Kirsty Gogan discusses the three main organizing principles in order to achieve decarbonization — Scale, Speed, and Cost. She uses the analogy of “Impossible Burgers” with respect to traditional fossil fuels and suggests that low-cost, clean hydrogen-based synthetic fuel can be a feasible alternative to fossil fuel in shipping, aviation, and other industries.

Watch a recording of the webinar, hosted by Terra Praxis and Japan NRG, launching the Japanese edition of our flagship report: Missing Link to a Livable Climate – 生存可能な気候保全のた めの「ミッシングリンク」. The report can also be downloaded from our website here.

For carbon-free hydrogen to play a significant role in decarbonization, it will need to be produced in large quantities at low cost to compete with hydrocarbons. The need for nuclear in carbon-free hydrogen production took on urgency in a recent panel discussion, part of the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Forum. Kirsty Gogan of LucidCatalyst and Terra Praxis is quoted and the Missing Link report, which Terra Praxis is helping disseminate, describing proposals for large-scale production of green hydrogen is discussed. The report recommends “a new generation of advanced heat sources,” which includes advanced modular reactors, which power electrolysis with heat.

Given the scale and urgency of the required clean transition combined with the growth of the global energy system, all zero-carbon hydrogen production options must be pursued, energy research and consultancy firm LucidCatalyst stresses in its latest report, Missing Link to a Livable Climate, which describes how to decarbonize "a substantial portion" of the global energy system, for which there is currently "no viable alternative", and presents the six actions that are needed. "The potential of advanced heat sources to power the production of large-scale, very low-cost hydrogen and hydrogen-based fuels could transform global prospects for near-term decarbonization and prosperity."

Terra Praxis is helping disseminate the Missing Link report.

Terra Praxis' partner, LucidCatalyst's ETI NCD Study is cited in the UK's HM TreasuryNetZero Interim report as evidence that "learning can, and does, occur for nuclear power plant construction where nations are able to invest in fleet deployment, using the same design across multiple projects, as seen in the Republic of Korea and elsewhere.” (Page 39). " Nuclear project developers are also exploring ways to modularize construction where possible to mitigate delays...and reduce overall project risk. Furthermore, pending global regulatory approval, small modular reactors (SMRs), could have the potential to go further by using repeat manufacture and on-site assembly techniques that accelerate learning and enable cost reductions."

Kirsty and Eric join Rod Adams and other experts in a lively discussion of nuclear plant costs and the relationship of costs to size. Pro-nuclear advocates generally agree that there is a large and growing need for new nuclear power plants to meet energy demands with less impact on the planet and its atmosphere. There is frequent, sometimes passionate discussion about the most appropriate reactor sizes, technologies and specific uses. Other guests include: Nick Touran, Chris Keefer, and Jessica Lovering. Listen or read more to hear their conclusions.

We'd like to share this article by Dr. Sweta Chakraborty: Nuclear energy must play a role in the overall global energy transition alongside other low-carbon technologies, although the extent of the role will vary between countries. With the U.S. recommitting to the Paris Accords and conceivably taking the lead, the role of nuclear energy must be supported globally...The U.S. must lead by example and show that nuclear energy is necessary for a stable energy transition and to support the removal of reliance from fossil fuels. (This article does not mention Terra Praxis.)

Using nuclear plants to generate heat as well as electricity for non-grid industrial applications could be central to deep decarbonization efforts beyond being a source of zero-carbon electricity. Kirsty Gogan and other speakers at the fifth Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum last week looked at how hydrogen – and nuclear – can contribute to carbon abatement efforts in areas that have so far been hard to decarbonize.

Kirsty Gogan was honored to participate in the fifth annual Atlantic Council Global Energy Forum, the premiere international gathering of government, industry, and thought leaders to set the energy agenda for the year. Non-grid nuclear applications hold key to decarbonization: using nuclear plants to generate heat as well as electricity for non-grid industrial applications could be central to deep decarbonization efforts beyond being a source of zero-carbon electricity. The panel looked at how hydrogen and nuclear energy can contribute to carbon abatement efforts in areas that have so far been hard to decarbonize. Watch the video and/or learn more about the Global Energy Forum at the web link below.

This article, written by our frequent collaborator, Rauli Partanen, is part 2 of a 4-part series on clean hydrogen and how to bring its costs down. The research is drawn from the Missing Link report by LucidCatalyst, which Terra Praxis is disseminating. The main factors in clean H2 production are: The main factors in clean H2 production cost are: 1. Capacity factor of energy supply; 2. Capital investment (CapEx) of energy supply; 3. Efficiency of electrolyzers (what percentage of electricity is turned into hydrogen); 4. CapEx of electrolyzers.

Kirsty Gogan joined a distinguished panel to discuss how we can achieve cost reduction in nuclear new build. The new build cost reduction target is to deliver a 30% reduction in the cost to the consumer of low carbon new nuclear generation by 2030, in support of the UK’s net zero commitment. View the presentation from the webinar on the LucidCatalyst website, link below.

This article, written by our frequent collaborator, Rauli Partanen, is part 1 of a 4-part series on clean hydrogen and how to bring its costs down. The research is drawn from the Missing Link report by LucidCatalyst, which Terra Praxis is disseminating. Hydrogen, and clean fuels we can make with it, are among the most prominent options available to decarbonize these the “difficult-to-decarbonize” sectors, and drive much of the 60-70% of fossil fuels use we still see in mainstream scenarios by mid-century. If we cannot do it with hydrogen, there is even less chance we can do it with anything else...This undertaking is enormous. It is not a small subsection of our electricity grid. It is several times larger than our current electricity grid.

Advancements in small modular reactor (SMR) technology are being supported by government investment within several countries, including the U.S. and the UK, as SMRs are increasingly seen as a way to take advantage of zero-emission nuclear power without the expense of building new, large nuclear power plants. Recent investments have looked at how parts for SMRs could be fabricated and then assembled at their destination, another way to reduce construction and overall project costs. Kirsty Gogan is quoted, referring to "advanced heat sources", and saying that they can provide economical and clean dispatchable generation, repower coal plants, and supply heat.

This podcast from Sweden explores: How do we go about delivering on the Paris agreement? What kind of policy and infrastructural changes do we need? In this episode Eric Ingersoll and Kirsty Gogan discuss the findings of their Missing Link hydrogen report, authored by LucidCatalyst and being disseminated by Terra Praxis.

Danish startup Seaborg Technologies says it can make affordable nuclear electricity a viable alternative to fossil fuels—its floating barges fitted with advanced nuclear reactors could provide electricity across the developing world as soon as 2025. Kirsty Gogan is quoted: "For hard-to-reach regions, with a climate that is simultaneously too harsh to support the use of renewable energies and too fragile to continue its heavy dependence on fossil fuels, small nuclear, including floating plants, is the only answer." Floating nuclear power plants could be the “turn-key solution” necessary for fast-growing developing economies to power their industries, produce clean-burning hydrogen, and purify drinking water.

This article highlights the findings of New Nuclear Watch Institute's report on: ‘On the Role of Nuclear Power in the Development of a European Hydrogen Economy’. It also highlights that such findings were discussed at a webinar with Kirsty Gogan, who called for a “new mind set in the nuclear sector”. The exhaustive study concludes that hydrogen can be a “vital” tool in the decarbonisation of energy systems and that nuclear-produced hydrogen would bring “multiple benefits” to the development of the European hydrogen system.

Nuclear advocates see a vast market for reactors in carbon capture and carbon-based products, not only for the next generation of reactors in development, but also for the aging dinosaurs they evolved from. “Carbon products represent the potential for an entirely new market for nuclear energy,” said Canon Bryan, CFO of Terrestrial Energy, which is developing a reactor that uses liquid uranium fluoride fuel...“If the waste heat from that plant was being combined with electricity production you could be removing 20 million tons per year of carbon from the atmosphere,” said Kirsty Gogan at an EarthX panel. Modular reactors may also be cheaper, Gogan said, because they can be manufactured in factories on a standard model.

This article reports that two groups of independent researchers set out to identify the most effective nonprofits that are working to curb climate change. Their findings may surprise you. Giving Green recommends five organizations: the Clean Air Task Force, the Sunrise Education Fund, which is the 501(c)(3) arm of the Sunrise Movement, Climeworks, Burn and Tradewater. Top charities selected by researchers at the Founders Pledge are the Clean Air Task Force (again), Carbon 180 and Terra Praxis.

A global members-only community of investors, entrepreneurs and professionals who are focused on solving the critical issues of our time invited Terra Praxis to submit a position paper and lead the charge in making the case for “nuclear energy’s place in reaching net-zero” during an intensive three-day virtual conference. Our key points are:
1. Flexible operation is critical to future power markets
2. Advanced reactors are competitive with best-in-class conventional power plants
3. Hydrogen-enabled synthetic fuels are key and can be affordably produced by nuclear plants

There's another reason the market for green hydrogen is set to grow: Even if we switch to renewable power, some industries will still be carbon-intensive, says Eric Ingersoll, a hydrogen market expert. Sourcing green hydrogen is a relatively easy way for industries to minimize their footprints. "In some ways, we're making a lot of progress with renewables, but we're not making the kind of progress we need with overall decarbonization," Ingersoll said. "People are starting to realize now that we need to have very practical solutions that can decarbonize our existing infrastructure."

Terra Praxis co-sponsored and presented a vision for large scale, low-cost hydrogen-enabled synthetic fuels production at this two-day virtual workshop, alongside energy-intensive users, future clean energy developers and suppliers, researchers and thought leaders. The discussion covered:
• Potential Markets for Low-Cost Hydrogen
• Hydrogen Production from Nuclear Energy – Current and Future Capabilities
• Advanced Reactors – New Technologies and Deployment Models
• Baselining Hydrogen Technology – Innovations in Electrolysis and Ammonia Synthesis

Kirsty Gogan of Terra Praxis was invited to participate in the first of the new series of events by AirMiners covering energy sources that can power carbon removal at global scale. Watch the video of the discussion about nuclear energy in partnership with the Anthropocene Institute on World Nuclear Energy Day! Other panelists included Canon Bryan of Terrestrial Energy and Seaver Wang of the Breakthrough Institute.

The Founders Pledge Research Team details how to support high-impact climate charities in the wake of the 2020 election. Read this informative analysis of about the timing and impact of philanthropy in their comprehensive report. One finding is that the vast majority of funding goes to public engagement and raising awareness. At the same time, global philanthropic support for decarbonizing sectors that are usually considered among the hardest to decarbonize — transport and industry — is less than that US$75 million. Carbon dioxide removal, the technology considered most in need of additional innovation policy support, received only US$25 million in global philanthropic support. Note that Founders Pledge supports Terra Praxis, which is one of only a handful of NGOs currently working on these difficult problems.

Terra Praxis Co-Founders, Kirsty Gogan and Eric Ingersoll were invited to speak at the 2020 ANS Winter meeting, where they presented on transforming nuclear power plant delivery models from FOAK to NOAK.

The Netherlands is poised to procure 10GW of new nuclear energy to support net zero goals. Kirsty Gogan and Eric Ingersoll joined senior Dutch politicians and thought leaders where they presented the potentially transformative opportunity for shipyard manufactured nuclear plants to deliver high quality, low-cost plants with increased budget and schedule certainty. Watch the video.

The EU’s Sustainable Finance Taxonomy committee had out-of-date information that was putting nuclear at risk of being misclassified. So ARUP team members dug through 70 years of the industry's techniques and best practices. The report they delivered showed a body of scientific evidence for good waste management—supporting a conclusion that nuclear power deserves a place in the EU Sustainable Finance Taxonomy framework. Kirsty Gogan of Terra Praxis was an advisor to this report. Read the report at the link below.

Can Innovation Transform the Global Energy System? Watch this webinar exploring how nuclear innovation must be part of the solution for decarbonization in electricity, industry, and transport. You'll gain a new understanding of the role advanced nuclear can play in hitting 2050 global decarbonization targets. Webinar speakers include Kirsty Gogan of Terra Praxis, Dr. Rita Baranwal of the US DOE, Dr. Sama Bilbao Y León Director of the World Nuclear Association, and James E. Hansen former Director of NASA. Sponsors include Terrestrial Energy, NuScale Power, and USNC.

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A new report by energy research and consultancy firm LucidCatalyst and NGO Terra Praxis says that carbon-neutral, hydrogen-enabled synthetic fuels might be the answer to transitioning these “difficult-to-decarbonize” sectors. Synthetic fuels—meaning fuels made chemically instead of mined from the earth—can be economically competitive with fossil fuels, according to the report. This is a crucial breakthrough. First, implementing synthetic fuels gets rid of the need to electrify everything. Assuming these fuels are carbon neutral, all we have to do is swap them in for hydrocarbons. Second, they could replace the 50-60% of global emissions attributed to these sectors, at identical cost to cheap traditional fuels. Terra Praxis is helping disseminate the report.

Listen to this podcast with Kirsty Gogan about her life and how she came to work on climate issues. Kirsty highly recommends reading Professor Sir David MacKay’s book “Sustainable Energy Without the Hot Air” (www.withouthotair.com) which opened her eyes to the scale of the energy challenge and not being able to address it with renewables alone.

At the closing session of the IAEA Scientific Forum, hosted by Director General Rafael M. Grossi, Kirsty Gogan, of Terra Praxis and LucidCatalyst, participated with high level panelists, highlighting key findings on the role of nuclear power in the clean energy transition.