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About the Episode:
How does an idea go from concept to lab, from lab to field, and finally attract massive capital investment? What can a decade of business building behind the iron curtain in post-cold-war Eastern Europe teach you?
Ty Jagerson has spent his over 25 years executive career launching and growing businesses at Xerox (PARC), SolFocus, Google X, and most recently General Motors. His work at Google X, on Tapestry-the Moonshot Factory project, focused on overcoming the data bottlenecks that hinder the integration of distributed energy resources (DERs) like solar and electric vehicles into the grid. Long before he spun novel technology out of PARC (you might have heard of SolFocus?) he was learning the ropes in Ukraine and Russia exporting space tech, in the 90s! Throughout his career Jagerson’s work reflects a relentless pursuit of integrating renewable energy into the grid, all while navigating the high-stakes, competitive landscape that he likens to the "Hunger Games" of the energy industry.
You’ll discover:
The long arc of innovation and how it often takes (7 to 14 years!) for technology to really become commercially viable.
Insights into how corporate environments may not always be the best incubators for innovation but can serve as safe havens for developing ideas from external sources.
The importance of industry "scar tissue" and how past failures contribute to future successes.
Insights from Ty’s work at Google X and V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) at GM on integrating DERs.
Listen in to learn how one iconic clean energy pioneer, Ty Jagerson, navigated the challenges of integrating DERs with the grid, offering critical lessons for entrepreneurs striving to innovate and succeed in the energy sector.
NOTEWORTHY QUOTEs:
“If you look at the long trajectory of human progress. There’s this underlying technology component of the human experience, and it tends to be fairly cumulative.”
“If you’re really going to create something that is enabling a transformational breakthrough in an industry, you’ve got to be tackling the right problem sets.”
Thanks again to this week's sponsor, helping keep the podcast FREE to you!
Our Platinum Presenting Sponsor for SunCast is Chint Power Systems America!
CPS America is the #1 supplier of 3-phase string inverters for Commercial & Industrial and Utility-Scale projects with more than 8 gigawatts of inverters installed on 20,000+ sites around the nation!
We are grateful for our GOLD sponsor:
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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 15 minutes on Nico's calendar and discuss whether having him as Your personal coach might be the right next step.