Visionary Energy

The father-and-son team of Selim and Michael Zilkha has pioneered new technologies in the energy industry, earning them a reputation as “technology wildcatters.” Because Zilkha Energy Company used computer modeling to drill for oil in the Gulf of Mexico, locating even the smallest reserves with pinpoint accuracy, the Zilkhas successfully reopened U.S. oil fields thought too prohibitive to drill economically.

After selling their oil and gas company to Sonat for a billion dollars in 1998, the Zilkhas decided renewable energy was the most important segment of the energy industry in which to invest both money and enthusiasm. They turned a small wind energy company into one of the most respected in the wind industry by building elegant and community-integrated wind farms throughout the country. The subsequent sale of Zilkha Renewable Energy to Goldman Sachs marked a turning point for the wind industry—and the renewable energy industry as a whole—because securing the interest of the world’s top investment banking firm signals an important move away from petroleum-based energy to renewables. And the purchase sends a message about energy prices: not only are renewables price-competitive, they are essential for our future.

The next step for the Zilkhas: biomass. 

Selim K. Zilkha

Selim K. Zilkha is 50% owner in Zilkha Biomass Energy. From 1998 to 2005, Selim was director and 50% owner of Zilkha Renewable Energy, now known as Horizon Wind Energy. From 1999 until 2002, Selim served as a director of El Paso Corporation. Prior to that, he was a director of Sonat Inc. from 1998 to 1999. Selim served as the Chief Executive Officer and sole director of Zilkha Energy Company from 1983 until January 1998. From 1960 to 1982, he founded and was Chairman and Managing Director of Mothercare, PLC, a retail chain catering to mothers-to-be and small children in Great Britain, Europe, and the United States. Selim sold his interest in Mothercare, PLC, in 1982. From 1947 to 1960, Selim worked for the family firm, Zilkha & Sons, in the United States, France, and the United Kingdom. After serving in the U.S. Army as a private stationed at Camp Gordon, he graduated with a B.A. from Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts, in 1946. Selim is co-owner of Laetitia Vineyard and Winery. He lives in Los Angeles, California.

Michael Zilkha

Michael Zilkha is co-owner of Zilkha Biomass Energy. From 1998 to 2005 he was president and co-owner of Zilkha Renewable Energy, bought by Goldman Sachs in July 2005 and renamed Horizon Wind Energy. From 1986 to 1998, he was Executive Vice President and co-owner of Zilkha Energy Company. From 1978 to 1986 Michael owned ZE Records, a music production and publishing business in New York City. From 1975 to 1978, he worked in publishing in New York. He sits on the board of the Chinquapin School, the Menil Collection, and the Contemporary Arts Museum, all headquartered in Houston, Texas, where he lives. Michael graduated with an M.A. from Lincoln College, Oxford University, in 1975.

John Langdon
Founder

John Langdon, Chairman and majority shareholder of Power Generating Inc. (PGI), is the creator of the Zilkha Biomass Unit. Through PGI, John funded the early stage development of the Zilkha Biomass Unit, including the construction and commissioning of a full-scale prototype unit in Laramie, Wyoming, with co-funding from the Department of Energy. John is a director of Zilkha Biomass Energy, and PGI maintains a financial interest in Zilkha Biomass Energy. John is also the Chief Executive Officer of World Energy Systems Inc., an upstream oil and gas technology company involved in the recovery of heavy oil. John lives in Ft. Worth, Texas.

A Wildcatter on the Tame Side: Replacing Roughnecks with Computers, New York, March 20, 1998 – By ALLEN R. MYERSON, The New York Times

Wind Energy Visionary Sails under the Radar,
Houston Business Journal

 
© 2006  zilkha biomass energy    |  1001 McKinney, Suite 1900 Houston, Texas 77002     |  713.979.9961