Rethink Fusion
Discover How Innovation Could Deliver Unlimited Clean Energy
The Energy Squeeze is On: World energy consumption is expected to increase by over 50% by 2030 yet world energy reserves for non-renewable sources are running out. Where is the energy going to come from?
Abundant
Fusion’s Fuel is Everywhere
Fusion energy is fueled by deuterium and tritium, isotopes which can be easily extracted from seawater and derived from lithium, in abundant supply. There is enough to power the planet for hundreds of millions of years.
Greenhouse gases (GHG), such as CO2, are altering the world's climate. Atmospheric CO2 has climbed by 25% since the 1950s and is approaching levels where scientists predict unavoidable consequences.
Clean
Solving the Climate Crisis
Beyond fusion’s ability to generate power without pollution or GHG emissions, it’s also a more land-friendly solution than traditional renewable energy technologies like wind and solar. It requires very little space and can be located close to cities and other sources of demand.
General Fusion has developed its technology from the beginning knowing that success requires more than solving science challenges. For General Fusion, success means delivering fusion energy with an approach that has a clear and practical path to commercially-viable and competitive power generation.
Dr. Peter Turchi, Former Chief, Plasma Technology Branch, Naval Research Laboratory
Advantages
Inherently Practical
General Fusion’s system has three key advantages that allow for rapid and lower cost development, and a fast path to commercialization:
- A thick liquid metal wall
- A compressed gas driver
- No consumables
Key Advantage: Thick Liquid Metal Wall
The thick liquid metal wall surrounding the fusion reaction in General Fusion’s system is a major practical advantage. The energy from the fusion reaction is absorbed by the liquid metal, shielding the steel sphere and preventing damage. As it is absorbed, the energy heats the liquid metal and the hot liquid metal can be used to create steam, a convenient way to extract the fusion energy. The lithium in this same liquid metal is also easily bred into the tritium fuel required for ongoing operation.
Key Advantage: No Consumables
It is often proposed that pulsed rather than steady-state approaches may be more practical for fusion. Most pulsed systems, such as inertial confinement, use targets made of lead, aluminum, and even gold, which are destroyed on each pulse. The amount of electricity produced from a single pulse would be worth only a few dollars, so these targets must be very inexpensive for these pulsed systems to be practical. In contrast, the target in General Fusion’s system is a spheromak plasma composed entirely of fusion fuel – there are no consumables.
Where We Are
Proving It Can Be Built
General Fusion is developing full scale subsystems to demonstrate that they can meet their performance targets. This includes full scale plasma injectors and acoustic drivers, and liquid metal vortex compression tests. Every step is matched with simulation to guide ongoing development work.
Key Subsystem: Plasma Injectors
Above and below the central sphere in General Fusion’s system are plasma injectors. These cone-shaped devices form a “spheromak”, a doughnut-shaped plasma, wrapped in magnetic field. The spheromak is then accelerated down the cone, compressing and heating the plasma.
Full scale plasma injectors – the largest in the world – have been constructed to demonstrate formation of the required spheromak plasma.
Key Subsystem: Vortex Compression
At the core of General Fusion’s system, molten lead-lithium is pumped in a 3 metre diameter sphere to form a smooth cylindrical vortex. This vortex is used to confine and compress the plasma.
A 1 metre diameter mini-sphere with 14 full-scale acoustic drivers has been constructed to test liquid metal vortex formation and compression.
Fusion Science
The Sun’s Power on Earth
Fusion occurs when atoms (normally hydrogen isotopes) are heated to very high temperatures, allowing them to collide and fuse. In the sun, gravity creates those conditions but here on earth, the challenge for fusion science is to create the conditions for fusion using magnetic fields and inertia.
Magnetized Target Fusion
General Fusion’s Approach
Magnetized target fusion (MTF) is a hybrid between magnetic fusion and inertial confinement fusion. In MTF, a compact toroid, or donut-shaped magnetized plasma, is compressed mechanically by an imploding conductive shell, heating the plasma to fusion conditions.
By comparison, Inertial Confinement's fast compression requires high power lasers. Magnetic Confinement's long plasma life requires massive superconducting magnets, particle beams, and exotic materials.
LINUS – The Original MTF Power Plant
LINUS was the first full power plant concept based on Magnetized Target Fusion. Developed in the 1970s at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory near Washington, DC, LINUS included many of the features General Fusion has leveraged in its own approach, such as thick liquid metal walls and a compressed gas driver. Due to the plasma and electronics technology available at the time, the LINUS design proved impossible to build.
Commercialization Challenges: Magnetic Confinement Fusion systems will be very large and use expensive, exotic technologies for plasma confinement. New materials need to be invented to withstand the harsh plasma environment, and heat extraction and tritium breeding will be very difficult.
Magnetic Confinement Fusion
All Confinement, Low Density
Magnetic fusion works on the principle that plasmas can be confined by magnetic fields. Magnetic fusion machines, called “tokamaks”, trap plasma in a toroidal cavity surrounded by strong external electromagnets. Invented in the 1950s, tokamaks are the most-researched fusion systems.
Commercialization Challenges: Inertial Confinement Fusion systems will need major advances in laser efficiency, a 1,000-fold reduction in target cost, optics that don't degrade, and new materials to withstand the harsh environment facing the plasma.
Inertial Confinement Fusion
All Compression, High Density
Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) uses intense lasers fired onto a small (approximately 1 cm) spherical shell containing a deuterium-tritium ice mixture, exploding the outside of the shell. The rest of the shell accelerates inwards, compressing and heating the fuel for a nanosecond burst of fusion.
Mike Donaldson, Vice President, Operations
Mike Donaldson is a systems engineer with 18 years of experience in the development of novel and disruptive technologies. He has broad experience in product development, production engineering and engineering management. He has lead multidisciplinary teams in high risk and complicated technical projects with a focus on risk reduction through rapid prototyping and physical testing.
Prior to joining General Fusion in 2009, Mr. Donaldson had been with Kodak (Creo) since 1999 contributing in production engineering and product development roles.
Mike has a Bachelor of Applied Science in Engineering Physics from Queen’s University and a Master’s of Applied Science in Engineering Physics from the University of British Columbia.
Dr. T. Kenneth Fowler
Prof. T. Kenneth Fowler received his PhD from the University of Wisconsin in Physics in 1957. He joined Oak Ridge National Laboratory, where he was a leader of the Plasma Theory Group until 1965. He then moved to General Atomics, where he was appointed head of the Plasma Physics Division in 1967. He transferred to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory where he served from 1970 to 1987 as Associate Director for Magnetic Fusion Energy. He became chairman of the Department of Nuclear Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley in 1988, and he served in that capacity until his retirement in 1994.
He is the author of numerous publications including the book The Fusion Quest (Johns Hopkins University Press, 1997). Prof. Fowler has numerous memberships and awards including the Fusion Power Associates Leadership Award for 1983 and election to the National Academy of Sciences in 1987. He has been a Fellow of the American Physical Society since 1970. His research interests include plasma physics applications to magnetic fusion energy, theoretical plasma physics, weapons effects at high altitudes, nuclear reactions theory, and scattering theory.
For many years Dr. Fowler carried on research in plasma physics aimed toward the development of controlled thermonuclear fusion. Through his fundamental theoretical investigations and perceptive analyses of experiments, he created new fusion concepts that are contributing significantly to the search for solutions to controlled thermonuclear fusion power. His leadership and direction have stimulated other technical people in their work. He has been recognized as one of the leading people in the world in this field and directed one of the largest efforts of study of fusion power in the United States. Through his leadership, the mirror fusion laboratory at Lawrence Livermore Laboratory became the preeminent mirror program in the world.
He is author or coauthor of over 100 technical publications and has served as a member of several national scientific committees such as the Controlled Thermonuclear Research Standing Committee of the Atomic Energy Commission. He has been an active leader in the work of the American Physical Society.
Donald L. Runkle
Donald L. Runkle is a recognized business leader and product/process innovator. He has led divisional profit turnarounds, international acquisitions and divestitures, created new business channels, co-led a large IPO and has led the development of a disruptive product technology. He has led countless product innovations and built engineering teams with award winning technical strength.
Mr. Runkle is Executive Chairman of EcoMotors International (formerly CEO for four years), a disruptive engine company with Khosla Ventures, Braemar Energy Ventures and Bill Gates as primary investors. He is an operating executive for Tennenbaum Capital Partners advising on investments and operational turnarounds, a director of Lear Corporation, Transonic Corporation, WinCup Corporation, and the Lean Enterprise Institute. As well as General Fusion, he is an advisor to TULA Technology; both are disruptive venture capital backed companies. He has consulted on topics including technology and business strategy, electronics, fuel cells, energy development and storage, electric vehicles, and lean implementation.
Early in his career he joined General Motors, where he held a variety of assignments, Vice President of GM’s Advanced Engineering Staff and GM’s North American Engineering Center where he was GM’s top engineering executive.
Mr. Runkle led turnarounds as President of Delphi Steering in 1993 and Delphi Energy & Engine Management Systems in 1996, co-led the IPO/spin-off of Delphi from General Motors in 1998/99, and acquired Lucas Diesel in 2000 consolidating it with the Energy and Chassis Division. During his tenure at Delphi, Runkle led many international acquisitions. He became Vice-Chairman of Delphi in 2003 through June, 2005.
Mr. Runkle has bachelor and master degrees from the University of Michigan in mechanical engineering and an MBA as a Sloan Fellow from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Mr. Runkle is a member of SAE and the Tau Beta Pi and Pi Tau Sigma Engineering Honorary Societies; a life member of the Shingo Academy, recognizing distinguished manufacturing excellence; and recipient of the Wu Manufacturing Leadership Award, as role model for visionary and strategic thinking leaders, and the ASM Medal for the Advancement of Research. Mr. Runkle co-founded the United States Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC), with the U.S. Department of Energy.
Ram Narula
Ram Narula retired from Bechtel Power Corporation in April, 2011 as Principal Vice President and Chief Technology Officer. He has nearly 52 years of engineering experience in fossil, nuclear and renewable power generation projects with the last 38 years being with Bechtel.
He was Bechtel Power Corporation’s Chief Technology Officer for 10 years, preceded by 9 years as a project engineering manager for Bechtel’s Project Development Group. The other 30 years in various positions includes Chief Mechanical Engineer at Bechtel, Sr. Engineer with Sargent and Lundy Engineers, Chicago and Sr. Engineer with BHEL, India.
Because of his stature in the industry and extensive engineering background, he was selected as a Bechtel Fellow (a rare distinction) in 1996 for his expertise in fossil power technology. He was elected a principal vice president of Bechtel Power Corporation in 1998 and an ASME Fellow in 2000. In 2005, he was selected as Chairman of Bechtel Fellows.
Dr. William W. Lattin
Dr. William W. Lattin has had a successful career in the semiconductor industry, spanning over 40 years of service. Since 2002, Dr. Lattin has served as the President of Lattin Enterprises, a firm that invests in development-stage technology companies. Dr. Lattin’s career has spanned both hardware and software companies in the electronics industry.
From October 1994 until October 1999, Dr. Lattin was the Executive Vice President of Synopsys, Inc., a leading supplier of electronic design automation software to the global semiconductor industry. Prior to joining Synopsys, from 1986 to 1994, Dr. Lattin was President and Chief Executive Officer of Logic Automation, and led that company’s growth and eventual sale to Synopsys in 1994. Dr. Lattin was Vice President of the Systems Group at Intel Corporation from 1975 to 1986.
Dr. Lattin’s experience at Intel included responsibilities for microprocessor development and management of Intel’s board computer division, which developed embedded systems for many different applications which includes machine control. Dr. Lattin sits on the board of directors of several privately held companies. Dr. Lattin holds a Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from Arizona State University and M.S.E.E. and B.S.E.E. degrees from the University of California, Berkeley. As well, Dr. Lattin holds seven patents, is a founding member of VHDL International, a semiconductor industry development organization, and is a senior member of IEEE.
Mark Edward Kelly
A naval aviator, Kelly flew combat missions during the Gulf War. He was selected to become a NASA Space Shuttle pilot in 1996 and flew his first mission in 2001 as pilot of STS-108. He piloted STS-121 in 2006 and commanded STS-124 in 2008 and STS-134 in 2011. STS-134 was his final mission and the final mission of Space Shuttle Endeavour.
His wife was the target of an attempted assassination in Tucson, Arizona, on January 8, 2011. After the shooting, in which six people were killed, both Kelly and Giffords were thrust into the media spotlight. His wife’s shooting led to a broad national conversation ranging from the duties of a husband to what is acceptable civil discourse. The couple wrote a book about their lives and their experiences, discussing the shooting and Giffords’s initial recovery.
Kelly’s identical twin brother, Scott Kelly, is also an astronaut and served as commander of International Space Station(ISS) Expedition 26. The Kelly brothers are the only twins and only siblings to have both traveled in space.
Dr. Thomas R. Jarboe
Professor Jarboe has been a leader of the development of the spheromak confinement device since the early 1980s. He led a team at Los Alamos National Laboratory that was the first to produce a stable symmetric spheromak and an isolated spheromak; first to produce spheromak that self-heated to greater than 100eV; first to sustain a spheromak by helicity injection; and the first to observe self-heating of a spheromak to the pressure-limit. At the University of Washington he leads a team that is the first to efficiently sustain a kink-stable, axially symmetric, high-pressure spheromak with imposed dynamo current drive; and the first to show that a steady-state spheromak fusion reactor can render coal-fired power generation obsolete from economics alone.
Professor Jarboe received his undergraduate degree in Engineering Physics from the University of Illinois in 1967. He then pursued a doctoral degree at the University of California, Berkeley. In 1974, he received his PhD in plasma physics. He then joined the controlled fusion research division at Los Alamos National Laboratory. He served as group leader from 1983 to 1989 where he studied a very attractive magnetic fusion confinement device called the spheromak. He spent one year beginning in 1985 doing the controlled fusion research at Culham Laboratory in England.
He came to the University of Washington in 1989 as Professor of Nuclear Engineering and joined the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics in 1992. He is a fellow of the American Physical Society.
Professor Jarboe’s current research interests lie in plasma physics and controlled fusion. He is presently pursuing three plasma research interests. First, he is Director of the Plasma Science and Innovation Center (PSI-Center). The goal of the center is to develop computational predictability for improved magnetic confinement configurations with controlled fusion applications. The PSI-Center plays an important role in making fusion energy practical and in advancing plasma science in general. Second, he leads the Helicity Injected Torus (HIT) program on Campus. This method allows steady state operation. Developing an efficient current drive method for a spheromak that is compatible with good confinement would be a major advance for practical fusion energy.
Finally, Professor Jarboe leads collaboration with the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, where coaxial helicity injection (CHI) current drive, developed at the UW, is being applied to the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX). CHI is to be used on this major US fusion facility for plasma startup and current profile control.
Mike Harcourt
As former premier of British Columbia, Mayor of Vancouver and City Councillor, Mike Harcourt helped British Columbia earn its reputation as one of the most liveable, accessible and inclusive places in the world. His focus on conservation and sustainable development – and his resolve to contribute to the transformation of cities and communities has played a significant role in promoting quality of life for those in Canada and abroad.
After stepping down from politics, he was appointed by the Prime Minister to serve as a member of the National Round Table on the Environment and Economy, where he served on the Executive Committee and Chaired the Urban Sustainability Program. He was a federally appointed B.C. Treaty Commissioner and was Chair of the Prime Minister’s Advisory Committee for Cities and Communities.
Mike Harcourt is Chair of University of British Columbia’s Regional Sustainability Council for sustainability initiatives. In addition to acting as Chairman of Quality Urban Energy Systems for Tomorrow (QUEST), he chairs the Canadian Electricity Association’s Sustainable Electricity Program Advisory Panel. He is the lead faculty in United Way’s Public Policy Institute.
Mark Dudzinski
Mr. Dudzinski has a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University and Master of Business Administration from Harvard University. He spent more than 20 years at General Electric Company, where his primary areas of responsibility were in marketing. This included new product and market development, new product introduction, product management, commercial operations, communications and strategy.
He was responsible for marketing at GE Energy. GE Energy is one of the world’s leading suppliers of power generation and energy delivery technologies, with revenue of over $26 billion. Mr. Dudzinski retired from GE in Feb. 2013, and has since started two organizations. CMO-md LLC with its website cmo-md.com is dedicated to helping B2B Chief Marketing Officers be successful. Light the World Inc is a Non-Profit, Charitable Organization dedicated to bringing cost effective electricity to the 1.2 billion people who live without lighting when the sun goes down.
Mr. Dudzinski has been a frequent speaker on technology changes and its impact on future product evolution in addition to marketing topics. Copies of the following public presentations are available for download on CMO-md.com: “The Economics of Green Power”, “Energy Industry 2020”, “Generation Trends”, “Innovation”, “The Future Electric Utility”, “Marketing in Developing Countries” and “Strategy”.
Carol M. Browner
Carol M. Browner is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress and Senior Counselor at Albright Stonebridge Group. Ms. Browner also serves as Chair of the Board of the League of Conservation Voters, on the Board of Directors for Bunge Limited, the Global Oceans Commission, and on Opower’s Advisory Board.
Ms. Browner most recently served as Assistant to President Obama and director of the White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy, where she oversaw the coordination of environmental, energy, climate, transport, and related policy across the federal government. During her tenure, the White House secured the largest investment ever in clean energy and established the national car policy that included both new automobile fuel efficiency standards and first ever greenhouse gas reductions. Previously, Ms. Browner was a founding principal of The Albright Group LLC from 2001 to 2008.
From 1993 through 2001, Ms. Browner served as the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. As administrator, she adopted the most stringent air pollution standards in our nation’s history; set for the first time, a fine particle clean air standard; and spearheaded the reauthorization of the Safe Drinking Water Act as well as the Food Quality Protection Act. She was known for working with both environmentalists and industry to set scientific-based public health protections while providing businesses important flexibilities in how to meet those standards. She worked across the agency to ensure a focus on protecting the most vulnerable, particularly children.
From 1991 through 1993, Ms. Browner served as Secretary of Environmental Regulation in Florida, where she launched the largest ecological restoration project ever attempted in the United States to restore the natural flow of water to the Everglades.
Ms. Browner serves on the Executive Committee of the Center for American Progress and was a founding board member of the organization from 2003-2008.
Ms. Browner earned her B.A. and a law degree from the University of Florida in Gainesville. She has one son and is married to former New York Congressman Tom Downey.
Mike Sherman
Mike Sherman is a Managing Partner and founding team member of Chrysalix Energy Venture Capital. Chrysalix EVC actively invests in breakthrough sustainable innovations that address the world’s economic, energy, and environmental challenges.
Mike has over 15 years of experience in clean energy venture capital investing, marketing, finance and strategic business planning. His investment carrier has focused on game changing technologies capable of disrupting large global markets. Mike is a Director on the boards of General Fusion, GaN Systems, and Purfresh, and an observer on the boards of MineSense and Brammo. His exit track record includes the successful sale of Epyon Power to the ABB Group, at the time the largest electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure deal to date.
Prior to joining Chrysalix EVC, Mike worked in Corporate Business Alliances with Starbucks Coffee Company. In addition Mike is an active angel investor and a Partner in Vancouver Social Venture Partners, a charitable foundation that supports innovative non-profit charitable investing combined with active Partner mentoring.
Nathan Gilliland
Nathan was most recently an Entrepreneur-in-Residence with Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, a leading venture capital firm in the San Francisco Bay Area. In this capacity, Nathan assisted entrepreneurs with building their companies.
From 2008 until the end of 2012, Nathan was President and co-founder of Harvest Power, a renewable energy company that turns organic waste into natural gas and electricity. Nathan led the company’s growth to make Harvest North America’s leader in the management of organic waste materials. Harvest now operates 29 locations around North America and employs 500 people.
Prior to Harvest Power, Nathan was an investor at Bain Capital for 9 years, focusing on both leveraged buyouts and debt securities including energy investments. He was a founder of internet start-up MyCounsel.com and started his career at Bain and Company, after graduating from the University of California-Berkeley.
Jacques Besnainou
Jacques Besnainou was President & Chief Executive Officer of AREVA Inc. until March 2012. In this role, Jacques was responsible for managing and setting the direction for AREVA’s nuclear and renewable energy businesses in the United States and Canada (around 5,000 employees). Jacques has more than 20 years of management and systems engineering experience in both France and the United States, including more than a decade with AREVA. He joined AREVA in 2001 as Executive Vice President in charge of used fuel management operations in the United States. In 2005, he became the AREVA Group’s Senior Executive Vice President for the Global Used Fuel Business Group and member of the AREVA Nuclear Executive Committee.
Prior to joining AREVA, Jacques served as an advisor to the French Ministry of Industry for civilian nuclear affairs from 1992 to 1993. In 1993, he joined the Ecobilan Group, an environmental consulting firm specializing in life cycle assessments, eventually becoming its CEO and negotiating its sale to PricewaterhouseCoopers in 2000.
Mr. Besnainou holds Master of Science degrees in Mathematics, Engineering and Public Policy from Ecole Polytechnique and Ecole des Mines – France’s leading engineering schools.
Dr. Fred Buckman
Fred Buckman is a senior executive with experience in electric and gas utility operation and management, engineering and construction management, project development and nuclear plant design, operation, safety assessment and operation. He has served as the Chief Executive and Chief Nuclear Officer of Consumers Power, Chief Executive at PacifiCorp, President of the Power Group for Engineering and Construction leader Shaw Group, Managing Partner, Utilities, for Brookfield Asset Management, and is currently Chairman and CEO of Powerlink Transmission Company.
Fred has a PhD in Nuclear Engineering from MIT and serves as an Adjunct Professor with the University of Michigan Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Science Department. He participates from time to time in design reviews, lectures on industry topics and provides guidance regarding the nuclear and utility industries.
Sustainable Development Technology Canada
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Chrysalix SET Ventures
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Business Development Bank of Canada
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Growthworks
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Cenovus Environmental Opportunity Fund
Cenovus Environmental Opportunity Fund Ltd. (CEOF Ltd.) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cenovus Energy Inc. Through CEOF Ltd., Cenovus Energy invests in early-stage companies that are developing technologies that could improve the environmental and financial performance of our operations or that are developing innovations that may fundamentally change the energy industry.
Braemar Energy Ventures
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Bezos Expeditions
Bezos Expeditions is the personal investment company of Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com.
Chrysalix Energy Venture Capital
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Dr. Michel Laberge, Founder and Chief Scientist
Dr. Michel Laberge is a physicist and engineer with widespread practical experience in plasma physics and modern plasma diagnostic techniques. He has extensive knowledge of the latest technologies related to electronics, computers, materials, lithography, optics and fabrication, and is experienced at designing and constructing test apparatuses to evaluate technical concepts.
Prior to establishing General Fusion, Michel spent nine years at Creo Products in Vancouver as a senior physicist and principal engineer. His roles included inventor, designer, main engineer, and scientific project leader on projects that resulted in more than $1 billion worth of product sales.
Michel holds a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in physics from Laval University. In 1990, he earned his Ph.D. in physics from the University of British Columbia, and in 1991 completed a Post Doc. at L’ecole Polytechnique in Paris. In 1992, he completed another Post Doc. at the National Research Council in Ottawa. He has published numerous scientific papers.
Rick Wills, Chairman
Rick Wills joined the board of General Fusion in 2012. Mr. Wills enjoyed a 30-year career with Tektronix, Inc., the last eight years of which he served as Chairman, President and CEO. With Tektronix, Mr. Wills served in a number of key international roles, including Worldwide Director of Marketing for the Measurement Business Division, President of European Operations, and President of the Americas Operations before taking on the role of President and CEO. Prior to joining Tektronix, Mr. Wills spent six years in the U.S. Air Force in various assignments in the United States and Europe. Mr. Wills holds a degree in Computer Systems from Linfield College and an M.B.A. from the University of Oregon.
Klaas de Boer
Klaas de Boer is Managing Partner of The Entrepreneurs Fund. He has more than 10 years of venture experience, starting when he created and led a corporate venturing team at Vanenburg Group whose investments included WebEx. Prior to this, he spent time as a consultant with McKinsey and Company in both Amsterdam and St Petersburg. Behind Klaas’ achievements are an MSc in Physics and an Insead MBA.
Michael Brown
Michael Brown is an entrepreneur who has been in the Canadian venture capital industry for more than 40 years. He is co-founder and Chairman of the Board of Chrysalix Energy Venture Capital. Mr. Brown was previously co-founder and President of Ventures West Capital Ltd., which became Canada’s largest private early-stage technology fund. Mr. Brown has been directly involved in several early stage companies in this mandate area, notably, Ballard Power Systems, Cellex Power Products, Questair Technologies Inc. and other private companies. He was a co-founder of Hydrogen & Fuel Cells Canada, and of the Canadian Task Force on Early Stage Funding, and has been on several government committees on technology and securities matters.
Mr. Brown is a published author and speaker on topics such as climate change, alternate energy technology, and venture capital. Mr. Brown graduated from UBC in 1960, BA (Hons Economics). He attended Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar (BA (PPE) 1962). In 2000, the Science Council of BC named Mr. Brown as the winner of the Cecil Green Award for Entrepreneurialism, and the following year the Vancouver Board of Trade named him one of eight B.C. Pioneers of Innovation. In 2005 he received the “Pioneer Award” from the Cleantech Venture Network. In 2012, Mr. Brown was awarded the Order of Canada by the Governor General of Canada, one of Canada’s highest civilian honours for lifetime achievement.
William D. Lese
William D. Lese has more than 27 years of research, operating and venture capital experience in the energy and environmental businesses. Prior to co-founding Braemar, Bill was a partner with Mantis Holdings, Inc., a venture capital firm focused on investing in environmental and energy-efficiency companies, where he concentrated on emerging technologies for converting industrial waste streams into value-added products. Prior to Mantis Holdings, he was the director of business development for NPS Industries, Inc., an international manufacturer of engineered equipment for the power industry. Bill’s business development activities included managing a joint venture with Consolidated Edison Co., and managing other key customer relationships. Prior to joining NPS Industries, he was one of the original employees of Sithe Energies, Inc. (an affiliate of Vivendi, SA), which became one of the world’s largest independent power producers. At Sithe Energies, Mr. Lese had project and technical oversight responsibilities, including managing several power projects.
Bill serves on the Advisory Committee of the New York City Accelerator for a Clean and renewable Economy (NYC ACRE). He currently serves on the board of directors of Coaltek, Utility Associates, CIRIS Energy, OPX Biotechnologies, Solazyme, Stion, Ioxus, CRB, General Fusion, Proterro, Bioformix, EcoMotors International, and is chairman of the board of Solicore. He serves as a board observer for Enerkem. Bill has both a B.A. in physics and an M.S. in energy science from New York University.
Michael Delage, Vice President, Technology and Corporate Strategy
Michael is an engineer and experienced technology entrepreneur with a career spent developing complex technologies and bringing them to market. His expertise lies in technology strategy and innovation, systems engineering, product management, partnerships and joint development programs, and founding, building, and growing new technology companies.
Prior to joining General Fusion in 2010, Michael co-founded and spent seven years building Energate Inc. into one of the leading residential demand response technology companies in North America. Under Michael’s leadership, Energate secured partnerships with industry champions and pioneered many of the technologies and standards to integrate residential energy management into the smart grid.
Earlier in his career, Michael worked in the aerospace industry as a systems and design engineer on technologies from microsatellites to the robotic systems on the International Space Station, where hardware he designed continues to operate today.
Michael holds a B.Sc. in Engineering Physics and an M.B.A. for Science and Technology from Queen’s University.
Susan Koch, Chief Financial Officer
Susan Koch is a chartered accountant and certified public accountant with over 25 years of experience managing the finances and operations of pre-commercial technology companies. Key areas of expertise include operational leadership, strategy and risk management, fundraising, accounting, corporate governance, information technology, human resources and administration.
Prior to joining General Fusion she was the CFO of Quebec City-based Vaperma Inc., which developed, manufactured, and supplied advanced gas separation systems, and was VP Finance and CFO at Vancouver-based Cellex Power Products, Inc., which was a fuel cell systems integrator. Susan was also previously a member of the audit and assurance public practice at Deloitte and Touche, is a member of the board of trustees of the Richmond Public Library and was a member of the board of directors for Hydrogen and Fuel Cells Canada.
Susan holds a B.A. in economics and a Licentiate in Accounting from the University of British Columbia.
