Sequoya Cross Leads the Way in Renewable Energy and Gender Equality

For over 20 years, Sequoya Cross has been a groundbreaking business leader, thriving in a male-dominated field. From solar power companies to battery storage solutions, Sequoya has pursued a career in renewable energy innovations with passion and purpose. Through her career journey and now under her guidance as vice president of energy storage at Briggs & Stratton Energy Solutions, Sequoya Cross is making a difference. She is proving to the next generation of women in the workforce it is possible to have a formidable career even when you have expertise in jobs that are mostly populated by men, like math, technology, science, and green energy. 

Navigating a Male-Dominated Field

SBS – Can you share some of the key challenges you faced as a woman in a male-dominated field, and how did you overcome them?  

Sequoya – The major challenge was even getting recognized in the room. Very often people would come up to me and ask for someone else, someone in sales, engineering, management, etc. There was an assumption that I was not very technical or “experienced” in what they needed to address or that they had to break it down into simple terms so that I could relay the message to someone else.

The way I overcame this was with patience, listening to what their challenge was, and then responding with a technical answer that addressed their issue. Typically, I was met with surprise, and then a very active dialog would ensue. It took time, and even with my peers, I had to employ this tactic and work to be heard. 

Education has always been important to me, and I know that I have had to work harder to stay in the know and be on top of my game. I have never played the woman card; instead, I have worked just to be part of the team. At the end of the day, I have always wanted to be recognized for my ability as a person and, less so, as a woman doing the things that I do.

Staying Ahead in Renewable Energy Innovations

SBS – Throughout your career, what strategies have you used to stay up-to-date with the latest advancements and innovations in renewable energy?

Sequoya – It comes down to a lot of research, reading, and discussion. I love open debates about technical topics, and I know to listen closely when someone with more experience is explaining something. I have learned a lot through osmosis and sharing the space with others. Because I am so passionate about what I do, I believe it isn’t really a struggle to stay up-to-date, and being in the renewable space has allowed me to continuously be challenged and grow.

Leading Energy Storage at Briggs & Stratton

SBS – As vice president of energy storage at Briggs & Stratton Energy Solutions, what are your primary responsibilities, and how do you envision the future of energy storage solutions?

Sequoya – My role is to manage and execute the go-to-market strategies for this segment of the business. This is everything from product development, competitive analysis, sales management, and overall customer experience. I believe the future is very bright, and we are only at the starting line.

The legacy of SimpliPhi as a battery storage manufacturer is embedded in our product line and with our customers. We have a loyal following, and we have the pleasure of bringing new developments to them in the coming years. By taking what SimpliPhi started, we have the resources to continue to grow that legacy and serve our customers in the best way as the industry evolves and changes.

Briggs & Stratton is invested in the transition, and we are very excited to see where this road takes us in the future.

Guidance for Entrepreneurs in Renewable Energy

SBS – What advice do you have for entrepreneurs looking to start businesses in the renewable energy sector, especially those who may face funding challenges?

Sequoya – Don’t give up. This is an ever-changing industry, and technologies can take time to adopt into the broader space. What we often realize within the industry is that this is a 60-year-old start-up. Renewables have been around since the 60s and are still gaining ground and evolving.

Battery storage on a mass scale is very young, and there is still room for innovation and development — whether that is new hardware technologies, efficiencies gained with manufacturing, new chemistries, technological advancements in supporting components, or software to drive all of these systems to become more integrated.

There is so much room for people to bring something new. From the installation perspective, the need for renewables will only continue as policies change and fossil fuels diminish. As an installer, being informed and engaged with your local SEIA chapter will ensure that you are aware of the changes that can impact your business and how to pivot when new challenges present themselves. Overall, the industry is very supportive and wants to see the success of the industry as a whole first and foremost, so reach out to those around you.

Sustainability in Business Operations

SBS – In your experience, how crucial are sustainability and environmental consciousness for businesses in this industry, and how can they effectively integrate these principles into their operations?

Sequoya – When working in the renewable space, using the technologies that you support gives validity to why we do what we do. In a broader sense, environmental consciousness for businesses should be a core value and something to highlight. It’s no mystery why businesses that do employ sustainability practices share it loudly in their marketing and on their products. It matters to people. We have a chance to effect change and set an example for others to follow outside of the industry. 

In addition to the earth benefits of being environmentally conscious, there are bottom-line benefits. In the industry I’m in, solar combined with battery storage can become the primary power source for an entrepreneur or business that would like to operate “off-grid” and have the ability to keep the lights (and everything else) on during a power outage. Batteries can also supplement an existing electrical system to reduce energy costs during times when the utility charges peak rates, which saves money.

Like a standby generator, battery storage systems come online automatically when there is an outage. In fact, the power interruption may be hard to detect since the switchover is almost instantaneous. Since batteries are versatile, they can also be used to store power from the grid when it’s less expensive (typically during the day) and then discharge the energy during a time (typically during the evening) when utilities typically charge more.

Promising Trends in Renewable Energy

SBS – Could you highlight some of the most promising trends or emerging technologies in the renewable energy industry that entrepreneurs should keep an eye on? 

Sequoya – Battery storage is getting a lot of attention. New chemistries, form factors, and improvements in manufacturing are hot topics, too. With the growth of this segment, I would expect that new, more efficient batteries will be emerging. There’s also the software. I feel that the greatest innovation will come from the software driving these systems. The ability for systems to talk to each other and to the utility in more sophisticated ways will allow us to leverage these investments more effectively in the future. Having gaming principles and AI to understand how we use energy storage so that it can evolve and change with individual use patterns will help us be able to be more intuitively responsive within our homes and businesses.

Another important item for entrepreneurs to focus on is removing customer friction points. With batteries, that means ease of installation. For example, this spring, Briggs & Stratton Energy Solutions is introducing a new battery that can be installed in less than five minutes. That’s significant because it means installers can be more time efficient and complete more installs in a day. Our new 6.6 kWh SimpliPHI batteries utilize integrated, self-guiding connectors that click into place, making installation fast and easy. Installers simply place each battery one on top of the other.

By advancing our technology, we’ve eliminated the elements that previously were friction points. In addition, this new battery technology has a lower price point, so ease of installation, combined with more affordability, should help drive greater battery adoption by homeowners and small businesses.