Special tribute episode, featuring longtime friends, respected colleagues and Hall of Fame contributors reflecting on the profound impact of J. Allen Byrne—a pioneering expert, educator, Battcon founder, IEEE Senior Member, and International Battery Hall of Fame inductee—whose decades of leadership in stationary battery systems, DC power solutions, and industry education shaped modern practices and inspired generations.

Episode Highlights

6:09 – We convinced Allen to leave Marconi Space and Defense, and he came and joined us in Saudi.

16:15 – He was the titan. They called Gauss the titan of electricity. But Allen Byrne was the titan of energy storage, and you could always bet on him. Having an answer to whatever question you asked him.

23:50 – He was always trying to look out for everybody else and make sure everybody else felt comfortable. But he was definitely, as I said before, a force to be reckoned with in the industry.

31:20 – We both agreed that once the last of the old guard is gone, also going to be gone is hundreds of years of experiences and knowledge and the willingness to share that, to stand up alone when needed to help the industry be better.

49:29 – Allen's interest went way beyond just batteries and he, he has a lasting impact.

Join Allen for an engaging episode of DC Power Hour, where he moderates a dynamic panel discussion featuring Battcon Hall of Fame members Tom Carpenter and Pete DeMar, alongside industry experts Ryan Wallace and Lucas Berndt. Together, they dive into the highlights of Battcon 2025, sharing key takeaways, memorable moments, and insights from the premier battery technology conference.

Episode Highlights

11:02 – Was there any real concerns at, Battcon about lithium ion respect to safety?

29:34 – What did you think of the panel session sessions?

44:25 – It was a fantastic Battcon. It, the venue, the subjects were great. They were diversified and every single paper teaches me something.

52:44 – Building those relationships, getting to know those people, that's the true value of being involved in coming to events like Battcon.

Listen, in this episode of DC Power Hour, Allen is joined by Nick Fortune and Mike Vest of HOPPECKE Batteries Inc. as they discuss power outages, threats to the grid, and more with Ryan Wallace and Lucas Berndt from Eagle Eye Power Solutions.

Episode Highlights

5:09 –  My feeling is that the grid is overextended. It's under-built at the moment, and there's more and more power being placed on the grid every day, especially with the advent of artificial intelligence and data centers.

8:48 – Can we take things below ground and get the wires underneath so they don't get crunched by trees and limbs that come down.

11:01 – We recycle over 99.9% of our lead. We've won awards in many of those type of situations, we're very green.

33:42 – What do you guys think of bringing small nuclear reactors closer to the need for power? Microgirds?