Who We Are
At OakTREE, we believe that communities must be at the heart of designing their own future. Born from a shared vision of energy democracy, our team brings together technological innovation and grassroots community building to create lasting change.
We started with a simple question: What if communities could respond to the changing climate by building wealth in their own neighborhoods? This vision has grown into OakTREE—a collaborative partnership founded in Oakland with a commitment to create tools that enable historically disinvested communities to shape the future of their communities.
Our diverse team combines expertise in renewable technology development, community organizing, and urban development. Together, we're working to transforms our neighborhoods and quality of life from within.
The effort is primarily being led by Co-Founders Mark Miles and Crystal Huang. This is a continuation of their work at People Power Solar Cooperative to achieve the mission create a just and inclusive transition to renewable energy by enabling everyone to own and shape our energy future.
Mark Miles
An innovator and technology pioneer with decades of experience in renewable energy and social impact technology development.
His first venture, Iridigm Display Corporation, revolutionized reflective displays for handheld devices, leading to a successful acquisition by Qualcomm in 2004 and the development of a $1B manufacturing facility in Taiwan. While in Japan, he co-founded HotEarth Enterprise, developing distributed networks of small-scale geothermal power stations, which sparked his passion for solar thermal solutions. His pioneering vision bridges technological innovation with societal benefit, as evidenced through his extensive work across renewable energy sectors and the arts, where he has contributed as both an inventor and performer. A graduate of MIT, Miles holds over one hundred patents and continues to drive innovation in sustainable technology from his base in Oakland, CA.
Crystal Huang
A grassroots community-builder and a 2020 Roddenberry Fellow with more than 15 years of experience deploying climate solution technologies.
She served as COO for Powerhouse, an energy startup incubator, and Associate Producer of “Time to Choose (2015)”, a documentary film by Academy Award winning filmmaker Charles Ferguson. She later co-founded People Power Solar Cooperative, developing California's first community-owned residential solar project model to enable broader participation in renewable energy ownership, particularly for disadvantaged communities traditionally excluded from clean energy access. Since 2018, her collaborative prowess has brought together more than 40 energy democracy practitioners throughout the U.S. transforming energy systems for community empowerment through her work with the Energy Democracy Project.
Project Development Partners
OakTREE's demonstration projects come to life through the dedication of our project development partners. These forward-thinking organizations are investing their expertise, resources, and vision to help build our demonstration projects. Our partners are not just developing projects, they're helping prove what's possible when communities own their energy future.
Our Current Partners
OakTREE relies on a solar-sourcing technology, developed with National Science Foundation support. Most recently, our vision has been recognized by the United States Department of Energy for the $500k Energy Futures Grant and SOLVE-IT Prize for $80k, as well as the United States Department of Agriculture Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer for $125k. We were the top finalist for a $2 million grant from the California Energy Commission, merely two points from winning the grant.
We work together with the intention to make the City of Oakland the national center for excellence in accessible renewable thermal solutions, a capability that exists nowhere else. This will uniquely position it to gather the resources necessary for a vibrant ecosystem in this emerging sector. Your support will underwrite this capacity and support a social, technical, and economic assessment of the strategy. One distinguished by being a technology agnostic and adaptable platform for community sourced ideation, design, and implementation.