Shifted Energy

What they do & why the ‘Āina Aloha Economy Fund invested

Hawaii-based Shifted Energy, co-founded by Native Hawaiian Olin Lagon and longtime resident Forest Frizzell, is on a mission to enable widespread access to energy solutions.

When Hawaii set the first 100% clean energy mandate in the U.S., Olin, who served on the governing board, became concerned that ideas proposed for the transition to green energy were not inclusive—out of reach to renters and low-income residents. Born and raised in Hawaii’s largest low-income housing project, Olin wanted to enable everyone to participate in the energy transition.

Forest, who grew up in Oregon and moved in with a Hawaiian family in Kaʻaʻawa in 1996 and worked in IT and tech, became interested in clean energy as a way to address climate change.

Capitalizing on a device found in nearly every home, the company’s first product was a new way to control electric water heaters, allowing for the remote tracking and control of each unit’s power consumption. Shifted Energy has since expanded its analytical and control capabilities; its core product is its Grid Maestro software platform that allows other devices like solar-powered batteries, EV chargers, thermostats, and even entire homes, to be remotely connected, tracked, and controlled.

By managing and predicting the power used by each device in aggregate, Shifted Energy can give utility providers more accurate predictions of power usage and manage devices to reduce or shift loads on the grid.

“We are proud of headquartering Shifted Energy in Hawaii,” says Forest. “It is not an easy place to start or run a business. The state imports nearly 85% of its food and $5 billion a year in foreign oil. Now, Shifted is working in seven U.S. states, Canada, and Australia. We are exporting world-class energy solutions and data science.”

Shifted Energy sells its devices and software to utility and energy management companies. They have completed several pilot programs and commercial contracts, including a project with Hawaiian Electric, the state’s electric utility, in which Shifted connected over 3,000 water heaters in low- and moderate-income homes and apartment buildings to its software platform. The program delivered savings to participants and 2.5 MW of capacity for the utility.

Shifted Energy sought debt capital to be deployed alongside equity financing to purchase hardware inventory to be used in its new customers and projects. Funds from the ‘Āina Aloha Economy Fund with Hawaiʻi Investment Ready enable Shifted Energy to purchase hardware inventory and working capital.