Tim Derrick has recently taken on the role of general manager of the Advanced Solutions and Energy Storage units at SunEdison. Derrick has been with SunEdison since 2011 when Axio Power, the solar project development firm he helmed, was acquired.
John Zahurancik was promoted to president of AES Energy Storage, replacing Chris Shelton, who is now vice president at AES Corporation.
Sol Systems, a solar energy finance and investment firm, hired Michael Woods as general counsel. Prior to joining Sol Systems, Woods was a partner in the Energy and Corporate practice of Kirkland & Ellis LLP. Stephanie Smith, who served as the company's GC and COO, will now serve solely as COO. Sol Systems recently added Colin Murchie, formerly of SolarCity, as well as Joe Song, previously of SunEdison.
Nextility, once known as Skyline Innovations, has added an energy brokerage service to its solar hot water business and has hired Joyce Ferris as CFO. Ferris joins Nextility from Blue Hill Partners, where she invested in energy efficiency companies. She has also been an energy technology entrepreneur for more than 30 years.
Jeff Zhou is now executive chairman of Hanergy-owned GaAs solar firm Alta Devices. Zhou is also the CEO of Hanergy-owned CIGS thin-film solar firm MiaSolé.
Electric Light & Power magazine named its Utility CEOs of the Year: Edison International CEO Theodore Craver Jr. and Vineland Municipal Electric Utilities Director Joseph Isabella. Teresa Hansen, editor-in-chief of the magazine, notes, "Mr. Craver has led Edison International through some of the toughest economic and regulatory times in California, yet the company has emerged stronger. And under Mr. Isabella's leadership, his New Jersey municipal utility has reduced rates three times and has incorporated enough solar generation to save the city $2.4 million annually." Awards will be presented in San Diego during the sixth annual Electric Light & Power Executive Conference.
We recently reported that Jeff Dorety joined Trina Solar, a large, China-based solar panel producer, as president of the Americas region. He was previously VP of sales at JA Solar USA. That hire comes as Mark Mendenhall, the former president of Trina Solar's Americas region, leaves the company for "personal reasons" to join dynamic glass builder View as chief commercial officer. Haiyan Sun, the former president of Trina Solar's Distributed PV Generation Business Unit, also left Trina for "personal reasons." He is replaced by Longxing Huang, the former VP for Shunfeng Photovoltaic International.
Solar developer Conergy named David Flory as Global Head of Project Financing and Structuring. Flory was previously with Silver Ridge Power, a utility-scale solar independent power producer owned by Riverstone Holdings and SunEdison. He also takes over risk management roles as the chair of both the Development Capital and EPC Committees.
SolarCity named Jonathan Beamer as Chief Marketing Officer, reporting to Chief Revenue Officer Hayes Barnard. Beamer joins SolarCity from Progressive Insurance, where he led the Marketing Strategy and Innovation unit.