In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we speak with Hayden Smith, CEO of FeX Energy, about the growing challenge of decarbonizing industrial heat and why long-duration energy storage may become essential to the future of clean manufacturing and grid reliability. While renewable electricity adoption continues to grow, many industrial sectors still rely on fossil fuel combustion to generate the high-temperature heat needed for cement, steel, chemicals, plastics, mining, and food processing. Hayden explains how FeX Energy is developing an iron-based thermal energy storage system capable of storing renewable electricity for long durations and releasing it later as high-temperature industrial heat approaching 900°C. The conversation explores how thermal energy storage could help stabilize renewable-heavy grids, reduce dependence on natural gas, support industrial electrification, and help industries decarbonize without requiring massive transmission infrastructure upgrades.

Key Points:

• Industrial heat remains one of the hardest sectors to decarbonize – Heavy industry still depends heavily on fossil fuel combustion for high-temperature manufacturing processes.
• FeX Energy uses iron as a long-duration thermal battery – The company’s Iron Arc Reactor stores renewable electricity and releases it later as high-temperature industrial heat.
• Long-duration energy storage could improve grid flexibility and industrial electrification – Thermal storage systems may help manage renewable intermittency, reduce grid strain, and lower infrastructure upgrade costs.

• Hayden Smith, CEO of FeX Energy, LinkedIn

• Luis de Leon, Earthlings 2.0 Guest Host, Sr. Public Relations Account Executive at Technica Communications

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…

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In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we speak with Dan Kelly, CEO of ADAR Technologies, about how the company is rethinking industrial waste management through acoustic dehydration technology. By removing moisture from high-volume waste streams, like agricultural byproducts, sludge, and food waste, ADAR reduces disposal costs, eliminates contaminants, and preserves nutrient value for reuse. The conversation centers on a simple but powerful shift: when sustainability improves the bottom line, adoption follows. Instead of relying on policy or incentives, this approach turns waste into a profitability lever, unlocking new opportunities in resource recovery, circular economy systems, and industrial efficiency.

Key Points:

• Waste streams can become revenue streams – ADAR focuses on high-moisture industrial waste, reducing disposal costs while creating new value from materials that were previously discarded.
• Acoustic dehydration replaces thermal drying – Using shock waves instead of heat, the system removes water at a molecular level while preserving nutrients and reducing energy use.
• Economics are driving adoption – Companies are engaging not for compliance, but to improve margins by turning waste management into a profit center.

• Dan Kelly, CEO of ADAR Technologies, LinkedIn

• Luis de Leon, Earthlings 2.0 Guest Host, Sr. Public Relations Account Executive at Technica Communications

🚀 Calling all Earthlings…

Visit our website for more episodes!

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We want to learn more about you! It’ll take just a few moments to complete our survey. Thank you for helping us make your listening experience the best it can be!

Are you new to Earthlings 2.0 and don’t know where to get started? Check out our Life at 3C episode on our website

Thanks for tuning in! If you like what we’re doing over at Earthlings 2.0, you can support us by heading over to our Patreon Page.

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In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we speak with Emily Dinino, Founder and CEO of ThermoShade, about how extreme heat is reshaping cities, infrastructure, and daily life, and what it will take to adapt. As the deadliest weather-related hazard in the U.S., rising temperatures are exposing gaps in how we design public spaces, especially in underserved communities. Emily shares how ThermoShade is developing passive-cooling panels that reduce surface temperatures without relying on energy-intensive systems, and how the technology is being piloted in urban transit, agriculture, and temporary off-grid shelters. The conversation explores the science behind radiative cooling, the realities of deploying climate tech in public infrastructure, and why resilience, not just mitigation, needs to be a bigger part of the climate conversation.

Key Points:

• Extreme heat is a design problem as much as a climate problem – Urban heat islands, driven by materials like concrete and metal, disproportionately impact underserved communities and require rethinking how public spaces are built and shaded.
• Passive cooling can reduce heat without adding strain to the grid – ThermoShade’s panels use radiative cooling and phase change materials to maintain lower surface temperatures, creating environments that can feel significantly cooler without relying on fans, misters, or air conditioning.
• Deploying climate tech depends on working within existing systems – Rather than replacing infrastructure, ThermoShade is integrating into existing contracts and designs, such as retrofitting bus shelters through established partners.

• Emily Dinino, CEO and Founder of ThermoShade, LinkedIn

• Luis de Leon, Earthlings 2.0 Guest Host, Sr. Public Relations Account Executive at Technica Communications

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we speak with Paul Lambert, CEO and co-founder of Quilt, about rethinking one of the most overlooked systems in the home: heating and cooling. What starts as a conversation about heat pumps quickly expands into a broader look at how comfort, efficiency, and design can work together. Paul shares why the future of home energy isn’t about sacrifice, but about better living, where smarter systems deliver both improved quality of life and meaningful energy savings.

Check out our foundational heat pump episode with Jetson: #148 - The Future of All-Electric Heat Pumps with Jetson

Key Points:

• Efficiency improves when systems become intelligent, not just mechanical – Beyond strong baseline performance, Quilt layers in software-driven optimizations like occupancy detection and predictive heating to reduce energy use without sacrificing comfort.
• Consumer adoption depends on better experiences, not just sustainability – People are more likely to upgrade when products feel like a lifestyle improvement, similar to how EVs gained traction through performance and convenience rather than environmental messaging alone.
• Heat pumps are becoming a default, not an alternative – As costs improve and performance increases, the shift toward all-electric heating and cooling is becoming economically driven and increasingly inevitable.

• Paul Lambert, CEO of Quilt, LinkedIn

• Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability, and CEO of PRVIEW, LinkedIn