Grayson Shor, founder and executive director of the Pacific Northwest Battery Collaborative, is the driving force that’s uniting and energizing the region’s battery community.
The collaborative’s launch in October 2024 was so popular it ran out of chairs and the group now caps RSVPs because venues keep maxing out. The nonprofit has hosted 1,400 attendees at 17 different events in Washington, Oregon and online. Shor’s latest project is helping create a battery-focused mini-series he describes as a hybrid between Anthony Bourdain’s “Parts Unknown” and “Cosmos.”
Who knew that energy storage devices could generate so much enthusiasm?
“Batteries are sexy right now,” Shor said.
Batteries are making electric vehicle adoption more attractive as they’ve become increasingly powerful and quicker to recharge. They’re ubiquitous given the pervasive use of phones and consumer electronics. And as electricity demand is spiking thanks to data centers and other energy users, they’re a relatively quick, affordable way to add more power to the grid.
“We are installing more grid batteries in 2025 than the total amount that existed globally just two years ago,” Shor said. “This isn’t just growth, it’s a total reimagining of how our economy is powered.”
A battery ecosystem emerges
Shor has spent nearly a decade working on sustainability, circular economy and battery-related issues for organizations ranging from the U.S. Department of State to Amazon to startups. When the former diplomat landed in Seattle from the other Washington more than two years ago, he was impressed by the region’s battery sector.
That included startups in electric aviation, alternative chemistries such as sodium batteries, and next-generation silicon battery materials, plus R&D resources and support at the University of Washington’s Clean Energy Institute.
But he realized the industry lacked the connections to bring together companies, academics, entrepreneurs and investors, and set out to address it. The sector welcomes his efforts.
“I’ve paid attention to folks trying to knit together community, and for the Northwest battery innovation and application ecosystem, Grayson Shor has been an unrelenting force seeking to build and amplify our unique strengths,” said Dan Schwartz, founding director of the Clean Energy Institute.
Tom Gurski, founder of the plug-in hybrid vehicle startup Blue Dot Motorworks, has attended the group’s functions. “In a region famous for introverted personalities their events and happy hours are invaluable for breaking down silos and getting people to connect,” Gurski said.
Beyond building community, Shor is lobbying for support for local and state policies that promote the industry and get more batteries deployed in the state. The energy storage devices have important societal benefits, he said, including better electrical grid performance and helping meet power needs during peak demand.
‘The Battery Life’
Shor is also the co-founder and chief product officer for Buckstop, an “urban mining” startup helping recover critical minerals from waste electronics. He also volunteers as the policy and government affairs director for the Volta Foundation, the world’s largest battery industry association.
And there’s the TV series, called “The Battery Life.” Crews recently spent three days in the Seattle area filming the first episode, visiting the battery materials company Group14 Technologies and interviewing startups at the UW’s Clean Energy Test Beds.
“We’re doing walks through factories. We’re meeting with the CEOs and the inventors, diving deep into their technology,” Shor said. But the series also has “the ‘Carl Sagan vibe,’” he added, explaining “how does this technology actually impact humanity, and why does it matter to the average person?”
Additional episodes will be shot in Portland and Vancouver, B.C. The plan is to air the series later this year at energy events in Oregon and Las Vegas, plus other area venues.
Future Pacific Northwest Battery Collaborative plans include a job fair and fundraising gala. Shor also envisions a convention where the entrepreneurs and innovators could set up booths to show off their technologies. The ideas keep coming.
“This is playing my little role in trying to tackle climate change, to try to advance the energy transition,” he said. “It helps with equity, it helps with economic opportunity …. It makes me happy.”
