CATHERINE VON BURG

CEO and President, SimpliPhi Power

Catherine is a social activist and entrepreneur. She is committed to the transformation of the power grid and creating universal access to clean energy. Her Simpliphi battery is one of the resources on the Stone Edge Farm Microgrid. She has teamed up with Jorge Elizondo Martinez using his Heila technology to deliver more microgrids.  

Her first customer was the film industry. Most lithium-ion batteries are Lithium Cobalt (Power Wall and all the batteries in our phones, tablets, etc.). The heat generated in lithium cobalt ion batteries can cause fires. Simpliphi batteries use Lithium ferrous phosphate (LFP). It is safer (no thermal runaway).

Catherine explains that the cobalt used in most batteries has become a conflict mineral. The mining of cobalt has created child labor abuse in Africa. LFP is more abundant and easy to scoop up. No need for kids to be sent down holes to dig it up.

She has a compelling story to tell about the military. The DOD was her second customer and the one that helped her scale up. Essentially, the military had no budget constraints so was able to purchase her product when it wasn’t within market reach. It helped her grow until she could compete. The Simpliphi story is not unique. The investments our military has made have accelerated and enabled renewable energy solutions to become market competitive.

“When we founded the company in 2010 we began to innovate batteries, building blocks if you will, for residential, both on-grid and off-grid applications. And we began deploying systems both in the U.S. but indeed all over the world. At the time in 2010/11, the DOD in Afghanistan and Iraq were facing some very serious challenges with access to power on forward operating bases. 

“So while we thought that we would be entering residential and commercial markets and that would be our biggest customer or NGOs and nonprofits, it was the Department of Defense because of the problems on the front lines.”

Simpliphi has deployed energy storage and management systems in more than 30 countries, providing access to power in some of the harshest and most remote environments. Catherine has led partnerships that have granted the company's batteries both endorsement by the U.S. Army and Marine Corps and exclusive ‘Special Permission’ by the FAA to air-ship anywhere in the world.

Catherine works with solar and technology companies to create microgrids in a box. These were deployed after Hurricane Maria to areas without power. She is involved in response to catastrophic events, refugee camps, and bringing electricity to areas without it. Simpliphi is also working on microgrids in India and Africa in areas that do not reach a utility grid.

Catherine brought former California Governor Jerry Brown to see Stone Edge Farm and helped him design his microgrid using her batteries and Jorge’s technology.

Says Von Berg, “It's such a cliché but Stone Edge Farm was a beacon of light, literally. People need to know there is a solution – and that shutting off the lights for 11 million people throughout California is not safe.