Former president and CEO of GE Grid Solutions has joined battery storage and power electronics specialist Smart Power Systems.
Reinaldo Garcia is joining the company as director, after 35 years at GE, having left the multinational firm in March 2020.
Garcia said he liked that Smart Power Systems “combines traditional power systems and control expertise with machine learning in producing innovative products to optimise the use of new power sources and their network connections”.
“There are only a few businesses that have a deep understanding of how to successfully integrate power electronic based renewables, electric vehicle (EV) Infrastructure and energy storage to overcome multiple grid constraints and achieve global clean energy goals.
“I see Smart Power Systems playing a key role in the residential and commercial storage, EV charging and grid resilience markets in the coming years.”
The company was launched in 2013 by founder Dr Ian Chilvers, and provides residential and commercial-scale batteries as well as evGRID products. Smart Power Systems has developed the smartPhase control system, which is at the heart of its battery storage products.
Based in Market Harborough in the East Midlands, the company recently announced the completion of an investment round that saw funding from the likes of Mark Hutchinson, former GE president of Europe and China.
Dr Chilvers said there is a “huge transition” taking place in how energy is used, and that “smart control of Distributed Energy Resources (DER) within a microgrid or connected to the existing grid will be critical to achieving global energy security and decarbonisation”.
“I am delighted to be supported by Reinaldo Garcia and the team of investors that have recently joined. We have a shared vision of SPS bringing its smart technology and expertise to the complex technical challenges that lie ahead.”
