Coda Energy designs, builds, and finances commercial energy storage systems. As we've reported, Coda Energy has been building a portfolio of behind-the-meter energy storage projects in six states -- the same approach taken by startups like Stem, Green Charge Networks and SolarCity. GTM learned of layoffs at the firm and asked Coda to comment. Here's the statement from the company:
Yesterday CODA Energy laid off 25 employees, approximately half of whom were in the sales and marketing department. CODA retains a workforce of 38 people, including the core sales and marketing team, who will focus on next generation product development and the management of our growing fleet of energy storage systems. To date, CODA has successfully installed a fleet of approximately 60 commercial energy storage systems in California under the SGIP program. According to CEO Paul Detering, “CODA is committed to the long term success of our business, as well as our customers’ business. We view yesterday’s activities as a proactive shift in the direction that will best enable that success while responsibly adapting to the conditions of the emerging California energy storage market.”
Raj Chudgar, formerly a VP at Power Generation Services, is now president at Viridity Energy, a maker of software for demand-side energy management.
Steve Levy, formerly a VP at Innovus Power and Advanced Energy, has joined OnDemand.Energy as CEO. OnDemand is an early-stage firm "focusing on delivering a transactive energy platform which will provide storage-as-a-service."
Leesa Lee has joined energy disaggregator Bidgely as VP of marketing. Most recently she was senior VP of product management and marketing at Greensmith.
AllEarth Renewables, the Vermont-based solar tracker manufacturer, added Debra Royce as its CFO. Royce comes to the solar manufacturer from Draker, having previously served as CFO for defense contractor Revision Military. AllEarth has manufactured and installed over 3,500 solar dual-axis tracker systems in residential and commercial applications.
Dax Kepshire, former GM at energy storage startup SustainX, is now sales engineering manager at the AES Corporation.
OneRoof Energy, a residential solar services provider, appointed Brian Alexson as COO. Most recently, Alexson was CEO of CS Operating. Before that, Alexson served as senior VP of sales and marketing at Verengo Solar.
Long-time Bloom Energy sales exec Alan Russo has left the fuel cell firm to join REC Solar as its senior VP of sales.
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Solar-panel optimizer maker Tigo named George B. Holmes as CCO. Prior to joining Tigo, George served as the CCO for Energous. He also served as VP of sales at microinverter startup SolarBridge. Tigo recently added Mike Splinter, the former CEO and chairman of Applied Materials, to its board of directors, and just announced the addition of Stanley Stern to its board, as well. Stern served at Oppenheimer & Co. as a managing director and head of investment banking, technology, Israeli banking and financial institutions group (FIG).
From last week's jobs column:
As Jason Deign reported for GTM, "Last month, Tesla's head of operations in Germany, Philipp Schröder, left for competitor Sonnenbatterie to help lead that company's global expansion. And this month, Sonnenbatterie picked up seven more leaders of Tesla's team in Germany. The exodus coincides with plans for a major announcement from Sonnenbatterie on November 25. A number of the Tesla defectors are former Sonnenbatterie staff."
Diamond Foundry, a maker of cultured jewelry-grade diamonds, unstealthed this morning. And though mightily intriguing, it's not exactly a cleantech product. But wait -- it turns out the CEO of the firm is none other than R. Martin Roscheisen, former CEO of Nanosolar, a CIGS thin-film solar aspirant from an earlier era of VC-funded solar startups. Advising the diamond maker is Zhengrong Shi, founder of Suntech. A release reports that Diamond Foundry was "founded with the goal of reinventing the $100 billion diamond industry from 'mine to finger' by setting a new standard for social and environmental good." Investors include Leonardo DiCaprio; Evan Williams, the founder of Twitter; Mark and Alison Pincus, founders of Zynga and One Kings Lane, respectively; and Andreas Bechtolsheim, founder of Sun Microsystems and a founding investor in Google.