Meet Roopa Shortt. She's a Business Development Director for Energy Storage at Honeywell.

Roopa works on bringing technical innovation to commercialization. "At Honeywell, we see the importance of having sustainable solutions to help the world reduce carbon emissions and reuse materials, such as plastics. I lead a sales and marketing team and work with a large research and development group to guide the battery energy storage product creation so that it meets what customers need," explains Roopa.

Roopa understands key trends and changes occurring in her industry area. 

"Last year, wind and solar generated about 10% of the world’s electricity. They are both on a growth spurt driven by lower costs and the push for zero carbon emissions. But they are intermittent power sources, so you need battery energy storage to store that generated power for use at other times. Energy storage makes renewable energy available 24/7," says Roopa.

"Honeywell’s new flow battery can discharge anywhere from 1 to 12 hours to meet peak power when grids are at capacity, store energy for later use, and run-on renewables and energy storage in the event of power outages. Our new flow battery uses a safe electrolyte, is cost-efficient and can be recycled. The new flow battery will also not degrade over time and will maintain system performance, providing a reliable system for 20 years," explains Roopa.

Working on pioneering technology 

One of Roopa's greatest career highlights has been working on the flow battery project, bringing it from the lab to a product that soon will be available for purchase.

"We recently announced that Duke Energy, a large utility and leader in energy storage, is going to test one of our smaller 400kWh units at their Emerging Technology and Innovation Center in Mount Holly, North Carolina. The next step would be a 60MWh pilot at a grid connected location. It is very satisfying to see the hard work bring results," she adds.

Interacting with great women leaders 

Roopa really enjoys working with the different people she has met over the years.

"Honeywell has provided opportunities for growth, travel and interactions with so many great women leaders. I also feel that we’ve built a great support system with the Honeywell Women’s Employee Network. I’m on the steering team for the corporate group and my strategic business group and love engaging with the committed people, women and male allies, that I meet," she explains.

Achieving a marathon win

Outside of work, before the pandemic, Roopa took up running with the goal to run her first half-marathon. "Other runners I met were training for the Chicago marathon, so I put my name in the lottery and was lucky enough to get a spot. Because of COVID, the race was delayed to this year. The training plan is around 20 weeks long and is a major time commitment involving 5-6 days of weekly workouts."

"I made getting those workouts done a priority and was able to get my work done too. Flexibility at work was critical for me being able to do that. The Chicago marathon took place on October 10 and it was hotter and more humid than anyone wanted, but I can now say that I am a marathoner!" she concludes.

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