Saul Griffith
Saul Griffith (born 1974) is an Australian-American inventor, engineer, and renewable energy advocate. Explore his inventions, companies (Otherlab, Makani, Instructables), his book Electrify, and his ideas for a clean energy future.
Introduction
Saul Griffith (born 1974 in Sydney, Australia) is a polymath inventor, engineer, and advocate who works at the intersection of technology, climate, and policy.
In recent years, he has been particularly visible through his writing and advocacy (for example, his book Electrify) arguing that with existing tools and technologies, society can shift toward zero-carbon energy systems.
Early Life, Family & Education
Saul Griffith was born in 1974 in Sydney, Australia.
He pursued undergraduate studies at the University of New South Wales, earning a B.Met.E (Bachelor of Metallurgical Engineering) in 1997. University of Sydney, gaining a Master of Engineering (M.E.) in 2000.
Later, he moved to the United States for further graduate work: he obtained an S.M. (Master of Science) in 2001 and then a Ph.D. (2004) from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
At MIT, Griffith was also involved in community and open-innovation projects (for example, the early seeds of Instructables trace back to MIT-area “Thinkcycle” efforts) which sought to democratize engineering and invention.
Career & Major Ventures
Early Projects & Inventions
Even in his graduate years, Griffith was actively inventing. As a student, he developed a low-cost eyeglasses lens manufacturing device—a system using flexible molding surfaces to produce different prescription lenses cheaply and locally, intended especially for underserved communities.
He also created playful educational projects such as HowToons, an animated and DIY-style educational resource teaching children how to build science & engineering gadgets using everyday materials.
Through Squid Labs (co-founded by Griffith), he and collaborators spun off multiple ventures: Potenco (hand-powered electricity generation), Makani Power (kite energy, acquired by Google), Sunfolding (innovative solar tracking), Other Machine Company, and others.
Makani Power, one of the more public ventures, developed tethered kites that generate wind energy at high altitudes. The technology was eventually acquired by Google X.
Otherlab & Research Platform
Griffith is currently (or has been) CEO and Chief Scientist of Otherlab, an independent R&D lab based in San Francisco (and now global in reach) that focuses on computational manufacturing, energy systems, novel robotics, and decarbonization technologies.
At Otherlab, projects include:
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Inflatable robots and soft robotics
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Novel heliostat / solar concentration designs
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Origami-inspired pressure vessels or storage containers
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Computational design tools to optimize or reimagine energy/structural systems
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Mapping energy flows in major economies (e.g. U.S.) and finding leverage points for decarbonization efforts
Advocacy, Writing, and Policy Work
More recently, Griffith has directed more of his energy toward electrification advocacy and policy framing. He is a founder of Rewiring America (in the U.S.) and Rewiring Australia—nonprofit efforts to push for widespread electrification (e.g. converting heating, cooking, vehicles, etc., to electricity) as a path toward decarbonization.
Through writings, speeches, and public engagement, he argues that the transition to electric infrastructure can unlock millions of jobs, reduce costs for consumers, increase resilience, and drive down emissions.
He authored the book Electrify: An Optimist’s Playbook for Our Clean Energy Future (2021), in which he lays out a realistic and detailed strategy for decarbonizing via electrification. The Big Switch: Australia’s Electric Future (2022) and other essays.
Personality, Motivations & Traits
Saul Griffith is often described as intensely curious, multi-disciplinary, and somewhat eccentric: he is known for walking barefoot in his lab and carrying tools in pockets full of mechanical bits.
He combines a maker’s hands-on mindset with big systems thinking: he is as comfortable prototyping devices as he is mapping national energy flows and designing policy roadmaps.
He has expressed that much of his invention motivation is guided by “doing things in the least environmentally damaging way.”
He also embraces risk and experimentation—even in his personal life, he engages in ambitious, sometimes dangerous invented sports.
Legacy & Influence
While Griffith is still active and evolving in his projects, his influence already includes:
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Helping to seed and scale a number of clean-tech ventures and open innovation platforms
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Drawing public and policy attention to the role of full-system electrification (not just renewable energy generation)
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Inspiring engineers, designers, and entrepreneurs to tackle climate change with tools, not just ideology
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Demonstrating a model where invention is tightly coupled with systems thinking and policy awareness
His work helps bridge the traditional divide between “hardware inventors” and climate policy thinkers—arguing that technology and regulation must co-evolve.
Select Quotes & Statements
Here are a few illustrative statements and ideas attributed to Saul Griffith:
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On invention and environment: He views invention as an opportunity to minimize environmental impact rather than merely optimize performance.
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On electrification: In Electrify, he argues that “electrify everything” is more than a slogan—it’s a practical plan: replace fossil-fuel dependent systems (cars, heating, industrial) with electric equivalents powered by clean energy.
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On independent R&D: He has stated that small, agile research labs can often outperform large institutions in terms of cost efficiency, creativity, and focus.
Lessons from Saul Griffith’s Work
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Think Big, Build Small: Ground systems-level visions with hands-on prototypes and tangible invention.
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Integrate Tools and Policy: Technology alone won’t fix climate change—advocacy and regulation must parallel it.
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Be Multidisciplinary: Griffith’s career spans materials science, robotics, energy economics, and education; crossing boundaries yields more leverage.
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Prototype with Purpose: Many of his inventions are explicitly motivated by social or environmental need (cleaner energy, lower cost devices) rather than novelty alone.
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Iterate Publicly: Through open platforms (Instructables, community projects) he invites others into invention, democratizing design.
Conclusion
Saul Griffith is a compelling example of a modern inventor who does not merely tinker in a workshop but thinks about entire systems—how cities, energy grids, appliances, and societies interlock. He shows that the path to decarbonization is not just about adding more renewables but redesigning how everything from heating to transport to infrastructure consumes energy.