By Guest Author – Mick Liubinskas from Climate Salad
One of my biggest ‘a-ha’ moments recently came from working with Geoff Andrews at Capricorn Power. Geoff has brought me on part-time to support in strategy and investor relations. I’d thought I’d share some of my big learnings.
We all know the two ends of the energy market.
- Small-scale energy is huge. Rooftop solar, home batteries, EVs, and smart devices have transformed homes and small businesses. It’s a vibrant space with thousands of products and players.
- Large-scale energy is also huge. Wind farms, pumped hydro, grid-scale batteries, and transmission lines are commanding billions in investment from governments and mega-utilities.
But what struck me is this: the mid-market is also massive, and it’s been overlooked. That makes it a huge opportunity.
The Missing Middle
Think about all the places that aren’t households and aren’t mega-grids:
- Regional manufacturing plants
- Food processors and cold storage facilities
- Remote communities and First Nations enterprises
- Councils running water treatment, recycling, or waste management
- Agribusinesses and dairies
- Hospitals, universities, data centres, logistics hubs
All of these need reliable, affordable, mid-sized clean energy, often 100kW to 10 MW systems that can power a site or cluster of facilities. Too big for rooftop solar alone, too small for massive transmission projects.
Right now, this “missing middle” is either underserved or stuck with diesel, gas, or expensive grid extensions.
Why Capricorn Power
Capricorn Power has developed technology specifically designed for this gap. Their systems turn heat above 500°C and waste resources into dispatchable, renewable electricity.
That means:
- Reliability: Power that runs day and night, complementing solar and wind.
- Local generation: Keeping energy spend in communities instead of sending it offshore.
- Flexibility: Scalable to the right size for each site, without overbuild.
- Sustainability: Cutting emissions by replacing fossil fuels and turning waste into value.
The Scale of the Opportunity
If small-scale is billions and large-scale is trillions, then mid-sized sits in between. And there is a lot in that gap. Globally, the mid-sized energy market is worth hundreds of billions annually. And in Australia alone, there are thousands of sites where the economics stack up today.
Investors want scalable, defensible opportunities. Customers want reliable, affordable power without emissions baggage. Mid-sized energy offers both — and Capricorn Power is positioning itself as the go-to provider in this overlooked segment.
The Takeaway
The energy transition isn’t just happening at the household or mega-utility level. It’s happening everywhere in between, in the “missing middle” where communities, businesses, and industries operate.
That’s why I’m finding Capricorn Power so exciting: they’ve seen the gap, built the tech, and are moving fast to seize the opportunity.
If you’re a business that needs dependable, clean energy at the mid-scale, it’s worth a serious look at Capricorn Power.