Malta CEO Ramya Swaminathan appointed to DOE’s Electricity Advisory Committee
Appointment adds critical voice for long duration energy storage
Cambridge, Massachusetts – The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced that Malta CEO Ramya Swaminathan has been appointed to the Electricity Advisory Committee (EAC), which advises the Department and Secretary Jennifer Granholm on modernizing the nation's electricity delivery infrastructure. Malta is a pioneer in long-duration, grid-scale energy storage solutions that leverage existing technologies to enable the transition to renewable energy while maintaining grid stability and reliability. Swaminathan’s appointment adds a critical voice for long duration energy storage as the U.S. seeks to modernize its grid, transition to renewable energy, and combat climate change.
Swaminathan was appointed to a two-year term on the 35 member EAC by DOE Secretary Jennifer Granholm. The EAC was established to enhance leadership in electricity delivery modernization and provide senior-level counsel to DOE on ways in which the nation can meet many of these challenges, including the deployment of smart grid technologies, research and development of energy storage technologies, renewable energy resource system integration, and new transmission infrastructure.
“I’m honored by this appointment and look forward to advocating on behalf of long duration energy storage solutions like Malta,” said Swaminathan. “We’re marching toward a clean energy future where renewables will play an ever greater role in supporting our long-term energy needs. Long duration energy storage will be a critical aspect of this future, enabling a faster transition to renewable sources while maintaining grid stability and reliability. I look forward to working with the Department of Energy and the other Advisory Committee members these next two years.”
Swaminathan also serves as a member of the U.S. Secretary of Commerce’s Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee, a Clean Energy Education and Empowerment (C3E) Initiative Ambassador, and a Select Global Women in Tech mentor. Before founding Malta as an independent company, she was the CEO of Rye Development, a hydropower development firm that she grew to be the leading developer of new hydropower projects in the United States. She expanded Rye’s platform into energy storage with the addition of two sizable pumped storage hydro development projects in the Pacific Northwest.
Malta, which was spun out of X, the Moonshot Factory (formerly Google [X]), has developed a Pumped Heat Energy Storage (PHES) system. This new approach leverages thermodynamic systems to provide long-duration, large-scale, cost-effective, and safe energy storage. It converts electricity from any source, either directly from a generation facility or from the grid, to be stored as thermal energy. The company’s technology is able to satisfy a daily or weekly load cycle by efficiently storing up to 200 hours of energy -- about 50x longer than typical battery-based solutions. In addition to dispatchable renewable energy, Malta’s PHES technology can generate heat for industrial and district heat applications.
Malta is backed by energy industry leaders Alfal Laval, Proman, and Chevron Technology Ventures, as well as investors Breakthrough Energy Ventures and Piva Capital. Malta is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
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