Casey Handmer of Terraform Industries on solar maximalism, hard tech, and reclaiming the Salton Sea

Description

Casey Handmer is the founder of Terraform Industries, who is developing a machine that makes synthetic natural gas from sunlight and air. He joins the podcast to explain his solar maximalist worldview, why he believes solar costs will drop another 10x, and the core physics that doomed Hyperloop from the start. They also discuss the lessons of the underappreciated industrialist Henry Kaiser, Casey's new venture in solar-powered desalination, his grand plan to refill the Salton Sea, and why he believes "hard-edged" leaders are essential for hardware success.

Show notes

• [Read] Ashlee Vance: Elon Musk    
• [Read] Francis Spufford: Red plenty
• [Listen] Beneath the Surface, Episode 2 : Salton Sea 
• [Read] Marc Reisner: Cadillac Desert
• [Read] Albert P. Heiner: Henry J. Kaiser
• [Read] Mark S. Foster: Henry Kaiser
• [Read] Ernest K. Gann: Fate is the Hunter
• [Read] Captain W. E. Johns: Biggles: The Camels are Coming

Key moments

(00:00) Intro

(02:28) Henry Kaiser

(08:49) Introducing Terraform

(13:08) Where electricity won’t work

(16:50) The solar maximalist perspective

(22:57) Terraformer Mark One

(27:49) The role of intervention

(37:30) American dynamism

(47:36) The Origins of Efficiency, by Brian Potter

(48:33) Children and education

(37:30) American dynamism

(55:15) Desalination

(01:08:16) Lessons from leadership