Robin Kruskol - I Started In Electrical Trade At 17 With A Combination Of Determination And Stubborn Refusal To Fail (CEO - Green Street Electrical Magic Corporation , USA)

Robin Kruskol

A hard working and dedicated electrical engineer as well as a passionate teacher who is the CEO of Green Street electrical magic corporation. 

Robin's best tip for anybody who wants to make an impact,is to emphasize the need of a team. Spend more time focus on team successes. Recognizing individual contributions to the team success but never losing the team mentality.

 

1. Tell us more about your background, company and your journey.

I started in electrical trade at 17 with a combination of determination and stubborn refusal to fail. Obtaining my formal education at the local community college and working side by side with my journeyman for 3 years, it was 2005 when we took the California journeyman electricians test together. 

Shortly after passing the test, I never saw or spoke to my Journeyman. His name was Tobin Dietze and he saved my life, teaching me how to be an electrician and also how to be a good man. I owe everything to him. Since then, the electrical trade has not only been my only career but also my hobby. 

I spent the next 15 years working on residential, commercial, and industrial electrical projects and only getting into renewables in 2017. In 2018, I started Green Street Electrical Magic Corp. and began teaching while also working in the field. 

In 2021 I teamed with a couple of partners to open a school in Bakersfield, California. At School of Hard Shocks, I am able to use my experiences working on wind turbines and small to utility scale solar p.v projects, and lessons I’ve learned while traveling through Afghanistan and Haiti providing electrical support with microgrid and portable power; and teach students with courses that focus more on having good character values.

We all agree evolving with understanding that the shift in our scope of work as electricians requires a shift in our own behavior as electricians and as people. We must embrace renewable energy as a true replacement for fossil fuels. A belief I’ve been sharing since my very first apprentice Suranga Thushara in Sri Lanka who remains a good friend who I still talk to often and hope I can get him to America to help out at the school.

2. What do you think is the best renewable resource available today?

Between solar pv and wind turbines, a case can be made for each. If we are solely talking about efficiency of generating power at high capacity, then wind turbines win but complex and expensive.

Solar pv can be made much more affordable and can be scaled anywhere in size from a small one module and battery off grid system to a massive utility size system that provides grid power for whole cities.

3. How would you encourage your team members in times of failure?

I would just tell them to keep believing in themselves, in our plan, in our system, and our goals. It is important to me that all my crew know that I believe in them and trust them. They all have my confidence and that helps to build their self-confidence.

At School of Hard Shocks, we are dedicated to the system of best practices and are trained to anticipate problems arising. I would reassure my teammate not to worry because we are team and only as a team can we decide if we succeed or fail. 

Nowadays mistakes get confused for failure and many job situations classify mistakes as failures but it is not true. It's an opportunity to learn and become better. Part of becoming better is making mistakes. 

That is the culture we believe in, and I keep at school and at the job site from day one so that we know what to do when mistakes are made and we need to respond as one as a team.

4. What is the future of the energy sector according to you?

The future is going to be dependent on innovation and global cooperation with as many countries as possible. Most country’s governments are Spending massive money amounts and installing gigantic solar farms and wind turbine farms.

There’s already evidence of that with USA planning wind turbine installation along the entire west coast from Canada to Mexico, and Australia with their ideas of sending renewable energy across an ocean to Singapore. All these countries have contributed to making huge renewable energy pushes.

Technologically speaking, I think we can all agree that energy storage is the future. In fact energy storage innovations will determine the future of renewables. Many companies are focusing on energy storage. That concept is what will make history and change the world.

5. Who inspired you the most in life?

Kobe Bryant inspired me the most... Kobe's career and mine began around the same time. I copied everything from him. His work ethic and passion to be the best. The mamba mentality that pushes you to do your best. Rip Kobe Bryant.

6. What are the hurdles that one faces when bringing in a new technology and how to overcome it?

The hurdles with innovations are how you bring it to market without it being stolen from you, from everybody in between concept and sold in stores. Everyone in the process can be a shark with big money looking out for their best and not your interests. And that has happened to  me before with some control systems I developed. 

That's the first hurdle as an inventor. As a manufacturer and trying to bring in a new technology as a merchant getting enough funding to market the product and to really informed your market about the product and sometimes it costs a lot of money to get the word out about technology to the appropriate markets.

7. What are your tips for those who want to make an impact in the energy sector?

My best tip for anybody who wants to make an impact is to emphasize the need of a team. Spend more time focus on team successes. Recognizing individual contributions to the team success but never losing the team mentality. At least that is how we feel we can make the greatest impact.

The best people coming together as a team and doing what is best for everyone. Our vision can’t be only dollars and cents. If we get past that, then we will make an impact.

With electricity we can have a form of currency and bring price parity to the global energy markets. This can be accomplished with the right form of energy storage. We can be transparent in the electrical industry and together provide renewable energy to the whole world. 

It would raise the quality of living standards for the most impoverished people of the world would just with electricity. That changes the world. A market with price parity energy where the cost doesn't change with each country in the world.

In my dreams I see this as possible first step in the direction of understanding global human equality. No problem, as long as we work together and never lose the most powerful renewable resource in the world, Hope!

Interviewed by - Krishaa Radhakrishnan