UniEnergy Technologies
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Management Bios Z. Gary Yang, Ph.D. Dr. Yang is a scientist, an engineer, and an entrepreneur in energy conversion and storage. He co-founded UniEnergy Technologies (UET) in 2012, and has since served as CEO and President of the company. UET’s mission is to provide world-class bulk energy storage solutions to the transforming electrical grid and utility, through innovation, partnerships and quality. Safe, reliable and economic energy storage has become indispensable to the power industry that is increasingly demanded of less pollution, better efficiency, greater resiliency and more flexibility to customers. UET is meeting these needs by engineering and producing the Uni.System™, a new generation vanadium redox flow battery (VFRB) system with high performance electrolytes and stacks, highly integrated containerized system design, state-of-the-art power electronics and control, and value-added services. Since its inception, UET has successfully engineered and demonstrated MW scale systems and is currently installing systems in the US and internationally.
Previously, Dr. Yang was a Lab Fellow, the highest science and technology rank, at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) of the US Department of Energy (DOE). He played a pivotal role in establishing the Grid Energy Storage Program at the lab and led the program in R&D of varied storage technologies, including new generation VFRB, planar Na-halide batteries, novel Li-ion batteries and new materials/chemistries, along with grid application studies. Under Dr. Yang’s leadership, the PNNL’s multi-disciplinary team successfully attracted over $20 million of funding and made several breakthroughs in battery technologies including planar Na-halide batteries, nanostructured Li-ion batteries and a new generation of VRFB that was later licensed by UET. Earlier, Dr. Yang was a Senior Scientist and later a Chief Scientist leading efforts in RD&D of planar solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) and development of nanostructured hydrogen storage materials. He joined PNNL in early 2001, after 5 years of experience as a materials engineer in the auto-parts industry, and extensive education and training in materials science, engineering and electrochemistry, at Jilin University (formerly Jilin University of Technology), the University of Connecticut, and Carnegie Mellon University. Dr. Yang was elected a Fellow of ASM International in recognition of “his outstanding contribution to advanced materials and electrochemical energy conversion and storage ….” He has published over 200 research articles, 13 book chapters and editorials, organized over 20 symposiums/conferences, and delivered numerous invited speeches around the world. He is an inventor of over 50 US and foreign patents (including pending). His efforts have won him multiple awards that include twice the Federal Laboratory Consortium’s (FLC) Excellence in Technology Transfer Award (on SOFC and VFRB, respectively), one of the most prestigious US government awards on technology development and commercialization. |
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Liyu Li, Ph.D. Dr. Li has a solid background in chemistry, chemical engineering, and material sciences. He has broad experience in the fields of clean coal and biomass utilization, CO2 capture, and redox flow batteries for grid-level electricity storage. He also has broad experience in developing inorganic absorbents, hydrogen storage materials, heterogeneous catalysts, inorganic ion exchangers, and glass and ceramic nuclear waste forms. He has published 70 peer-reviewed scientific papers with more than 1000 total citations, and has given more than 100 presentations at national and international scientific conferences in these areas. He also holds nine patents, and has over a dozen patent applications on file. Dr. Li is the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of UniEnergy Technologies, LLC. (UET), a company commercializing advanced large-scale energy storage solutions. Before co-founding UET, he was a chief scientist, a project manager and a lead principal investigator at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. At this position, he had both research management and technical supervisory responsibilities for the execution of governmental and |
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Rick Winter Rick Winter earned his Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Queensland, Australia, and has 25 years’ experience innovating and implementing grid storage technologies. He has been a driving force in the transition of the grid storage industry from its early stages, to the strategic imperative for grid flexibility and stability it is today. During this time, he has helped build the US Electricity Storage Association from its inception in 1991, serving twice as chairman and as a board member for 18 years. In 2011, Rick was awarded the Phil Symons award for his “instrumental role in the evolution of storage technologies in both the utility and battery manufacturing industries”.
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Russ Weed Russ Weed is a seasoned business executive and corporate lawyer with a track record of accomplishment at UET, GE, Labtec, and AV-rated Seattle and Portland law firms. Russ leads UET‘s business development and strategic activities in North America, Europe, and globally. In that role, he is responsible for strategic alliances with channel, product, and other partners; optimizing product management; negotiations and contracting; mergers and acquisitions; fundraising efforts; and media activities. Russ is general counsel for UET as well.
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Scott Koznek Scott is our Controller and he brings over 27 years of experience in accounting, finance and operations, with 18 years specific to the high tech industry. Throughout his career, he has been involved with M&A activities, successfully integrated acquisitions, selected and implemented financial systems and managed the financial and operational activities of subsidiaries. Scott has served as CFO/VP Finance for three high tech companies and Controller for two others during his career. Scott is a CPA, and holds a BS in accounting from Central Washington University and a MBA from the University of Washington. |
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John DeBoever John is Vice President of Eastern Sales for UET. He has 35 years' experience in channel development for microgrids, village power, eco-resorts, and a broad range of off-grid industrial applications across five continents. John is leveraging his experience in battery-based PV systems with an extensive background in domestic and international PV system sales and project management. He has overseen the marketing efforts for various industrial market segments, managed a team of sales engineers and marketing personnel and market segmentation, value propositions program development, sales, tactical alliances and strategic planning. John worked 14 years for Westinghouse Electric Corporation, based in Europe, including 5 years in a Westinghouse subsidiary in Africa. John holds a master's degree in electrical engineering and power electronics engineering from the University of Louvain in Belgium. |
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Ted Volberding Ted is the Director of Manufacturing for UET and has over 30 years’ experience as a collaborative leader and engineer in the instrumentation, medical, telecom, networking and energy storage industries, successfully managing projects, employees, and operations in a technically dynamic and worldwide environment. He has outsourcing and offshoring experience in Asia and the EU for manufacturing and logistics, and has installed business systems (ERP and PLM) in multiple companies as well as the ISO 9001 quality management system. He has a BSEE from the University of Washington and several patents pending on VRLA batteries and battery management systems. |
industrial projects. At PNNL, Dr. Li led/co-led different research projects developing new redox flow battery energy storage systems, and new CO2 and impurity absorbents for clean coal and biomass application. Dr. Li’s major scientific contributions to the energy storage area in a Leading Role include: (1) invented Mixed Acid All Vanadium Redox Flow Battery system which is under commercialization process by UET and two other US companies; (2) invented Fe-Vanadium Redox Flow Battery system which is under commercialization process by a Canadian company. Dr. Li received his Ph.D. degree in Chemical Engineering in 1995.
Mr. Winter’s background ranges from managing the storage technologies program at Pacific Gas & Electric, America’s largest investor-owned utility, to deploying remote area hybrid power systems in Australia’s Torres Strait. He has led product development at four advanced battery companies, in the process creating the world’s first flow battery product by leveraging advanced zinc-bromide technology from Austria (the 100kW/100kWh PowerBlock), and leading development of iron-chromium batteries for cell towers in India. Rick invented the single loop flow battery in his garage (Pat#8039161), going on to found Primus Power and raise $30M in capital. He holds 17 US patents and numerous abroad with a further 10 US patents pending. With a focus on productization, Mr. Winter has strong hands-on experience evaluating grid impacts of distributed generation systems including batteries, flywheels, microturbines, photovoltaics and diesel generators. 
With 12 years of experience as the VP Business Development and company counsel at technology and industrial companies, as well as 10 years as a corporate attorney at law firms. Russ has led and teamed in the strategizing, preparation, negotiation, closing, and execution of a wide range of deals and business matters, including mergers and acquisitions, licensing, corporate financing, formations and fundings, intellectual property, and commercial contracts. With broad international experience, particularly in Asia and Europe, Russ also has expertise in government relations, employment, compliance, trade regulation, and risk management. He has managed corporate teams and cross-functional processes. Russ is personally committed to identify and accomplish the strategic and legal objectives of the business and its people, and to make large-scale clean energy a reality.
