Episode 573

573: This savvy energy startup measures the carbon on the grid. Wenbo Shi, CEO Singularity Energy

Published on: 23rd February, 2023

Today’s episode guest, Wenbo Shi, goes Deep with me on how he’s built his Boston-based energy startup, including detailed answers on the how, when, why and who of his fundraising strategy like I’ve rarely gotten into with a guest. Wenbo honed his interest in solar and decarbonization during an intensive academic journey stretching from undergraduate studies at Xi'an Jiaotong University in Xi'an to a Ph.D. from UCLA and post-doctoral work at Harvard. He vowed early on to NOT be in the power sector; I get him to talk about why he ultimately realized he couldn’t avoid it.

At both UCLA and Harvard, he researched microgrid and smart grid management and published more than 20 peer-reviewed papers, which have received more than 1,000 citations. Two of those papers ranked among the most popular articles ever published in IEEE, the world's largest technical professional organization. So you can trust me when I say that today’s guest is a smart grid expert!

Wenbo embarked on an entrepreneurial path in 2019 after completing his Harvard fellowship. His company, Singularity Energy, is a Software-as-a-Service platform that reports on carbon emissions for the electricity grid, and counts major utilities and consumer brands like Eversource and Sense as clients.  

Boston-base Singularity uses advanced machine learning to help grid operators quantify their carbon footprints. It analyzes and predicts carbon emissions changes and the impacts of decarbonization measures so customers can time their energy use and trim their carbon footprints.

In today's podcast, Wenbo explains how Singularity evolved to solve this carbon data problem and how leveraging that data to inform better decisions is the most direct path to decarbonization. This insightful episode is full of memorable takeaways that will act as connective tissue for problems you're solving.

If you want to connect with today's guest, you’ll find links to his contact info in the show notes on the blog at https://mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes/.

SunCast is proudly supported by Trina Solar.

You can learn more about all the sponsors who help make this show free for you at www.mysuncast.com/sponsors.

Remember, you can always find resources, learn more about today’s guest and explore recommendations, book links, and more than 650 other founder stories and startup advice at www.mysuncast.com.

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You can connect with me, Nico Johnson, on:

Twitter - https://www.twitter.com/nicomeo

LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/nickalus

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About the Podcast

SunCast
Your resource for developing a clean energy or climate tech career
Nico Johnson takes you into conversations with those at the forefront of Renewable Energy.

SunCast gives an inside look into what is happening in renewable energy. From conversations with the biggest Solar Panel manufacturers in the world to the small startups creating the future of renewable energy, such as carbon capture and battery technology breakthroughs.

SunCast is dedicated to providing the knowledge, research, tools and expert guidance you need to understand, grow and be ahead of the curve in the fastest-growing markets in the world.

Featuring over 600 conversations, Nico has interviewed people from Tesla, SolarCity, Trina Solar, Meyer Burger, Conergy, SunEdison, Energy Vault and even the US Government... to name a few. Covering topics such as Solar Power, Wind Energy, Batteries, Electric Vehicles, Carbon Capture, Finance, Hydrogen, and more.

You can watch SunCast on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SunCastMedia

...or view the full archive of SunCast episodes here: https://mysuncast.com/suncast-episodes