One of our most popular articles so far this year was on the current state of molten salt reactors, an advanced nuclear technology that promises to be a cleaner, safer, and cheaper source of nuclear fission energy. But like so many moonshot technologies, scalability and commercial viability always seem a decade away. That’s certainly the […]
Most of our articles about green technologies often end with the same complaint: Where are the greenbacks? Profitability in the low-carbon, environment-first economy remains largely elusive. For example, everyone is suddenly interested in carbon capture after Elon Musk backed a $100 million XPRIZE for the best solution for mitigating emissions. But, as we’ve pointed out […]
Since when did Americans go from talking about the likelihood of weekend rain to practically fist fighting over changing weather patterns? “Save the planet!” they’ll demand of you, as they wave their placards in the air. Seems a bit arrogant to think that mankind is capable of determining nature’s fate, but the debate is irrelevant. […]
Investing in lithium batteries is an easy-to-understand thesis. Electric cars use lithium batteries, so you’re investing in the Chevrons and Exxons of tomorrow by investing in companies that produce batteries. That’s a good theory, but it’s not so easily executed on. Do you invest in the raw materials like lithium? We’ve always advised against that, […]
It’s been about 16 months since The Rona first reared its ugly head and you wouldn’t be able to tell it by looking at the markets. The S&P 500 is up +30% and the NASDAQ up +55% from the day the news first broke. The effects of the pandemic on the global economy were devastating […]
First it came for electric vehicle companies, and we did nothing. Then it started to swallow the commercial space industry, and we did nothing. Now there are hints of a new target – indoor farming companies. Will it be different this time? Probably not. In fact, it’s the same old story: An emerging technology sector […]
Some emerging technologies are advancing so rapidly that we seem to write about them every week. Artificial intelligence is the most obvious example, as it bleeds into most other sectors, including robotics, smart cities, drug discovery, and the list goes on. Progress around other technologies is so painfully slow – and the eventual payoff debatable […]
Investing in batteries is an easily understood thesis. Electric cars use batteries, and today you see loads of them driving around. Tesla doesn’t just use their own batteries, they also buy them from other manufacturers such as Panasonic and LG Chem. Then, there are all the drones you see flying around, the smartphones in everyone’s […]
One of the most meaningful jobs one can spend their short time on this planet doing is found at the bottom of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. It’s putting food on people’s tables. Farming is a difficult way to make a living, and consequently requires a great deal of intelligence to operate a profitable enterprise. Farmers […]
Kingdoms rise and empires fall. It’s the way of things. But will plant-based meats and other alternative proteins created from animal cells in bioreactors or metabolized by microbes in fermentation tanks really replace a Juicy Lucy or Nashville hot chicken? It’s a question we’ve been asking and writing about a lot lately, and not because […]