Alion, a stealthy solar startup, just got a new CEO. Mark Kingsley, former Chief Commercial Officer at Trina, started the job this month, according to his LinkedIn profile. The CEO post was previously occupied by Anders Swahn.
Alion, formerly known as SunPrint, has gained funding from Sequoia Capital, DAG Ventures, Bright Capital, and Cleantech Group.
The firm once worked with cadmium telluride (CdTe), intent on building utility-size, large-format panels with a wet print technology akin to that used by Nanosolar with CIGS materials. In our last interview with the firm, Alion's newly pivoted business plan was building turnkey solar power plants enabled by an undisclosed balance-of-systems technology. Former CEO Swahn mentioned a VP at the firm who had built "half-a-gigawatt of power plants." The firm also employed former First Solar developers. He said that the firm will rely on other vendor's crystalline silicon for now and that they had development activity in Dubai, Saudi Arabia, and North America.
First Solar (Nasdaq:FSLR) named Ahmed Nada as VP of Business Development for the Middle East, based in First Solar’s Dubai office. Ahmed joins First Solar after 14 years with General Electric, most recently as regional GM of GE Oil & Gas Global Services in the Middle East. GTM Research, in collaboration with the Emirates Solar Industry Association (ESIA), forecasts the annual solar market in MENA countries to reach nearly 3.5 gigawatts by 2015.
Source: Middle East and North Africa Solar Market Outlook, 2013-2017
Amyris (Nasdaq:AMRS), a renewable chemicals and fuels firm, named Zanna McFerson, formerly a Cargill VP, as Chief Business Officer.
Edwin F. Feo has joined Coronal Management as COO and managing director, overseeing the firm's photovoltaic development efforts.