Leaders in Cleantech

David Hunt
undefined
Jul 29, 2021 • 38min

Ben Irons, Habitat Energy – 82

What’s it all about?Energy Storage!! More importantly optimising and commercialising grid scale energy storage assets. I first met Ben at a conference in London some years ago. He has since gone on to co-found one of the leading energy storage optimisation companies, recently expanding into Australia and the US. We have a dive into battery tech, long duration storage, entrepreneurship, and internationalisation. I hope you enjoy the episode.About Ben IronsBen is a co-founder of Habitat Energy, where he leads their international business development and partnership activities. Ben was previously an Executive Director and board member at Aurora Energy Research where he founded and then led their consulting practice for 4 years, and before that, Strategy Director at Centrica Energy, and energy and sustainability consultant and McKinsey & Company in London. Ben has a first-class honours degree in Mechanical Engineering from New Zealand, and an MPhil and DPhil in Economics from the University of Oxford.About Habitat EnergyHabitat Energy was founded in 2017 to operate and manage battery storage assets and renewable energy. Habitat has independently developed a market leading trading platform based on algorithmic and machine learning techniques that can handle the intensive forecasting and computational demands of battery storage and market optimisation, complemented by a traditional trading team. Habitat’s system also incorporates deep insight into the physical capabilities and degradation of battery storage, offering a profit maximising rather than revenue maximising approach. Habitat was recently awarded the optimization contract for the world’s largest solar powered vanadium flow battery in Australia, and currently operates over 200 MWh of storage assets in the UK. Habitat’s platform is consistently ranked by independent third parties as the highest performing in the UK in terms of revenue per MW.Social links: Ben Irons on Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ben-irons-a59359/ Habitat Energy Website: http://www.habitat.energy/ Habitat Energy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/habitat_energy About Hyperion Executive Search:Hyperion are a specialist executive search firm working with some of the most innovative cleantech companies in the world, helping to find extraordinary talent to enable their growth and success. Partnering with leading cleantech VCs, as well as directly with founders and entrepreneurs in theAbout Hyperion Executive Search:Hyperion are a specialist executive search firm working with some of the most innovative cleantech companies in the world, helping to find extraordinary talent to enable their growth and success. Partnering with leading cleantech VCs, as well as directly with founders and entrepreneurs in the sector. With our clients we are transforming business and growing a strong and prosperous cleantech economy.If you want to grow your team, or move forward your career, visit www.hyperionsearch.com, or email info@hyperionsearch.com Follow us online, write a review (please) or subscribeI'm very keen to hear feedback on the podcast and my guests, and to hear your suggestions for future guests or topics. Contact via the website, or Twitter. If you do enjoy the podcast, please write a review on iTunes, or your usual podcast platform, and tell your cleantech friends about us. That would be much appreciated.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-hunt-cleantech/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DavidHsearch Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidhuntcleantech/Also follow our podcast handles to stay up to date. LinkedIn: ...
undefined
Jul 14, 2021 • 49min

Toddington Harper, Gridserve – 81

Toddington’s is a fascinating story, if you want to know about his childhood of TV powered by Solar in the deserts of Bahrain, or why he’s named after a service station, listen to our first conversation (episode 15- link below), but on this episode we focus on the concept of ‘Sun to wheel’, using solar power and batteries to power fast charging of electric vehicles through Electric Forecourts and Electric Highway hubs. The Gridserve story is a great one, enjoy the episode.About Toddington HarperToddington is a second-generation solar energy and energy storage professional, whose parents pioneered some of the world’s first commercial deployments of solar energy and battery storage systems more than 45 years ago. He has spent virtually his entire career focused on delivering sustainable energy solutions, including creating five successful sustainable energy and low carbon businesses which he has led as CEO over the last 19-years. Prior to establishing GRIDSERVE Sustainable Energy Ltd, Toddington was co-founder and CEO of BELECTRIC UK (2010 & 2011 solar world market leader), responsible for the development, construction and financing of c.350 MWp of utility scale solar farm & solar rooftop projects, including a 3.5MWp 20-acre solar rooftop project for Rolls-Royce.At BELECTRIC UK Toddington built a multi-award winning team that delivered a fully integrated development, construction, financing, operation, maintenance, asset management solar energy & energy storage business. The business was successfully sold to RWE Innogy (largest European utility) in December 2016.Toddington created GRIDSERVE to deliver sustainable energy and move the needle on climate change. GRIDSERVE’s first major success was winning the highest price battery storage enhanced frequency response contract with National Grid, where GRIDSERVE was awarded one of only seven successful contracts out of 208 tendered. Since then GRIDSERVE has grown from strength to strength. In 2019, against the odds of a year dominated by Brexit, GRIDSERVE pushed through, pioneering and delivering the UK’s largest and most technically advanced hybrid solar projects, and becoming the UK solar energy and technology market leader.About GRIDESERVEGRIDSERVE® is a tech-enabled international sustainable energy business, whose purpose is to #deliver sustainable energy and move the needle on climate change. We develop, build, own and operate ‘sun-to-wheel’ hybrid solar, energy storage, About Hyperion Executive Search:Hyperion are a specialist executive search firm working with some of the most innovative cleantech companies in the world, helping to find extraordinary talent to enable their growth and success. Partnering with leading cleantech VCs, as well as directly with founders and entrepreneurs in the sector. With our clients we are transforming business and growing a strong and prosperous cleantech economy.If you want to grow your team, or move forward your career, visit www.hyperionsearch.com, or email info@hyperionsearch.com Follow us online, write a review (please) or subscribeI'm very keen to hear feedback on the podcast and my guests, and to hear your suggestions for future guests or topics. Contact via the website, or Twitter. If you do enjoy the podcast, please write a review on iTunes, or your usual podcast platform, and tell your cleantech friends about us. That would be much appreciated.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-hunt-cleantech/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DavidHsearch Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidhuntcleantech/Also follow our podcast handles to stay up to date. LinkedIn: ...
undefined
Jun 30, 2021 • 34min

Patrick Sheehan, ETF Partners – 80

What’s it all about?Money and People, the two main ingredients for a successful business (a damn good product/service is the other). More specifically it’s the RIGHT money and the RIGHT people. The right people is something we specialise in at Hyperion Executive Search, but I love to engage with passionate, experienced and mission driven VC’s and Investors who can provide money and so much more. The right money! Though Patrick expresses that all money is good! We talk about future trends, and how to get the money your start-up or scale-ups needs.About Patrick Sheehan: Patrick started the firm in 2006 to demonstrate that venture capital could foster innovation that provides prosperity that is sustainable for our planet. In that time ETF Partner has supported numerous innovative companies that create positive impact. Currently Patrick represents the firm on the Boards of ELeather, Wirepas, Telensa, Zeelo and Tomorrow.Patrick has worked in venture capital since 1985, when he joined 3i. He was instrumental in founding 3i's venture capital practice in the early 1990s and subsequently, in the late 1990s, was the founding Managing Director of its Silicon Valley operation.Prior to his career in venture capital, Patrick was a research engineer in electronics, working on fibre optic signal processing for GEC, and before that advising on advanced antenna designs as a technical consultant for Marconi Space Systems while completing a PhD in electronics.Patrick was a member of the Executive Committee and Board of Invest Europe from 2007 to 2010, during which time he also chaired the Venture Capital Committee.About ETF Partners:Since 2006, ETF Partner, has been investing in technologies companies that help tackling the climate emergency. Our Aim Demonstrating that technological innovation offers compelling answers to one of the most pressing problems of the world, achieving Sustainability Through Innovation.Social links: ETF Partners on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/environmental-technologies-fund---etfPatrick on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/patrick-sheehan-76182/ETF Partners website: https://etfpartners.capital/About Hyperion Executive Search:Hyperion are a specialist executive search firm working with some of the most innovative cleantech companies in the world, helping to find extraordinary talent to enable their growth and success. Partnering with leading cleantech VCs, as well as directly with founders and entrepAbout Hyperion Executive Search:Hyperion are a specialist executive search firm working with some of the most innovative cleantech companies in the world, helping to find extraordinary talent to enable their growth and success. Partnering with leading cleantech VCs, as well as directly with founders and entrepreneurs in the sector. With our clients we are transforming business and growing a strong and prosperous cleantech economy.If you want to grow your team, or move forward your career, visit www.hyperionsearch.com, or email info@hyperionsearch.com Follow us online, write a review (please) or subscribeI'm very keen to hear feedback on the podcast and my guests, and to hear your suggestions for future guests or topics. Contact via the website, or Twitter. If you do enjoy the podcast, please write a review on iTunes, or your usual podcast platform, and tell your cleantech friends about us. That would be much appreciated.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-hunt-cleantech/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DavidHsearch Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidhuntcleantech/Also follow our podcast handles to stay up to date. LinkedIn: ...
undefined
Jun 16, 2021 • 39min

Juliet Davenport, Good Energy – 79

In my early days in renewable energy Good Energy were one of the few companies out there providing customers with clean energy to the consumer. They were a pioneer and inspiration as I co-founded my solar business. Now, many years later I have had the opportunity to have CEO and Founder Juliet Davenport share her founding story, and much more besides. An engaging and passionate climate activist, entrepreneur and climate scientist makes for an interesting story and set of experiences. I hope you enjoy the episode.About Juliet Davenport Juliet is the Founder and a Non-Executive Director of Good Energy Group plc – a renewable energy company with a mission to power a greener, cleaner future together with its customers. Juliet was Good Energy’s CEO for 19 years, working on ideas to fight climate change and transform the energy sector for the better. In 2013, she was awarded an OBE for services to renewables. She currently sits on the board of the Renewable Energy Association and Innovate UK and is Vice President of the Energy Institute. In July 2020 she was appointed as a new board member of The Crown Estate. In addition, she sits on the advisory boards of leading UK think tanks, including Energy Systems Catapult, Aurora, Oxford Energy, and LSE’s Grantham Institute. Juliet has various scholastic credentials with academic organisations, including University of Wales, Imperial College, Bristol University, Birkbeck and LSE, where she has various roles and accolades, with the ambition of influencing the next generation to think about the energy transition and our low carbon future. Juliet is passionate about creating a business that does good; one that can deliver the needs of society in a purposeful way. As part of this vision, she is working with the British Academy’s Future of the Corporation project, thinking about a better future.About Good EnergyGood Energy is a generator and supplier of 100% renewable power and an innovator in energy services. It currently owns two wind farms, six solar farms and sources electricity from a community of 1,600 independent UK generators. It has over 250,000 home and business customers.   Since it was founded 20 years ago by Juliet Davenport, the company has been at the forefront of the charge towards a cleaner, distributed energy system. Its mission is to support UK households and businesses generate, store and share clean power.  Social links Personal website https://julietdavenport.comAbout Hyperion Executive Search:Hyperion are a specialist executive search firm working with some of the most innovative cleantech companies in the world, helping to find extraordinary talent to enable their growth and success. Partnering with leading cleantech VCs, as well as directly with founders and entrepreneurs in the sector. With our clients we are transforming business and growing a strong and prosperous cleantech economy.If you want to grow your team, or move forward your career, visit www.hyperionsearch.com, or email info@hyperionsearch.com Follow us online, write a review (please) or subscribeI'm very keen to hear feedback on the podcast and my guests, and to hear your suggestions for future guests or topics. Contact via the website, or Twitter. If you do enjoy the podcast, please write a review on iTunes, or your usual podcast platform, and tell your cleantech friends about us. That would be much appreciated.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-hunt-cleantech/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DavidHsearch Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidhuntcleantech/Also follow our podcast handles to stay up to date. LinkedIn: ...
undefined
Jun 2, 2021 • 40min

Dr Graham Cooley, ITM Power – 78

What’s it all about?Green Hydrogen! I’ve been aware of Graham and the work of ITM for some time, since meeting their Germany team at Power to X event in Dusseldorf, and seeing the scale of their recently expanded manufacturing capacity, I thought it would be a great time to have CEO Dr Graham Cooley on the podcast. Hydrogen is still in some ways contentious, but as I’ve said many times, it’s about the right tech solving the right problem. There is much to be done to replace grey/dirty hydrogen with green hydrogen, and it was fascinating to hear Graham’s take on this.About Graham Cooley: Dr Graham Cooley joined ITM Power as CEO in 2009. ITM Power was the first hydrogen related company to be listed on the London Stock Market and has been developing electrolyser equipment for over 20 years. Graham started his career in the power sector in 1989 joining the CEGB and became Business Development Manager at National Power plc and then International Power plc developing energy storage and new generation technologies. Before joining ITM Power Graham was CEO of Sensortec Ltd, founding CEO of Metalysis Ltd, a spin out from Cambridge University and founding CEO of Antenova Ltd. Graham has a PhD in physics, an MBA and is a Fellow of the Institute of Metals, Minerals and Mining (FIMMM). Graham also sits on a number of industry bodies and is a member of the UK Government’s Hydrogen Advisory Council.About ITM Power:ITM Power plc manufactures integrated hydrogen energy solutions for grid balancing, energy storage and the production of renewable hydrogen for transport, renewable heat and chemicals. ITM Power plc was admitted to the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange in 2004. In October 2019, the Company announced the completion of a £58.8 million fundraising, including an investment by Linde of £38 million, together with the formation of a joint venture with Linde to focus on delivering renewable hydrogen to large-scale industrial projects worldwide. ITM Power operates from the world's largest electrolyser factory in Sheffield with a capacity of 1GW (1,000MW) per annum. Customers and partners include Sumitomo, Ørsted, Phillips 66, Scottish Power, Siemens Gamesa, Cadent, Northern Gas Networks, Gasunie, RWE, Engie, GNVert, National Express, Toyota, Hyundai and Anglo American among others.Social links: ITM Power Website: www.itm-power.comITM Power on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ITMPowerPlcITM Power on Flickr: ITM Power | FliAbout Hyperion Executive Search:Hyperion are a specialist executive search firm working with some of the most innovative cleantech companies in the world, helping to find extraordinary talent to enable their growth and success. Partnering with leading cleantech VCs, as well as directly with founders and entrepreneurs in the sector. With our clients we are transforming business and growing a strong and prosperous cleantech economy.If you want to grow your team, or move forward your career, visit www.hyperionsearch.com, or email info@hyperionsearch.com Follow us online, write a review (please) or subscribeI'm very keen to hear feedback on the podcast and my guests, and to hear your suggestions for future guests or topics. Contact via the website, or Twitter. If you do enjoy the podcast, please write a review on iTunes, or your usual podcast platform, and tell your cleantech friends about us. That would be much appreciated.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-hunt-cleantech/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DavidHsearch Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidhuntcleantech/Also follow our podcast handles to stay up to date. LinkedIn: ...
undefined
May 19, 2021 • 47min

Lubomila Jordanova, Plan A Earth – 77

Lubomila Jordanova is a cleantech force of nature. A passionate founder, leader and connector of people. I’ve enjoyed working with Lubomila via the Greentech Alliance, and seen how she has built and raised funds for the innovative Plan.A Earth platform, and transitioned the business during Covid. She has a great story and energy, and was delighted to be able to share that on the podcast.About Lubomila Jordanova: Lubomila Jordanova is the founder and CEO of PlanA.Earth, a Berlin-based startup developing an end-to-end platform that enables companies to measure, monitor and reduce their environmental footprint and improve their ESG performance. She is also the co-founder of the Greentech Alliance, a community of 500+ startups which are connected to over 350+ advisors from VC, media and business, who help them monthly with advice and feedback. Prior to Plan A, she worked in investment banking, venture capital and fintech in Asia and Europe. She was recently announced as Marshall Fund Fellow for 2021 and 100 Top Women in Germany 2020.About PlanA.Earth:Plan A is an end-to-end platform that lets companies measure, monitor and reduce their environmental footprint and improve their ESG performance. PlanA.Earth empowers enterprises to manage their company sustainably by transforming environmental insights into positive business results. The firm has been recognised by the President of the European Commission as a key player in the field. The product calculates company emissions through automated data collection processes, removing the need for cross-department data collection hassle. It then monitors emissions over time, allowing the client to understand their progress and see how they compare to industry benchmarks. Finally, the product creates tailored action plans and automated, custom recommendations blending reduction and compensation that help businesses take action. The product visualizes results, progress, and action steps in one coherent company dashboard, and offers exportable non-financial reports that clients can publish per governmental or investor request. Social links: Lubomila Jordanova on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ljordanova/ PlanA.Earth Website: https://plana.earth/ PlanA.Earth on Twitter https://twitter.com/planaearth?lang=en Lubomila Jordanova on Twitter: https://twitter.com/LubomilaJ PlanA.Earth on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/planaearth/ PlanA.Earth on Facebook: https://www.facebooAbout Hyperion Executive Search:Hyperion are a specialist executive search firm working with some of the most innovative cleantech companies in the world, helping to find extraordinary talent to enable their growth and success. Partnering with leading cleantech VCs, as well as directly with founders and entrepreneurs in the sector. With our clients we are transforming business and growing a strong and prosperous cleantech economy.If you want to grow your team, or move forward your career, visit www.hyperionsearch.com, or email info@hyperionsearch.com Follow us online, write a review (please) or subscribeI'm very keen to hear feedback on the podcast and my guests, and to hear your suggestions for future guests or topics. Contact via the website, or Twitter. If you do enjoy the podcast, please write a review on iTunes, or your usual podcast platform, and tell your cleantech friends about us. That would be much appreciated.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-hunt-cleantech/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DavidHsearch Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidhuntcleantech/Also follow our podcast handles to stay up to date. LinkedIn: ...
undefined
Apr 21, 2021 • 44min

Michael Sachse, Dandelion Energy – 76

What’s it all about?Addressing the heating issue through geothermal energy, even at a domestic level. I’ve seen Dandelion growing, and raising funds and thought it is a technology we haven’t yet covered on the podcast, so I was delighted when Michael agreed to join me and tell his, and their story, and how heat pumps are one more solution in our armoury.About Michael Sachse: Michael Sachse is an experienced executive who has previously scaled start-ups through periods of rapid growth. Sachse was previously CEO of Stardog, an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at NEA, and Chief Marketing Officer at Opower, where he helped to guide the company through its IPO and acquisition by Oracle.About Dandelion Energy:Dandelion Energy's mission is to enable the widespread adoption of geothermal. The company offers homeowners affordable geothermal heating & cooling systems as an alternative to gas, oil, propane, or electric heating. Originally conceived at X, Alphabet’s innovation lab, Dandelion is now an independent company offering geothermal heating and cooling systems to homeowners, starting in the Northeastern US. The team brings leadership experience from X and SolarCity, and shares a personal commitment to mitigate climate change by making renewable technologies more accessible.Dandelion’s modern geothermal heat pump systems provide efficient heating, air conditioning, and warm water at significant savings over older fossil fuel burning devices. Dandelion systems eliminate the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, improve indoor air quality, and allow people to reduce their home’s #1 source of harmful carbon pollution.Social links: Michael Sachse on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-sachse/ Dandelion Energy Website: https://dandelionenergy.com/ Dandelion Energyon Twitter https://twitter.com/DandelionEnergy Dandelion Energy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/dandelion-geothermal/ About Hyperion Executive Search:Hyperion are a specialist executive search firm working with some of the most innovative cleantech companies in the world, helping to find extraordinary talent to enable their growth and success. Partnering with leading cleantech VCs, as well as directly with founders and entrepreneurs in the sector. With our clients we are transforming business and growing a strong and prosperous cleantech economy.If you want to grow your team, or move forward your career, visit www.hyperionsearch.com, or email info@hyperionAbout Hyperion Executive Search:Hyperion are a specialist executive search firm working with some of the most innovative cleantech companies in the world, helping to find extraordinary talent to enable their growth and success. Partnering with leading cleantech VCs, as well as directly with founders and entrepreneurs in the sector. With our clients we are transforming business and growing a strong and prosperous cleantech economy.If you want to grow your team, or move forward your career, visit www.hyperionsearch.com, or email info@hyperionsearch.com Follow us online, write a review (please) or subscribeI'm very keen to hear feedback on the podcast and my guests, and to hear your suggestions for future guests or topics. Contact via the website, or Twitter. If you do enjoy the podcast, please write a review on iTunes, or your usual podcast platform, and tell your cleantech friends about us. That would be much appreciated.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-hunt-cleantech/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DavidHsearch Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidhuntcleantech/Also follow our podcast handles to stay up to date. LinkedIn: ...
undefined
Apr 8, 2021 • 49min

Greg Jackson, Octopus – 75

What’s it all about?Going Double Unicorn in 5 years, and still knowing you are still only at the beginning of the journey! I speak to tech founder and CEO of Octopus Energy Greg Jackson about how he used tech as the platform to disrupt one of the industries most resistant to, and in need of disruption- energy supply. With a focus on technology solving problems, and driving down costs, AND a focus on creating cultures which support and empower people to be their best and most creative. I hope you enjoy this slightly longer than usual episode.About Greg Jackson: Greg is an experienced digital entrepreneur, passionate about making the green energy revolution affordable through technology.He’s founded a number of successful businesses, including e-commerce company C360, built HomeServe’s innovation business and is an angel investor in a wide range of tech start-ups. He alsoserved as Director of several innovative businesses, including Zopa, the world’s first peer to peer lender, which has now lent almost £2bn fairly and responsibly whilst generating excellent interest rates for lenders.Greg founded Octopus Energy in 2015. It uses technology to be highly efficient – empowering customers with a full digital experience, and then using the same systems to provide the highest standards of support to its customers by phone, email and chat. This technology allows Octopus to challenge normal energy models, bringing transparent, low pricing to new and loyal customers.Octopus is a recognised innovator, delivering time-of-use tariffs at scale, driving EV adoption and helping make the smart grid a reality.About Octopus EnergyIn the UK, Octopus now stands at 2 million customers, growing by 2500-3000 per day, and is the only energy supplier recommended by consumer champions Which?, for four years in a row. Followingsignificant investment from Tokyo Gas and Origin Energy in December 2020, Octopus became a tech ‘double unicorn’ valued at well over £2 billion. With operations in the US, Germany, Australia, NewZealand and Japan, Octopus expects to expand its platform into many more markets over the next few years.Social linksCraig Evans on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregsjackson/ Octopus Energy Website: https://octopus.energy/ Octopus Energy on Twitter https://twitter.com/octopus_energy Greg Jackson on Twitter: https://twitter.com/g__j Octopus Energy on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/octopusenergy/ About Hyperion ExecAbout Hyperion Executive Search:Hyperion are a specialist executive search firm working with some of the most innovative cleantech companies in the world, helping to find extraordinary talent to enable their growth and success. Partnering with leading cleantech VCs, as well as directly with founders and entrepreneurs in the sector. With our clients we are transforming business and growing a strong and prosperous cleantech economy.If you want to grow your team, or move forward your career, visit www.hyperionsearch.com, or email info@hyperionsearch.com Follow us online, write a review (please) or subscribeI'm very keen to hear feedback on the podcast and my guests, and to hear your suggestions for future guests or topics. Contact via the website, or Twitter. If you do enjoy the podcast, please write a review on iTunes, or your usual podcast platform, and tell your cleantech friends about us. That would be much appreciated.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-hunt-cleantech/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DavidHsearch Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidhuntcleantech/Also follow our podcast handles to stay up to date. LinkedIn: ...
undefined
Mar 24, 2021 • 40min

Craig Evans, ESS – 74

What’s it all about?Flow batteries have had their technical and commercial challenges over the years, so it’s good to see that the technology is really starting to get traction in that 6-12 hour storage category. It’s also good to hear a good traditional ‘started in my garage’ cleantech start-ups story, just watch for the EPA. This week I talk to Craig Evans about scaling a the flow battery technology and company of ESS Inc.About Craig Evans: Craig Evans is the President and CEO, and a founder of ESS Inc. Having started ESS from his garage in 2011, he led the company to the commercialization of the Iron Flow Battery system in 2016. Prior to ESS, Craig was the Director of Design & Product Development at ClearEdge Power Inc. His team designed the ClearEdge5, a 5kW combine-heat-and-power fuel cell system, which was successfully commercialized in 2010. This product received both CSA International certification in North America and KNREC certification in Asia. Craig began his career at United Technologies Corporation (UTC) where he held technical leadership positions in their Fuel Cell business and, prior to that, as a project engineer in the Pratt & Whitney aircraft engine business. In 2006, He was awarded the distinguished George Mead Award, the highest honor for individual engineering achievement at UTC.Craig Evans has authored over 15 patents and patent applications. He holds a BS in Aerospace Engineering and an MS in Mechanical Engineering from Clarkson University, an MS in Finance from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and an M.B.A from Carnegie Mellon University.About ESS:ESS’s mission is to bring to market the cleanest, lowest-cost long-duration energy storage systems. Which are the catalyst for a sustainable energy future.Established in 2011, ESS Inc. manufactures low-cost, long-duration iron flow batteries for commercial and utility-scale energy storage applications requiring 4+ hours of flexible energy capacity. Our long-duration energy storage platforms, the Energy Warehouse™ (EW) and Energy Center™(EC), use iron, salt, and water for the electrolyte, and deliver an environmentally safe, long-life energy storage solution for the world’s renewable energy infrastructure.Based in Wilsonville, Oregon, ESS Inc. was founded by a team with deep experience in fuel cells, electrochemistry, advanced material science and renewable energy. After five years of intensive innovation, engineering development and rigorous testing aAbout Hyperion Executive Search:Hyperion are a specialist executive search firm working with some of the most innovative cleantech companies in the world, helping to find extraordinary talent to enable their growth and success. Partnering with leading cleantech VCs, as well as directly with founders and entrepreneurs in the sector. With our clients we are transforming business and growing a strong and prosperous cleantech economy.If you want to grow your team, or move forward your career, visit www.hyperionsearch.com, or email info@hyperionsearch.com Follow us online, write a review (please) or subscribeI'm very keen to hear feedback on the podcast and my guests, and to hear your suggestions for future guests or topics. Contact via the website, or Twitter. If you do enjoy the podcast, please write a review on iTunes, or your usual podcast platform, and tell your cleantech friends about us. That would be much appreciated.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-hunt-cleantech/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DavidHsearch Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidhuntcleantech/Also follow our podcast handles to stay up to date. LinkedIn: ...
undefined
Mar 17, 2021 • 47min

Gretchen Bakke, Author – 73

One of the biggest challenges I face is trying to keep up with all the great books my guests recommend as part of the show. One that I absolutely loved and found incredibly useful was The Grid: The fraying wires between Americans and our energy future. After the recent black outs in Texas I thought it a great time to speak with the author Gretchen Bakke, and ask why that happened, what needs to change, and what opportunities that creates for cleantech start-ups, scale-ups and VCs. I’m delighted that Gretchen accepted my request and joins me on the podcast this week.About Gretchen Bakke: Gretchen is interested in what people do when the systems they rely upon stop working. Whether speaking of the end of political systems like communism, infrastructural systems like the electric grid, economic systems like whaling, energetic systems like fossil fuels, or cultural systems like the contemporary university what unites my work is an abiding concern for both the inventive creativity and the normative impulses that systemic collapse begets. What is the nature of renewal, she asks, and what do people, diversely, make of things when all that is solid fades unexpectedly into air. About Grid- The Fraying Wires Between Americans and Our Energy Future:“A remarkable achievement. Bakke deftly shows us how a system most of us are happy to ignore–the electrical grid–is both inseparable from everything we think of as civilization and on the verge of complete failure.” Paul Roberts, author of The End Of Oil and The Impulse Society. “This book, about our aging electrical grid, fits in one of my favorite genres: ‘Books About Mundane Stuff That Are Actually Fascinating.’ … even if you have never given a moment’s thought to how electricity reaches your outlets, I think this book would convince you that the electrical grid is one of the greatest engineering wonders of the modern world. I think you would also come to see why modernizing the grid is so complex and so critical for building our clean-energy future.” - Bill Gates, “My Favorite Books of 2016Social links: Gretchen Bakke on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gretchen-bakke-485067135/ Gretchen Bakke Website: http://bakkeconsolidated.org/about.php About Hyperion Executive Search:Hyperion are a specialist executive search firm working with some of the most innovative cleantech companies in the world, helping to find extraordinary talent to enable their growth and success. Partnering wAbout Hyperion Executive Search:Hyperion are a specialist executive search firm working with some of the most innovative cleantech companies in the world, helping to find extraordinary talent to enable their growth and success. Partnering with leading cleantech VCs, as well as directly with founders and entrepreneurs in the sector. With our clients we are transforming business and growing a strong and prosperous cleantech economy.If you want to grow your team, or move forward your career, visit www.hyperionsearch.com, or email info@hyperionsearch.com Follow us online, write a review (please) or subscribeI'm very keen to hear feedback on the podcast and my guests, and to hear your suggestions for future guests or topics. Contact via the website, or Twitter. If you do enjoy the podcast, please write a review on iTunes, or your usual podcast platform, and tell your cleantech friends about us. That would be much appreciated.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-hunt-cleantech/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/DavidHsearch Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidhuntcleantech/Also follow our podcast handles to stay up to date. LinkedIn: ...

The AI-powered Podcast Player

Save insights by tapping your headphones, chat with episodes, discover the best highlights - and more!
App store bannerPlay store banner
Get the app