Momentum Wins with Ishan Sharma

About this Episode

*Tacit Knowledge *
Hosted by Kumar Garg
Presented by Renaissance Philanthropy
Subscribe to our Substack
Produced by All Together Now

FOLLOW ISHAN

Twitter: (at)ishan_sharma3
Instagram: (at)ishan_sharma3
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ishan-kabir-sharma3/

KEY QUESTIONS AND TAKEAWAYS

What is geologic hydrogen, and how is it different from manufactured hydrogen?

Geologic hydrogen (Geo H₂) forms naturally underground, for example when water reacts with iron-rich rock, so it can be found and produced rather than manufactured with expensive, energy-intensive processes. Ishan argues it is zero-emission and potentially a fraction of the cost of today's hydrogen. He cites the estimate that about 2% of the hydrogen thought to be in the ground could meet civilizational needs for centuries.

What is the Chimaera Fund?

The Chimaera Fund is Renaissance Philanthropy's field-building fund, directed by Ishan Sharma, aimed at making geologic hydrogen a credible part of the energy mix in the 2030s. Ishan says the field has already drawn roughly $1 billion in private investment, so the fund isn't trying to compete with startups. It aims to grow the overall pie with open-source testbeds, data sharing, and policy work modeled on what worked in shale and geothermal.

Why does Ishan see geologic hydrogen as essential to decarbonization?

He argues that cheap solar has largely solved the "green electron" half of the emissions problem. The remainder, in food systems and heavy industry like steel and chemicals, needs a cheap green molecule, and he doesn't see manufactured green hydrogen arriving before roughly 2045–2050. Industrial plants are making capital decisions in the next 5–7 years that could lock in emissions for about 40 years. In his view, geologic hydrogen is the only option that could affect that decision window.

What can shale and geothermal teach us about scaling a new energy industry?

Ishan points to a pattern: both industries spent decades in slow, localized progress before inflection points driven by government-backed testbeds and companies sharing subsurface data. Geothermal went from a first well in the 1920s to a Department of Energy testbed in Utah and, now, Fervo Energy's public listing. His conclusion is that opening up solutions and data early is the fastest path to scale, measured in years rather than decades.

How did Chimaera get private companies to share subsurface data?

It started small: one company, a grant of roughly $250K, and an ask for the metadata version of its data rather than the proprietary data itself. Researchers could then propose studies based on what the company actually had. Once that first company signed on and Chimaera announced it at a major geologic hydrogen conference, several dozen other companies asked to do something similar. Early wins then became proof of credibility, including work with the U.S. Air Force and real operating companies.

What is Chimaera working on next?

Ishan previewed a $10M grand-prize challenge with the Japan Cabinet Office to drill the first hydrogen well, and a test bed in East Africa. The East Africa work is framed around reducing smallholder farmers' dependence on imported ammonia, not just emissions. Both were described as upcoming, not yet announced, at the time of recording.

What is the Law of Requisite Variety, and how does Chimaera apply it?

Ishan describes it as the idea that the entity with the most flexibility in a system has the greatest control over its outcome. Chimaera applies it by staying deliberately nimble instead of building headcount. One example he gives is walking away from a donation of about 1,200 acres for test beds to pivot to a faster-moving opportunity.

On careers, credibility, and field-building

• Ishan didn't start in energy. He studied industrial labor relations and economics planning for human rights law, and a paper on surveillance technology led him to defer law school and enter science and tech policy, first at FAS, then the White House, then Renaissance Philanthropy.
• His filter for what to work on is a Venn diagram: a problem that is neglected, where he can see a path to making a difference, and where he has a thesis worth pressure-testing. He says the overlap is small, and once you find it, "why not go hunting?"
• His tacit knowledge: there is enough good work to go around. Approaching a new field with "no pride of place," and wanting to distribute good ideas rather than own them, is what lets an outsider work with deep experts.
• To bring skeptical experts along, he asks whether anyone else has looked at their data and reached a different conclusion, which appeals to their humility instead of forcing a debate. He says credibility comes from early wins and demonstrated taste more than from the size of the funding.
• Kumar's framing: science progresses at the pace of discovery plus persuasion. Good ideas need advocates willing to walk into rooms and answer skeptical questions, one person at a time, like the lone juror in 12 Angry Men.
• Asks and offers: Ishan offers conversations to early-career people weighing an unconventional path. His ask is for anyone excited to work on subsurface activities in sub-Saharan Africa to help build the test bed.

Episode Links

• Ishan Sharma — Fellow at Renaissance Philanthropy and director of the Chimaera Fund. Previously principal advisor on industrial innovation at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, where he also led geothermal work, and earlier at the Federation of American Scientists.
• Chimaera Fund — Renaissance Philanthropy's fund devoted to responsibly and rapidly scaling geologic hydrogen through open-access field demonstrations and policy advising.
• Renaissance Philanthropy — The organization presenting Tacit Knowledge and housing the Chimaera Fund.
• All Together Now — The content studio and production company that developed and produces the Tacit Knowledge podcast.
• Geologic hydrogen (Geo H₂) — Hydrogen generated naturally in the Earth's subsurface, also called natural, white, or gold hydrogen; the resource at the center of the episode.
• USGS global geologic hydrogen resource estimate (Ellis & Gelman, 2024) — The USGS modeling study behind the widely cited estimate that recovering even a small fraction of Earth's geologic hydrogen could supply projected demand for roughly 200 years.
• Federation of American Scientists (FAS) — The think tank where Ishan worked before joining the White House, and where he first worked with Kumar on ideas for a new administration.
• Fervo Energy — The enhanced geothermal company Ishan and Kumar cite as proof that a once-niche subsurface technology can scale; it listed on the Nasdaq in May 2026.
• Utah FORGE — The Department of Energy's geothermal field laboratory near Milford, Utah, which Ishan cites as the government-backed testbed that helped unlock enhanced geothermal.
• U.S. Air Force geologic hydrogen initiative — A Chimaera-led demonstration with the Department of the Air Force, using partners including HyTerra, Helix Exploration, and Prometheus Hydrogen, to assess whether geologic hydrogen could strengthen energy resilience at bases in Montana and Kansas.
• HyTerra — The ASX-listed geologic hydrogen exploration company whose scientists Ishan cites as partners; it was later selected as a primary performer in the Air Force demonstration.
• ARPA-E — The Department of Energy agency where Doug Wicks and Emily Yedinak advanced its geologic hydrogen portfolio, a program Ishan credits as an early mover in the field.
• Law of Requisite Variety — Cybernetician W. Ross Ashby's principle that a regulator needs enough variety in its responses to match the disturbances it faces.