GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cool Planet Energy Systems, the company bringing carbon-negative technology to the world’s energy, agriculture and water management industries, announced today that Dr. Jan Thijssen has joined the company as Chief Technology Officer. During his career, Thijssen has advised governments and Fortune 500 companies in the oil and gas, materials and utility industries in North America, Europe, and Asia. Working with some of the world’s leading financial institutions, Thijssen has analyzed and evaluated more than a hundred emerging energy companies and biobased product companies.
“Jan Thijssen is widely recognized and respected as an expert in emerging technologies across the energy and biofuel industries,” said Howard Janzen, CEO of Cool Planet. “It is noteworthy that Jan has spent much of his career analyzing many of the companies and technologies that make up the clean tech sector, and he has chosen to join Cool Planet. Jan’s deep experience in the assessment and commercialization of innovative technologies will be invaluable, as we roll out our products to new global markets.”
Thijssen holds a doctorate in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Delft University of Technology. He is a member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the Society of Automotive engineers and the Royal Institute for Engineers (KiVI). During his career, the majority of his work has focused on assessing technology and evaluating risk, scale-up risk, and technology competitiveness.
“Jan’s decision to join Cool Planet, after leading due diligence assessments for the world’s premier financial investors and energy companies, made him the perfect choice for Chief Technical Officer,” said Archie Dunham, Cool Planet board member and former chairman of ConocoPhillips.
Thijssen will be leading the Cool Planet Research and Development organization that is based in Camarillo, CA, as it continues to advance and deploy the company’s technology at commercial scale.
“After more than a decade of providing strategic direction and due diligence for industry and financial institutions investing in clean energy, I was drawn to the opportunity to join Cool Planet,” said Dr. Jan Thijssen. “I’m impressed by Cool Planet’s business strategy and technology platform based on low-cost production in small-scale, distributed plants, combined with its unique product slate of drop-in hydrocarbon biofuels and proprietary CoolTerra™ biochar. This scalable approach holds the potential for Cool Planet to become a global leader in the renewable fuel business, while at the same time bringing significant benefits to our planet’s environment. The caliber of Cool Planet’s management team and technical advisors, and the competence of its staff are exceptional. I am truly excited to join Cool Planet’s team and help drive its innovative technology forward to realize its full commercial potential.”
About Cool Planet
Cool Planet is commercializing a technology to create green fuels and biochar in a way that can change the world for good. The company’s green fuels are chemically identical to fossil fuels, and its CoolTerra™ biochar-based product increases crop productivity and promotes more robust plant health while reducing fertilizer and water requirements. The process is capable of being carbon-negative, reversing the consequences of CO2 build-up from fossil fuels. Cool Planet’s technology has a broad portfolio of pending and granted patents. Global investors include BP, Google Ventures, Energy Technology Ventures (GE, ConocoPhillips, NRG Energy), and the Constellation division of Exelon.
Connect with Cool Planet on Facebook at facebook.com/CoolPlanetEnergySystems, on Twitter at twitter.com/CoolPlanetFuels and at www.coolplanet.com.
