNewsTech NewsScienceNature

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, President at Synapse.

Play

Open in

20 episodes
monthly
Avg 48 min
English

Episodes 20

Newest Oldest Longest

All20 Unplayed20 In progress0 Played0

#102
August 6 · 49 min
Smart Water Heaters Could Replace New Power Plants | Luke Winston-Almanzar
What if your water heater could lower your energy bills, keep your showers hot, and help stabilize the electric grid? Residential water heating accounts for roughly 20% of household energy use, yet most systems still operate without intelligence. Luke Winston-Almanzar, CEO and Co-founder of Reservoir, believes that changing this could unlock one of the biggest climate opportunities hiding inside our homes. In this episode of Hardware to Save a Planet, host Dylan Garrett speaks with Luke about h
#101
July 2 · 48 min
Turning Cow Burps into Clean Energy with Griffin Cherry
What if cow burps could power the future? Methane emissions from cattle represent one of the largest and most overlooked contributors to climate change, accounting for a significant share of global greenhouse gas emissions. Griffin Cherry, Founder and CEO of Planet.Tech, is developing a novel solution that captures methane directly from cow respiration and converts it into renewable energy, creating both environmental and economic value. In this episode of Hardware to Save a Planet, host Dylan
#100
June 4 · 47 min
The Race to Replace Plastic: 2026 SF Climate Week
As plastic pollution accelerates alongside climate change, innovators are racing to replace petroleum-based materials with scalable, climate-positive alternatives. In this live episode from the 2026 San Francisco Climate Week, Dylan Garrett speaks with Julia Marsh, CEO and co-founder of Sway, Molly Morse, CEO at Mango Materials, and Ryan Starling, Design Director at frog Design, about how seaweed-based polymers and methane-derived bioplastics could transform the future of packaging and consume
#99
May 7 · 52 min
Climate-Driven Wildfires: Building Faster Fire Response Systems with Andrea Santy
As climate change intensifies the frequency and severity of wildfires, the need for faster, smarter response systems is becoming urgent. Andrea Santy, Executive Program Director of XPRIZE Wildfire, is leading a global effort to detect and suppress fires within minutes, preventing environmental and economic devastation at scale. In this episode of Hardware to Save a Planet, host Dylan Garrett speaks with Andrea about how satellite networks, AI, and autonomous systems are reshaping climate resili
#98
April 2 · 40 min
Why Solar Deployment Speed Is the Real Climate Bottleneck with Deise Yumi Asami
Utility-scale solar is racing to meet surging power demand, yet installation bottlenecks, including labour shortages, heavier panels, and inconsistent daily output, are slowing progress. Deise Yumi Asami and the team at AES Corporation are tackling this with Maximo, an AI-powered field robot that automates panel installation, thereby cutting build times while improving safety and deployment certainty. In this episode of Hardware to Save a Planet, host Dylan Garrett speaks with Deise about engin
#97
March 5 · 52 min
30% More Power, 20% Lower Costs: Scott Graybeal on Solar’s Step-Change Moment
Perovskite solar has long promised step-change efficiency, yet manufacturing hurdles kept it in the lab. Scott Graybeal and his team at Caelux are changing that. By adding a thin perovskite “active glass” layer to conventional silicon modules, the company unlocks 30–40% more power output while cutting overall project costs, without rebuilding the solar industry from scratch. In this episode of Hardware to Save a Planet, host Dylan Garrett speaks with Scott Graybeal, CEO of Caelux, about why per
#96
February 19 · 51 min
How AI Is Unlocking Geothermal Power at Scale with Joel Edwards
Geothermal energy has long been overlooked, dismissed as a niche despite its ability to deliver constant, carbon-free baseload power. As data centre demand surges and grids strain under electrification, geothermal is re-emerging as a critical piece of the clean energy puzzle. Unlike intermittent renewables, it offers steady generation; if you can find it. In this episode of Hardware to Save a Planet, host Dylan Garrett speaks with Joel Edwards, CTO and cofounder of Zanskar, about how AI and geo
#95
February 5 · 51 min
Commercial Fusion Has Started: How Helion Is Bringing Power to the Grid by 2028
Nuclear fusion is rapidly moving from theory to commercial reality. One kilogram of fusion material generates more clean energy than burning 10 million kilograms of coal. The focus of Anthony Pancotti and his team at Helion Energy is on building the world’s first commercial fusion power plant, targeted to begin delivering electricity by 2028 under a landmark power purchase agreement. Fusion offers the promise of virtually limitless fuel, extraordinary energy density, and clean energy generatio
#94
January 22 · 52 min
Why Long-Duration Energy Storage Breaks Batteries – and How Hydrogen Fixes It with Mia Rath
In order to meet demand peaks, utilities often have to fire up dirty power plants, essentially generators that burn extra fuel per unit of electricity. So the electricity from those peaker plants is not only the most expensive but also has the highest emissions of any electricity on the grid. But now there’s a solution on the horizon. In this episode of Hardware to Save a Planet, host Dylan Garrett speaks with Mia Rath, co-founder and CTO of Lumindt, about how solid-state hydrogen storage is tr
#93
January 8 · 43 min
The Geothermal Breakthrough: Heating Homes Smarter, Cheaper, and Cleaner with Dan Yates
Globally, we burn as much fossil fuel heating homes as we do driving cars, yet home heating rarely gets climate attention, even though it drives massive energy use, grid strain, and raises household costs. In this episode of Hardware to Save a Planet, host Dylan Garrett speaks with Dan Yates, CEO and Chairman of Dandelion Energy, about why geothermal heat pumps may be the most overlooked solution in residential decarbonization. Dan explains how tapping the stable temperatures beneath our feet c
#92
Dec 4, 2025 · 31 min
Powering the AI Era Sustainably: Breakthrough Climate Hardware Tech from 8 Innovators
In this special year-end episode of Hardware to Save a Planet, host Dylan Garrett explores how the rapid expansion of technology and the data centers to support it is accelerating some of the most important climate tech breakthroughs of the decade. Dylan revisits insights from eight innovators shaping the future of grid capacity, renewable power, long-duration storage, hydrogen backup systems, thermal batteries, and low-carbon construction materials. As AI’s energy demands surge, these techn
#91
Nov 20, 2025 · 43 min
Circular Sanitation: How Human Waste Could Replace 25% of Global Fertiliser with Taylor Zehren
Recycling human waste rarely makes the sustainability spotlight, yet our current recycling system flushes away 32 billion gallons of fresh water and the nutrients that could replace a quarter of global fertiliser demand. In this episode of Hardware to Save a Planet, host Dylan Garrett speaks with Taylor Zehren, cofounder and CEO of Wasted, about how rethinking human waste can unlock a powerful circular sanitation economy. Zehren explains how urine-diversion technology turns porta-potties into n
#90
Oct 30, 2025 · 49 min
The Future of Clean Shipping: How Methanol Fuel Cells Are Decarbonising Maritime Transport
Decarbonizing maritime shipping is critical for a sustainable future, but conventional engines and fuel systems have long been a bottleneck. Anders Korsgaard and his team at Blue World Technologies are on track to change that. Join Dylan Garrett on this episode of Hardware to Save a Planet, as he welcomes Anders Korsgaard, Founder and CEO of Blue World Technologies, to discuss how methanol fuel cells are transforming the industry. Drawing on decades of expertise in fuel cell systems, Anders ex
#89
Oct 16, 2025 · 54 min
Smart Electrical Panels: Avoiding $25K Upgrades to Enable Home Electrification with Arch Rao
Updating home electrification is key to a sustainable future, but outdated electrical infrastructure has long been a bottleneck. Arch Rao and Span are out to change that. Join Dylan Garrett on this episode of Hardware to Save a Planet, as he welcomes Arch Rao, Founder and CEO of SPAN, to discuss how his company is reinventing the humble electrical panel for a modern, electrified home. Drawing on his experience at Tesla Energy, Arch explains how SPAN’s smart panel enables homeowners to monitor,
#88
Oct 2, 2025 · 42 min
Onshore Wave Energy: 90% Availability, Transforming Renewable Power Generation
Wave energy has the potential to provide up to 66% of U.S. electricity needs, but offshore systems have long struggled with cost, durability, and scalability. All that is about to change. In this episode of Hardware to Save a Planet, host Dylan Garrett welcomes Inna Braverman, founder and CEO of Eco Wave Power, to explore how her company is making wave energy commercially viable through an innovative onshore approach. Inna shares her personal journey from surviving the Chernobyl disaster as an
#87
Sep 16, 2025 · 1 hr 2 min
From Solar’s 90% Cost Crash to AI’s Energy Surge: The Economics Driving Climate Tech
Solar panel costs have dropped 90% in the past two decades, transforming clean energy from subsidy-dependent to economically viable on its own. If we care about scaling climate tech, we need to understand the role of economics, policy, and geography in shaping which solutions thrive. In this episode of Hardware to Save a Planet, host Dylan Garrett welcomes Pavel Molchanov, Investment Strategy Analyst at Raymond James, to share insights from his 20 years of studying energy markets. Pavel explain
#86
Aug 28, 2025 · 50 min
93% Lower Impact: The Tech Making Sustainable Fashion Competitive
The fashion industry produces 97 million tons of waste each year, and is responsible for 10% of global emissions and 20% of freshwater pollution. If we care about our planet, we need to take a closer look at sustainable fashion, and that is where Ravel enters the picture. In this episode of Hardware to Save a Planet, host Dylan Garrett welcomes Ravel cofounders Zahlen Titcomb and Kristen Albrecht to discuss their breakthrough textile recycling technology. By recycling polyester and blended fabr
#85
Aug 14, 2025 · 45 min
Cryo-Compressed Hydrogen: Solving America’s 50 GW Diesel Generator Problem
In this episode of Hardware to Save a Planet, host Dylan Garrett welcomes Ted McKlveen, co-founder and CEO of Verne, to discuss hydrogen’s rising role in clean power generation. They dive into Verne’s cryo-compressed hydrogen storage technology and its potential to replace diesel generators, especially in data centers and remote areas. Ted explains why hydrogen may be a practical and scalable solution for supporting the electrical grid and decarbonizing hard-to-abate sectors, like trucking, by o
#84
Jul 31, 2025 · 54 min
The Forgotten 25%: How Project Canary Is Detecting Climate's Methane Impact
In this episode of Hardware to Save a Planet, host Dylan Garrett welcomes William Foiles, CEO of Project Canary, to discuss how advanced sensors and AI software are transforming methane emissions detection. They explore the evolution from custom hardware to integrated data platforms, the urgency of addressing methane's climate impact, and pragmatic strategies for change. William shares how precise, real-time monitoring empowers industrial operators to reduce emissions, proving that actionable da
#83
Jul 17, 2025 · 50 min
Tackling 8% of Global Emissions: Making Iron Sustainable One Atom at a Time with Sandeep Nijhawan
In this episode of Hardware to Save a Planet, host Dylan Garrett sits down with Sandeep Nijhawan, CEO and Co-founder of Electra, to explore how his team is reinventing steel production. Their low-temperature electrowinning process converts iron ore into steel at low temperatures, utilizing renewable electricity to reduce emissions in one of the planet’s most polluting industries. From garage startup to industry disruptor, Sandeep shares Electra’s journey, its potential to reshape global manufact

Showing 1–20 of 20 episodes