#EP321 Today on the Clean Power Hour, we explore energy storage as a service for some of the toughest markets in the country. Tim Montague sits down with Christian Farivar, founder of Karh, to discuss how his company is tackling grid congestion, load pockets, and resilience challenges in Urban Areas like New York City with next-generation battery technology designed for a 30-year asset life.

Christian brings a unique background to energy storage. After a successful career in the music industry, he pivoted to engineering and energy, eventually earning a degree from Harvard University. His journey led him to found Karh around 2020, right when FERC Order 2222 opened doors for distributed energy resources to participate in wholesale markets.

Key Discussion Points:
The challenge of deploying large-scale energy storage in dense urban environments like New York City

Why load pockets in major cities need localized battery solutions to relieve transmission constraints

How Karh is developing chemistry-agnostic battery systems with 30-year asset life expectations

The economics of energy storage: achieving unit economics of $45-50 per megawatt-hour

Running 12X more profitably than existing battery systems through advanced AI optimization

Plans for a 90 megawatt-hour test project in NYC by 2027, scaling to 350+ megawatt-hour systems
Integration with EV charging, frequency regulation, and distributed energy resources

Why building electrification and edge AI data centers create massive demand spikes that require nearby capacity

If you're building a battery that lasts 30 years in the world's toughest energy market, you're not just solving today's problems. You're building infrastructure for the next generation grid.

Connect with Christian Farivar
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christianfarivar/?originalSubdomain=ca
Website: https://karh.energy/#home

Check Out the Free AI Workshop by Tim Montague, Book Your Seat Now: https://go.cleanpowerhour.com/solar-ai-workshop?utm_source=youtube

Check out my new book: Wired for Sun: The Commercial Solar Playbook on Amazon https://www.cleanpowerhour.com/book
Growing into large commercial-industrial solar? Book a free consultation with Tim Montague to grow your solar business today!
https://calendly.com/tim-montague/coaching_consulting

Clean Power Hour logo wear now available on demand: https://cleanpowerhour.merchyme.com/

Sponsor the show: If you make solar equipment, tools or software, you can reach thousands of energy professionals each week including decision makers, engineers, EPCs, installers, developers and asset owners.
https://www.cleanpowerhour.com/p/media-kit/

📘 Wired for Sun is now available!

A practical playbook for commercial solar professionals who want to sell smarter and lead the clean energy transition.

🚀 Buy now on Amazon: https://cleanpowerhour.com/book

The Clean Power Hour is brought to you by CPS America, maker of North America’s number one 3-phase string inverter, with over 10GW shipped in the US. With a focus on commercial and utility-scale solar and energy storage, the company partners with customers to provide unparalleled performance and service. The CPS America product lineup includes 3-phase string inverters from 25kW to 350kW, exceptional data communication and controls, and energy storage solutions designed for seamless integration with CPS America systems. CPS America has offices in California, New Jersey, and Texas. Learn more at https://www.chintpowersystems.com/