Cambridge-based Pellion Technologies appointed former First Solar CTO Dave Eaglesham as its new CEO. Pellion Tech builds magnesium-ion batteries with seed capital from Khosla Ventures and a 3.2 million grant from ARPA-E. According to Pellion, its rechargeable magnesium battery will have a higher energy density (energy per unit volume) and specific energy (energy per unit weight) than the lithium-ion batteries used in today's portable electronics and electric vehicles. Pellion claims that its magnesium battery will have a longer cycle life than today’s lithium-ion battery. Toyota it also developing a magnesium battery.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) just appointed a former venture capitalist, Arati Prabhakar, as its Director. Prabhakar replaces Acting Director William Edward Lehr. Until last year, Prabhakar was a partner in the IT and energy practice at USVP. USVP's portfolio includes battery maker Contour Energy Systems, combinatorial R&D player Intermolecular, and at least in the past, solar and political black hole Solyndra. Prabhakar has an MS and a PhD in Applied Physics from the California Institute of Technology, served at DARPA from 1986 to 1993, and was head of National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) from 1993 to 1997. She spent a decade as a VC at USVP.
Bryan Crabb has been appointed as the new Executive Director of CALSEIA. Crabb joins CALSEIA after serving as Director of Government Affairs for First Solar as well as OptiSolar. Crabb served as the California Public Utilities Commission's liaison to the Schwarzenegger Administration and the California Legislature. CALSEIA is a solar industry trade association.
Amonix will close its North Las Vegas concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) factory in August with a loss of scores of jobs.
Former GE Digital Energy executive Mehrdod Mohseni has joined UISOL. UISOL a utility business integration consultancy
GE announced that it will reorganize its 100,000-employee energy business into three standalone businesses: Power and Water, Oil and Gas, and GE Energy Management.