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EMIN ASKEROV
Cleantech FOAK and Scale-up Consiglieri
My insights and blog
Dive into my latest thoughts on Greentech trends, startup strategies, and investment insights. Stay ahead in the green revolution.
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Post-FOAK Is the New FOAK: A Strategic Review of the OCED’s First-of-a-Kind Project Playbook
A review of possibly the most comprehensive collection of real-world examples for getting cleantech from the lab to steel-in-the-ground scale. If you’re in the weeds of building a FOAK (First-of-a-Kind) project, or advising someone who is, this report deserves a place on your desk.
Emin Askerov
May 22, 20253 min read
The Energy Test Framework
A climate tech idea that needs more energy than it saves? That’s not innovation. That’s a waste.
Emin Askerov
May 21, 20252 min read
FOAK isn’t the finish line. It’s just the start.
Climeworks is back in the news—and not for the reason they’d like. Reports from Heimildin and others claim that their latest DAC (direct...
Emin Askerov
May 20, 20251 min read
Hype, Raise, Burn, Repeat
How can you hype up, raise investments, burn the money, and do it all again? I have no idea, but life proves that it is possible, again and again.
Emin Askerov
May 12, 20252 min read
Grants for FOAK
During my time scaling up climate tech, I wouldn’t touch government grants. Even when they could clearly reduce my capital costs, help to...
Emin Askerov
May 8, 20257 min read
Working With Working Capital
Working capital is a big challenge for B2C solar and storage startups. Or is it?
Emin Askerov
May 7, 20251 min read
Want to Build Batteries in Europe? Start with the Hardest Part – and the Right Partner
This year, the mood at the Smarter E Europe expo in Munich is different. With many EU battery startups going under, the only way to survive is to find the right partner from Asia.
Emin Askerov
May 6, 20251 min read
Field Notes from the FOAK Frontlines – Via Separations
Everyone wants to decarbonize industry. Not many talk about what happens after the pilot works. Scaling hardware isn’t linear. It’s...
Emin Askerov
May 5, 20251 min read
FOAK Field Guide
A new, comprehensive guide to FOAK in cleantech
Emin Askerov
Apr 30, 20251 min read
Solar heating vs. heat pumps
I'm deep into research on large-scale solar heating vs. heat pumps – and the findings are fascinating. At the household level, heat pumps...
Emin Askerov
Apr 29, 20251 min read
AIn't Gonna Do It
AI hysteria is here. Ignore it.
Emin Askerov
Apr 28, 20251 min read
Hydrogen planes: The new Concorde, minus the takeoff
Airbus just quietly moved the launch of its hydrogen-powered plane from 2035 to 2045. In corporate speak, that’s not a delay—it’s a...
Emin Askerov
Apr 25, 20251 min read
Getting Utilities to Buy Your Product: Lessons from LineVision and the Utility Gauntlet
LineVision experience in selling to Utilities
Emin Askerov
Apr 24, 20253 min read
Behind the Scenes
What am I working on?
Emin Askerov
Apr 23, 20251 min read
AI and energy use? Not an energy problem — it's a hype problem.
Do we really have an AI energy problem? Or is it just hype (as usual)?
Emin Askerov
Apr 16, 20251 min read
How to Build a Battery Industry
How the EU can build its own battery industry
Emin Askerov
Apr 15, 20252 min read
The Thing About Europe
Why you shouldn't lose faith in Europe
Emin Askerov
Apr 14, 20251 min read
ChatGPT Profiled Me
Logging in to ChatGPT today, I was greeted with a suggestion to describe me based on all of the chats I had. I’ve been using ChatGPT for...
Emin Askerov
Apr 11, 20251 min read
Book Review: How Big Things Get Done — Bent Flyvbjerg
Why are solar projects almost always on time, while nuclear ones spiral out of control? This book has the answers
Emin Askerov
Apr 3, 20252 min read
The Middle East BESS market- where I was wrong
Two things I got wrong about Saudi Arabia BESS market
Emin Askerov
Apr 1, 20252 min read
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