Island Innovation

The Ambassador program aims to integrate and combine networking, sustainability, diversity, entertainment, and knowledge. The program forms an active network of engaged leaders with the purpose of positively impacting people, communities and environments around them.

Island Ambassador (Hawaii)

TechFlow, Inc.

Director of Strategy & Development

Instant ON

•	Engage with high-profile organizations in the private, public, and government sectors to determine project needs, anticipate challenges, and provide solutions.
•	Acquired contracts to build 3GW of microgrids and nanogrids in 1 million homes for US veterans. 
•	Ushered in the partnership with Schneider Electric GreenStruxure for EaaS for the C&I industry.
•	Developed a strategic partnership with Bosch to create their US deployment strategy for their new solid oxide fuel cells (coming out in 2024).
•	Recognized as the Top Energy Storage Provider in 2021, the #1 microgrid integrator for CA in 2020 and 2021, and among the Top 50 Most Innovative Companies to Watch for 2021.

President/CEO

On Deck

The fellowship is for accomplished experts in the climate and/or startup space who are interested in starting, scaling, joining, or advising climate tech companies.

Fellow

DR Microgrid, LLC

•	Awarded a contract to build a 100MW solar, 250MW-battery microgrid in CA.
•	Guided activities to secure a contract to build nanogrids in 19,000 homes in CA.
•	Secured contract for 3 pilot projects with SDG&E, SCE, and PG&E (major CA utilities).
•	Facilitated the sale of the company for $14M.

Sun Energy

•	Spearheaded the securement of 2,800 lighting, HVAC, and energy as a service contracts for Lockheed Martin Energy, ENERNOC, and C-Power for commercial and industrial clients implementing DR programs, LCR incentive programs, and renewable projects.
•	Negotiated a national energy efficiency contract with Kaiser Permanente in Western US.
•	Established the first energy storage rental program in the country to service the demands of backup power for senior homes.
•	Secured national distribution rights for technologies that have penetrated the commercial and industrial space for energy efficiency.
•	Contract was acquired by TRC for $40M.

President

Hydrolux Corp

•	Coordinated the recruitment of sales representatives.
•	Solicited sales activities focusing on products with applications in a variety of markets including LED, solar, A/C, VFDs, high-efficiency toilets, and turf; identified gaps in existing markets or new markets. 
•	Drove the completion of existing projects while developing new business opportunities with the overall goal of expanding sales and expanding the business’s market footprint.  
•	Built an IPO-ready company within 1 year with a potential value of more than $700M.
•	Secured product distribution contracts of more than $500M in annual sales in 2016 and $780M in 2017.

VP of Product & Business Development

E-Star LED's

•	Prospected, qualified, and developed national and international strategic business relationships with customers and channel partners to drive new opportunities for the sales and distribution of a new patented LED technology in commercial, industrial, and government operations.
•	Cultivated 42 national business opportunities with channel partners and other potential customers through all stages of the sales cycle, including targeting, prospecting, and presenting proposals with sales of $18M+ in the first month.
•	Oversaw the creation of an in-house national sales team of 200+ independent sales persons; offered leadership, direction, and motivation to guide their activities and promote high performance.
•	Sold IP for an undisclosed amount.

VP National Sales Manager

You’re a green energy founder ready to expand into the U.S. — but scaling across borders isn’t easy.

After decades of leading clean tech companies to successful exits, building multi-billion-dollar partnerships, and pioneering U.S. growth strategies for organizations like DR Microgrids, Instant ON, and TechFlow, I know exactly what it takes to attract customers, investors, and operational teams in America’s competitive landscape.

Today, I help late-stage entrepreneurs in green energy and sustainability sectors fast-track their U.S. expansion — by combining visionary strategy with tactical execution.

Whether you’re preparing for a major U.S. market launch, building your first American team, or seeking strategic investors who believe in your mission, I offer tailored playbooks, partnership-building strategies, and advisory services that cut months off your timeline.

⚡ Expand smarter. Grow faster. Build your legacy.
👉 If you’re ready to accelerate your U.S. journey, let’s connect.

AJ Perkins

🌺 Happy Aloha Friday, everyone.

I wanted to share something personal today. Yesterday was our first Thanksgiving without my dad, and it hit all of us in different ways. But something special happened, too.

My family, my brother’s families, and my mom opened our home the way my dad always taught us. We had friends from all kinds of backgrounds, folks who didn’t have family close by, people far from home, people who just needed a place to feel cared for. The house was full of accents, food from everywhere, laughter, and stories. It felt right. It felt like him.

Growing up, my dad made sure no one was alone during the holidays. He always said food, shelter, and family should be shared, not saved for just a few. If someone needed a hug, they got one. If someone needed a place to stay, they had it. If someone needed a reminder that they mattered, he gave it.

We want to carry that forward.

As we move into the rest of the holiday season, I hope we all look around and notice the people who might be spending these days on their own. A small invite can mean more than we know. A warm meal, a chair at the table, a place to talk story, that’s the true meaning of the season.

So here’s to Aloha Friday, to giving, to mixing cultures, to welcoming others in, and to keeping traditions alive in ways that honor the people we miss.

Mahalo, Dad. We’re trying to do it the way you showed us.

Mahalo to my brother from another mother, ERIC KEAWEKANE for this cool Happy Mahalo Day image that shows the blending of culture so perfectly.
#shaka

Go-To Market Expert for Cleantech | Strategic Advisor | Ex-CEO | Built 3 Companies, Closed $15B+ in Contracts

Happy Aloha Friday, everyone.

As we head into Thanksgiving week, I’ve been thinking a lot about gratitude. 

Most people on here know me for the work I do in renewable energy, the speaking events, and the projects across Hawaiʻi, the mainland, and the Pacific. 

I’m thankful I get to serve our communities in that way.

But not everyone knows one of the things I’m most grateful for - working with my kids to write “Mahalo Does Not Mean Trash.”

This book has won awards around the country, but the real win for me is that it came from our home, our culture, and our time together as a family.

In this season of giving thanks, I wanted to share it because it makes a great gift for kids, teachers, and families who want to learn a little more about Hawaiʻi, about respect, and about caring for the world around us.

If you’d like a copy, you can still get it on Amazon in time for Thanksgiving next week
.
Wishing all of you a safe, happy, and meaningful Thanksgiving.
 Mahalo.

Here’s a truth a lot of people in hydrogen don’t want to admit:
  Potential doesn’t move markets anymore. Proof does.

After a year of policy reversals, paused funding, and headline hype, investors and communities aren’t listening for promises, they’re watching for results.

The market is quietly redrawing the line between those who talk about progress and those who can show it.

If you read on, you’ll see:
 1️⃣ Why the credibility gap is slowing real investment.
 2️⃣ The three traits that now define “bankable” projects.
 3️⃣ How proof - shared data, verified milestones, repeatable models - is becoming the new currency of trust.

Every MOU without a contract, every groundbreaking before financing, and every “pilot” without published data chips away at the industry’s credibility. 

But the teams that document, verify, and share what’s real are the ones attracting capital, partners, and policy support.

 “Potential inspires people. Proof keeps them believing.” — AJ Perkins

Every conference stage, proposal, and press release in the hydrogen world has one thing in common: big potential. But after the past year of policy re

Open article: Proof Beats Potential by AJ Perkins • 3 min read

THE COLLAPSE NO ONE PREPARED FOR
(Series Kickoff: “Where the Hydrogen Industry Goes Next”)

Something big changed in hydrogen...and almost no one was ready for it.
-ARCHES paused.
-DOE froze major programs.
-Hubs stalled.
-Projects were left without a home.
-And hundreds of SMEs who carried this industry suddenly lost the platform they depended on.

The work didn’t fail.
The structure did.

The Human Side of the Collapse

Behind every paused hub are:
 • project managers
 • safety engineers
 • community partners
 • OEM specialists
 • fleet teams
 • developers
 • analysts

These people didn’t lose motivation; they lost direction.

Overnight, the industry found itself with talent, projects, and ambition… but no center of gravity.

Meanwhile, Europe Just Moved

Last week, the EU launched the first Hydrogen Matchmaking Mechanism; a verified, always-on platform that connects suppliers and buyers and accelerates real offtake.

While the U.S. told developers to “wait 3–6 months,”
 Europe gave their ecosystem a home.

If we don’t respond, we fall behind.
 Not in technology...
 in coordination.

The U.S. Needs a New Backbone

Not another grant cycle.
Not another hub.
A neutral, modern, full-stack hydrogen operating system that connects:
            Learn → Verify → Match → Execute → Improve

A system where anyone can:
 ✔ learn hydrogen (safety, OEM modules, workforce skills)
 ✔ get verified (projects, partners, carbon intensity)
 ✔ get matched (suppliers, buyers, OEMs, financiers, SMEs)
 ✔ deploy real systems
 ✔ track progress across the ecosystem

A system aligned with major opportunities like the LA28 and FIFA

A system that includes education, governance, marketplace tools, and a unified ecosystem.

This isn’t a dream.
This is exactly what the moment demands.

This Series Is About What Comes Next

Over the next several posts, I’ll break down:
 • The era of orphaned projects
 • Why the EU leapfrogged us
 • What a U.S. marketplace must include
 • Why SMEs are the missing backbone
 • The new role of OEMs
 • How financiers are rewriting the rulebook
 • How LA28 becomes the proof point
 • And why the next phase of hydrogen will look nothing like the last

The old road is gone.
A new one is forming.

And this time, the center of gravity won’t be built by a hub, it’ll be built by the platform that connects everyone who still believes in this industry.

“Hydrogen didn’t lose momentum, it lost coordination. The future belongs to whoever rebuilds the connection.” - AJ Perkins

WHAT A U.S. HYDROGEN PLATFORM MUST DO
(Series Part 3: “Where the Hydrogen Industry Goes Next”)

We already know exactly what that system must include.

1. A Supply & Demand Engine (Not a Directory)
We need a real-time, verified map of:
 • suppliers
 • buyers
 • station developers
 • logistics pathways
 • infrastructure bottlenecks
 • regional volume needs

2. A Bankability Layer
Our projects don’t fail because of hydrogen, they fail because of uncertainty.
A U.S. platform must include:
 • partner scoring
 • technology readiness checks
 • financial reliability indicators
 • compliance & document review
 • delivery history
 • business stability
 • completeness of information

3. A Project Workflow Engine
Developers need a place where projects can move from:
Inception → Planning → Procurement → Post-Contract
 in one continuous workflow.

This is the only way to stop losing months to PDF exchanges, outdated spreadsheets, and email chains.

4. A Go/No-Go Decision Layer
No more $150K feasibility reports that take 6 months and are outdated before they’re finished.
A real U.S. marketplace needs:
• validated partner data
 • incentive modeling
 • CAPEX/OPEX inputs
 • carbon intensity scoring
 • community alignment checks
 • regulatory screening
 • clear action pathways (Proceed / Pivot / Pause)

5. A Clean-Fuel Marketplace That Actually Closes Deals
Hydrogen, e-Methane, Methanol, SAF.
All in one place. All verified. All comparable. All trackable.
That means:
 ✔ set your terms
 ✔ send offers
 ✔ compare verified suppliers
 ✔ close deals
 ✔ store records

🔑 6. Real-Time Market Pulse
We need a platform that tracks:
 • regional price changes
 • supply/demand shifts
 • capacity movements
 • infrastructure gaps
 • incentive impacts
 • future trend modeling

🔑 7. An Optimizer Engine for Pathway Modeling
Every project needs to test scenarios:
Path A, Path B, Path C
The system must model:
 • returns
 • volume
 • price strategy
 • route planning
 • downtime
 • risk

 Without modeling, we’re guessing.
 With modeling, we’re competing.

8. A National Partner Network (Verified, Not Voluntary)
We need one trusted ecosystem that includes:
• producers
 • OEMs
 • EPCs
 • station developers
 • fleet partners
 • energy storage partners
 • national labs
 • financiers
 • community organizations
 • SMEs

9. A Post-Contract Execution Layer
The U.S. has thousands of megawatts “announced” but very few actually operating.
A real platform must support:
 • operational monitoring
 • uptime and resilience
 • collaboration threads
 • document management
 • change tracking
 • community reporting
 • ESG transparency

The Blueprint Is Already Here
The U.S. doesn’t need to guess anymore.
We don’t need to reinvent the wheel.
We don’t need to wait for perfect federal alignment.
We just need to build the platform that connects the entire ecosystem and we already know exactly what it must do.

Where the Hydrogen Industry Goes Next
(Series Part 5: “Where the Hydrogen Industry Goes Next”)

The truth is simple: the next phase of the hydrogen industry will not be shaped by one hub, one region, or one agency. 

It will be shaped by the groups that know how to move fast, share real data, and work with partners they can trust.

For years, progress depended on long cycles, one-off studies, and projects waiting for someone else to make the next move. But things changed.
 
Developers want clear pricing.
Fleets want real supply.
Communities want support.
OEMs want a clean way to show what they can deliver.
And investors want to know which projects are actually ready.

This is where the industry is heading:

1. Real-time market signals instead of guesswork
The old pattern of “wait for a study” is fading. The industry needs clear supply, demand, and pricing signals across all regions. People want to know what is moving right now, not six months ago.

2. Verified partners as the new requirement, not a nice-to-have
The market is growing fast, and so are the risks. Teams need a simple way to see who is real, who has delivered before, and who is actually ready for work. This is how the entire sector reduces delays and failed deals.

3. Faster contract cycles
Months of email threads and scattered forms are no longer acceptable. Fleets, cities, and producers all want a single place to set terms, compare options, and close deals in days, not quarters.

4. More shared tools across hubs and regions
The U.S. will not win this race if every state builds its own isolated system. We need common tools for matching, planning, verification, and education. One place where projects and partners can meet, learn, and move forward without friction.

5. A platform-first ecosystem
Every major clean-energy sector eventually adopts a platform. Solar did. Mobility did. Storage is doing it now. Hydrogen is next.

A platform brings the things we’ve been missing:
 • supply + demand in one view
 • real partner scoring
 • simple procurement
 • clear price signals
 • faster development paths
 • support for communities and SMEs

This is how we turn confusion into action and how we make sure the U.S. doesn't fall behind the EU, China, the UK, or South America.

The next chapter of hydrogen belongs to the teams who can move with speed and clarity.

That is the shift we are stepping into now.

Happy Aloha Friday 🌺 A Hard Lesson Hawai‘i Just Taught Us About Energy Trust

This week, I spent time digging deeper into the recent case involving the Hamakua power plant and the more I read, the clearer it became:

This wasn’t just a fuel problem.
This was a trust problem.

Two military-grade turbines, engines built to last decades, were destroyed in months because contaminated fuel slipped through the system.

The island lost 25–30% of its power. Costs went up. Backups kicked in. Risks grew.

And as the lawsuit makes clear, the core issue wasn’t technology failure.
 
It was the breakdown between partners, the lack of independent checks, and the absence of a shared way to verify what’s real.

For those of us working in clean energy, hydrogen, fuels, microgrids, or resilience planning… this should hit close to home.

Because what happened at Hamakua could happen anywhere.

Across the industry, whether we’re talking hydrogen, biofuels, ammonia, batteries, or firm power — we still rely on:
 • siloed spreadsheets
 • trust-based certificates
 • manual data handoffs
 • outdated verification processes

And in an energy world that’s moving faster than ever, that old system simply isn’t strong enough.

Hawai‘i just gave us the warning. It’s on us to listen.

If we want a clean and stable future, we need to raise the bar:
 1️⃣ Verify the partners
 2️⃣ Verify the data
 3️⃣ Verify the fuel
Not in a way that slows progress…but in a way that protects it.

As I’ve been sharing in my recent posts, our biggest risk isn’t new technology.

It’s the trust gap that sits between all of us trying to build the future.

Hawai‘i learned that the hard way.

The rest of us don’t have to.

Aloha Friday Thought:
Let’s take this moment to reflect on what it means to build energy systems that our communities can count on, not just in good times, but when it matters most.

Hawai‘i taught us a tough lesson.

Now we have a chance to turn that lesson into stronger, safer, smarter clean-energy systems everywhere.

Have a Happy Aloha Friday, everyone. 🌺

California Didn’t Get Hydrogen Wrong.

We Got Coordination Wrong.

I just finished reading California Air Resources Board’s 2025 Annual Evaluation of Hydrogen Vehicles and Stations.

Here’s the part that matters most, and it’s getting missed.

California does not have a technology problem.
 It does not have a supply problem.
 It does not even have a station count problem.

According to CARB’s own data:
-California already has dozens of hydrogen stations online
-Statewide fueling capacity could support many times more vehicles than exist today
-Hydrogen technology continues to improve

Yet adoption slowed.
Why?

Because the system around hydrogen is fragmented.

Stations are not always reliable.
 
Fuel pricing feels unstable.
 
Demand and supply are not lined up by region.
 
Fleets, cities, developers, and investors are operating in silos.

That’s not a failure of hydrogen.
 
That’s a failure of coordination.

One line in the report stood out to me:
Capacity is outpacing demand, but access, reliability, and confidence are holding the market back.

That’s the real issue.

You can’t grow clean fuels if:
-Fleets don’t know which stations they can trust
-Stations don’t know when demand is coming
-Developers can’t show bankable offtake
-Public agencies can’t see what’s actually working in real time

This is why the next phase of clean fuels won’t be about building more things first.
 
It will be about operating what we already built, better.

Hydrogen doesn’t need more hype.
 
It needs:
-Clear data
-Verified partners
-Reliable operations
-Aligned demand

CARB’s report doesn’t signal the end of hydrogen.
 
It signals the need for a smarter, more connected operating model.

If we get coordination right, the rest follows.

That’s the real takeaway.

This is what a “pause” actually looks like.

I have a customer in Olympia, WA who needs 500 kg of hydrogen right now.
 Not next year. Not after a pilot. Now.

If you have supply, I will sign a contract and pick it up.
 This is real. DM me if you can deliver.

And this is exactly the problem.

We keep hearing that hydrogen is “slow” or “losing momentum.” It’s not. 
Demand is here. The buyer is ready. The contract is ready. What’s missing is the clear, visible path between supply and demand.

This isn’t a technology issue. It’s not a policy issue. It’s a coordination issue.

Somewhere between producers, logistics, pricing, and trust, the system breaks down. So deals that should close in days stretch into months, or never happen at all.

That’s what this pause really is.
 Not a lack of need.
 Not a lack of capital.
 Not a lack of belief.

A lack of connection.

“When progress slows, it’s usually not because the idea failed, it’s because the path forward became unclear.”

If you’re producing hydrogen and looking for real offtake, this is it.

If you’ve been in hydrogen for a while, the last few months have probably felt strange. Projects slowed. Programs paused. Meetings stopped turning int

Open article: The Hydrogen Industry Isn’t Failing - It’s Paused by AJ Perkins • 2 min read

The Hydrogen Industry Isn’t Failing - It’s Paused

THE ERA OF ORPHANED PROJECTS
(Series Part 2: “Where the Hydrogen Industry Goes Next”)

When the hubs stalled, something unexpected happened...entire pipelines of hydrogen projects suddenly had nowhere to go.

Projects weren’t canceled because they were bad.
 
They were abandoned because their pathway disappeared.

We now have:
-developers holding half-built proposals
-OEMs waiting for customers who no longer have a landing spot
-fleets unsure where to source fuel
-communities waiting for commitments
-and SMEs carrying expertise with no mechanism to use it

We aren’t dealing with “delays.”
We’re dealing with orphaned work.

When a hub slows down, it’s not just the hub that pauses, it’s everything around it:
• feasibility studies
 • site assessments
 • workforce planning
 • OEM partnerships
 • utilities
 • safety reviews
 • community engagement
 • procurement pipelines
 • emission modeling
 • offtake conversations

All of these were mid-stream. All of these suddenly lost a parent organization.

This is why the industry feels scattered right now, thousands of tasks were moving in parallel, and all of them lost the same anchor.

Here’s the part no one is talking about: The collapse didn’t just strand projects, it stranded people.

SMEs who spent years shaping policy, building pathways, scoring projects, solving safety issues, and coordinating partners are now left wondering:
“Where do I plug in?”
 “Where does my expertise matter now?”
 “Who do I help?”
 “Where do the projects go?”

This isn’t just a structural gap. This is a leadership vacuum.
And a vacuum doesn’t stay empty for long.

It either gets filled by confusion or by coordination.

We Need a New Home for Orphaned Projects
Europe understood this and built a platform.
 Not a hub.
 Not a committee.
 A system designed to:
• receive projects
 • verify them
 • connect them
 • and move them
 forward.

The U.S. needs the same thing but tailored to our ecosystem.
A national home where orphaned projects can immediately:
 ✔ get verified
 ✔ find SME reviewers
 ✔ find OEM partners
 ✔ get scored
 ✔ get matched with buyers
 ✔ connect to financiers
 ✔ plug into workforce training
 ✔ and re-enter the pipeline with confidence

Because without a home, even the best projects stall.
 With one, they scale.

This Is Why the Next Phase Will Be Platform-Driven

The hub era was about policy. This next era is about orchestration.

Not top-down. Not political. A neutral, living backbone that connects:
people → projects → partners → progress

Across states. Across technologies. Across industries. Across timelines.

A place where the work that was started doesn’t get lost, it gets completed.
If you’re feeling the orphaned-project effect… you’re not alone.

This moment feels messy because it is messy. But it’s also the moment right before something new gets built; the moment when clarity starts to matter more than promises.

Most people don’t realize this about clean fuels and energy projects:
You can approve vehicles, facilities, and policies...and still fail at deployment.

Why?
 
Because fuel decisions are often made too late.

What usually happens:
 • Vehicles get ordered
 • Grants get awarded
 • Announcements get made
 • Fuel supply gets “figured out later”

Then reality shows up:
 • Suppliers weren’t ready
 • Prices changed
 • Stations stalled
 • Timelines slipped

It’s not a technology problem.
It’s not a safety problem.
It’s not a lack of interest.
It’s a coordination problem.

Producers don’t see real demand early enough.
-Buyers don’t see verified supply.
-Financiers don’t see both aligned.

So everyone waits.

Clean fuels won’t scale on hope and press releases.

They scale when demand, supply, and capital line up before money gets spent.

Some of us are working quietly on ways to fix this.
More soon.

Happy Aloha Friday 🌺
Quick story from this week.

We just wrapped a win with a fleet that didn’t need a white paper.
 They didn’t need hype.
 They needed fuel. Soon.

What surprised them wasn’t the tech.

 It was how hard it still is to answer simple questions:
• Who actually has hydrogen today?
 • At what pressure, spec, and volume?
 • For how long—and at what risk?
 • What happens if demand grows next year?

Most fleets aren’t asking if hydrogen works anymore.
 They’re asking how to move without getting burned.

And right now, too many decisions still rely on:
-Side emails
-Old slides
-Phone calls that go nowhere
-“We think supply will be there”

That’s not how fleets buy fuel.
 That’s how projects stall.

Fleets need:
-Clear supply signals
-Real data, not promises
-A way to compare options fast
-Confidence that today’s choice won’t break tomorrow’s plan

The good news?
 The demand is real.
 The buyers are ready.
 The next phase is about structure, not speeches.

If you’re in fleets and feeling this tension, you’re not alone.
 A lot of quiet work is happening right now to fix this gap.

Enjoy the weekend.
 Next week gets interesting 🤙

Cool OC

Executive Director

Solar Energy Consultant - Residential & Commercial

Empowerment Institute 

Cool Irvine Program Manager

Tom Steyer 2020

Worked as a community organizer galvanizing support for a presidential candidate for the 2020 Democratic primary election.
- Organized local campaign events managing logistics, engagement and marketing.
- Instrumental in recruiting and engaging volunteers for the Fullerton campaign office.
- Canvassed and phone banked to engage support for the candidate.

Community Organizer

American Accessories Inc.

Managed a licensed leather goods product line overseeing everything from sales, distribution, product development and inventory. Increased sales in 2018 by 14% by streamlining the sales process and improving inventory management and fulfillment.

Brand Director, Harley-Davidson Division

The MOD Jewelry Group

Managed an office of 10 people where we manufactured, sold and distributed a licensed jewelry line to Harley-Davidson dealers worldwide.

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