In this alumni profile, we interview Josh Freeman, former energy analyst at Capstone.
All Part of His Strategy
Sometimes it does take rocket science to get a project off the ground. Just ask Josh Freeman. While earning a bachelor’s in mechanical and aerospace engineering at Princeton University, Josh was on a team that designed an autonomously unfolding solar array that could be used for a mission to Mars. The effort demanded proficiency and insight into principles and problems that changed constantly. “We had to imagine things that we actually couldn’t see,” Josh says. “It was challenging, but we also had opportunities to explore.”
His passion for pulling together all the pieces has popped up in every phase of his career. Now at the Portfolio Strategy Division at the US Department of Energy’s Office of Clean Energy Demonstrations as a Markets and Energy Analyst, Josh has been instrumental in helping his team achieve its mission. “The Strategy Division deals with new programs, and its goal is fulfilling legislation for hydrogen, carbon capture, industrial decarbonization, and to figure out what is next for OCED,” Josh says.
The office manages more than $25 billion in funding and partners with the private sector to accelerate the nation’s deployment, adoption, and transition to a decarbonized energy system. “It involves structuring, putting pieces into place, and filling gaps in technology development,” he explains. “It’s fun to be here every day. Everyone is so motivated to catalyze all these new piloted programs.”
Josh’s ability to see the big picture also helped make him the puzzle champion at Capstone. At an after-hours get-together, he was laser-focused as he deftly fit piece after piece into a master puzzle that had colleagues cheering him on. He showed the same intensity on Capstone’s Energy team. As a Senior Associate, Josh was a lead analyst on hydrogen, microgrid, and offshore wind policy analysis for clients, correlating different spaces—finance, research, and policy. “A lot of my job with clean energy involved structuring—putting the pieces in place and filling in the gaps in technology development, funding, and policy,” he says.
He also finds beauty in numbers—measuring and besting them, which fuels his love of running distance and speed. Josh started running in seventh grade, constantly calculating time and distance. He ran track at Princeton, 400 meters; scoring member of seven Ivy League Championship teams. His PR was 47.02. ”I’ve always loved 400 meters,” he says. “It’s such a perfect number.”
Josh’s motivation extends to outside business hours as well, as he trains in and competes in Hyrox fitness racing, an international competition that combines eight 1-kilometer runs with eight functional workout stations, including burpee broad jumps, sandbag lunges, and a 50-meter sled push. Josh has gone beyond that, however, and he plans to continue reaching for the stars and chasing down numbers.
See more Capstone alumni profiles here.
