#29 Bert Wank: Advancing grid reliability with infiniRel

Bert Wank, CEO of infiniRel, shares his journey in power semiconductors and renewable energy, focusing on innovative solutions for grid reliability. He discusses infiniRel’s mission to develop advanced monitoring systems, likened to an “EKG for electronics,” to detect potential failures in inverters used in solar plants and battery storage systems. Wank explores the challenges of integrating modern electronics with traditional power grids, emphasizing the need for harmony in complex systems. He also touches on the financial impact of inverter failures, costing the U.S. solar industry billions, and infiniRel’s predictive analytics to mitigate these losses. Wank shares insights on professional fulfillment through the Japanese concept of Ikigai and offers advice for young engineers passionate about energy and electronics.

About Bert Wank:

Bert Wank is a veteran of the power semiconductor and renewable energy industries. Before founding infiniRel, a start-up developing energy conversion technologies, Bert held senior product management and strategic marketing positions, including analog market leaders Dallas Semiconductor and Burr-Brown (acquired by Texas Instruments for $7.6-Bn.). Bert has been instrumental for defining successful product roadmaps by launching 14 product lines that totaled over $100 Mio. of initial revenues during the first three years. During his semiconductor years he architected the world’s first off-the-shelf Lithium-Ion safety chip in 1997, which spawned numerous product iterations after Maxim acquired Dallas Semi for $2.5-Bn. in 2001, and in 2021 by Analog Devices for $21 billion. He also served as invited panelist at Comdex on battery management, and in 2012, Bert served as external Director on the board of directors of a capacitor manufacturer. At infiniRel he attracted over $400,000 in prized awards, including a grant from the California Energy Commission, and raised over $1.1 million in angel investments. Bert is named inventor on one patent granted in the U.S. and key European countries, three pending patents, and published 14 technical articles, including a well-published paper of the “IP Knowledge supply chain” at Elsevier, he co-authored. Bert holds an MBA in International Business from Thunderbird, and a B.S.E.E. in Control Systems Engineering from Germany and also speaks basic Mandarin.

• https://www.infiniRel.com/
• https://www.linkedin.com/company/infinirel-corporation
• https://twitter.com/infiniRel
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/bertwank
• 100-sec corporate trailer: https://youtu.be/V1uk7xoYJ_s

About Federico Ramallo:

Software Engineering Manager | Founder of DensityLabs.io & PreVetted.ai | Connecting U.S. teams with top nearshore LATAM engineers.

- 💼 https://www.linkedin.com/in/framallo/

- 🌐 https://densitylabs.io

- ✅ https://prevetted.ai

PreVetted Podcast:

- 🎙 https://prevetted.ai/podcast

CHAPTERS

00:00 - Introduction to Bert Wank and infiniRel 01:00 - The tale of two brains: Understanding cognitive differences 02:30 - Harmony vs. balance in life and technology 04:07 - infiniRel’s mission: Monitoring electronics for reliability 06:29 - Challenges in condition-based maintenance for electronics 09:39 - Integrating renewables with the electrical grid 12:07 - Predictive analytics for inverter health in solar and battery systems 18:38 - infiniRel’s vision and fundraising efforts 22:47 - Applications in electric vehicles and aerospace 27:52 - Advice for young engineers: Finding your Ikigai 31:17 - Federico’s journey into podcasting for meaningful connections