The People Behind the Power

Energy infrastructure is a trust business. Before anyone finances a project, permits a site, or plugs a hospital into your battery, they want to know who's standing behind it.

We've spent decades in the rooms where energy policy gets written, projects get financed, and power gets delivered in the Philippines, across Southeast Asia, and in Washington. We build fire-safe manganese storage systems here, for here.

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Here's who we are
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Lilibeth Defiesta 

Co Founder

From the U.S. State Department to majority owner of a Philippine battery manufacturer.

Lilibeth spent her early career inside U.S. foreign policy, Oxford-educated in international business, then Special Advisor at the U.S. Department of State, working directly for the U.S. Ambassador. It's a background that shows in how she works: quietly, across institutions, aligning parties who each hold one piece of what a project needs.

At eBESS Power she leads sustainability strategy and stakeholder partnerships, including the company's relationships with the indigenous communities whose land and consent make responsible energy development possible. She is a co-founder and the company's controlling shareholder making eBESS Power, a Filipino woman-owned enterprise.

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Larry Asera

Co Founder

A career measured not in years, but in infrastructure delivered.

Larry Asera is the Chairman and Founder of Asera Group, Inc., a global energy and environmental technology company headquartered in Manila, Philippines. He is a noted engineer, scientist, educator, and entrepreneur. A recognized pioneer in the solar photovoltaic industry, he was named the Green Entrepreneur of the Year in 2006 for his contributions to the renewable energy industry.

A graduate of the University of California at Berkeley in Civil and Environmental Engineering, Asera earned his management degree from the Sloan School of Management at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has served as a Professor of Physics, Engineering and Technology at California State University, and a visiting lecturer at the Asian Institute of Management in Manila. A former TOKTEN Fellow and Balik Scientist under the Philippine Department of Science and Technology, he is a highly sought-after speaker at world renewable energy conferences, trade shows, and university forums.

In 2007, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo awarded him the Presidential Award "Pamana ng Pilipino" for his lifetime achievements in academia, community, civic, and business. A former Balik Scientist under the Philippine Department of Science and Technology, he has served as a keynote speaker at numerous global energy forums as an expert on Global Climate Change, Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction, and Environmental Technologies.

Asera Group, Inc. was a major contributor to the drafting and passage of the Philippine Renewable Energy Act, signed into law by the Philippine President in 2008. The company has received citations from the United Nations Development Program, the US Department of Energy, and the US Agency for International Development for bringing electricity to remote villages on small islands for schools, water pumping, health clinics, and rural lighting projects.

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Nicole Redding Wilhelm

VP Global Strategy and Growth

She translates what we build into terms capital understands.

Nicole Redding Wilhelm serves as Vice President of Global Strategy and Growth for eBESS Power, leading the company's federal funding strategy, international grant pipeline, commercialization planning, and strategic partnership development across government and private sector markets.

Nicole 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 eBESS Power, Nicole 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.

Nicole leads all communications strategy, capabilities statement development, teaming partner outreach, and federal pipeline management for Integrity Defense and eBESS Power. 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, Nicole brings exceptional communications and stakeholder engagement capabilities that strengthen eBESS Power's positioning in competitive federal solicitations and strategic partnership negotiations.

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Christian Manuel

VP Government Relations and Strategic Partnerships

Twenty years in the Air Force. Now he opens the doors it taught him to find.

Christian Manuel is the Founder, Owner, and President of Integrity Defense Energy & Infrastructure LLC, a Texas-based Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) specializing in defense energy infrastructure, battery energy storage systems (BESS), and federal contracting for critical infrastructure protection programs.

Christian brings over 20 years of service in the United States Air Force, with deep experience in marketing, strategic communications, relationship building, talent acquisition, and executing multi-million dollar programs and contracts. He has also built strategic partnerships with major organizations, universities, and professional sports teams to expand brand reach and mission awareness at scale.Integrity Defense Energy & Infrastructure LLC maintains an active SAM.gov registration and operates as the federal contracting vehicle for Department of Defense, Department of Energy, and federal civilian agency opportunities.

In addition to leading Integrity Defense, Christian serves as Vice President of Government Relations and Strategic Partnerships for eBESS Power.

In this role, he directs federal agency engagement, capability briefings, subcontractor development, and strategic partnerships, positioning advanced battery technologies within the federal procurement ecosystem.

Throughout his career, Christian has operated at the intersection of mission execution, strategic growth, and partnership development. His combined military background and federal contracting leadership provide the operational credibility and institutional knowledge necessary to support Department of Defense installation energy resilience programs, Department of Energy manufacturing initiatives, and NAVFAC shore energy projects.

Driven by a commitment to integrity, innovation, and mission success, Christian continues to build partnerships and deliver solutions that bridge advanced energy technology with real-world operational requirements.