Our next interviewee is Guénaël Prince ( Cl 201), co-founder and CEO of Waga Energy Inc (US affiliate of Waga Energy SA).
AFAM: Hello Guénaël and thank you for agreeing to answer my questions. Please tell us more about your company and your job.
Guénaël: Waga Energy is an innovative Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) producer specializing in landfill gas upgrading, with a global presence and a proprietary technology.
We have developed a breakthrough technology the Wagabox, to recover landfill gas and turn it into RNG. Our projects have a double impact to help fight climate change: they capture landfills gas — a major source of greenhouse gas emissions — and produce a renewable substitute for fossil-based natural gas.
Since we created Waga Energy with my 2 associates Mathieu Lefebvre and Nicolas Paget in 2015, we have successfully developed, built and we now operate 15 Wagabox in France, Spain, Canada and USA, with many more projects being in execution.
Waga Energy is now expanding in Europe, and in North America, in order to accelerate the deployment of our solution. Global warming is here, we can every day measure or feel its impact; so we have no choice but to accelerate the development of renewable energies. And Waga is part of the answer.
After having held the position of CTO, being in charge of developing the Wagabox technology, I am now in charge of the US affiliate: I hire the people and form a committed and motivated team that will move forward our project here in the US.
AFAM: Is working in the renewable energy sector your true passion or is it more about opportunities that you wanted to take advantage of?
Guénaël: My motivation in working in the renewable energy sector was double: first I am concerned, like more and more people in the world, about the impact human activities have on the environment, and about the acceleration of the global warming. I am a father of 4 kids, I feel deeply concerned about their future, and I want to do something at my level. And then, my second motivation was to be able to put my technical knowledge at the service of a good mission. As an engineer, we can develop solutions to partially solve problems we’ve created in the past. So I can say it is a true passion!
AFAM: what do you enjoy the most about your job?
Guénaël: Working with people! Waga Energy is a real adventure, with many challenges in very different areas. What I love the most is being able to work with multiple different people, with different backgrounds (technical, legal, commercial, financial…) and cultures. Waga Energy is a human project; it is a demanding challenge, however by having our employees embracing our culture and value, we can succeed.
AFAM: Any renewable energy startups/companies in the US or in France you are following or/and have been impressed by recently? Why?
Guénaël: I am very impressed by the speed at which the electrification of usage is happening: it creates a lot of opportunities for small companies to position themselves, as big corporations will be slower to move. However, displacing the enormous quantity of fossil fuels consumed will require a lot of renewable energy; and the answer will come therefore in diversifying our renewable energy sources (biogas for example, in addition to solar and wind), and being soberer. And to help us in this sobriety pathway, it is great to see companies developing micro-mobility, last-kilometer delivery by cargo bikes, more efficient and lighter cars, ...
AFAM: How did being a gadz’art help you in your environmental career and in particular in your American journey?
Guénaël: I was lucky to have been able to take one sabbatical year during my scholarship at A&M school, with two friends, that opened my eyes about the world surrounding us. It was a real adventure, and I experienced that with a high motivation and sound foundations, you could do great projects! It helped me not be afraid to undertake new projects, and to see the power of being an association in an entrepreneurial project. Two things that were helpful in funding Waga Energy!
AFAM: every year we have several students looking for internships in the energy sector in the US. Some of them are in our Shasta internship program. What would you suggest to these students?
Guénaël: Happy to receive resumes!
AFAM: Any future plans concerning your professional career you’d like to share with us?
Guénaël: Waga Energy is only at the beginning of its story; we want to scale up the company to be in a position to address more markets. So I am fully focused in delivering our growth plan.
AFAM: Thank you, Guénaël
Please read other interviews in "Green and Clean” series
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