About our Guest

Chris is a commercial Energy and Mobility lawyer, with nearly 20 years' experience in the sustainability sphere. With specialist knowledge of battery storage, solar, EV infrastructure and wind, Chris regularly advises funders, asset owners, developers and contractors on renewable energy projects and the trading and procurement of renewable power. From PPAs and optimisation agreements to commercial frameworks for energy and EV developments, Chris has worked on some of the most exciting UK and international energy and mobility developments.

Chris also takes an active role in the development of energy policy, and was a steering group member of the Government's Energy Data Task Force as well as chairing the Electricity Storage Networks Markets and Revenues Group.

He was also included in The Lawyer's HOT 100 for his pioneering work in battery storage and EV Charging.

About Shoosmiths:

Shoosmiths works with developers, investors, and funders across clean energy and infrastructure; from onshore wind and solar to energy storage, hydrogen, and PPAs.

The energy transition is creating both opportunity and complexity. New technologies and data are opening up better ways to build and operate assets, but navigating regulation, risk, and investor expectations isn’t straightforward.

What stands out is a pragmatic approach. Not just spotting issues, but helping clients decide where to push forward and where to be cautious.

The team brings deep sector experience and advises across the full lifecycle of projects; supporting everything from development and construction through to financing and long-term operation, both in the UK and internationally.

Connect with Chris Pritchett and Shoosmiths

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-pritchett-66553511/
• Company: https://www.linkedin.com/company/shoosmiths/
• Website: https://www.shoosmiths.com/sectors/energy-and-infrastructure/clean-energy-development

About the Host

David Hunt

David Hunt is a cleantech thought leader, podcast host, and former executive search and solar EPC founder. As Non-Executive Chair and a long-time advisor to growth-stage and scaling businesses, he brings deep insight into leadership, energy transition, and the future of climate-focused industries. David supports businesse as a NED and Advisor via Stoa Advisory, and through his podcast and writing, David explores the people, ideas, and innovations shaping a more sustainable world.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-hunt-cleantech/

Substack: https://davidhuntcleantech.substack.com/

About the Podcast

Leaders in Cleantech explores the people, ideas, and decisions shaping the energy transition. Through in-depth conversations with founders, CEOs, investors, and industry leaders, the podcast focuses on leadership, scaling companies, and the realities of building in a complex and rapidly evolving sector.

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/leaders-in-cleantech-podcast/
• Website: https://leadersincleantech.com/

🎧 Sponsored by Hyperion Search

Hyperion Search is a specialist executive search firm focused on the cleantech sector.

The firm partners with startups, scaleups, investors, and corporates to build leadership team

About our Guest

Dr. Pete Armstrong:

Dr.Pete Armstrong is the CEO/CTO and co-founder of Mixergy, a smart hot water technology company reshaping how we heat and store energy. After completing his PhD on intelligent hot water systems at Oxford University with co-founder Ren Kang, Pete helped pioneer Mixergy’s technology that makes hot water smart and a connected energy asset. Today, Mixergy leads the shift to smart, connected hot water systems across social housing, new build and commercial developments, setting a new standard for the industry.

About Mixergy:

Mixergy transforms hot water from a passive utility into an intelligent, connected energy asset. By placing hot water at the heart of energy management, we help create smarter homes, more efficient buildings, and a more flexible grid. This lowers bills, improves comfort, and enable greater use of renewables.

Our patented technologies power an intelligent operating system built into next-generation hot water storage for new build, social housing and commercial buildings. This system gives users and providers greater control over energy use, enables seamless grid connectivity, and optimises performance, without compromising on comfort.

Connect with Pete Armstrong and Mixergy

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pete-armstrong-45039136/
• Company: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mixergy-ltd/about/
• Website: https://www.mixergy.co.uk/

About the Host

David Hunt

David Hunt is a cleantech thought leader, podcast host, and former executive search and solar EPC founder. As Non-Executive Chair and a long-time advisor to growth-stage and scaling businesses, he brings deep insight into leadership, energy transition, and the future of climate-focused industries. David supports businesse as a NED and Advisor via Stoa Advisory, and through his podcast and writing, David explores the people, ideas, and innovations shaping a more sustainable world.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-hunt-cleantech/

About the Podcast

Leaders in Cleantech explores the people, ideas, and decisions shaping the energy transition. Through in-depth conversations with founders, CEOs, investors, and industry leaders, the podcast focuses on leadership, scaling companies, and the realities of building in a complex and rapidly evolving sector.

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/leaders-in-cleantech-podcast/
• Website: https://leadersincleantech.com/

🎧 Sponsored by Hyperion Search

Hyperion Search is a specialist executive search firm focused on the cleantech sector.

The firm partners with startups, scaleups, investors, and corporates to build leadership teams and boards across clean energy, mobility, and infrastructure.

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hyperion-search-ltd
• Website: www.hyperionsearch.com

Feedback & Community

I’m always keen to hear feedback, guest suggestions, or topics you’d like explored in future episodes.

If you enjoy the podcast, please consider subscribing or leaving a review — it helps the show reach more people across the cleantech community.

Philipp Man – terralayr

In this episode of Leaders in Cleantech, I’m joined by Philipp Man, co-founder and CEO of terralayr, a company building a new kind of energy infrastructure platform focused on flexibility and battery storage. Philipp shares his journey from commodities and entrepreneurship into the energy sector, and the insight that led to terralayr: the growing flexibility gap in power systems as renewable generation scales.

As he puts it:

“We wanted to build something akin to the AWS for power.”

terralayr combines battery asset development with a software platform that virtualises and commercialises storage capacity, enabling customers to access flexibility without owning and operating assets themselves. The conversation explores how this model sits at the intersection of infrastructure and technology — and why that distinction may become less relevant as energy systems evolve.

We also discuss the state of the European storage market. Despite the growing focus on batteries, Philipp is clear that we are still early:

“We’re really just at the beginning… you need to grow over 10x in the next four years.”

From there, we move into some of the real-world constraints holding the sector back — particularly grid access and bureaucracy, and what needs to change to accelerate deployment.

The discussion also touches on broader themes shaping the energy transition, including:

• The role of battery storage in enabling renewable integration
• Why flexibility is becoming a critical part of the energy system
• The shift from asset ownership to access and platform models
• The impact of geopolitics and energy security on policy direction
• The need to reframe the transition around energy sovereignty and abundance

On the talent side, Philipp shares a disciplined approach to building teams, with a strong emphasis on hiring quality over speed and creating a culture where high performers set the standard:

“The most important thing you can control is who comes through the door.”

He also reflects on the realities of building a company in this space, from landmark commercial deals and fundraising milestones to the operational challenges that come with scaling infrastructure.

Finally, we discuss leadership, resilience, and the importance of mindset, seeing challenges not as problems, but as opportunities to build capability and long-term advantage.

Philipp Man:

Philipp Man is co-founder and CEO of terralayr, an energy flexibility company founded in late 2022. Prior to terralayr, Philipp founded and ran CHRONEXT, a leading online marketplace for luxury watches, which he sold in early 2023 to focus on terralayr. Philipp started his career at Glencore in the middle distillates division and within BCG’s Energy Practice. Born in Cologne, he studied in the UK at King's College and the University of Cambridge and lives in Switzerland.

About terralayr:

terralayr provides energy flexibility services on demand. terralayr is a fully integrated energy flexibility provider, aggregating its own and third-party battery storage assets through a cloud-like aggregation platform. Customers such as power producers, traders, grid operators, and energy-intensive businesses gain access to flexibility without having to own or operate assets themselves. Asset owners tap into top-tier flexibility off-takers, can optimise their revenue mix between merchant and contracted revenues, and benefit from a streamlined asset infrastructure setup. terralayr develops and operates its own battery storage portfolio, with multiple assets currently live in Germany, several more under construction, and a multi-GW pipeline in development.

Social links:

• Philipp Manon LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/philippman/
• ter