Q&A with Matt Kesler, Green Technologist at Mechatron
Matt Kesler is based in Flagstaff Arizona and helping Mechatron, a European leader in the solar field, increase its footprint in the North American market. His work is truly impacting the world in a positive way and his story and advice make this interview well worth reading.
Matt, tell us a bit about Mechatron Solar.
Mechatron makes a really revolutionary and very important product: gearless trackers for solar electric (photovoltaic) panels.
Mechatron trackers increase the amount of energy produced by each panel by about 40%, by ensuring that the panels are all facing directly toward the sun at every moment throughout the day, and throughout the seasons.
So you need fewer panels to meet your energy requirements, and the total cost of the system is reduced.
Mechatron trackers are used by farmers, ranchers, universities, businesses, and electric power utilities. They work on sites where other trackers won’t – hilltops, hillsides, campuses, and farms.
And because they are gearless – no gears to break, chip or wear – Mechatron trackers are incredibly reliable. Every one of the thousands of trackers deployed since 2008 is still in operation today.
What gave you the idea for your business and how did it start?
Well I wish I could take credit…but the company was founded in Europe, and supplied the solar boom there for several years. Then when the European solar market declined, Mechatron looked to the US as the next big market for solar technology – which we certainly are! – and launched a US affiliate. I was brought on board recently to help Mechatron grow throughout the US and Canada.
What’s your favorite thing about your job?
Telling my kids what I do!
What are your keys to making yourself productive?
Lists!
In meetings, I make lists of the action items for myself and other team members; every evening I make a list on my phone of what I need to get done the next day; and I have a list of longer-term objectives which I constantly update. I never run out of stuff to do!
Tell us one long-term goal in your career.
I’d like to be able to look back and see projects I’ve helped bring to fruition, and calculate the total number of kilowatt-hours they produce, and see that become a significant number of US and worldwide energy consumption.
To be able to say, “The world gets X% more of its energy from renewables because of projects I helped to complete.” would be worth all the work!
What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned through the course of your career?
That there’s always another opportunity for collaboration right around the corner.
Anything I want to accomplish, there’s someone else who wants that too, and together we can make it happen, if only we reach out and find each other.
What advice would you give to others aspiring to succeed in your field?
Look to the critical mass of your team, and judge it carefully.
Too many entrepreneurs – especially in green technologies – gather just enough resources to almost succeed.
What are your favorite things to do outside of work?
Spend time with my kids, but that’s getting harder now since they’re college age.
(Will it sound like bragging if I say I have three Ivy Leaguers?)
Name a few influential books you’ve read and/or websites you keep up with that you’d recommend to readers.
The book that influenced me most – gave me perspective and showed me what can be accomplished by determination and hard work – was Churchill’s “The Second World War”. (I describe it as a non-fiction version of “The Lord Of The Rings”.)
