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Andy Tang is the vice president of energy storage and optimization for Wärtsilä's global Energy Business and works directly with utilities and power producers to accelerate the shift toward a 100% renewable energy future.
For nearly three decades, he's led business development, strategic planning, corporate finance and mergers and acquisitions for some of the most influential players in the energy and telecom sectors. From modernizing the electric grid with smart meters to replacing aging grids with energy storage and microgrids, Andy stands at the bleeding edge of the digital energy frontier.
His position at Wärtsilä evolved from a job he accepted in 2014 at Greensmith Energy, a provider of energy storage software and integration services. Helsinki, Finland-based Wärtsilä acquired Greensmith in 2014 to expand its footprint in the energy storage market globally and improve its position itself as an energy system integrator.
In his current role, Andy has full responsibility for Wärtsilä's energy storage business. Because energy storage underpins flexibility solutions and balances the intermittent nature of renewable power generation, it's an essential component of a reliable system.
In the past year, Andy has led massive growth in Warsilla's Energy Business, increasing order intake more than tenfold.
A first-generation Chinese immigrant, Andy was expected to follow the footprints of his siblings in a medical career. But in his first year of college, he realized it was an uncomfortable path for someone who dislikes hospitals and the sight of blood.
"I made a difficult decision, and I informed my very Chinese widowed mother, who accepted it with much disappointment," he said. "She now begrudgingly understands I've been able to carve a reasonable position for myself and my family, though as recently as 10 years ago, she was still telling me it wasn't too late to go to medical school."
By any objective standard, Andy is a success. He leveraged his early career experience in investment banking to gain a bird's eye view of various business sectors. His insights eventually made him a champion for new technology, especially in telecom and the industries it spawned, like clean energy.
"Around 2006, there was a lot of talk about modernizing the power grid, and this was kind of the first generation of clean tech," Andy recalled. Although he considered some of the entrepreneurial opportunities developing around the technology, in 2007, he opted for a job as senior director of customer energy products at Pacific Gas and Electric Company.
"It was on the verge of deploying a smart meter and brought me in to help evaluate the technology decisions," he said. Electric companies need to support the highest load curve — a reality that parallels telecom companies' need to build networks to support the maximum number of simultaneous calls.
"We support the load curve for the hottest or coldest day, depending on where you live," he said.
Andy left PG&E in 2011 to indulge his entrepreneurial side. He started one company that assessed commercial building efficiency with artificial intelligence and smart building technology, and after it failed, a software company that helped utilities improve demand response.
Through success and setbacks, Andy has persevered and believes all his experiences have shaped him into an effective leader that understands the imperative of solid teamwork.
"In leadership and managing a team, you need to break down petty human nature, defensiveness, the 'well, it's not my fault,' and the lack of accountability or unwillingness to be accountable for specific areas. You need to get to that point where you behave like a team," he said
Tune into today's podcast to hear more about Andy's journey and his insights, observations and forecasts about power markets and the technologies that will enable them to evolve. He also shares his views on how AI and other innovations shape the energy sector.
BOOKS MENTIONED AND RECOMMENDATIONS:
NOTEWORTHY QUOTE:
“I started developing some heart issues, and actually had a full blown heart attack at the age of 35. And so that really caused me to take a pause and say, what’s important to me? And what do I want to do?”
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ABOUT THE HOST OF SUNCAST:
Nico Johnson is the creator and host of SunCast, consistently rated a top solar podcast in the clean energy sector. The content of the show is geared towards listeners looking for insights on where the markets are headed, how to position themselves or their companies, and what today's market leaders do to stay ahead of the pack.
Nico is an Investor, Executive Coach, and 16-year veteran of the solar industry, having led development in the US and Latin America for global companies like Trina Solar and Conergy.
You can connect with Nico Johnson on Twitter, LinkedIn or email.
If you’ve been second-guessing your work decisions or maybe trying to reconsider how you "fit" in the renewable energy industry -> grab 20 minutes on Nico's calendar and discuss whether having him as Your personal coach might be the right next step.