Coworking with Sebastian Belcher

Coworking is a weekly segment where we spotlight Emerging Tech Brew readers who work with emerging technologies. Click here if you’d like a chance to be featured.

How would you describe your job to someone who doesn’t work in tech?

I work on delivering R&D projects in a data-science company that uses machine learning for energy optimization in commercial buildings.

What’s your favorite emerging tech project you’ve worked on?

Using electric vehicles to reduce a building’s carbon emissions by storing on-site solar for later use using vehicle to grid (V2G) systems. This technology can leverage the coming EV revolution to create a grid-scale battery out of all the electric cars people will have.

What emerging tech are you most optimistic about? Least? And why?

Most: Fusion (even if it’s “still 10 years away,” this has been said since the ’70s), it’s the energy source of the future and I see it as the first step to becoming a Type 2 civilization (if we can reach Type 1 first!).

Least: It’s difficult to say I’m the least optimistic about it because it’s a great idea, but hydrogen fuel cells, because of round-cycle efficiency and the changing focus from fuel cells to internal-combustion engines for hydrogen fuels.

What’s the best piece of tech-related media you’ve read/watched/listened to?

Probably “” by Cold Fusion on YouTube. ARM chips are exciting despite the foreshadowing of quantum computing.

One thing we can’t guess from your LinkedIn profile?

I’m an avid kite surfer and surfer.

What do you think about when you’re not thinking about tech?

I love astronomy. It’s difficult to get a word in edgewise once I start talking about space.