Episodes

  • After Years of Perovskite Promises, Does This One Deliver?
    13 Oct 2026

    After Years of Perovskite Promises, Does This One Deliver? Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code UNDECIDED at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: http://incogni.com/undecided A California startup called Tandem PV says it has built the most efficient solar panel on the planet, hitting 30.4% efficiency where today's best silicon solar panels top out around 25%. That number came from the company's own lab, and the test module is barely bigger than a coaster. On the same day, a rival posted an independently verified result that beat it anyway. Perovskite solar panels have promised this kind of efficiency leap for years, but durability has always been the catch, and Tandem PV says it finally solved it. So is this really the world's most efficient solar panel? Or is Tandem PV's big claim more marketing than reality?

    Massive thanks to @TwoBitDaVinci for hosting this one!

    Watch Solar Panels Are Doing Something Nobody Expected https://youtu.be/kcQ7n9-hkRU?list=PLnTSM-ORSgi7uzySCXq8VXhodHB5B5OiQ

    Video script and citations: https://undecided.tech/after-years-of-perovskite-promises-does-this-one-deliver/

    Get my achieve energy security with solar guide: https://undecided.link/solar-guide

    Follow-up podcast:

    Video version - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4-aWB84Bupf5hxGqrwYqLA

    Audio version - https://undecided.link/stilltbd-podcast

    Join the Undecided Discord server: https://undecided.link/discord

    👋 Support Undecided on Patreon! https://undecided.link/patreon

    Visit my Energysage Portal (US): Research solar panels, heat pumps, and more to get quotes for free! https://undecided.link/energysage

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    Some music provided by Epidemic Sound https://undecided.link/epidemic

    I may earn a small commission for my endorsement or recommendation to products or services linked above, but I wouldn't put them here if I didn't like them. Your purchase helps support the channel and the videos I produce. Thank you.

    Chapters

    00:00 - Intro

    01:12 - The Numbers

    02:25 - Why Perovskite is just 3 years away

    05:43 - The Most Efficient Panel?

    07:18 - How it's made

    08:33 - The Four-Terminal Architecture

    10:35 - Long Term Performance

    13:16 - Reality Check

    15:20 - More Pros and Cons

    16:57 - Conclusion

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    19 min
  • How Solar Panels Make It Rain In The Desert
    6 Oct 2026

    How Solar Panels Make It Rain In The Desert. Start your 7-day free trial + unlock 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN — head to https://surfshark.com/undecided or use code UNDECIDED at checkout! Solar panels have one job: turn sunlight into electricity. German scientists think panels can pull double duty and trigger solar induced rainfall in the desert. The United Arab Emirates handed the team $1.5 million for a UAE rain enhancement push, betting a big enough solar farm could pull water out of the sky for tens of thousands of people. But turning solar farms into rainmakers counts as solar geoengineering, and that comes with real risks and messy tradeoffs. So is solar powered rain actually a fix for the world's driest places? Or is this desert rainmaking scheme just an expensive long shot?

    Watch How Solar Is Beating Nuclear's Best Idea https://youtu.be/zrNa9k6sSlg?list=PLnTSM-ORSgi7uzySCXq8VXhodHB5B5OiQ

    Check out Solar Panels Plus Farming? Agrivoltaics Explained https://youtu.be/lgZBlD-TCFE?list=PLnTSM-ORSgi5LVxHfWfQE6-Y_HnK-sgXS

    Video script and citations: https://undecided.tech/how-solar-panels-make-it-rain-in-the-desert/

    Get my achieve energy security with solar guide: https://undecided.link/solar-guide

    Follow-up podcast:

    Video version - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4-aWB84Bupf5hxGqrwYqLA

    Audio version - https://undecided.link/stilltbd-podcast

    Join the Undecided Discord server: https://undecided.link/discord

    👋 Support Undecided on Patreon! https://undecided.link/patreon

    Visit my Energysage Portal (US): Research solar panels, heat pumps, and more to get quotes for free! https://undecided.link/energysage

    For a curated solar buying experience (Canada) EnergyPal's free personalized quotes: https://undecided.link/energypal

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    Website https://undecided.tech

    Some music provided by Epidemic Sound https://undecided.link/epidemic


    I may earn a small commission for my endorsement or recommendation to products or services linked above, but I wouldn't put them here if I didn't like them. Your purchase helps support the channel and the videos I produce. Thank you.

    Show more Show less
    16 min
  • Why Small Reactors Just Had Their Best Year Ever.
    29 Sep 2026

    Why Small Reactors Just Had Their Best Year Ever. Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code UNDECIDED at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: http://incogni.com/undecided Three years ago, small modular reactors looked finished. NuScale's flagship project collapsed under massive cost overruns, and the customers walked. I said the same thing every time I covered these reactors: promising, but unproven. Now nuclear energy is having its best year in decades. New projects are breaking ground for the first time in a decade, and the federal government has made $900 million available to back small modular reactors. So is this really the year small nuclear finally works? Or are we just watching the same expensive promises dressed up in new headlines?

    Watch The Hidden Problem With Home Batteries https://youtu.be/YrO9TArSK6o?list=PLnTSM-ORSgi7uzySCXq8VXhodHB5B5OiQ

    Video script and citations: https://undecided.tech/why-small-reactors-just-had-their-best-year-ever/

    Get my achieve energy security with solar guide: https://undecided.link/solar-guide

    Follow-up podcast:

    Video version - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4-aWB84Bupf5hxGqrwYqLA

    Audio version - https://undecided.link/stilltbd-podcast

    Join the Undecided Discord server: https://undecided.link/discord

    👋 Support Undecided on Patreon!

    https://undecided.link/patreon

    Visit my Energysage Portal (US): Research solar panels, heat pumps, and more to get quotes for free! https://undecided.link/energysage

    For a curated solar buying experience (Canada) EnergyPal's free personalized quotes: https://undecided.link/energypal

    👉 Follow Me

    Mastodon https://mastodon.social/@mattferrell

    Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/mattferrell.bsky.social

    Instagram https://www.instagram.com/undecidedtech

    Website https://undecided.tech

    Some music provided by Epidemic Sound https://undecided.link/epidemic

    I may earn a small commission for my endorsement or recommendation to products or services linked above, but I wouldn't put them here if I didn't like them. Your purchase helps support the channel and the videos I produce. Thank you.

    Chapters

    00:00 - Intro

    03:45 - The Big If

    07:04 - The Fuel Challenge

    08:34 - SMRs vs. Big Reactors

    11:06 - The SMR Reality

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    14 min
  • Why China Built the World's Largest Air Battery
    15 Sep 2026

    Why China Built the World's Largest Air Battery. Build. Upgrade. Save. at Micro Center: https://micro.center/a3f28d Sign up for a FREE 128 gig Flash Drive at Micro Center Austin, TX: https://micro.center/81939a Shop Micro Center's Clearance Sales: https://micro.center/3bee6c Visit Micro Center News: https://micro.center/27eb90 Lithium-ion batteries are great for about 4 hours of storage. After that, the price stops making sense. So China built an alternative out of thin air: the world's largest compressed air battery, a salt cavern energy storage system with no lithium and no fuel burned to get the power back out. The pitch is that it beats lithium at long duration energy storage. But run the math on how long it actually lasts, and the answer comes out to 4 hours too, exactly where lithium already wins. So is China's giant air battery actually solving the long-duration problem? Or is it just an expensive peaker plant that happens to run on air?

    Watch The Hidden Problem With Home Batteries https://youtu.be/YrO9TArSK6o?list=PLnTSM-ORSgi7uzySCXq8VXhodHB5B5OiQ

    Video script and citations: https://undecided.tech/why-china-built-the-worlds-largest-air-battery/

    Get my achieve energy security with solar guide: https://undecided.link/solar-guide

    Follow-up podcast:

    Video version - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4-aWB84Bupf5hxGqrwYqLA

    Audio version - https://undecided.link/stilltbd-podcast

    Join the Undecided Discord server: https://undecided.link/discord

    👋 Support Undecided on Patreon! https://undecided.link/patreon

    Visit my Energysage Portal (US): Research solar panels, heat pumps, and more to get quotes for free! https://undecided.link/energysage

    For a curated solar buying experience (Canada) EnergyPal's free personalized quotes: https://undecided.link/energypal

    👉 Follow Me

    Mastodon https://mastodon.social/@mattferrell

    Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/mattferrell.bsky.social

    Instagram https://www.instagram.com/undecidedtech

    Website https://undecided.tech

    Some music provided by Epidemic Sound https://undecided.link/epidemic


    I may earn a small commission for my endorsement or recommendation to products or services linked above, but I wouldn't put them here if I didn't like them. Your purchase helps support the channel and the videos I produce. Thank you.

    Chapters

    00:00 - Intro

    03:21 - What 71% Efficiency Actually Buys You

    05:21 - The Domes Are Getting Real

    08:50 - The Bet Somebody is Actually Making

    10:02 - So Why is China's Only 4 Hours?

    11:27 - Under Pressure

    12:34 - Two Trends Going Opposite Ways

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    17 min
  • How My Home Battery Really Performed (2 Years Later)
    8 Sep 2026

    How My Home Battery Really Performed (2 Years Later). Start your 7-day free trial + unlock 4 extra months of Surfshark VPN — head to https://surfshark.com/undecided or use code UNDECIDED at checkout! My January electric bill came to $336, even with solar on the roof and 20 kWh of home battery storage on the garage wall. After 12 months of utility bills and circuit-level data, the solar battery math got weird. The panels saved money. The battery cost about $207 a year, thanks to net metering, round-trip losses, and the way Massachusetts credits rooftop solar. But I would still buy it again. So is a home battery actually worth it for resilience? Or is the whole thing just an expensive backup plan?

    Watch Why Australia’s Solar Is So Cheap (And Ours Isn’t) https://youtu.be/R3eEzdpi12I?list=PLnTSM-ORSgi7uzySCXq8VXhodHB5B5OiQ

    Video script and citations: https://undecided.tech/how-my-home-battery-really-performed-2-years-later/

    Get my achieve energy security with solar guide: https://undecided.link/solar-guide

    Follow-up podcast:

    Video version - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4-aWB84Bupf5hxGqrwYqLA

    Audio version - https://undecided.link/stilltbd-podcast

    Join the Undecided Discord server: https://undecided.link/discord

    👋 Support Undecided on Patreon! https://undecided.link/patreon

    Visit my Energysage Portal (US): Research solar panels, heat pumps, and more to get quotes for free! https://undecided.link/energysage

    For a curated solar buying experience (Canada) EnergyPal's free personalized quotes: https://undecided.link/energypal

    👉 Follow Me

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    Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/mattferrell.bsky.social

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    Website https://undecided.tech

    Some music provided by Epidemic Sound https://undecided.link/epidemic


    I may earn a small commission for my endorsement or recommendation to products or services linked above, but I wouldn't put them here if I didn't like them. Your purchase helps support the channel and the videos I produce. Thank you.

    Chapters

    00:00 - Intro

    02:31 - What it actually does

    05:41 - The Bill

    07:39 - I told you this two years ago, and I was wrong

    08:42 - What a stored kilowatt-hour costs

    09:52 - So where did the money come from?

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    18 min
  • Why The US Sucks at Solar
    25 Aug 2026

    Why The US Sucks at Solar. Take your personal data back with Incogni! Use code UNDECIDED at the link below and get 60% off an annual plan: http://incogni.com/undecided About one in three Australian homes have rooftop solar. In America, it's less than one in ten, even though half the country sits under the same sun. The real story is the bill. The rooftop solar cost here runs up to seven times higher than in Australia, once tariffs, tax credits, and solar permitting pile on top of the price tag. Australia is adding home solar batteries at a blistering pace, and its lead keeps growing. So is Australia actually better at cutting paperwork? Or is America's red tape just costing you thousands?

    Watch Why The Biggest Battery Company Is Betting On Lithium Air https://youtu.be/Y1AfP4IXMeE?list=PLnTSM-ORSgi7uzySCXq8VXhodHB5B5OiQ

    Video script and citations: https://undecided.tech/why-the-us-sucks-at-solar/

    Get my achieve energy security with solar guide: https://undecided.link/solar-guide

    Follow-up podcast:

    Video version - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4-aWB84Bupf5hxGqrwYqLA

    Audio version - https://undecided.link/stilltbd-podcast

    Join the Undecided Discord server: https://undecided.link/discord

    👋 Support Undecided on Patreon! https://undecided.link/patreon

    Visit my Energysage Portal (US): Research solar panels, heat pumps, and more to get quotes for free! https://undecided.link/energysage

    For a curated solar buying experience (Canada) EnergyPal's free personalized quotes: https://undecided.link/energypal

    👉 Follow Me

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    Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/mattferrell.bsky.social

    Instagram https://www.instagram.com/undecidedtech

    Website https://undecided.tech

    Some music provided by Epidemic Sound https://undecided.link/epidemic

    I may earn a small commission for my endorsement or recommendation to products or services linked above, but I wouldn't put them here if I didn't like them. Your purchase helps support the channel and the videos I produce. Thank you.

    Chapters

    00:00 - Intro

    03:51 - How Australia made solar boring

    06:24 - How America made solar expensive

    07:48 - What would it actually take to catch up?

    09:56 - Australia's hangover

    12:00 - What the delay is costing you

    Show more Show less
    16 min
  • Why The Biggest Battery Company Is Betting On Lithium Air
    18 Aug 2026

    Why The Biggest Battery Company Is Betting On Lithium Air. Subscribe to IEEE Spectrum Magazine and get 20% off: https://spectrum.ieee.org/undecided And check out @ieeespectrum on Youtube. CATL, the world's biggest battery maker, just named its bet for what comes after solid-state batteries: lithium air. Headlines claim this battery stores as much energy as gasoline. This lithium air battery breathes, pulling oxygen straight from the surrounding air instead of packing in heavy metal cathodes. Scientists say the design could push EVs past 1,000 miles on a single charge, and a startup is already chasing it for drones and aircraft. So is this air-breathing battery actually as close to gasoline-level energy as CATL claims? Or is that number just a headline that outran the lab?

    Watch The Battery the US Government Forgot https://youtu.be/jjKnDdsWoG8?list=PLnTSM-ORSgi7uzySCXq8VXhodHB5B5OiQ

    Video script and citations:https://undecided.tech/why-the-biggest-battery-company-is-betting-on-lithium-air/

    Get my achieve energy security with solar guide: https://undecided.link/solar-guide

    Follow-up podcast:

    Video version - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4-aWB84Bupf5hxGqrwYqLA

    Audio version - https://undecided.link/stilltbd-podcast

    Join the Undecided Discord server: https://undecided.link/discord

    👋 Support Undecided on Patreon!

    https://undecided.link/patreon

    Visit my Energysage Portal (US): Research solar panels, heat pumps, and more to get quotes for free! https://undecided.link/energysage

    For a curated solar buying experience (Canada) EnergyPal's free personalized quotes: https://undecided.link/energypal

    👉 Follow Me

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    Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/mattferrell.bsky.social

    Instagram https://www.instagram.com/undecidedtech

    Website https://undecided.tech

    Some music provided by Epidemic Sound https://undecided.link/epidemic

    I may earn a small commission for my endorsement or recommendation to products or services linked above, but I wouldn't put them here if I didn't like them. Your purchase helps support the channel and the videos I produce. Thank you.

    Chapters

    00:00 - Intro

    02:49 - The Battery That Breathes

    06:34 - The Hype Check

    07:37 - The Two Tricks For Four Electrons

    Show more Show less
    13 min
  • Why the US Government Buried This Battery
    11 Aug 2026

    Why the US Government Buried This Battery. Back to School Tech Deals: https://micro.center/9e4f63 Sign up for a FREE 128 gig Flash Drive at Micro Center Austin, TX: https://micro.center/b2e98c Sign up for a FREE 128 gig Flash Drive at Micro Center Columbus, OH: https://micro.center/a0a24f Visit Micro Center News: https://micro.center/e8c665 Every summer, your building throws away heat. Every winter, it burns fuel to make that heat all over again. What if you could bank July's heat underground, then pull it back out in January? Aquifer thermal energy storage does exactly that. It turns the groundwater under your feet into an underground thermal battery, and the Netherlands has been running ATES this way for more than 30 years. The US Department of Energy proved the idea worked here decades ago, then let it go quiet. So is ATES actually the cheapest way to heat and cool a whole city block? Or is the Dutch head start too big for us to copy?

    Watch Are Rare Earth Magnets About to Become Obsolete? https://youtu.be/UGxebJSUrTs?list=PLnTSM-ORSgi7uzySCXq8VXhodHB5B5OiQ

    Video script and citations: https://undecided.tech/why-the-us-government-buried-this-battery/

    Get my achieve energy security with solar guide: https://undecided.link/solar-guide

    Follow-up podcast:

    Video version - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4-aWB84Bupf5hxGqrwYqLA

    Audio version - https://undecided.link/stilltbd-podcast

    Join the Undecided Discord server: https://undecided.link/discord

    👋 Support Undecided on Patreon! https://undecided.link/patreon

    Visit my Energysage Portal (US): Research solar panels, heat pumps, and more to get quotes for free!

    https://undecided.link/energysage

    For a curated solar buying experience (Canada) EnergyPal's free personalized quotes: https://undecided.link/energypal

    👉 Follow Me

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    Bluesky https://bsky.app/profile/mattferrell.bsky.social

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    Website https://undecided.tech

    Some music provided by Epidemic Sound https://undecided.link/epidemic

    I may earn a small commission for my endorsement or recommendation to products or services linked above, but I wouldn't put them here if I didn't like them. Your purchase helps support the channel and the videos I produce. Thank you.

    Chapters

    00:00 - Intro

    06:51 - Where Could it Work?

    08:09 - The Dutch Example

    10:33 - Could it Work in the US?

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    14 min