Executives from prominent names in the energy sector are backing a newly formed Atlanta company led by inventor Lonnie Johnson, who says he's found a way to harness untapped, renewable energy.
Johnson, a former NASA engineer who invented the Super Soaker children’s toy and is president of JTEC Energy Inc., says he created a device that can convert any waste heat, such as from solar panels, factories or cars, into energy.
It’s a game-changer in clean energy and efficiency, according to JTEC Energy CEO Mike McQuary. The company has raised a $1.5 million seed round to bring the product out of the lab and start real-world testing.
That seed round has investments from Southern Company and General Electric executives, which McQuary said helped validate the importance of their project. McQuary declined to provide further details on the investors.
"This could be one of the greatest breakthroughs in the history of energy production in terms of renewable, new energy,” McQuary said. “It’s a completely new energy source.”
Atlanta Business Chronicle Power 100 for 2020
Hank Aaron
Baseball Champion
Byron E. Small
Stacey Abrams
Democratic Politician
Joann Vitelli
John Ahmann
Executive director, Westside Future Fund
Byron E. Small
Ed Bastian
CEO, Delta Air Lines Inc.
Ed Bastian, from left; Leona Barr-Davenport of the Atlanta Business League; Renee Perdue Rucker of the Atlanta Downtown Ambassador Force and Gary P. Stokan of Peach Bowl Inc. at the 2019 Hospitality Hall of Fame.
Joann Vitelli
Erica Qualls-Battey
Area General Manager, Marriott International
Joann Vitelli
Mark Becker
President, Georgia State University
Byron E. Small
Arthur Blank
Owner, Atlanta Falcons; co-founder, The Home Depot Inc.
Arthur Blank, from left; Dave Moody of C.D. Moody Construction Co.; and Stephanie Blank, chair of GEEARS, at a 2019 meeting of the Rotary Club of Atlanta.
Byron E. Small
Bill Bolling
Chairman, Food Well Alliance
Tommy Holder of Holder Construction Co., left, and Bill Bolling at a 2019 meeting of the Rotary Club of Atlanta.
Byron E. Small
Raphael Bostic
President and CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
Byron E. Small
Keisha Lance Bottoms
Mayor, City of Atlanta
Producer Dallas Austin and Keisha Lance Bottoms at a National Black Arts Festival event in 2019.
Byron E. Small
Paul Bowers
Chairman, President and CEO, Georgia Power Co.
Paul Bowers, left, and John Grant, executive director of the Celebration Bowl, at a 2019 event for 100 Black Men of Atlanta.
Byron E. Small
Mike Boyce
Chairman, Cob County Commission
C.Stone
Matt Bronfman
CEO, Jamestown
Joann Vitelli
Kevin Brown
President and CEO, Piedmont Healthcare
Joann Vitelli
John Hope Bryant
Founder, Chairman and CEO, Operation HOPE Inc.
Byron E. Small
Ángel Cabrera
President, Georgia Tech
Georgia Tech
Mary Schmidt Campbell
President, Spelman College
Mary Schmidt Campbell, left, and Amy Dosik, CEO of Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta, at a 2019 meeting of the Rotary Club of Atlanta.
Byron E. Small
Chris Carr
Attorney General of Georgia
Chris Carr, left, and U.S. Senator David Perdue at the Georgia Chamber of Commerce's Eggs & Issues breakfast in January 2020.
Byron E. Small
Jimmy Carter
Former U.S. President
Byron E. Small
Dan Cathy
CEO, Chick-fil-A Inc.
James Quincey, chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Co., from left; Dan Cathy; and Dave Wilkinson, president and CEO of the Atlanta Police Foundation, at the 2019 Crime is Toast breakfast.
Byron E. Small
Chris Clark
President and CEO, Georgia Chamber of Commerce
Sonny Deriso of Atlantic Capital Bancshares Inc., left, and Chris Clark at the Georgia Chamber of Commerce's Eggs & Issues breakfast in January 2020.
Byron E. Small
Shan Cooper
Executive Director, Atlanta Committee for Progress
Shan Cooper and Curley Dossman Jr., president of the Georgia-Pacific Foundation, at a 2019 awards event.
Byron E. Small
Tom Cousins
Philanthropist; Co-Founder, Purpose Built Communities; Founder, Cousins Properties Inc.
Then-Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal with Tom Cousins shown in a 2013 photo.
Byron E. Small
David Cummings
Founder, Atlanta Tech Village
Atlanta real estate developer Jim Borders, from left; David Cummings; and Rawson Haverty of Havertys Furniture at the Buckhead Coalition's annual meeting in January 2020.
Byron E. Small
Leona Barr-Davenport
President and CEO, Atlanta Business League
Danita Knight, vice president for communications and marketing Agnes Scott College, from left; Lee Zak, president of Agnes Scott College; and Leona Barr-Davenport at a 2019 event for the Atlanta Women's Foundation.
Byron E. Small
Jim Durrett
President, Buckhead Coalition; Executive Director, Buckhead CID.
Byron E. Small
Darren Eales
President, Atlanta United FC
Byron E. Small
Jimmy Etheredge
CEO of North America for Accenture
On Sept. 19, 2017, Accenture's Jimmy Etheredge, center, announced Accenture would create 800 jobs in Atlanta at a press conference with then-Gov. Nathan Deal, left, and then-Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed.
Byron E. Small
Thomas Fanning
Chairman, President and CEO, Southern Co.
Byron E. Small
Martin Flanagan
President and CEO, Invesco Ltd.
Martin Flanagan and Hala Moddelmog, then-president and CEO of the Metro Atlanta Chamber, at a 2019 event.
Byron E. Small
Shirley Franklin
Former Mayor of Atlanta; Executive Board Chair, Purpose Built Communities
Shirley Franklin, left, and Nicola Barrett of Emory University’s Goizueta Business School at a 2019 awards event.
Byron E. Small
Larry Gellerstedt III
Executive Chairman, Cousins Properties Inc.
Michael Paris, president and CEO of the Council for Quality Growth, from left; Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp; Larry Gellerstedt III; and Ann Hanlon of the Perimeter Community Improvement Districts at the 2019 Four Pillar Tribute.
Byron E. Small
Kevin Green
President, Midtown Alliance
Russ Hardin, president of the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, left, and Kevin Green at the 2019 Crime is Toast breakfast.
Byron E. Small
Ernest Greer
Co-President, Greenberg Traurig
Ernest Greer, left, and Sterling Coleman, president and CEO of SJAC Food Groups, at The nsoro Foundation's Starfish Ball in January 2020.
Byron E. Small
Russell Hardin
President, Robert W. Woodruff Foundation
Russ Hardin, left, and A.J. Robinson of Central Atlanta Progress at a 2019 event.
Byron E. Small
Jack Harris
President and CEO, 3DE
Byron E. Small
John Haupert
CEO, Grady Health System
Joann Vitelli
Doug Hertz
Chairman and CEO, United Distributors
Doug Hertz and Beverly Tatum, president emerita of Spelman College, at a 2019 meeting of the Rotary Club of Atlanta.
Byron E. Small
Clyde Higgs
President and CEO, Atlanta BeltLine
Byron E Small
Doug Hooker
Executive Director, Atlanta Regional Commission
A.J. Robinson of Central Atlanta Progress, left, and Doug Hooker at the Buckhead Coalition annual meeting in January 2020.
Byron E. Small
Donna Hyland
President and CEO, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
Donna Hyland and Dennis Lockhart, former president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, at the Junior Achievement Hall of Fame in February 2020.
Byron E. Small
Paul Judge
Technology entrepreneur and investor
Byron E. Small
Jenna Kelly
President, Northern Georgia Region, Truist Financial Corp.
Ambassador Andrew Young and Jenna Kelly at the 2019 Crime is Toast breakfast.
Byron E. Small
Brian Kemp
Governor of Georgia
Gov. Brian Kemp speaking at the Georgia Chamber of Commerce's Eggs & Issues breakfast in January 2020.
Byron E. Small
James C. Kennedy
Chairman, Cox Enterprises Inc.
Beau Allen of JAM Capital Partners, from left; Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms, Ed McBrayer of PATH Foundation, Jim Kennedy, and Ivan Allen IIII at a 2019 event.
Byron E. Small
Katie Kirkpatrick
President, Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce
Byron E. Small
Steve Koonin
CEO, Atlanta Hawks
Steve Koonin, left, and Percy Vaughn, vice president of eastern sales operations at Kia Motors America, at the Hawks' 2019 home opener.
Byron E. Small
Dr. Jonathan Lewin
Executive Vice President for Health Affairs, Emory University; Executive Director, Woodruff Health Sciences Center; President, CEO and Chairman, Emory Healthcare
Byron E. Small
John Lewis
U.S. Representative, Civil Rights Leader
Joann Vitelli
Milton Little Jr.
President and CEO, United Way of Greater Atlanta
Special
Kelly Loeffler
U.S. Senator
Jerome Bettis, former running back for the Los Angeles Rams/St. Louis Rams; and U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler at The nsoro Foundation's Starfish Ball in January 2020.
Byron E. Small
Wonya Lucas
President and CEO, Public Broadcasting Atlanta
Beatriz Perez of The Coca-Cola Co., from left; Wonya Lucas; and Daryll Griffin of Accolades Inc. at the YWCA’s Salute To Women of Achievement on April 19, 2018.
Byron E. Small | Atlanta Business Chronicle
Bernie Marcus
Philanthropist; Co-founder, The Home Depot Inc.
Byron E. Small
Nick Masino
President and CEO, Gwinnett Chamber of Commerce
Joann Vitelli
Craig Menear
Chairman, CEO and President, The Home Depot Inc.
The fourth-annual "An Evening To Remember" event supporting Zac Brown's Passion Project was held Dec. 6, 2019, in Buckhead. On hand were Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, left, and Craig Menear.
Byron E. Small
Lucy McBath
U.S. Representative
Joann Vitelli
Rich McKay
President and CEO, Atlanta Falcons
Byron E. Small
Terry McGuirk
Chairman, Atlanta Braves
Byron E. Small
Dave Moody
Founder and CEO, C.D. Moody Construction; President and incoming-Chairman, Rotary Club of Atlanta
Dave Moody Jr., left, and Thomas Dimitroff, general manager for the Atlanta Falcons, at a 2019 Rotary Club of Atlanta meeting.
Byron E. Small
Felicia Moore
President, Atlanta City Council
Byron E. Small
Michelle Nunn
President and CEO, CARE USA
Byron E. Small
Will Packer
Film Producer
Byron E. Small
Byung J. "BJay" Pak
U.S. Attorney, Northern District of Georgia
Joann Vitelli
Jeffrey Parker
General Manager/CEO, MARTA
Joann Vitelli
Keith Parker
President and CEO, Goodwill of North Georgia
Kirk Halpern, founder of Halperns’ Steak & Seafood Co., left, and Keith Parker at a 2019 Metro Chamber event.
Byron E. Small
William Pate
President and CEO, Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau
Dexter Warrior, then-chair of the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau, from left; Peter McMahon, general manager of the Hyatt Regency Atlanta; and William Pate at the 2019 Hospitality Hall of Fame.
Joann Vitelli
David Perdue
U.S. Senator Senator David Perdue speaks at the Georgia Chamber of Commerce's Eggs & Issues breakfast in January 2020.
Byron E. Small
Egbert Perry
Chairman and CEO, The Integral Group
Byron E. Small
Tyler Perry
Actor, writer, director, producer
Jeff Sprecher, CEO of Intercontinental Exchange Inc., from left; Tyler Perry; and John Hancock, president and CEO of Junior Achievement of Georgia at a Junior Achievement event in February 2020.
Byron E. Small
Alicia Philipp
President, Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta
Tally Sweat, left, and Alicia Philipp at Central Atlanta Progress's annual meeting in January 2020.
Byron E. Small
Robert Quattrocchi
President and CEO, Northside Hospital
Northside Hospital
James Quincey
Chairman and CEO, The Coca-Cola Co.
CNBC
David Ralston
Speaker, Georgia House of Representatives
David Ralston speaks at the Georgia Chamber of Commerce's Eggs & Issues breakfast in January 2020.
Byron E. Small
Dr. Robert Redfield
Director, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Dr. Bill Foege, left, and Dr. Robert Redfield at the Global Health Awards in June 2019.
Byron E. Small
Gary Reedy
CEO, American Cancer Society
American Cancer Society
Tony Ressler
Principal owner and Chair, Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks played their 2019 home opener against the Orlando Magic on Oct. 26. On hand were Tony Ressler, from left; The Home Depot Inc. co-founder Bernie Marcus; and Hawks minority owner Steven Price.
Byron E. Small
Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice
President and Dean of Morehouse School of Medicine
Peter Carter, chief legal officer for Delta Air Lines and 2020 chair of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, left; and Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice at the Georgia Chamber's Eggs & Issues breakfast in January 2020.
Byron E. Small
A.J. Robinson
President, Central Atlanta Progress
A.J. Robinson, left, and Steve Selig of Selig Enterprises Inc. at a 2019 Metro Chamber event.
Byron E. Small
H. Jerome Russell
President, H.J. Russell & Co.
Michael Russell
CEO, H.J. Russell & Co.
Jerome Russell, from left, Donata Russell Ross and Michael Russell at the opening of a new facility in 2019.
Byron E. Small
Teya Ryan
President and CEO, Georgia Public Broadcasting
The Georgia Chamber of Commerce hosted a Congressional Luncheon on Aug. 15, 2017. On hand were, from left, Bill Nigut of Georgia Public Broadcasting; Teya Ryan; and Georgia Rep. Calvin Smyre.
Byron E. Small
Candice Saunders
President and CEO, Wellstar Health System
Wellstar Health System
John Selden
Airport General Manager, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Michael Smith, senior deputy general manager of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, left; and John Selden at a 2019 Boy Scouts event.
Byron E. Small
Sachin Shailendra
Chair, Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia
University System of Georgia
Doug Shipman
CEO, Woodruff Arts Center
Michael Russell, CEO of H.J. Russell Co., left, and Doug Shipman at a 2019 meeting of the Rotary Club of Atlanta.
Byron E. Small
Jewel Burks Solomon
Google for Startups; Managing Partner, Collab Capital
Jackson Spalding
Jeffrey Sprecher
Founder, Chairman and CEO, Intercontinental Exchange; Chairman, New York Stock Exchange
Jeff Sprecher, left, and Egbert Perry of The Integral Group at Junior Achievement's JA Hall of Fame in February 2017.
Byron E. Small
Kessel Stelling
Chairman and CEO, Synovus Financial Corp.
Byron E. Small
Wendy Stewart
Atlanta Market President, Bank of America
Bank of America
Alex Taylor
President and CEO, Cox Enterprises Inc.
Alex Taylor and Hala Moddelmog, then-president of the Metro Atlanta Chamber, at a 2019 Chamber event.
Byron E. Small
David A. Thomas
President, Morehouse College
Morehouse College hosted its A Candle in the Dark Gala and inaugural ball on Feb. 16, 2019, at the Hyatt Regency Atlanta. On hand were, from left, Dave Moody of C.D. Moody Construction; Norm Nixon, retired NBA player for the Los Angeles Lakers; and David A. Thomas.
Byron E. Small
Michael Thurmond
CEO, DeKalb County
Byron E. Small
Carol Tomé
CEO, United Parcel Service Inc.
Byron E. Small
Chris Tomlinson
Executive Director, State Road & Tollway Authority
Byron E. Small
Dr. Kathleen Toomey
Commissioner, Georgia Department of Public Health
Georgia Department of Public Health
Ted Turner
Environmentalist, Philanthropist, Founder of CNN
Ted Turner at a 2018 event for UNICEF.
Byron E. Small
Pat Upshaw-Monteith
President and CEO, Leadership Atlanta
Pat Upshaw-Monteith; Tristan Walker of Walker & Company Brands; and John Brewer of Vantage Private Capital Group at a Leadership Atlanta event in early 2020.
Byron E. Small
Pamela S. Whitten
President, Kennesaw State University
Kennesaw State University
Pat Wilson
Commissioner, Georgia Department of Economic Development
Special
Andrew Young
Former Atlanta Mayor, Civil Rights Leader, Former U.S. Ambassador
Byron E. Small
The type of energy is called thermo-electrochemical, McQuary said, and the JTEC Energy product has a conversion efficiency of heat to electricity that makes it another viable energy source.
A large-scale use of the machine could be in solar fields, McQuary said. Right now, solar panels capture light and turn it into energy without capturing the sun’s heat. The JTEC Energy product would capture that heat as well, adding another way in which solar fields could produce energy.
The company plans to double its seven-person staff in the next eight months, mostly looking for more scientists and engineers, McQuary said. Next year, it wants to raise a Series A round to bring the product onto the market.
JTEC Energy launched in April of this year as a spinout company from Johnson Research and Development, which is Johnson’s company for developing new technology products.
“He came up with the concept for JTEC about 20 years ago and has continued to do experiments and refine the process,” McQuary said. “It’s only been in the last two or three years that material science has caught up so that Lonnie could prove his science with these new materials.”
JTEC Energy has a contract with John’s Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory and NASA to experiment how that technology could be applied in space.
“This is huge for Atlanta and for the world going forward,” McQuary said.