Experience

BYD North America

• United States
• Motor Vehicle Manufacturing
• 100 - 200 Employee

• Vice President of Original Sourcing

  • Oct 2021 - Present



New Energy Nexus

• United States
• Non-profit Organizations
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Program Manager

  • Feb 2019 - Oct 2021

  Yi leads the energy storage program at New Energy Nexus(previously known as California Clean Energy Fund). We aim to support diverse entrepreneurs to drive innovation in the energy storage and battery sector with funds, accelerators, and networks. Projects under my portfolio include EV Open Innovation Challenge (with Hyundai Motor and Kia), EV and Battery Challenge (with LG Chem, Hyundai Motor, and Kia Motor), LG Chem Battery Challenge, Bay Area Battery Summit. Yi leads the energy storage program at New Energy Nexus(previously known as California Clean Energy Fund). We aim to support diverse entrepreneurs to drive innovation in the energy storage and battery sector with funds, accelerators, and networks. Projects under my portfolio include EV Open Innovation Challenge (with Hyundai Motor and Kia), EV and Battery Challenge (with LG Chem, Hyundai Motor, and Kia Motor), LG Chem Battery Challenge, Bay Area Battery Summit.



CalCharge

• Renewable Energy Semiconductor Manufacturing

• Program Manager

  • Feb 2019 - Oct 2021

  CalCharge is a groundbreaking public-private partnership working to accelerate the development, commercialization, and adoption of new energy storage technologies for the consumer, transportation, and grid markets. CalCharge brings together emerging and established companies, academic and research institutions, government agencies, and other key stakeholders to spur advanced manufacturing and increase the growth of the energy storage sector. Through its programs, CalCharge creates a “center of gravity” for the California energy storage cluster that enables these diverse stakeholders to collaborate, identify barriers to emerging technology success, develop solutions, and help provide access to resources that clear the path to commercialization. The goal – a thriving California energy storage cluster that is a key driver of industry and market growth globally. Show less



RMI

• United States
• Non-profit Organizations
• 500 - 600 Employee

• Senior Associate

  • Jan 2016 - Jul 2021

  Lead major business development activities to establish RMI’s thought leadership in the Chinese power sector. Responsible for launching three projects of strategic importance and fruitfully managing their external collaboration. Helped RMI grow from no footprint in China to the only foreign NGO sponsored by the National Energy Administration Selected Results:- Developed and nurtured top-level connections in 100+ major organizations in the Chinese power sector that is critical to RMI’s business development strategy, including large corporates, central government, and leading academics- Responsible for developing and managing the external collaboration of RMI’s flagship project in China’s power sector, which is to build a market simulation model to quantitatively analyze the balance sheet of specific generators under a particular spot market structure- Designed and executed a stakeholder engagement strategy for the flagship project to make sure the crucial decision-makers adopt it in the revolutionary power sector reform- Excellent track-record of recruiting membership companies for RMI’s subsidiary programs of Business Renewable Center and Energy Web Foundation Show less

• Senior Associate

  • Mar 2015 - Dec 2015

  Independent contributor to RMI’s thought leadership - Co-developed and secured the funding for a consulting project which will pilot a new business model that would allow an integrated energy service provider to profit from implementing energy efficiency and distributed generation - Co-authored an article about business strategies of electricity retail companies published in Caijin magazine (Chinese Forbes) and get picked up by major national media outlets Represented RMI to give an invited talk on the disruptive future of the electricity sector to 400+ audience in the 10th China New Energy International Forum- Conducted critical research of electricity market design, such as interprovincial power market, transition market design, market power monitor and regulationSector lead and a key contributor to the electricity sector of the Reinventing Fire China project, which is a groundbreaking energy roadmap for China （see the description for Yi's associate role at RMI) Show less

• Associate

  • Feb 2014 - Feb 2015

  Sector lead and a key contributor to the electricity sector of the Reinventing Fire China project, which is a groundbreaking energy roadmap for China- It shows China can meet its ambitious, six-fold 2050 economic growth target using almost the same amount of energy in 2050 as 2010, but with substantially more renewable energy and less coal.- The report was authored by Rocky Mountain Institute, the Energy Research Institute under China’s National Development and Reform Commission, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory under two years of close collaboration. - This report was released on the G20 Energy Efficiency Forum and recognized by the Chinese central government as a reference for the energy strategy in the 13th Five Year Plan. Show less



National Renewable Energy Laboratory

• United States
• Research Services
• 700 & Above Employee

• Joint Graduate Research Assistant

  • Jun 2009 - Dec 2013

  Master and then Ph.D. student at the Colorado School of Mines, conducting research at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Specialized in Transparent Conducting Oxides (TCOs) and solid state physics. Supervised by NREL research fellow Dr. David Ginley and CSM Professor Dr. Ryan O'Hayre as Ph.D. thesis co-advisor. Master and then Ph.D. student at the Colorado School of Mines, conducting research at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Specialized in Transparent Conducting Oxides (TCOs) and solid state physics. Supervised by NREL research fellow Dr. David Ginley and CSM Professor Dr. Ryan O'Hayre as Ph.D. thesis co-advisor.



YiNovation, LLC

• Golden, Colorado

• Founder

  • Feb 2009 - Oct 2009

  + Created a consumer product (proprietary) from concept to prototype, and drafted a provisional patent + Conducted extensive due diligence by estimating the market size through survey and in-depth market research on the feasibility of selling through various dealership chains + Developed financial forecast based on first-hand information from industry contacts in each section of the value chain + Invited to Angel Capital Summit in Colorado which lead to strong investment interests of an angel investor + Decided to dissolve this initiative due to the time conflict of research work at NREL, which is a clear priority Show less