Meet the Founders
Christian Manuel, Owner & President Integrity Defense Energy & Infrastructure VP Government Relations and Strategic Partnerships e-BESS Power Tech Inc.
Christian Manuel is the founder, owner, and President of Integrity Defense Energy and Infrastructure LLC, a Texas-based Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business specializing in defense energy infrastructure, battery energy storage systems, and federal contracting for critical infrastructure protection programs.
Mr. Manuel served twenty years as an active duty officer in the United States Air Force, gaining extensive experience in installation operations, logistics, energy systems, and Department of Defense acquisition processes. His military service provided direct operational exposure to the energy resilience challenges facing US military installations worldwide, informing his current work as the federal contracting lead for Integrity Defense and e-BESS Power Tech Incorporated.
Integrity Defense Energy and Infrastructure LLC holds an active SAM.gov registration with CAGE Code 198J1 and Unique Entity Identifier YY4GSVDKNNN7. The company operates as a for-profit small business under energy and technology NAICS codes and serves as the federal contracting vehicle for all Department of Defense, Department of Energy, and federal civilian agency programs pursued in partnership with e-BESS Power Tech Incorporated.
As VP of Government Relations and Strategic Partnerships for e-BESS, Mr. Manuel leads all federal agency outreach, capability briefings, subcontractor relationship development, and strategic partnership negotiations. His twenty years of Air Force service provide the institutional knowledge, agency relationships, and operational credibility required to represent advanced battery energy storage technology at the highest levels of the federal procurement process.
Mr. Manuel's combined military background and current federal contracting leadership make Integrity Defense a uniquely qualified small business partner for Department of Defense installation energy resilience programs, Department of Energy domestic manufacturing initiatives, and NAVFAC shore energy technology development efforts.
Nicole Redding Wilhelm, VP Global Strategy and Growth, Integrity Defense Energy and Infrastructure LLC, e-BESS Power Tech Inc.
Nicole Redding Wilhelm serves as Vice President of Global Strategy and Growth for e-BESS Power Tech Incorporated, leading the company's federal funding strategy, international grant pipeline, commercialization planning, and strategic partnership development across government and private sector markets.
Mrs. Redding Wilhelm brings executive-level experience in corporate strategy, market development, and organizational growth across both technology and financial services sectors. As co-founder and growth executive at EmberVest, an SEC-registered fintech platform, she developed deep expertise in navigating complex regulatory environments, building institutional partnerships, and driving commercialization of innovative technology solutions from early stage to market deployment.
At e-BESS, Mrs. Redding Wilhelm architected the company's federal contracting strategy from inception, leading the development and submission of the company's first federal grant applications to the Department of Energy under IIJA Section 40207, coordinating the company's response to the US Army Enterprise Strategic Capital Partnership Request for Information focused on Priority Area 1 Energy Resilience and Dominance, and building the company's international funding pipeline across, COP30 climate finance mechanisms, Asian Development Bank programs, and bilateral government grant opportunities.
Mrs. Redding Wilhelm leads all communications strategy, capabilities statement development, teaming partner outreach, and federal pipeline management for Integrity Defense and e-BESS. Her work spans the full federal business development lifecycle from market research and opportunity identification through proposal development, submission, and post-award relationship management.
A two-time international TEDx speaker and published author, Ms. Redding Wilhelm brings exceptional communications and stakeholder engagement capabilities that strengthen e-BESS's positioning in competitive federal solicitations and strategic partnership negotiations.
Larry Asera, Principal Investigator and Chief Executive Officer e-BESS Power Tech Incorporate
Larry Asera brings more than five decades of energy engineering, policy development, and infrastructure leadership to his role as founder and CEO of e-BESS Power Tech Incorporated and Principal Investigator for federal research and development initiatives under Integrity Defense Energy and Infrastructure LLC.
Mr. Asera holds advanced engineering training from the University of California Berkeley and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He served as Vice President at Pacific Gas and Electric Company, one of the largest investor-owned utilities in the United States, where he led large-scale energy infrastructure programs across California.
His policy credentials are unmatched in the battery energy storage sector. Mr. Asera co-authored California's foundational solar energy legislation and served as a principal architect of the Philippine Renewable Energy Act of 2008, a comprehensive national energy framework that restructured the Philippines' entire renewable energy sector. His prior energy company was acquired into Elon Musk's energy ecosystem, demonstrating successful commercialization at the highest level.
As Principal Investigator for e-BESS federal programs, Mr. Asera leads all technical development and research activities related to the company's proprietary manganese oxide Battery Energy Storage System. The e-BESS technology has been operationally validated through the EV Energizing Center, a live solar-integrated microgrid in Metro Manila that has been running continuously since March 2025, representing a Technology Readiness Level of 7 to 8 in real-world operational conditions.
Mr. Asera's combination of utility-scale engineering expertise, national energy policy authorship, and proven commercialization track record positions him as a uniquely qualified Principal Investigator for Department of Energy, Department of Defense, and other federal agency programs focused on domestic battery manufacturing, energy resilience, and critical infrastructure protection.
Past Performance & Demonstrated Capabilities
Federal Registrations and Contracting Status
Integrity Defense Energy and Infrastructure LLC maintains an active registration in the System for Award Management with CAGE Code 198J1 and Unique Entity Identifier YY4GSVDKNNN7. The company is registered as a for-profit small business under energy and technology NAICS codes and is fully eligible for federal contract awards, grant programs, and cooperative agreements across all federal agencies.
Active Federal Submissions — Fiscal Year 2026
Department of Energy — IIJA Section 40207 Battery Manufacturing Grant Program: Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Battery Materials Processing and Battery Manufacturing and Recycling Grant Programs Announcement: DE-FOA-0003585
US Army Enterprise Strategic Capital Partnership Program: Army Enterprise Strategic Capital Initiative — Priority Area 1 Energy Resilience and Dominance Submission Date: March 27 2026 Status: RFI Response submitted. Role: Technology and capital partnership partner proposing Army as anchor customer for private capital mobilization.
Air Force Research Laboratory — Air Dominance Broad Agency Announcement Program: AFRL Munitions Directorate BAA FA8651-25-S-0001 Status: White paper in development. Program open through October 2029. Up to $750 million available. Scope: Advanced battery energy storage technology for weapons systems and defense applications. Manganese oxide chemistry addresses AFRL priority areas including safe and reliable batteries, extreme environment performance, and domestic supply chain security as required by FY26 NDAA Section 842.
NAVFAC EXWC Broad Agency Announcement Topic 7 — Shore Energy Technology Program: NAVFAC EXWC BAA Shore Energy Technology Development Status: Abstract in development. Deadline June 12 2026. Scope: Hybrid Battery Energy Storage System technology for Navy shore installation energy resilience and microgrid integration.
Operational Proof of Concept — Technology Readiness Level 7-8
EV Energizing Center — Metro Manila, Philippines
Operational Since: March 2025 Technology: e-BESS proprietary manganese oxide hybrid Battery Energy Storage System integrated with solar photovoltaic generation Configuration: Medium voltage interconnected solar microgrid with seamless UPS-class backup power transition Operational Environment: High temperature, high humidity tropical environment representing challenging real-world conditions Status: Continuously operational for over twelve months as of March 2026 Significance: Demonstrates that e-BESS technology is not a laboratory prototype. It is a proven system performing in operational conditions. This distinguishes e-BESS from the majority of competitors in the domestic battery manufacturing and defense energy storage market who are at TRL 4 to 6 with bench-tested or pilot-scale systems only.
Intellectual Property Portfolioe-BESS Power Tech Incorporated holds exclusive access to a portfolio of 14 foundational battery patents held by Chief Technology Officer Masato Shirakata. This patent portfolio includes the original battery architectures used in the Nissan Leaf and Toyota electric vehicles, representing the most commercially validated battery intellectual property in the non-lithium battery sector. The portfolio covers manganese oxide electrode chemistry, cell architecture, hybrid energy storage system integration, and related manufacturing processes.
This IP portfolio represents a significant competitive differentiator in federal solicitations. Unlike competitors who rely on licensed technology or early-stage proprietary chemistry, e-BESS brings foundational patents with demonstrated commercial deployment at global scale.