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OCS 2020 Breakout: Bret Kugelmass

Bret Kugelmass Bret Kugelmass is a technology entrepreneur dedicated to solving climate and energy challenges. One of the early pioneers in commercializing unmanned aerospace technology, Bret founded Airphrame and served as CEO for five years until the company's acquisition. He received a master's in robotics from Stanford University, and his previous work includes designing lunar rover control systems for NASA and a concept electric car for Panasonic. In 2017, he launched the Energy Impact Center to explore the potential of nuclear power to contribute to decarbonization as a solution to climate change. The Center’s work includes the popular Titans of Nuclear podcast, sponsoring the Nuclear Energy Grand Challenge, and most recently the OPEN100 project - the world’s first open-source platform for energy project design and delivery.

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Hear Bret Kugelmass, discuss how this approach can accelerate deep decarbonization globally.

Everybody, I'm excited to be here today to talk about a different approach to innovation in clean energy. - 0:07

This is why nuclear energy will play a critical role with its incredibly high energy density and low carbon footprint. Nuclear energy is the only technology capable of generating quantities of energy needed to meet global energy demand, while also accounting for its own life cycle carbon emissions. - 1:15

What we found wasn't an industry crippled by politics, public opinion or lack of scientific ingenuity, but rather one captured by a dominating trend towards larger and more complex infrastructure projects that make nuclear power economically uncompetitive. - 2:04

To bring this vision closer to reality, we created the Open 100 project to help reset the industry at this critical juncture. - 3:31

To open up the supply chain and reduce capital risk, we deliberately avoided new reactor technologies and the use of new and unproven materials or nonstandard equipment components that deviate from the available supply chain - 4:32

Well, by open sourcing this information, we aim this at a common foundation for the development of clean energy that urgently need around the planet, ultimately aligning stakeholders around a set of practices. - 6:32

With today's gigawatt scale projects, a combination vendor see the government take responsibility for bringing a project to life - 7:57

The missing piece so far has not been advanced technology, but rather a framework for developing a nuclear power plant. The developers and utilities who are familiar with the technology can look at and agree to. - 9:14


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