Everybody in the Pool

This week on Everybody in the Pool, we’re examining the seemingly humble—but absolutely critical—piece of hardware that could accelerate electrification, unlock virtual power plants, and save homeowners thousands of dollars: the electrical panel.My guest is Arch Rao, founder and CEO of Span, a company building smart electrical panels that replace your old breaker box with real-time power management, whole-home circuit-level visibility, and the ability to electrify without a costly service upgrade.If you’ve ever been told you need a new 200-amp panel before installing a heat pump, EV charger, induction stove, or home battery… Span thinks you don’t. And utilities are starting to agree.We get into:Why most of America’s 100-amp homes don’t actually need expensive utility upgradesHow Span’s digital panel manages loads in real time—throttling certain appliances for a few minutes a year to avoid tripping limitsWhat changes when every circuit in your house is visible and controllable (down to the second)Span as grid infrastructure: how utilities like PG&E see smart panels as a cheaper alternative to billions in grid upgradesLinks:Span: https://www.span.io/All episodes: https://www.everybodyinthepool.com/Subscribe to the Everybody in the Pool newsletter: https://www.mollywood.co/Become a member for the ad-free version of the show: https://everybodyinthepool.supercast.com/

This week on Everybody in the Pool, we’re rethinking how clothes, shoes—and even car interiors—get made without plastic. My guest is Maria Intscher-Owrang, CEO and co-founder of Simplifyber. Her innovation takes plant fibers + water, then forms finished 3D shapes in a single step—skipping spinning, weaving, cutting, and sewing. We get into:What’s broken about fossil-based textiles (cost curves, subsidies, and why polyester took over)How Simplifyber’s cellulose slurry + compression molding works—and why it cuts waste dramaticallyEarly results: an LCA showing up to 30× lower impact for shoe uppers vs. standard constructionPerformance and durability (including why these parts can survive sun/heat/humidity in car interiors)Unit economics: cost parity at scale via tooling (and why higher volumes matter)Beachhead products: GANNI “moon shoe” uppers and a Kia EV2 concept interior, now moving toward productionWhat this could mean for labor, local supply chains, and using regional feedstocks (cellulose everywhere)Links:Website Simplifyber: https://www.simplifyber.com/LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-intscher-owrang-3278a07/All episodes: https://www.everybodyinthepool.com/What you can do to help: Subscribe to the Everybody in the Pool newsletter: https://www.mollywood.co/Become a member and get an ad-free version of the podcast: https://everybodyinthepool.supercast.com/

This week on Everybody in the Pool, we’re talking about one of the biggest hurdles in the clean energy transition — how to make electric vehicles as fast and easy to refuel as gas cars.Our guest is Will Fitzhugh, co-founder and CEO of Adden Energy, a Harvard spinout developing self-healing solid-state lithium metal batteries that could charge fully in under ten minutes. These next-generation batteries promise longer range, faster charging, and safer performance — all using existing manufacturing lines. It’s a fascinating look at the next leap in energy storage — and what it’ll take to make 10-minute charging a reality.We talk about:What makes solid-state lithium metal batteries different from lithium-ionHow Adden’s “self-healing” separator prevents the failures that have held this technology backWhy faster charging could finally electrify drivers who can’t charge at homeHow the company plans to use existing gigafactory infrastructure to scale productionWhat this breakthrough could mean for everything from EVs to robotics and aviationLinks:Adden Energy: https://www.addenenergy.com/All episodes: https://www.everybodyinthepool.com/Subscribe to the Everybody in the Pool newsletter: https://www.mollywood.co/Become a member and get an ad-free version of the podcast: https://everybodyinthepool.supercast.com/What you can do: Please subscribe and tell your friends about Everybody in the Pool!Send feedback or become a sponsor: in@everybodyinthepool.com

This week on Everybody in the Pool, we’re talking water — and the invisible pollutants hiding in it. Microfibers from textiles are one of the biggest sources of microplastics in our oceans, choking marine ecosystems and undermining the ocean’s role as the planet’s carbon sink.Our guest is Adam Root, founder and CEO of Matter, who shares his insane founder story, from £250 and a shed to a budding Japanese street food empire to Matter, which is helping major textile manufacturers keep millions of liters of water cleaner every day. It’s an epic founder story with big implications for clean water and healthy oceans.We cover:How washing machines and textile factories shed microfibers at massive scaleWhy current filtration is wasteful — and how Matter’s regenerative filters solve itThe founder story that went from Japanese street food stalls to the G7 stageWhat this means for oceans, sludge management (yes, really), and circular materials in the futureLinks:Matter Industries Website: https://matter.industries/Adam Root LinkedInAll episodes: https://www.everybodyinthepool.com/Subscribe to the Everybody in the Pool newsletter: https://www.mollywood.co/Become a member and get an ad-free version of the podcast: https://everybodyinthepool.supercast.com/What you can do to help:Please subscribe and tell your friends about Everybody in the Pool!Send feedback or become a sponsor! in@everybodyinthepool.com

This week on Everybody in the Pool, we’re geeking out on money. Because even the best climate solutions won’t scale without serious capital behind them.Our guest is Dawn Lippert, founder of Elemental (a nonprofit investor) and founding partner of Earthshot Ventures (a venture fund). She’s basically building an all-terrain vehicle for climate finance — covering philanthropic, project, and venture capital — to bridge the “valley of death” that stops too many good ideas from reaching the market.We talk about:Why “first-of-a-kind” projects are so hard to fundThe $150 billion capital gap that’s holding back climate solutionsHow philanthropic dollars can be recycled like sourdough starterThe rise of AI in climate investments (and where it’s actually useful)Dawn’s own journey from sea turtle conservation to DOE policy to climate financeLINKS:Elemental Impact: https://elementalimpact.com/Dawn Lippert LinkedInAll episodes: https://www.everybodyinthepool.com/Subscribe to the Everybody in the Pool newsletter: https://www.mollywood.co/Become a member and get an ad-free version of the podcast: https://everybodyinthepool.supercast.com/What You Can Do:Please subscribe and tell your friends about Everybody in the Pool!Send feedback or become a sponsor! in@everybodyinthepool.com

This week on Everybody in the Pool, we’re heading to Napa Valley... sadly not literally. This time, anyway! David Pearson, president of Joseph Phelps Vineyards, has spent his career in wine, but he’s now leading a transformation that’s as much about climate solutions as it is about Cabernet. It’s a story about farming, philosophy, and, yes, some really good wine.We dig into:What regenerative farming really means — and why it’s not just a buzzwordHow microbes, fungi, and “living soils” can make better grapes (and better wine)Why this approach is also climate adaptation in a warming worldThe surprising connection between soil health, nutrient density, and tasteHow big players like Moët Hennessy are backing the shiftLinks:Joseph Phelps Website: http://www.josephphelps.com/David Pearson LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-pearson-6896a82/ All episodes: https://www.everybodyinthepool.com/Subscribe to the Everybody in the Pool newsletter: https://www.mollywood.co/Become a member and get an ad-free version of the podcast: https://everybodyinthepool.supercast.com/What you can do to help: Please subscribe and tell your friends about Everybody in the Pool!Send feedback or become a sponsor! in@everybodyinthepool.com

Now for something fun — that can also be electricity generating infrastructure, if need be. My guest is Toby Kraus, co-founder and CEO of Lightship RV, the first American company to build all-electric RVs. The Lightship isn’t just a camper — it’s a battery on wheels, with solar on the roof, a pop-up design for aerodynamics, and its own motor to cancel out towing drag. That means you can take it off-grid for a week … or park it in your driveway and use it as backup power.We talk about:Why RVs are a surprisingly big climate story (one in ten American families owns one!)The range problem with towing — and how Lightship solves itTurning an RV into an ADU or a home backup systemHow to make clean tech appeal beyond the early adoptersIt’s the clean energy transition, with a side of camping.👉 Next week, we’ll step away from the grid and hit the trails — stay tuned.LINKS:Lightship RV: https://www.lightshiprv.comAll episodes: https://www.everybodyinthepool.comSubscribe to the newsletter: https://www.mollywood.coAd-free version + support the show: https://everybodyinthepool.supercast.comWhat You Can Do: Subscribe and tell your friends about Everybody in the Pool!Send feedback or become a sponsor: in@everybodyinthepool.com

We’ve been talking storage, reliability, and the grid … but what if we could just make more clean energy in more places? This week on Everybody in the Pool, we look at solar in a whole new way.My guest is Anthony Letmon, co-founder and CEO of Kardinia Energy, which makes ultra-lightweight, recyclable printed solar. Imagine solar that looks more like a concert poster than a heavy panel. You can roll it up, ship it anywhere, and stick it where traditional solar could never go.We talk about:Why weight keeps solar off millions of industrial roofs — and how printed solar solves thatWhy Kardinia builds panels to last just five years on purposeColdplay’s global tour as a solar testbedHow printing solar could power disaster relief, data centers, even stadiumsIt’s the solar solution you didn’t know we needed — and it could open up whole new markets for clean energy.👉 Last week, we looked at grid stability with Wärtsilä. Next week, we’re going camping — with the future of RVs.Links:Kardinia Energy: https://www.kardiniaenergy.comAll episodes: https://www.everybodyinthepool.comSubscribe to the newsletter: https://www.mollywood.coAd-free version + support the show: https://everybodyinthepool.supercast.comWhat You Can Do:Subscribe and tell your friends about Everybody in the Pool!Send feedback or become a sponsor: in@everybodyinthepool.com

We’re wrapping up the Smart Grid Series with a rocket scientist who thinks the next big thing in batteries might actually be … zinc.My guest is Mike Burz, co-founder and CEO of Enzinc, which is commercializing a zinc “sponge” anode developed with the U.S. Navy. The breakthrough: solving the dendrite problem that has historically killed rechargeable zinc batteries. The result? A safe, recyclable, low-cost chemistry that could power everything from scooters to data centers — and replace lead-acid or nickel-cadmium in millions of applications.We cover:Why storage is the foundation of a renewable gridThe Navy’s quest for a battery as safe as lead acid, but with the energy of lithiumHow a metal sponge structure prevents dendrites and enables true rechargeabilityWhy zinc is abundant, cheap, and fully recyclable — unlike lithiumThe “Intel Inside” business model: supplying drop-in anodes to existing manufacturersFirst demos: e-bikes, golf carts, and telecom backupLonger-term possibilities: zinc-air chemistries for aviation and long-duration storageWhy this is not about killing lithium but about giving the grid (and vehicles) safer, more appropriate optionsLinks & resources:Enzinc — https://enzinc.com/All episodes: https://www.everybodyinthepool.com/Subscribe to the newsletter: https://www.mollywood.co/Become a member for ad-free episodes: https://everybodyinthepool.supercast.com/What you can do & what’s next:Please subscribe and share Everybody in the Pool!Send your feedback or ideas for future episodes: in@everybodyinthepool.comSmart Grid Series recap:E101: Flow batteries with XL BatteriesE102: Synthetic inertia & reliability with WärtsiläE103 (this episode): Rechargeable zinc with EnzincNext week, we shift gears — from storage to deployment — with printed solar that could go just about anywhere. 🌞Together, we can get this done.