Lieutenant, Technical Analyst, and Climate Champion

Jason Wang is PowerMarket’s Technical Analyst, bringing a wide range of experience—from teaching to hospitality to military service—to the work he does every day.

We sat down with him to dig into his path, his role, and what drives him: how his time in the National Guard shapes the way he plans and problem-solves, why he’s drawn to the clean energy space, and the perspective he brings from a career spent working closely with people.

Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your background?
The answer is twofold. As a second lieutenant in the National Guard, I fall under the Finance branch. The branch itself, (its hierarchies, structures, and responsibility) would take a while to explain, but my immediate job here is working in the Operations shop at my unit. Every bit of planning, training, and execution starts here. We’re responsible for locking down every angle of whatever we’re trying to accomplish.

Here’s a concrete example: once, we planned a small recreational road march.Thirty-five-pound pack, twelve miles, some great photo ops, and bragging rights. But this small “idea” exploded into dozens of questions. Have we secured the route with Range Control (“base operations,” if you will). What are the weather and visibility forecasts? Has anyone actually test-driven the route to ensure it’s relatively safe the entire way through? Where will we post water stations? How many roving staffers do we need, and how will they rove? Does this route come uncomfortably close to a live weapons range? How will we move thirty service members from the barracks to the start point, which is four miles away and outside the base’s perimeter? Do we need vans or buses, and therefore permits and licenses? Will we finish with enough time for participants to return, stretch, shower, change, and get to the chow hall? What are the fastest routes to the nearest hospitals?

… yeah. All that for “thirty soldiers are going for a long, heavy walk.”

Next, the “non-Army” background: I’ve been around the block some. I was an education major, taught high school math for several years, did ten in hospitality, was a petsitter/dog walker for nine, led some outdoor group fitness classes one year, and logged two cycles with the census bureau as the door-to-door “hey we need to complete your survey” guy. There’s a theme here: my work has always been people-oriented.

What inspired you to pursue a career in clean energy or the climate space?
Like many things, it goes back to childhood. I grew up in a semi-rural suburb in the Northeast, just a stone’s throw away from the woods. I have fond memories of the chorus of bugs and woodland animals during summer nights. Winters meant fresh canvases of snow and muffled acoustics. Honorable mentions include the electrifying fall foliage and the sweet smell of grass in April and May. When you grow up around that, how can you not want to preserve it? It’s a given that you come to loathe pollution, [unnecessary] waste, and the like.

There are so many neat, innovative ways to play this game. I get giddy whenever I see that Instagram post with a headline like “Uni student in Finland creates method to turn plastic bottle caps into potting soil.” Ok, maybe that exact one doesn’t exist (yet), but you get the idea.

What does your role involve day-to-day, and how does your work contribute to PowerMarket’s mission and the broader energy transition?
As a Technical Analyst, my time is split between the tech side and business side, with occasional forays into support and other little side quests. I have my regular chores that touch upon payment disputes, billing issues and data collection and analysis. And then there are the ad hoc tasks and reports that come with this fluid environment.

A frequent ask is “Can you make this process go smoother or faster?” That often leads to interesting projects. Someone once bandied the term “special projects division” and I think that captures it nicely.

What’s one key lesson or perspective you’ve gained since joining the team?
Ah… stay nimble. It’s an ever-changing industry. We’re at the mercy of so many uncontrollable variables: weather, construction, geopolitics, Cloudflare outages, and the like. But nimbleness is good. It keeps things fresh and keeps us young.

How has your military experience shaped the way you approach your work and collaborate with others?
Some skills have been nicely transferable. Knowing how to massage and master deadlines, timeliness and hierarchies is a big one. Understanding how different elements need to come together to deliver coordinated results is another. Take some “disciplined initiative,” as we say in the biz, and deliver actions and results before someone has to ask for them. And the biggest one of course: take care of your battle buddies.

What achievement—either from your service or your work today—are you most proud of?
In the beginning of Basic Combat Training, I was in a small leadership role. Someone I’ll probably never see again pulled me aside and said, “Thank you for taking everyone’s needs into consideration in your planning.” I rode that high for a few days.

What’s a small lifestyle change you’ve made to live more sustainably?
We’re looking to install a system that pre-heats the shower water. It’s horrible how we waste a few gallons of cold water every day waiting for the hot water to come through. We’ll capture some for the outdoor and house plants, but even then there isn’t enough demand to justify that much water per day/week. Apparently with this new system, you push a button, wait a few minutes, and then crank the faucet and voila, toasty water.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work? Any hobbies, creative outlets, or ways you like to recharge?
I don’t go as often as I’d like, but climbing (top-roping) is my jam. It’s physical, it’s problem-solving, it’s high-focus—and you can stuff your face afterward.

What’s something most people don’t know about you, or a fun fact you’re willing to share?
Fun fact and influential adult highlight: my 4th grade math teacher printed thousands in fake money and walked us through a months-long stock market simulation. It was based on pro athletes. You buy 10 shares of Allen Iverson, he has a good game, you do well. He gets injured, the stock tanks. With your earnings, you could hold, buy more shares or spend at this in-class shop he hosted, which sold wares like school supplies and snacks. RIPPING good time.

As a former teacher I now appreciate how nuts it was that kids—ten-year-olds—were trying to get to school early so they could sprint to the board and see the printed reports leading into the day. I only wish we’d gotten some guidance on buying foreclosed properties. This was a few years before 2008. Ah well.