The inertial fusion energy company Focused Energy welcomes Scott Mercer as CEO, furthering its position as a leader in the burgeoning global fusion industry. Scott, as founder and CEO of Volta Charging, built an innovative business model that brought new revenue opportunities to the hard-to-commercialize energy-critical industry of public charging. He’ll bring that same creative skill and innovation acumen to bear on another energy-critical and hard-to-commercialize industry: fusion.
“I’m thrilled and humbled to join a team that is demonstrably on the cutting edge of fusion science and achievement,” Mercer stated. “Our team has roots in the same team that achieved ignition, which is why we are confident that we can deliver a commercially viable fusion energy path, where each step is strategically significant and collectively transformative.”
Bringing Scott to the team will further accelerate Focused Energy’s already promising commercialization pathway toward deploying fusion power at scale. Scott will oversee Focused Energy’s global growth as it expands its existing presence in the US, while Thomas Forner will continue his leadership as President of the company and will focus on the development of Focused Energy’s strategic business and government relationships.
Thomas Forner, Founder and President of Focused Energy, says, “Adding Scott Mercer to our team marks a pivotal moment for Focused Energy. His track record in the clean energy sector – particularly in bringing innovative commercial strategy to bear on critical energy infrastructure makes him a unique leader and an invaluable asset as we expand our reach, especially in the U.S.”
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Markus Roth, Founder and CSO of Focused Energy, adds, “Scott’s credentials as a founder and CEO in new clean energy pursuits are clear, but also is his special ability to blend those skills with an operative awareness of the technical necessities of our products, research, and development. I have no doubt his leadership will propel us forward in the fusion energy market.”
Dakin Sloss, Founder and General Partner of Prime Movers Lab, expresses his confidence: “Scott is a proven leader in breaking through business model barriers that hold back hard-to-commercialize critical infrastructure. His transition to the fusion sector calls upon those skills, and furthers Focused Energy’s position at the forefront of the burgeoning fusion industry.”
Furthering a Proven Commercialization Path through US expansion and a World Class Team
The company’s developments in high-power lasers, fusion, and accelerator targetry, and laser-driven particle acceleration have begun to yield commercial successes, setting it apart as a leader in fusion innovation. In collaboration with industrial partners, Focused Energy is advancing high-performance laser applications for various industries, ranging from infrastructure maintenance to safe handling of hazardous materials. This collaborative approach is fostering technological breakthroughs in both fusion and secondary markets.
Focused Energy already has a robust presence in the US, but will look to anchor and expand that presence in the near future with expanded US operations both in scientific research and scaled fusion development.
In 2022, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL) National Ignition Facility (NIF) successfully achieved “ignition” in a fusion experiment — or, yielded more energy than was put into it. Since then, the successful results have been replicated. Focused Energy is proud to trace its distinguished team experience straight from NIF leadership and teams at LLNL (along with top global research universities focused on the very same expertise in inertial fusion). At Focused Energy, a blend of proven fusion science and experimental supply chain experience is building on groundbreaking achievements of the past two decades in laser-based nuclear fusion.
SOURCE : BusinessWire