By Frank Andorka, Senior Correspondent
For those of us who love the solar industry, storage is the next frontier. If we can figure out how to marry solar + storage, then the rest of the market opens up and mass adoption arrives in a big green wave.
But much like the solar module manufacturing segment of the industry, there are too many battery manufacturers out there in the market. To allow companies to make money and thrive – meaning keeping innovation and breakthrough ideas alive – consolidation is a critical part of that equation.
So when a company like NantEnergy, which currently focuses on zinc-air batteries, purchases the lithium-ion technology arm of Sharp Electronics, some of us sign with relief and suggest that this kind of consolidation will actually move the industry forward rather than make it take a step back.
What makes me even more sanguine about this purchase is that NantEnergy appears to be keeping the entire staff of Sharp’s Energy System and Services Group on board, including its founder Carl Mansfield, who will join NantEnergy as a vice president. In other words, they have decided not to pretend they have all the answers and recognize that there is intelligence and innovation to be found in places other than within their insular four walls.
Mansfield himself recognizes the importance of this approach, too. He’s quoted in the release as saying this:
“The SmartStorage team continually aims to make energy storage accessible, affordable and simple for our customers, guaranteeing that performance will be delivered,” Carl Mansfield said. “NantEnergy’s proven technologies will enable us to offer new SmartStorage products and expanded capabilities in the future. I have ultimate confidence in the direction and promise of SmartStorage and NantEnergy, and I look forward to working with a leadership team that shares my passion for growing and innovating in the energy storage market.”
I have great hopes for this consolidation not only to work, but to thrive because NantEnergy isn’t trying to put its own stamp on what had already been a successful business venture. Here’s hoping they give Mansfield the autonomy necessary to continue growing this side of the business so all of us in the solar industry, including NantEnergy, can benefit from his expertise.