#181 Hot Rocks, From EPA to Apple, Paths to Commercialization, The CapEx > OpEx Model, & More w/ Arvin Ganesan (Fourth Power)

Today, we speak with Arvin Ganesan, an ex-Obama-Admin EPA and ex-Apple Energy Procurement executive. His career is fascinating, from finance to Policy to Energy Tech CEO. He offers us a lot of insight into their technology, how it works, and specifically how it plays well with utility models of making money. Towards the end, he mentioned the unknown of the commercialization path. He pointed out that it's not important to pick a model of commercialization with a tech like this because so many variables can dictate the best path to commercialization when the tech is proven past the pilot scale. Lots of good stuff is in today's episode! ---🌎 Want the full PodLetter? Go to our substack to see the written content that supplements the audio interview.  ---🌴 https://linktr.ee/cleantechies📺 👀 Prefer to watch: subscribe on YouTube 🗣️ Take the Listeners Survey 📫 Get Written Summaries of Each Episode in Your Inbox ----- Topics: **2:37 Why Cheap and Accessible Energy Storage Matters**2:37 Why Cheap and Accessible Energy Storage Matters**17:30 Fourth Power's Utility-Scale Thermal Battery**21:58 Fast and Efficient Energy Storage and Discharge**27:10 Building Fourth Power**32:04 The Power of People**37:24 Maintaining Culture with Growth**42:21 Opportunities in the Utility Market**47:04 Startup Opportunities in Agriculture Decarbonization**49:01 The Importance of Mentorship**52:19 Takeaways----- Links: **Arvin Ganesan | Fourth Power**Follow CleanTechies on LinkedIn**@Silas & @Somil_Agg on X Support the showIf you're gonna change the world, you're gonna need a world-class team. Partner with ErthTech Talent to help you do that, for less.70+ Placements5+ Years (exclusively in CleanTech)The Lowest Fees in the Market (12-15% of first-year salary)90-day placement guaranteeIt's really hard to say no to that. Wait?! -- The best service is also the cheapest? Seems too good to be true, but it's the entire reason we started this company. We believe that Climate entrepreneurs are doing important work, and there should be a firm to help them find the best talent, without it breaking the bank. Reach out today for a free assessment of your hiring process. [email protected]