Turning Cow Burps into Clean Energy with Griffin Cherry

What if regional air travel could become both cheaper to operate and dramatically better for the planet? Aviation remains one of the hardest sectors to decarbonize, but advances in battery technology are opening the door to a fundamentally different approach. Anders Forslund, Co-founder and CEO of Heart Aerospace, believes hybrid-electric aircraft can transform short-haul aviation while creating compelling economics for airlines. In this episode of Hardware to Save a Planet, host Dylan Garrett speaks with Anders about how reaching 400 watt-hours per kilogram changed the viability of electric flight and how Heart is leveraging innovations from the electric vehicle industry to reduce costs. He explains the economics behind the ES-30, the role of sustainable aviation fuels, and why electrification could reshape aircraft architecture, manufacturing, and software. Anders also shares how Heart is de-risking its technology and challenging a decades-old aviation duopoly. Hardware to Save a Planet is brought to you by Synapse. We are a global product development and engineering firm that partners with visionary companies to design, develop, and realize breakthrough hardware and AI-powered innovations that advance climate technologies. To learn more about Synapse and potential business partnerships we offer outside of the podcast, please visit: https://www.synapse.com/contact/ to get in touch!

What if your water heater could lower your energy bills, keep your showers hot, and help stabilize the electric grid? Residential water heating accounts for roughly 20% of household energy use, yet most systems still operate without intelligence. Luke Winston-Almanzar, CEO and Co-founder of Reservoir, believes that changing this could unlock one of the biggest climate opportunities hiding inside our homes. In this episode of Hardware to Save a Planet, host Dylan Garrett speaks with Luke about how intelligent heat pump water heaters use predictive software to store thermal energy when electricity is cleaner and cheaper, effectively turning every home into part of a distributed energy network. He explains why better customer experience, not efficiency alone, drives adoption, how integrated hardware dramatically lowers installation costs, and why smart water heaters can evolve into platforms that improve home energy management while reducing emissions at grid scale. Hardware to Save a Planet is brought to you by Synapse. We are a global product development and engineering firm that partners with visionary companies to design, develop, and realize breakthrough hardware and AI-powered innovations that advance climate technologies. To learn more about Synapse and potential business partnerships we offer outside of the podcast, please visit: https://www.synapse.com/contact/ to get in touch!

What if cow burps could power the future? Methane emissions from cattle represent one of the largest and most overlooked contributors to climate change, accounting for a significant share of global greenhouse gas emissions. Griffin Cherry, Founder and CEO of Planet.Tech, is developing a novel solution that captures methane directly from cow respiration and converts it into renewable energy, creating both environmental and economic value. In this episode of Hardware to Save a Planet, host Dylan Garrett speaks with Griffin about the opportunity to transform livestock emissions into a scalable climate solution. He explains why cow burps are responsible for the vast majority of cattle-related methane emissions, the engineering challenges of building wearable hardware for 1,600-pound animals, and the importance of designing technology that benefits both farmers and the planet. Hardware to Save a Planet is brought to you by Synapse. We are a global product development and engineering firm that partners with visionary companies to design, develop, and realize breakthrough hardware and AI-powered innovations that advance climate technologies. To learn more about Synapse and potential business partnerships we offer outside of the podcast, please visit: https://www.synapse.com/contact/ to get in touch!

As plastic pollution accelerates alongside climate change, innovators are racing to replace petroleum-based materials with scalable, climate-positive alternatives. In this live episode from the 2026 San Francisco Climate Week, Dylan Garrett speaks with Julia Marsh, CEO and co-founder of Sway, Molly Morse, CEO at Mango Materials, and Ryan Starling, Design Director at frog Design, about how seaweed-based polymers and methane-derived bioplastics could transform the future of packaging and consumer products. They explore why sustainable materials must work within existing manufacturing infrastructure, how rigorous life cycle analysis helps win over brands and buyers, and why nature’s own materials often outperform engineered alternatives. The conversation also examines supply chain resistance, composting policy barriers, and the importance of designing climate solutions that align environmental impact with economic incentives and real-world adoption. Hardware to Save a Planet is brought to you by Synapse. We are a global product development and engineering firm that partners with visionary companies to design, develop, and realize breakthrough hardware and AI-powered innovations that advance climate technologies. To learn more about Synapse and potential business partnerships we offer outside of the podcast, please visit: https://www.synapse.com/contact/ to get in touch!

As climate change intensifies the frequency and severity of wildfires, the need for faster, smarter response systems is becoming urgent. Andrea Santy, Executive Program Director of XPRIZE Wildfire, is leading a global effort to detect and suppress fires within minutes, preventing environmental and economic devastation at scale. In this episode of Hardware to Save a Planet, host Dylan Garrett speaks with Andrea about how satellite networks, AI, and autonomous systems are reshaping climate resilience. She explains the competition’s dual-track approach, the challenge of real-time detection across vast ecosystems, and the ambition of fully autonomous suppression within 10 minutes. The conversation explores how cross-border collaboration, scalability, and equitable deployment are essential to building solutions that can protect forests, communities, and the global climate system. Hardware to Save a Planet is brought to you by Synapse. We are a global product development and engineering firm that partners with visionary companies to design, develop, and realize breakthrough hardware and AI-powered innovations that advance climate technologies. To learn more about Synapse and potential business partnerships we offer outside of the podcast, please visit: https://www.synapse.com/contact/ to get in touch!

Utility-scale solar is racing to meet surging power demand, yet installation bottlenecks, including labour shortages, heavier panels, and inconsistent daily output, are slowing progress. Deise Yumi Asami and the team at AES Corporation are tackling this with Maximo, an AI-powered field robot that automates panel installation, thereby cutting build times while improving safety and deployment certainty. In this episode of Hardware to Save a Planet, host Dylan Garrett speaks with Deise about engineering autonomous robotics for unpredictable outdoor environments. She explains how computer vision replaces fixed programming, how simulation and digital twins accelerated development, and why EPCs value certainty over simple cost savings. The conversation explores scaling hardware inside a Fortune 500 company and reflects on how aligning technical skill with climate impact can accelerate clean energy adoption. Hardware to Save a Planet is brought to you by Synapse. We are a global product development and engineering firm that partners with visionary companies to design, develop, and realize breakthrough hardware and AI-powered innovations that advance climate technologies. To learn more about Synapse and potential business partnerships we offer outside of the podcast, please visit: https://www.synapse.com/contact/ to get in touch!

Perovskite solar has long promised step-change efficiency, yet manufacturing hurdles kept it in the lab. Scott Graybeal and his team at Caelux are changing that. By adding a thin perovskite “active glass” layer to conventional silicon modules, the company unlocks 30–40% more power output while cutting overall project costs, without rebuilding the solar industry from scratch. In this episode of Hardware to Save a Planet, host Dylan Garrett speaks with Scott Graybeal, CEO of Caelux, about why perovskites represent a structural shift in solar economics. Scott explains how tandem cell architectures split the light spectrum to dramatically increase energy harvest, and why adding just a few cents per watt can transform 25-year project cash flows and lower the levelised cost of energy. He also outlines Caelux’s manufacturing roadmap toward high-volume production, applying Wright’s Law through disciplined process optimisation rather than one-off breakthroughs. The conversation also explores the company’s partnership strategy with incumbent module manufacturers, the changing geography of solar production, and why the next decade could determine whether solar becomes truly ubiquitous infrastructure. Hardware to Save a Planet is brought to you by Synapse. We are a global product development and engineering firm that partners with visionary companies to design, develop, and realize breakthrough hardware and AI-powered innovations that advance climate technologies. To learn more about Synapse and potential business partnerships we offer outside of the podcast, please visit: https://www.synapse.com/contact/ to get in touch!

Geothermal energy has long been overlooked, dismissed as a niche despite its ability to deliver constant, carbon-free baseload power. As data centre demand surges and grids strain under electrification, geothermal is re-emerging as a critical piece of the clean energy puzzle. Unlike intermittent renewables, it offers steady generation; if you can find it. In this episode of Hardware to Save a Planet, host Dylan Garrett speaks with Joel Edwards, CTO and cofounder of Zanskar, about how AI and geoscience are transforming geothermal discovery. Joel explains why the industry stalled after oil majors exited in the 1980s, and how Zanskar is solving the “needle in a haystack” problem of locating hidden reservoirs. By combining machine learning, proprietary field data, and physics-constrained simulations, the team has reduced exploration costs by up to 90% and drilled one of the most productive pumped geothermal wells in the United States at Lightning Dock. The conversation explores permitting bottlenecks, grid interconnection delays, and Zanskar’s ten-year vision to scale to one gigawatt of reliable and clean power. Hardware to Save a Planet is brought to you by Synapse. We are a global product development and engineering firm that partners with visionary companies to design, develop, and realize breakthrough hardware and AI-powered innovations that advance climate technologies. To learn more about Synapse and potential business partnerships we offer outside of the podcast, please visit: https://www.synapse.com/contact/ to get in touch!

Nuclear fusion is rapidly moving from theory to commercial reality. One kilogram of fusion material generates more clean energy than burning 10 million kilograms of coal. The focus of Anthony Pancotti and his team at Helion Energy is on building the world’s first commercial fusion power plant, targeted to begin delivering electricity by 2028 under a landmark power purchase agreement. Fusion offers the promise of virtually limitless fuel, extraordinary energy density, and clean energy generation without greenhouse gas emissions or long-lasting radioactive waste. In this episode of Hardware to Save a Planet, host Dylan Garrett speaks with Anthony Pancotti, cofounder and Head of R&D at Helion Energy, about why nuclear fusion is moving from lab experiment to commercial reality. Anthony explains Helion’s radically different, mass-manufacturable approach to fusion, the significance of its Microsoft power purchase agreement targeting 2028, and the remaining engineering, regulatory, and supply-chain challenges. The conversation explores how abundant fusion energy could reshape climate solutions, industry, and humanity’s future. Hardware to Save a Planet is brought to you by Synapse. We are a global product development and engineering firm that partners with visionary companies to design, develop, and realize breakthrough hardware and AI-powered innovations that advance climate technologies. To learn more about Synapse and potential business partnerships we offer outside of the podcast, please visit: https://www.synapse.com/contact/ to get in touch!

In order to meet demand peaks, utilities often have to fire up dirty power plants, essentially generators that burn extra fuel per unit of electricity. So the electricity from those peaker plants is not only the most expensive but also has the highest emissions of any electricity on the grid. But now there’s a solution on the horizon. In this episode of Hardware to Save a Planet, host Dylan Garrett speaks with Mia Rath, co-founder and CTO of Lumindt, about how solid-state hydrogen storage is transforming commercial energy. They explore how metal hydride batteries decouple power from energy capacity, enabling long-duration, cost-effective storage. Mia explains why this approach outperforms lithium-ion systems, slashes operating costs, and reduces peaker-plant emissions. Listeners will gain insights into scaling hardware innovation, material breakthroughs, and strategies for resilient, on-site renewable energy deployment. Hardware to Save a Planet is brought to you by Synapse. We are a global product development and engineering firm that partners with visionary companies to design, develop, and realize breakthrough hardware and AI-powered innovations that advance climate technologies. To learn more about Synapse and potential business partnerships we offer outside of the podcast, please visit: https://www.synapse.com/contact/ to get in touch!