Could Aluminum Become the Future of Energy?

Guest: Peter Godart, Founder and CEO of Found Energy

Host: Tim Ridderbos, VP at Shapiro

What if one of the world's most abundant metals could help solve some of our biggest energy challenges?

In this episode of 5 for Five, Tim Ridderbos sits down with Peter Godart, Founder and CEO of Found Energy, to discuss a groundbreaking approach to energy storage and transportation: using aluminum as an energy carrier. Drawing on experience from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and MIT, Peter explains how a simple insight about aluminum's energy density led to a technology with the potential to transform energy security, industrial power, and grid resilience.

"We want every business to be able to get energy at any time, at any place. Fuels help you leapfrog the grid." — Peter Godart

What You'll Learn in This Episode

Time Stamps:

00:10 – Meet Peter Godart, Founder and CEO of Found Energy

00:32 – What is Found Energy and why aluminum?

01:00 – The NASA inspiration behind aluminum energy

01:44 – How aluminum and water create heat and hydrogen

02:27 – Why aluminum offers advantages over traditional energy solutions

03:19 – Using aluminum to move energy around the world

03:28 – The future of energy security and "leapfrogging the grid"

04:10 – What's next for Found Energy

Unlocking the Energy Hidden in Aluminum

Most people think of aluminum as a material used in packaging, transportation, and manufacturing. Found Energy sees something much bigger.

Peter explains how aluminum stores significant amounts of energy during the smelting process and can later release that energy through a reaction with water.

The result:

• Heat

• Hydrogen gas

• Usable energy for industrial applications

With approximately 8.6 megawatt-hours of embodied energy per ton, aluminum has the potential to serve as a highly energy-dense "electrofuel."

An Idea Inspired by Space Exploration

The concept began while Peter was working at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

His team was searching for ways to increase the energy available on spacecraft traveling to distant destinations. During that work, Peter realized that the aluminum structure of the spacecraft contained more stored energy than many of the battery systems being considered.

That realization sparked a bigger question:

What if aluminum itself could become the fuel?

Today, Found Energy is bringing that concept from the laboratory into real-world industrial applications.

Solving the Challenge of Moving Energy

One of the greatest advantages of fossil fuels is their ability to transport energy around the world efficiently.

As demand for electricity continues to rise, Peter believes aluminum could offer another way to move energy where it's needed without relying solely on grid infrastructure.

Why Aluminum Matters:

• High energy density

• Abundant global supply

• Existing transportation and handling infrastructure

• Potential to reduce grid congestion

By treating aluminum as an energy carrier, industries may gain a new tool for delivering reliable power across regions and markets.

Energy Security Through Flexibility

At its core, Found Energy's mission is about improving energy security.

Whether it's an aluminum smelter, refinery, manufacturer, or other energy-intensive operation, businesses need reliable access to power when and where they need it.

Peter describes fuels as a way to "leapfrog the grid," creating additional pathways for energy delivery beyond traditional electrical infrastructure.

As industries face increasing demand and evolving energy needs, technologies that improve flexibility and resilience will play an increasingly important role.

Why This Episode Matters

Found Energy challenges conventional thinking about both batteries and fuels. By reimagining one of the world's most common industrial materials as an energy carrier, Peter and his team are opening new possibilities for energy storage, transportation, and security.

It's a powerful reminder that some of the most transformative innovations aren't discovered in entirely new materials—they're found by seeing familiar materials in a completely new way.

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