Atomic Show #272 – Karnfull Energi
Karnfull Energi is a young company that is successfully proving that nuclear energy is more popular than politicians believe. They have created the world’s first 100% nuclear energy offering.
Customers have responded with their wallets, showing they are willing to pay a modest premium for higher quality electricity.
People are shopping at Karfull’s online store. Hats, tee shirts and stickers displaying the Karnfull logo and proudly proclaiming the wearer is running on 100% nuclear are showing up in some surprising places.
How is it possible to market 100% nuclear electricity?
In Sweden, Karnfull’s home market, electricity generators produce power with a certificate of origin that allows marketers to identify the sources of the power they sell to customers.
This is a well established system for wind and solar energy. While having a free-ranging conversation during a ski weekend, Karnfull co-founders decided that people who like nuclear energy should have the same opportunity express their preference.
Research, legal frameworks and a web site required a few months of intensive effort.
Karnfull’s offering was packaged and made available for customer purchase in August 2019. It was announced with a press release on a weekend when most Swedes are on an end-of-summer holiday. It was a time when there was little news, that might have helped Karnfull gain the attention of writers and editors.
How is it going so far?
Within 24 hours, they had reached the sales goal they set for their first month in operation.
Karnfull’s success has had a major impact on the conversation about nuclear energy in Sweden. It may have already played an important political role in moving several parties away from a previous agreement to move towards 100% renewable energy by 2045.
Karnfull’s co-founders, John Alhberg and Christian Sjölander, are long-time friends who have each had successful careers in international businesses. Between them, they are fluent in Swedish, German, French, Japanese, Italian and, as you will hear, English.
They have a fascinating tale and ambitious plans to expand their concept into additional markets.
Karnfull Energi is on Twitter @karnfull_en
Aside: John and Christian happily admit that the certificate of origin system is an artificial construct that does not reflect the true nature of electricity movement. But it is the tool that is available. End Aside.
I first heard John describe Karnfull on Titans of Nuclear episode 255 (March 31) and immediately began making arrangements for his appearance here. I would rank this as one of the most fun Atomic Shows produced so far.
Please have a listen. Comments and constructive feedback are always welcome. I hope you will be pleasantly surprised by the audio quality and lack of lag on a call between Florida and Sweden.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 53:33 — 61.4MB)
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Is there potential to do something like that here in the USA? I constantly get flyers for “100% Renewable Electricity” that I can pay more for here in New York. How about 100% nuclear electricity from the PWR outside of town? It could at least make for good PR for nuclear energy and make more people consider it to be in the same camp as renewables as a clean source of energy.
Just going to throw this here:
Michael Moore-sponsored documentary, “Planet of the Humans”, goes into the reality behind the greenwash of “renewables”. I’m 38 minutes in and I think it’s really well done, and it even gets Rod’s favorite clip of RFK Jr. saying “our wind plants and solar plants… are gas plants”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk11vI-7czE
Lovelly upbeat show and upbeat idea! Thank you for sharing it, Rod.
“In Sweden, Karnfull’s home market, electricity generators produce power with a certificate of origin that allows marketers to identify the sources of the power they sell to customers.
This is a well established system for wind and solar energy…”
The difference is that Sweden doesn’t appear to bestow “Nuclear Energy Certificates” to nuclear plants corresponding to the Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) awarded to U.S. wind and solar farms in many states.
RECs allow utilities to purchase the “clean energy attributes” of solar or wind to offset the carbon emissions of fossil fuel generation they buy. That RECs are part of a well-established system doesn’t confer legitimacy to the scam, which effectively double counts the clean-energy value of renewable sources by discounting the value of dispatchability – the ability of an energy source to meet demand at any time of day or night.