When it comes to the future of renewable energy storage, everyone talks about lithium-ion. But, it has a fatal flaw that exposes massive US power grid vulnerabilities. Luckily, non-flammable batteries and a genius PhD incubator hack might just save us from a catastrophic global energy crisis.

This week on Thought Liters, I'm joined by Becca Segel, founder and CEO of FlowCellutions. By 2050, the world needs 60 times its current energy storage. To hit that milestone and prevent an energy grid failure, we desperately need long duration energy storage (LDES). Becca breaks down the massive $1,000,000-per-minute stakes of data center power consumption and outages, explains exactly how flow batteries vs lithium ion stack up , and reveals how her company acts as a real-time "blood test" to monitor the future of battery tech.

Plus, Becca shares her incredible journey into climate tech entrepreneurship. She details exactly how to fund a startup by strategically using a PhD program, the realities of building deep tech startups, and the ultimate "magic wand" B2B sales strategies she used to land a national laboratory as her first customer.

00:00 The 60x Global Energy Crisis Threat

00:45 Flow Batteries vs Lithium Ion (And Why They Don't Catch Fire)

04:06 The $1,000,000/Minute Data Center Power Problem

07:18 The "Apple Watch" & Blood Test for the US Power Grid

11:57 How to Fund a Deep Tech Startup Using a PhD

16:16 The "Magic Wand" B2B Sales Strategy

19:30 The 3 Bottlenecks to Saving the Energy Grid by 2050

23:18 The Last Call: Becca's Advice for Climate Tech Entrepreneurs

#businesspodcast #pittsburgh #thoughtliters

WHAT IS THOUGHT LITERS?

Thought Liters is a series created and hosted by Adam Conner. On the show, Adam learns from the top of the world through the bottom of their glass. Each episode, we share a flight of local craft with the best and brightest brand minds around – whether it be an entrepreneur, an athlete, an artist, or otherwise. The questions evolve as the sip changes.

The show is proudly founded and produced in Pittsburgh, PA.

The whole goal is to have conversations about business with a more lighthearted look and feel. Adam thinks most business content is dry, and wants to change that.

If you’re interested, follow along! If not, that’s cool too. But if you wanna be where the thought leaders are…you’ll tune in to where Thought Liters is.