New Podcast: The startup turning a volcano into jet fuel

Dear Rational Optimist,

We’ve had clean energy sources for decades. But how do you get people to actually use the stuff without incentives or a government mandate?

Dan Sutton’s answer: make clean energy cheaper than every other option.

His startup Syntholene is using geothermal power from deep beneath the Earth’s crust to crack hydrogen, combine it with captured carbon … and pump out ultra-pure synthetic jet fuel.

No oil wells. No refineries. Just steam and carbon.

I recently caught up with Dan to see how he plans to go from a demo site in Iceland to fueling the world’s air fleets.

In our interview you’ll hear:

• The WWII secret why Nazi planes flew better. (23:25)

• Hydrogen’s “frozen electricity” problem. (30:25)

• How this fuel could be made on the moon. (43:23)

• Why Dan hopes China copies his technology. (49:02)

• The military’s real reason for wanting synthetics. (52:06)

Please click here to watch my conversation with Dan Sutton now.

—Stephen McBride

Stephen McBride is a co-founder of the Rational Optimist Society.