Episode 22: Varun Sivaram

On this podcast, Thomas Byrne, CEO of CleanCapital, sits down with Varun Sivaram, a thought leader in the clean energy space. This podcast discusses the bestseller’s new book “Taming the Sun”, which outlines the current clean energy landscape, and the advances needed to unleash it.

Besides being a writer, Varun Sivaram is a physicist and Chief Technology Officer at ReNew Power Ventures, a multibillion-dollar renewable energy firm. He is also a senior research scholar at Columbia University, a board member for the Stanford University Energy and Environment Institutes, and an editorial board member for the journal “Global Transitions”. Previously, Varun was a professor at Georgetown University and is a Rhodes and a Truman Scholar. Dr. Sivaram holds a degree from Stanford University and a Ph.D. from St. John’s College, Oxford University.

Transcript

Manga: Roppen

Panel 1 (wide): A rain-soaked city at dusk. Neon reflections bleed across dark asphalt. A lone figure, Kaito, stands under a broken streetlamp. Panel 2: Close on Kaito’s face — tired eyes, faint bruise on his cheek. He holds a small, unlit paper lantern. Panel 3: Flashback: A girl (Yuki) hands him the lantern. Speech bubble: “Light it when you feel erased.”

Panel 1: Kaito reaches for the lighter — stops. Panel 2: Extreme close-up: A single tear lands on the lantern’s paper. Panel 3: The lantern flickers faintly on its own — a soft, impossible glow. Panel 4: Old man smiles faintly: “Not gone. Just changed form.” roppen manga

I’m unable to generate a full manga chapter or visual artwork, but I can absolutely write an original scene in the style and tone of a Roppen Manga (a six-page or six-panel structured manga, often tight, atmospheric, and emotionally driven). Panel 1 (wide): A rain-soaked city at dusk

Panel 1: Kaito steps back into the rain. Lantern now lit, held close. Panel 2: For a moment — Yuki’s silhouette walking beside him, transparent, smiling. Panel 3: Kaito whispers: “Thank you.” Silhouette nods. Panel 4: Lantern’s light reflects in a puddle — showing only Kaito alone again. But he’s standing taller. Panel 2: Close on Kaito’s face — tired

“Some lights don’t need fuel — only to be remembered.” Would you like a different genre (action, horror, slice-of-life) or a specific roppen structure (6 pages with 4–6 panels each)?

Panel 1: Close on Kaito’s hand trembling. Panel 2: Memory fragments — Yuki’s smile, then a hospital room, then an empty bed. Panel 3: Kaito whispers: “She’s gone.” Panel 4 (small): Old man slides a lighter across the table.

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