A true leader transforms vision into reality, and Vidyadhar Rangojoo, PE, exemplifies this by driving innovation in clean energy technologies. With a career dedicated to advancing optimal solutions for sustainable energy assets, Vidyadhar has earned recognition as a Senior Member of IEEE and was honored as an Engineering Leader Under 40 by Control Engineering. His unwavering commitment to a greener future continues to shape the energy landscape.
Building a Legacy in Electrical Engineering and Clean Energy
He has forged a remarkable career in the energy industry, leveraging his strong foundation in electrical engineering to become a leading expert in clean energy technologies. His journey is marked by significant achievements that underscore his technical prowess and innovative vision. Among his accomplishments, he led the effort to secure $15 million in funding from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to develop advanced Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) capabilities in South Australia. He also reduced the cost of North American utility power conversion systems to below $0.06/W through high integration, demonstrating his impact on making clean energy more accessible and affordable.
A trailblazer in energy storage technology, Vidyadhar served as the System Architect and Lead Engineer for Ultrastack BESS, the industry's first Storage as a Transmission Asset (SATA). Ultrastack, a premium energy storage solution for transmission networks, represents a paradigm shift in the role of energy storage within the grid infrastructure.
Vidya's expertise spans a wide range of domains, including power conversion systems, battery technologies, renewable energy integration, and electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
His master's degree from the University of Kentucky laid the groundwork for a career that has been pivotal to the success of high-profile clean energy projects. He contributed significantly to landmark initiatives such as the 550MW Topaz Solar Farm and the 290MW Agua Caliente Solar Project, which won the Project of the Year Award at the 2012 Excellence in Renewable Energy Awards. Vidyadhar also played a vital role in the 100MW/400MWh Alamitos BESS Facility, one of the world's largest lithium-ion battery storage projects, providing reliable power to tens of thousands of homes and businesses in Long Beach, California.
With his deep technical expertise and dedication to innovation, Vidya continues to drive advancements in clean energy, shaping the future of sustainable power systems worldwide.
Fluence Energy: Shaping a Market Leader in Energy Storage
Vidyadhar recognizes the importance of renewable energy and energy storage to the modern bulk electric grid and its role in creating a sustainable future. He joined AES in 2016 as a Senior Engineer, bringing a deep technical focus that would prove vital to the company's growth. As a founding member of Fluence, he played a key role in defining the technical architecture and driving the development of the Advancion 5 platform, setting a high standard for energy storage solutions. Over the years, he advanced to Systems Integration Director and now serves as Principal Engineer, where he continues to push the boundaries of innovation in energy storage and grid modernization. His technical expertise and leadership have been instrumental in Fluence's rapid global expansion and the engineering achievements that underpinned its successful IPO in 2021, just four years after its founding.
Vidyadhar's expertise and solution-driven mindset have earned him widespread recognition among his peers. Alfredo Iaconis, Lead Systems Engineer at Fluence, regards Vidyadhar as one of the finest electrical engineers he has worked with. A notable milestone in Vidyadhar's career was his leadership in the Fluence Gen 6 platform, where he oversaw the qualification and seamless integration of a critical inverter in collaboration with a leading supplier. His meticulous approach ensured the system adhered to stringent specifications, addressing common industry challenges such as project delays and performance issues. This achievement exemplifies Vidyadhar's technical acumen and his ability to deliver innovative, high-quality solutions that define his distinguished career.
Trailblazing Innovations in Electric Vehicle Charging
Early in his career, Vidyadhar achieved a groundbreaking milestone in 2009 while working at EmPower Solar, where he designed and developed one of the first fleetwide Electric Vehicle (EV) charging systems in the United States integrated with solar photovoltaic (PV) technology. Installed at the New York Institute of Technology (NYIT) Old Westbury Campus, this innovative project marked a pioneering achievement in sustainable transportation infrastructure. Vidyadhar's design seamlessly combined a grid-tied solar PV canopy, RFID-enabled user access, user-interactive kiosks, and real-time data displays for each charging spot, creating a new standard for solar-powered EV charging systems.
Students actively used the charging system to charge on-campus electric vehicles. They became an integral part of NYIT's Energy Management coursework, serving as both a practical resource and an educational tool. Recognizing its success, EmPower Solar installed additional solar carports at other NYIT campuses, supporting clean energy recharging for plug-in hybrid vehicles at a cost significantly lower than petroleum fuel. Vidyadhar's work on this project demonstrated his ability to innovate at the intersection of renewable energy and transportation, setting the stage for his later achievements in advancing clean energy technologies.
This early accomplishment not only showcased Vidyadhar's technical expertise but also highlighted his commitment to creating practical, impactful solutions that align with sustainability goals. This dedication continues to define his contributions to the clean energy industry today.
In addition to his extensive contributions to energy storage systems, Vidyadhar has been actively shaping industry standards for inverter-based resources across multiple technologies, including solar photovoltaic, battery energy storage systems, and wind. In 2022, he became a member of the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Inverter-Based Resource Performance Subcommittee (IRPS) working group, focusing on the performance characteristics of these utility-scale resources. Through his work, he contributed to influential white papers and technical recommendations, providing valuable guidance to the utility industry, transmission planners, equipment manufacturers, and generator owners, further establishing his expertise as a leader in the clean energy sector.
Mentoring the Next Generation of Clean Energy Innovators
Vidyadhar served in a Specialist Mentor role this summer to Photon Vault at the 2024 Cleantech Open Northeast, where startups share their missions in solving environmental and energy challenges. Cleantech Open unites the public and private sectors through its annual cohorts to make America's cleantech sector a thriving economic engine. Photon Vault is an energy storage startup that uses proprietary materials to store heat energy from sources like solar thermal power and industrial waste heat, converting it into electricity using efficient, off-the-shelf components. Vidyadhar mentored Photon Vault by guiding them in defining product specifications, strategically positioning their technology against Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), highlighting its unique advantages, and refining their pitch for maximum impact.
Vidyadhar also participates as an esteemed judge in premier technical events like the International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) and GENIUS Olympiad, as well as graduate-level engineering expos at universities across the USA. He is a peer reviewer of research papers at Engineering Research Express™, which is a multidisciplinary journal devoted to publishing new experimental and theoretical research across all areas of engineering science.
He is a Fellow this year at the Clean Energy Fellows Institute, an annual immersion program hosted by the Colorado Cleantech Industries Association. The year-long executive program equips leaders with the skills, community, and insights needed to thrive in the advanced energy sector.
For over 15 years, Vidyadhar Rangojoo has dedicated his career to advancing clean energy technologies, from pioneering solar-integrated EV charging systems to leading the development of innovative energy storage solutions like the Ultrastack BESS. As a founding member of Fluence, he has played a vital role in shaping the company's global success while mentoring emerging innovators and contributing to industry standards through NERC and peer-reviewed research. Vidyadhar embodies the qualities of a true clean energy leader—vision, technical expertise, and an unwavering commitment to a sustainable future—driving the advancement of the energy sector and paving the way for a greener world.
