Collaborating for Cleaner Energy with Will Rowe | Conversations in Cleantech | Season four, Episode five
In the latest episode of the Conversations in Cleantech podcast, we are thrilled to welcome Will Rowe, Founder and CEO of Octopus Hydrogen. Octopus Hydrogen are on a mission to play their part in the energy transition through decentralising production of green hydrogen via electrolysis, colocated with renewable energy generators to help balance the grid. Counting industry giants like Octopus Energy as investors, the company has made waves in the sector since its founding in April 2021. In this episode, Will takes us on his career journey so far from starting at OVO as an agency employee to overcoming challenges after a start-up failure before founding the Octopus Energy Hatchery which eventually hatched the idea behind Octopus Hydrogen. Discussing why hydrogen is the missing piece of the energy transition puzzle, Will demystifies some of the misconceptions about the industry and explains why green hydrogen is the only path we can take to meet Net Zero before it is too late. Timestamped Guide: 00:55 - Introduction to Will 01:45 - Who is Will both in and outside of work? 02:52 - What do Octopus Hydrogen do? 05:34 - What is the history of Octopus Hydrogen and your relationship with Octopus Energy? 08:54 - How would you describe the culture you have built? 11:00 - How do you maintain your culture as you grow? 12:38 - What are the types of projects you work on? 15:14 - Can you explain to the sceptics how Octopus Energy ensures sustainability across all elements of the business? 17:17 - Could you explain more about the software side of the business? 20:02 - Where do you see yourselves fitting into the energy transition? 21:35 - How have you tackled the commercial viability problem? 25:10 - How have partners helped you on your start-up journey? 28:49 - In the two years, you have been operating what are some of the wins you've experienced? 30:56 - What would you say to your future employees? 34:10 - The importance of co-founders 37:25 - What's on the horizon for Octopus Hydrogen? Connect with your host, Jenny Gladman, on LinkedIn. Find your guest, Will Rowe, on LinkedIn. Thanks for listening to Conversations in Cleantech brought to you by Brightsmith. This is a Loaded Hype production.