When First Solar acquired Enki Technology for its anti-reflection coatings late last year, Enki's CEO, Kevin Kopczynski, joined First Solar as a senior director. Previously, Kopczynski was a partner at RockPort Capital Partners. Enki received a seed round from investors including Applied Materials, a Series A led by RockPort, as well as SunShot funding from the DOE. According to this document (PDF), SunEdison was also an investor in Enki.
First Solar has made a number of acquisitions over the years, including the purchases of RayTracker and TetraSun, as well as its investment in Clean Energy Collective and apparent investment in a tellurium mine. First Solar acquired developers NextLight and OptiSolar in the aughts.
Ygrene, a provider of residential and commercial property-assessed clean energy financing, named Rocco Fabiano as CEO. Previously, Fabiano was president of retail solutions at Qualcomm. CEO Stacey Lawson has moved upstairs to take on the role of executive vice chairman. PACE financing allows for zero upfront payments for projects pertaining to energy efficiency, renewables and water conservation. Ygrene closed a $145 million private securitization in November and announced an AAA-rated $184 million public bond. The company has received investments from New Energy Capital Partners.
Dennis Arriola is now executive VP of corporate strategy and external affairs at Sempra Energy. He was previously CEO of SoCalGas. Sempra Energy saw revenue of more than $10 billion in 2015 and has 17,000 employees and 32 million customers.
As Julia Pyper reported, Governor Jerry Brown named environmental policy experts Martha Guzman-Aceves and Clifford Rechtschaffen to the California Public Utilities Commission, replacing Commissioners Michael Florio and Catherine Sandoval. Guzman-Aceves and Rechtschaffen, both registered Democrats with strong backgrounds in environmental protection, come to the CPUC from the governor’s office.
Ivo Steklac, previously with SunPower, is now CEO at AquaHydrex, a startup looking to commercialize a cheaper method of hydrogen production. The company has received investment from True North Venture Capital, where Steklac is an operating partner.
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Enertech Search Partners, an executive search firm with a dedicated cleantech practice, is the sponsor of the GTM jobs column.
Among its many active searches, Enertech is looking for a Head of Technology Development -- Distributed Energy
The client is one of the world’s leading integrated energy companies looking to expand the team for an internal startup. The parent company is expecting to invest about $1 billion into this early-stage business focused on distributed energy for large energy users. By combining traditional and renewable power, energy efficiency, demand response, generation, advisory services and big data and other digital assets, they help their customers capitalize on the new and more flexible energy landscape and move from consumers to prosumers and even grid service providers.
This client is looking for a Head of Technology Development who will be responsible for global sourcing and managing a pipeline of new and emerging technology opportunities, enabling the development of leading-edge technology solutions and customer propositions. The role will be externally facing and will scan and scout the global market for new developments in distributed energy technologies including distributed generation, energy plant and equipment, building and asset management, energy efficiency and energy storage. In this position, you will work with the wider Technology and Product Development team as well as global Growth & Development and Marketing & Propositions teams to triage technology opportunities and manage selected technologies and technology companies.
This is a rapidly growing team with tremendous leadership and fantastic technology solutions, backed by a global energy company.
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According to his LinkedIn profile, Michael Colvin, an energy and safety adviser to Commissioner Sandoval at the CPUC, is now senior regulatory analyst in the policy and planning division at the CPUC.
Erik Takayesu has been promoted to director of grid modernization, planning and technology at Southern California Edison.
Nick Armstrong was promoted to national electrical director at SolarCity.
Mark Abrams was promoted to director of sales, finance partners at SolarEdge.
Seth Weissman, VP, general counsel and secretary at SolarCity, is leaving after more than eight years with the firm.
Shyam Mehta, once a senior solar analyst at GTM Research, is now co-founder and portfolio manager at Tilikum Capital Management.
From the previous jobs column:
Politico reports that the Solar Energy Industries Association has selected Abigail Ross Hopper as its new CEO. Hopper was previously head of the Interior Department’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management. Before that, she was director of the Maryland Energy Administration and an adviser to former Gov. Martin O’Malley. Previous SEIA CEO Rhone Resch guided the U.S. solar industry lobbying group for more than a decade and led national advocacy efforts, including the passage of the eight-year Investment Tax Credit (ITC) in 2008, passage of the stimulus package in 2009, and the most recent renewal of the ITC.
Bloom Energy, a provider of distributed power generation from fuel cells, announced that Mary K. Bush will join its board of directors. Bush previously served as managing director of the U.S. Federal Housing Finance Board and VP of international finance at the Federal National Mortgage Associate (Fannie Mae). From 1984 to 1988, she was U.S. alternate executive director of the International Monetary Fund. Bush serves on a number of boards including Discover Financial Services, Marriott International and T. Rowe Price Group. Bush joins a Bloom board that includes General Colin Powell, John Doerr, chairman of KPCB, and T.J. Rodgers, founder and CEO of Cypress Semiconductor.