Emin Askerov
Cleantech FOAK Advisor

March brought a mix of real construction milestones, big financing closes, and the usual parade of announcements that may or may not lead anywhere. Let's sort the signal from the noise.  The Good News Stegra  (H2 Green Steel) delivered the headline of the month:  all electrolyser modules are now installed  at their 740 MW green hydrogen plant in Boden, Sweden. That's a real, physical milestone on what is arguably the most important green steel FOAK in the world. The financial

“Things that people assume are going to be easier are often way harder than they think.” If there was one quote about #FOAK, this would probably be it. And it doesn’t matter what you are building - an #SMR or a FOAK chemical plant. The assumptions you make about some steps being easy always come back and kick your ass. The quote comes from Kairos Power CEO Mike Laufer, in a podcast episode of The Green Blueprint. Mike and his team are currently building Hermes-2 - a 50 MW SMR

Latest data on clean energy VC investments. Are we seen new bubble emerging?

What is the future of electric mobility?

We don’t have a cleantech innovation problem — we have a FOAK execution problem. Over the past year, I’ve been building something I wish I had when I started scaling my first climate tech venture: a practical, experience-based framework for getting First-of-a-Kind (FOAK) projects off the ground. In my latest article, I’ve pulled together my 50+ posts into a structured overview that maps the FOAK journey—from the moment you decide to leave the lab to the day your NOAKs are r

Why are solar projects almost always on time, while nuclear ones spiral out of control? This book has the answers

The last weekend of 2024 long-read on AI and Energy

As 2024 wraps up, it’s time to reflect on a year that was anything but dull for the climate tech world. A buzzword dominated this year— FOAK (First-of-a-Kind).  It symbolizes the growing realization that proving your tech in a lab is one thing, but scaling it to a factory is a different beast. Many startups found themselves stuck in the dreaded Valley of Death  between proving a pilot and scaling up. I’ve written a few epitaphs on those who didn’t make it this year ( here , h

Crypto's Energy Hunger: Problem or Opportunity?

What are the investment hot spots in nuclear decommissioning?

What’s the most cost-effective way to decarbonize the grid? Surprisingly, it’s long-term operation (LTO) of existing nuclear power plants. With a levelized cost of energy (LCOE) of around $30/MWh and capital expenses between $500 and $1,100/kW, extending the life of existing reactors is a top-tier solution for clean, reliable power. 🚀 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝗶𝗰 𝗖𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗟𝗧𝗢 Aging reactors, some over 40 years old, face growing regulatory and maintenance demands, partic

Reality-check for the latest rush for Small Modular Reactors

Will nuclear power decarbonize shipping?