In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we speak with Behdad Bahrami, CEO of Edgecom Energy, about how artificial intelligence is changing the way industrial facilities manage electricity. As energy prices become more volatile, AI data centers drive unprecedented demand on the electric grid, and utilities introduce increasingly complex pricing structures, manufacturers and other large energy users need better visibility into how and when they consume electricity. Behdad explains how Edgecom's AI-powered energy management platform combines utility billing, real-time energy monitoring, grid signals, and predictive analytics to help industrial facilities reduce costs, improve operational efficiency, and make smarter energy decisions. The conversation explores industrial energy management, demand response, grid modernization, AI-powered energy optimization, and why energy should be treated as a controllable business cost rather than a fixed expense.

Key Points:

• AI is making industrial energy management more proactive – By combining real-time facility data with utility pricing, demand response programs, and predictive AI models, industrial facilities can identify inefficiencies, automate energy decisions, and reduce electricity costs.
• Industrial facilities have significant untapped opportunities to improve energy efficiency – Many manufacturers still rely on fragmented utility bills and limited energy monitoring, making it difficult to understand where electricity is being used or where savings can be achieved. Greater visibility enables better operational and financial decisions.
• The growth of AI data centers is accelerating the need for a smarter electric grid – As electricity demand rises, utilities, manufacturers, and large commercial facilities will need better energy orchestration, flexible demand, and intelligent software to optimize existing grid infrastructure before building new capacity.

• Behdad Bahrami, CEO of Edgecom Energy, LinkedIn

• Luis de Leon, Earthlings 2.0 Guest Host

In this episode of Earthlings 2.0, we speak with Masami Hayashi, Global Strategy Director at Clean Planet Inc., about the company's work developing solid-state fusion technology for industrial heat. While electricity often dominates clean energy discussions, industrial heat remains one of the largest sources of global energy consumption and emissions. Hayashi explains that Clean Planet's Quantum Hydrogen Energy (QHE) technology uses hydrogen and proprietary metal catalysts to generate heat via solid-state fusion, potentially producing significant thermal energy from minimal fuel inputs. The conversation explores industrial heat decarbonization, hydrogen energy, fusion commercialization, and the potential role of this technology in factories, commercial buildings, and other heat-intensive industries.

Check out a few of our episodes on the built environment:

• #159 – Combining Robotics and Mass Timber For Modular Urban Buildings with Intelligent City
• #131 – Why AI + Robotics Could Be The Future of Reclaimed Lumber with Urban Machine
• #108 – Autonomous Robots Driving Down Costs for Sustainable Infrastructure with Civ Robotics
• #29 – Living, Breathing, Beautiful Buildings with Lindsay Baker

Key Points:

• Industrial heat is a major climate challenge that receives less attention than electricity generation – Manufacturing, commercial buildings, refrigeration systems, logistics facilities, and data centers all require large amounts of thermal energy, much of which is still produced using fossil fuels.
• Solid-state fusion could provide a new pathway for clean industrial heat – Clean Planet's Quantum Hydrogen Energy technology uses hydrogen and engineered metal catalysts to generate excess heat through a low-temperature fusion process, potentially delivering significantly more energy from hydrogen than combustion-based approaches.
• Commercial deployment is focused on real-world industrial applications – Clean Planet is working with industrial boiler manufacturer Miura to develop heat modules for factories, supermarkets, commercial buildings, and logistics facilities as it moves from laboratory research toward commercialization.

• Masami Hayashi, Global Strategy Director at Clean Planet Inc., LinkedIn

• Lisa Ann Pinkerton, Earthlings 2.0 Host, CEO of Technica Communications, CEO and Founder of PRVIEW, and Founder of Women in Cleantech and Sustainability, LinkedIn