First Principles with Christian Keil #9: Justin Lopas - Introducing the Next-Gen Home Battery
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May 7, 2024 Justin Lopas, Founder of Base Power, discusses building a modern power company and the need for batteries in supporting the grid. They explore unique battery deployment models, optimizing designs, and software strategies. The podcast delves into balancing customer needs, potential for DC power distribution, and scaling Base Power while driving costs down. Lopas shares advice for startup founders and visions for long-duration storage.
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Founder Background From SpaceX And Anduril
- Justin Lopas led Starship manufacturing at SpaceX and worked at Anduril before founding Base Power.
- He brought aerospace and defense manufacturing rigor to consumer battery deployment at scale.
Co-Located Batteries Raise Grid Utilization
- Base Power installs large batteries at the load edge to time-shift supply and shave peaks.
- This increases grid utilization and enables more renewable capacity without expanding transmission.
Why Texas Is A Perfect Testbed
- ERCOT operates largely as an islanded grid with massive wind and solar resources concentrated in Texas.
- That isolation plus high renewables drives pronounced local price volatility and congestion opportunities for storage.