Forbes 30 under 30 success for Southampton Engineering alumnus
A Southampton Engineering alumnus has been named in the Forbes 30 under 30 Energy category 2022 – a list of the most successful young entrepreneurs, activists, scientists and entertainers.
Yazan Harasis , graduated from the University in 2015 having completed an MEng in Mechanical Engineering, specialising in Sustainable Energy Systems , and he credits his time at the University with spring-boarding him into his successful career.
He went on to work for an energy company in the USA before co-founding Power Edison in New Jersey, USA.
Power Edison is an energy storage company that was set up in 2016 and has re-engineered battery storage systems to become mobile and flexible so that they can be mounted on trailers and barges. They have had great success in America and their aim is expand this success globally. They have also started dedicating efforts to other aspects of clean energy sustainability. Most recently, they have created a spin-off company EV Edison which is focused on the development of electric vehicles’ charging infrastructure.
Yazan said: “I’m honoured to be included in this list with so many inspirational people. It’s an exciting personal milestone, but more importantly it shines a spotlight on the important work being done by the clean energy industry as a whole.
“We aim to further solidify its importance and invite others around the world to serve in the same cause of transitioning to a clean energy future. I’m thankful to my family, friends, mentors and colleagues who have supported me along this incredible journey and am looking forward to what the future holds.
“My time at Southampton really spring-boarded my career and I was able to hit the ground running after I graduated. I felt that I carried that momentum from starting my first job at an energy company in the USA and then through my more entrepreneurial career path.
“My Southampton study really provided me with the balance between a solid engineering knowledge foundation and the ability to carve my own path and specialise in whatever area interested me most – in my case that was renewable and sustainable energy. At the time Southampton was one of the few universities that offered this.
“Courses were designed to advance our problem-solving, critical thinking, adaptability and other skills that proved to be incredibly beneficial after graduation. Combining these skills with a world-class technical education was instrumental in my career. Most importantly, it’s the network of brilliant staff and students around the world that I learnt so much from and helped shape my career.”