In this Climate Positive episode (our 100th!), Chad and Guy talk with Matt Loszak, CEO and co-founder of Aalo Atomics, about their innovative approach to building factory-made advanced micro reactors to power the AI-driven energy demand surge. Matt shares his unconventional journey from nuclear engineering student to software entrepreneur to nuclear startup founder, explaining why he believes we're entering a "second atomic age" for clean energy.

Matt discusses Aalo's strategy of vertical integration and mass manufacturing, inspired by SpaceX and Tesla, to deliver compact, liquid metal-cooled nuclear reactors that can be deployed rapidly for data centers and other applications. He explains how the regulatory environment has evolved with recent executive orders streamlining pathways to criticality, the company's ambitious timeline to achieve zero power criticality by July 2026, and their vision for 3-cent-per-kilowatt-hour nuclear energy at scale. Matt also addresses public safety perceptions, the advantages of particular reactor technologies, and how their 50-megawatt "Aalo Pod" architecture provides the redundancy and incremental buildout that hyperscalers need.

Links:

• Aalo Atomics Website
• Matt Loszak on LinkedIn

Email your feedback to Chad, Gil, Hilary, and Guy at climatepositive@hasi.com.

In this episode of Climate Positive, Kenny Gayles talks with Vinnie Campo, CEO and co-founder of Haven Energy, about their unique batteries-as-a-service approach that reduces barriers to affordable, reliable backup power by integrating home storage into virtual power plants (VPPs) to support the electric grid.

Vinnie shares Haven’s journey as a rapidly growing operator of distributed energy assets. He discusses the effects of California’s policy impacts on battery adoption, the influence of electrification and AI-driven demand on utilities, and why batteries are vital for grid resilience. He also discusses regulatory and market trends transforming residential energy, and what it takes to scale integrated energy infrastructure solutions.

Links:

• Haven Website
• Vinnie Campo on LinkedIn
• Haven Blog: “Raising New Funds to Speed Distributed Power”
• LADWP Self-Generation Incentive Program (SGIP)

Email your feedback to Chad, Gil, Hilary, and Guy at climatepositive@hasi.com.

In this episode of Climate Positive, Gil Jenkins speaks with Malcolm Woolf, President and CEO of the National Hydropower Association (NHA). They discuss the current state of the U.S. hydropower industry, its role in providing carbon-free electricity, and the challenges and opportunities facing the sector. A central focus of the conversation is the hydropower relicensing process -- how it works, where projects can stall, and how lengthy reviews can delay investment, upgrades, and in some cases lead facilities to shut down.

Malcolm shares real-world examples to illustrate what’s at stake, while also exploring the potential to add generation to non-powered dams, the role of pumped storage in supporting grid reliability, and emerging marine energy technologies.

Links:

• NHA Website
• Malcom Woolf LinkedIn
• NHA on LinkedIn
• Press Release: The Hydropower Foundation and NHA Align to Strengthen Workforce Development Efforts
• Article: US hydropower is at a make-or-break moment
• Article: Google to buy up to 3 GW of hydro power from Brookfield
• Video: Whooshh Innovations' "Salmon Cannon" Gives Fish A Boost Over Dams

Email your feedback to Chad, Gil, Hilary, and Guy at climatepositive@hasi.com.