Jeff Hamel

Want to learn more about Amazon Web Services (AWS)' investment in carbon free energy locally here in Washington State? Brandon Oyer, PE spent time Tyrah Majors on KOMO News to talk about how AWS is investing billions in carbon-free energy to power data centers, including a groundbreaking small modular reactor (SMR) project with Energy Northwest right here in Washington State that will bring over 1,000 construction jobs and 100+ permanent positions while adding new nuclear energy to the grid by the 2030s. Check out the interview here: https://lnkd.in/gJgSayhr #sustainability #datacenters #energy #AWS #decarbonization

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We're teaming up with Salt River Project to unlock the future of long-duration energy storage. 🔋 Today, Google announced our first-of-its-kind collaboration with SRP to catalyze the next frontier of LDES technologies. Solutions that store and dispatch power for 10+ hour durations can unlock new capacity and increase resilience for grids with a high volume of renewables. By supporting multiple LDES pilot projects, we hope to accelerate the learnings and innovation needed to help these technologies commercialize much faster – providing even more flexibility for our grids and helping them run on clean energy around the clock. Read more about the collaboration: https://lnkd.in/eYHH6b9D

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Energy storage is quickly becoming a cornerstone of grid reliability and flexibility across the country. At Accion, we’re seeing a surge in utility procurement of renewable-plus-storage projects, as well as stand-alone solicitations focused entirely on expanding storage capacity. It’s an exciting transformation driven by rapidly advancing storage technologies and the growing need to integrate intermittent renewables more effectively. This shift has major implications for the infrastructure investments utilities will need to make over the next decade. We’re proud to support this transition by leveraging our experience in storage RFPs, providing clients with technology-specific templates and customized bid forms designed to help them confidently and successfully integrate storage into their systems. https://lnkd.in/dh_MPJ6J #EnergyStorage #GridModernization #UtilityProcurement #CleanEnergy #Renewables #EnergyTransition #InfrastructureInvestment #RFP #BatteryStorage #EnergyInnovation #PowerSector #ClimateTech

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This is a remarkable and much-needed project that highlights the real-world complexities of deploying resilient, community-based clean energy in urban, multi-family settings. The Clean Coalition and PAE Engineers have clearly put together an innovative and thoughtful workaround to California’s restrictive metering laws—one that could serve as a model for scalable microgrid design across the state. At North Shore Energy, we recognize that successful microgrid deployment doesn’t just depend on interconnection and policy—it hinges on the right kind of storage. That’s where ELDES (Electrostatic Long Duration Energy Storage) can make a powerful impact. Unlike lithium-ion systems, which come with fire risk, thermal management requirements, and degradation over time, ELDES delivers: 🔹500,000+ full cycles with zero degradation 🔹No lithium, no cobalt, and no thermal runaway risk 🔹99% round-trip efficiency 🔹Full recyclability and modular, compact design 🔹Unmatched safety for residential and urban settings This makes ELDES ideal for multi-family housing where space is tight, safety is paramount, and long-term performance is non-negotiable. In the case of the BERMUS project, ELDES could provide seamless backup power for critical loads like medical equipment, HVAC, and WiFi without the concerns that typically accompany chemical-based battery systems. We’re ready to help support this vision with: 🔹Custom-engineered ELDES units sized for house meter and common load resilience 🔹Integration support for grid isolation and CMET compliance 🔹Financing models including Energy Storage-as-a-Service (ESaaS) to reduce upfront costs 🔹Assistance with CEC reporting and performance modeling to meet grant requirements This project isn’t just about clean power—it’s about equitable energy access, community resilience, and long-term ownership for underserved populations. We would be honored to be part of that mission. Let’s connect to explore how North Shore Energy and ELDES can support this and similar projects across California. — Brian Hall Chief Commercial Officer North Shore Energy

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Today marks a historic day for Meta and for the future of clean energy in the US: We announced agreements with three companies for up to 6.6 GW of clean, reliable nuclear energy. Scaling advanced nuclear power is no easy feat, however the announcements we made today mark a pivotal step forward. Through agreements with Vistra Corp., Oklo Inc and TerraPower, we will extend the life of three nuclear power plants, accelerate development of new reactor technologies, and support thousands of skilled jobs. These agreements amount to one of the most significant corporate purchases of nuclear energy in America. As we look forward toward our AI ambitions and the amount of compute we will bring online over the next few years, innovation at this scale requires a robust energy pipeline. Nuclear offers a clean, reliable carbon-free solution. The agreements we announced today will help create a more reliable electric grid and power American communities and our industry-leading data centers - all while creating American jobs and advancing our country's leadership in AI. I'm proud of the nuclear RFP process that our team ran over the past year, soliciting submissions from developers across the country in an effort to bring this energy online. We look forward to working closely with Vistra, Oklo, and Terrapower to advance these projects and bring more nuclear energy onto the grid. Congratulations to Meta's Energy team and many cross-functional partners for leading these milestone projects. https://lnkd.in/didZ9FZm

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Today, Google announced that we've integrated 1 GW of demand response capacity into our data center energy contracts across the United States. When we first set our 24/7 carbon-free energy ambition, we knew procuring clean energy would only be part of the puzzle. That’s why we’ve developed industry-leading capabilities to use energy more flexibly at our data centers, working with our utility partners to help optimize the grids that serve them. Historically, power grids have been designed to meet demand during the few times each year when it’s the highest. Because of this, utilities often have to build expensive, carbon-intensive infrastructure that is only needed for a small fraction of hours annually. This is where demand response can play a critical role. Google’s demand response capability allows us to limit or shift a portion of machine learning workloads running in our data centers. In certain locations, we can temporarily reduce our power consumption on the local grid, helping reduce the need for new generating capacity and enabling growing energy demand to be met efficiently, cleanly, and reliably. As we continue to increase our efficiency and bring more energy online, I’m excited about how demand response can also play a role. Learn more ⤵️ goo.gle/3NQ9nnT

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Jason Blumberg and Sara Chamberlain launched Energy Foundry in February 2013 under Illinois's Smart Grid law. Energy Foundry was a mission and backed by $22.5M from ComEd and Ameren. That seed funded an evergreen nonprofit venture fund built to empower early-stage #energy and #cleantech founders, and to feed every dollar earned back into the next generation. From day one Jason and Sara set out to be more than check-writers. Blumberg came from McKinsey #energyconsulting and then ran ISEIF and Booth School classes. Chamberlain brought #energytech investing wisdom spanning two decades. Their partnership wired a clear signal, these are operators, not paper-pushers. Their team built infrastructure that most funds only dream about. Destiny Head runs operations while Matthew Van Hoeven, CPA, MBA manages every dollar, every return, every future reinvested. Henry Heitzer, Andrew Ranck, Bijoy Shah and the firm's venture partners bring the muscle behind the scenes. But no highfalutin hierarchies. Just a relentless engine focused on impact and scale. Energy Foundry looks at pre-seed and seed startups in energy, #mobility, #water, #waste, and #agriculture by asking: Is this disruptive? Defensible? Scalable? It's not enough to have a patent. They look for pilots in utility test-beds, go-to-market plans co-built with industry partners, #uniteconomics that don't implode in year two. That's not hype. That's business. They've backed 29 startups so far. Three have exited: Azumo sold to SUEZ, Digital H2O to Evoqua Water Technologies and Advanced Diamond Technologies, Inc. to Element Six. NanoGraf, a next-gen battery materials startup, has raised over $100M. Intellihot Inc. has deployed efficiency solutions at scale. Omnidian now offers predictive-maintenance #SaaS. The follow-on capital raised by the portfolio has surpassed $1B. And by 2030 these companies are projected to abate 2.6 billion metric tons of CO₂, enough juice to power 17 million homes. Evergreen. Nonprofit. No exit clock. No LPs pacing returns. They can ride out the long haul. That structure has unlocked catalytic capital. Their 78 percent diverse-leadership portfolio isn't a checkbox. It's baked into deal flow. And they've built real partnership pipelines, with #utilities, #labs,# universities, #corporate sponsors, all feeding into the community. #Climateinnovation doesn't happen overnight. You need capital. You need grit. You need runway. Energy Foundry delivers that. If you're a founder, engineer or operator hungry to build the future of energy, it's time to listen. Current roles are open at NanoGraf, Intellihot and Omnidian. Hit their career pages 👇 . Follow this firm. Study their founders. Track their plays. #VentureCapital #VCSpotlight #VCFirm #Startups #Founders #FounderJourney #StartupJourney #StartupFunding #InvestmentCapital #Technology #Innovation #TechEcosystem #StartupEcosystem #Hiring #TechHiring If software engineering peace of mind is what you crave, Vention is your zen.

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Google + DTE Energy = 2.7 GW of new clean power for Michigan. Today, we announced our plans for a new data center in Michigan. I’m particularly proud of how this project was specifically designed to strengthen the local grid. For the fellow energy contracting nerds out there, our agreement includes a Clean Capacity Acceleration Agreement with DTE (the same structure as the Clean Transition Tariff). This means that we’re bringing 2.7 GW of new clean resources online, including solar power, advanced storage, and demand flexibility, while protecting ratepayers. Beyond the grid, we’re also focused on the people who call Michigan home. We’re establishing a $10 million Energy Impact Fund to support affordability initiatives like home weatherization and energy efficiency programs, while also investing in energy workforce development. This is a significant step for our future in the Great Lakes State. Learn more ⤵️ https://lnkd.in/gfb7PD6k 

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@Meta's partnership announcements with Vistra, TerraPower, and Oklo signal an important shift in how hyperscalers are approaching energy infrastructure. The agreements will unlock up to 6.6 GW of nuclear capacity, extending the operational life of plants in Ohio and Pennsylvania while supporting advanced reactor development. https://lnkd.in/edw96XjN Vistra's upgrades will add 433 MW of baseload power to the PJM grid. This translates to thousands of construction jobs and hundreds of permanent positions in communities where nuclear energy has been an economic anchor for decades. Oklo and TerraPower gain the commercial certainty needed to scale their advanced reactor designs, which is critical for the long-term viability of next-gen nuclear technology. What I find most significant, is Meta directly investing in infrastructure to support its own demand. When hyperscalers invest in grid infrastructure, it strengthens reliability and creates more equitable cost allocation. This is what that principle looks like in practice. We will explore these dynamics at the @INCOMPAS Policy Summit February 4-5 in DC, and discuss the most pressing issues shaping communications and the AI infrastructure landscape. Looking forward to the conversation in D.C.

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"Energy for AI and AI for energy." That's the vision of @Westinghouse, as they deepen a partnership with Google Cloud that will help launch construction of 10 new gigawatt-power #AP1000 #nuclear reactors across the United States by 2030. Our AI is helping speed up construction, operations, safety, and resilience for these and many other power generation facilities that are critical to meeting the needs of both AI and society for reliable carbon-neutral energy.

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My colleague Sarah Pearl just posted about Half Moon Bay, and their journey to developing a Community Microgrid 🔋 ⚡ 🍃 PG&E's Microgrid Incentive Program enables communities, like the beautiful coastal town of Half Moon Bay, to apply for funding to develop microgrids to (a) protect critical services, businesses, and homes against grid outages, (b) reduce electric bills, and (c) reach decarbonization targets. Without reviewing ALL of the benefits a microgrid provides, and without incorporating the expected impacts of climate change and asset degradation on future outage risk, utilities, microgrid developers, and communities could miss out on a clear positive business case to build a microgrid. Excited to see if/how this gets deployed! #resilience #baringa #microgrids

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As CTO of Chesapeake Utilities Corporation, Abhijit Bhatwadekar directs the digital infrastructure for one of the largest energy producers in the United States. We welcome him to the Scaleblazer podcast by Othello to discuss the technical systems and innovation required to power massive-scale industrial operations. Link to the podcast here: https://lnkd.in/eRxMPnve

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California’s recent energy legislation creates new opportunities for utilities as the state joins a broader Western power market and extends climate commitments through 2045. These changes bring added complexity to wildfire mitigation, grid reliability, and renewable integration, making precise local weather intelligence more important than ever. Western Weather Group's high-end stations and forecasting services are designed to provide the accuracy, reliability, and operational insights needed to meet these evolving requirements and support organizations in protecting infrastructure, managing risks, and maintaining compliance.

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Yes, Patrick Maloney! Yes, John Kwaak! Yes, Daniel Leff! Yes, Alex Demeulenaere! Let's goooooooooo! 185 GW of existing backup generators await an AI technology layer to help solve U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) goals to dramatically improve reliability and affordability of U.S. grids. According to Deloitte, 119 GW of additional AI data center load is coming online by 2035 in the U.S. alone. Most of this new demand comes with backup generation that can ensure "zero sum" peak demand growth if that generation has the technology to deliver grid services. AiGent is purpose built to support this promise. https://lnkd.in/eX4Snv5G

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Wrapping up a great week and reflecting on the CEO Insights session at the Western Energy Institute Annual Meeting. Hosted by John Hairston from Bonneville Power Administration, it was one of the most candid, future-focused panels I’ve heard in our industry. 🔹 Scott Crider (San Diego Gas & Electric) spoke about the urgent need to balance California’s aggressive decarbonization goals with affordability — while investing billions in wildfire resiliency and customer trust. 🔹 Janisse Quiñones (Los Angeles Department of Water and Power) shared how LA is marching toward 100% clean energy by 2035, upgrading transmission, pioneering hydrogen blending, and creating local jobs to make the transition equitable. 🔹 Janine Sullivan (FortisAlberta) highlighted the shift from “poles and wires” to customer-centric, tech-enabled solutions in an affordability-driven, fossil-fueled economy — all while navigating policy uncertainty. Themes that resonated: •       Affordability isn’t going away — customers need real cost value now, not just in 20 years. •       Resilience is a strategy, not an afterthought — from predictive weather models to brush-clearing goats. •       Workforce agility matters — trades plus AI-savvy leaders who can pivot fast. •       Customer trust is fragile — listen before building programs, show up in communities, communicate early and often. Exciting to see how utilities are innovating under pressure and how partners like Mosaic can help them deliver on safety, reliability, and utility operations for the future. #EnergyLeadership | #UtilityTransformation | #GridModernization | #CleanEnergyFuture

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California’s energy future is on the clock. The state has made bold commitments to decarbonize, but without rapidly accelerating Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) deployment, those goals—and our grid reliability—are at risk. We cannot afford to let permitting bottlenecks and interconnection delays stall critical progress. Read my article and weigh in: https://lnkd.in/gTZAke6y What do you believe is the single biggest barrier to scaling BESS today? #EnergyStorage #CleanEnergy #BESS #CaliforniaEnergy #ClimateAction #GridReliability #PublicPolicy #Decarbonization #BatteryStorage

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Growing up in the energy world of the ‘80s as an aramco kid, I saw firsthand how industry legacy shapes our future. Today, I’m thrilled to announce a DCTAV strategic partnership with Young Professionals in Energy DC to pay that legacy forward. We’ve officially partnered to bridge the gap between DC’s seasoned energy giants and the next generation of innovators. This is about more than networking—it’s about the exchange of trusted relationships to lead the global energy transition. Whether you are a senior leader looking to give back or an emerging professional ready to lead: We need you. Let’s go DC! 👇 Comment "MENTOR" below, and I’ll send you the details! #EnergyTransition #DCTech #Mentorship #AramcoKids #Innovation #YPDC #DCTAV DC Tech & Venture Coalition (DCTAV) Young Professionals in Energy DC The Synergos Fund

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