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- Paul Siblerud, V.P. Product Management, ViZn Energy

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How did ViZn Energy get started?

Founded in 2009 as Zinc Air Inc., and based on ten previous years of research in the Department of Energy, ViZn commercializes energy storage systems for mega-watt applications. The ViZn solution is safe, reliable, cost-effective and scalable to meet the needs of today’s ever changing energy landscape.

The energy sector, specifically commercial, industrial and utility grid support.

Energy storage materially improves the stability and predictability of renewable energy, allowing higher penetration of renewables for distributed (commercial & industrial), micro-grid and utility scale applications where higher electricity prices, unstable grids and lower regulatory hurdles provide a needed storage environment.

Primarily engineering, mechanical, electrical, software and chemical.  Also support staff for these functions.  Worldwide operations and customer support can be located at various sites in the world as logistics necessitates.

ViZn was selected as a winner of the 2014 Intersolar Europe Electrical Energy Storage Award for their Z20 energy storage system.  3,500 companies from all international Intersolar exhibitions and the electrical energy storage exhibition participated and ViZn took top honors for products and solutions in the fields of materials, production, systems technology, applications, based on the degree of technological innovation, economic viability and benefit to the industry and environment.

In addition, Black and Veatch provided a third party review of the design, performance, and manufacturing quality of ViZn flow batteries and company capabilities and presented a positive bankability study.  Also, ViZn Energy has been chosen as the worthy recipient of the 2014 Frost & Sullivan Entrepreneurial Company of the Year Award.

Originally the founders were local, now a majority of engineering and other staff are from Montana.  We find the balance of life benefits and high quality employees and neighbors to be a competitive advantage in the world stage we participate in.

As a startup, time is precious and limited.  But we take advantage of the same activities that draw millions to Montana for vacations.  A hike in Glacier Park, campsite BBQ, huckleberry picking or hooking that sweet brookie in a mountain stream, it’s easy to escape, just hard to choose.