WILSONVILLE: ESS Inc. has appointed of Eric Dresselhuys as Chief Executive Officer, a news release said.

Dresselhuys will leverage his proven strategic vision and executive leadership skills to guide the company through its next phase of growth as it expands its market presence and joins the global effort to decarbonize our energy systems.

Dresselhuys joins ESS with a proven track record of success across a variety of roles in both public and private companies. In 2002, he co-founded Silver Spring Networks, a leader in smart grid networking and data solutions.

His 15-year tenure there included a variety of executive roles leading to its initial public offering on the NYSE (NYSE: SSNI) and eventual sale to Itron, Inc. He has also held leadership positions at consumer goods giant, Procter & Gamble, and at Smart Energy Water, a leading software-as-a-service platform for the energy, water and utility sector, among others.

Dresselhuys currently serves as Chairman of Enian, Ltd., which builds data-driven software products for renewable energy professionals, and on the Board of Directors of Autogrid Systems, Inc., a provider of software products and services that analyze smart meter and energy usage information for utilities.

“I am honored to join ESS as its CEO. I believe that long-duration energy storage is one of the most important developments in our global effort to create a cleaner, more sustainable energy system,” stated Dresselhuys.

“Over the last decade, ESS has developed a truly breakthrough solution. I am delighted to join such a talented team as we scale our business to meet the growing demand for safe and sustainable long-duration storage.

“I am confident that Eric is a great addition to the ESS team and will lead the company to success in this next chapter of growth,” said Michael Niggli, ESS Board Chairman.

“Eric recognizes the enormous opportunity in pairing our long-duration storage solutions with renewable energy in a decarbonized world, and his decades-long commitment to a clean energy future aligns perfectly with the mission of ESS. He has proven his ability to leverage breakthrough technologies to transform the energy industry and we look forward to seeing his leadership and vision shape our path forward.”

Craig Evans, co-founder and former CEO of ESS, will remain as company president. He will lead several key functional areas, including engineering, R&D and manufacturing, helping to accelerate the next-generation of product advancements.

ESS Inc. designs, builds and deploys environmentally sustainable, low-cost, iron flow batteries for long-duration commercial and utility-scale energy storage applications requiring from 4 to 12 hours of flexible energy capacity.

The Energy WarehouseTM and Energy CenterTM use earth-abundant iron, salt, and water for the electrolyte, resulting in an environmentally benign, long-life energy storage solution for the world’s renewable energy infrastructure. Established in 2011, ESS Inc. enables project developers, utilities, and commercial and industrial facility owners to make the transition to more flexible non-lithium-ion storage that is better suited for the grid and the environment.

ESS Inc. investors include Breakthrough Energy Ventures, Softbank Energy, Evergy Ventures, PTT Global Chemical (GC), BASF Venture Capital, Cycle Capital Management, Presidio Partners Investment Management, IPM Group, and Pangaea Ventures. www.essinc.com