Renewable energy provider sPower (Sustainable Power Group) promoted its current CFO, J.I. “Chip” Everest, to president. SPower is an owner-operator of utility and distributed electrical generation in the U.S. and the U.K. and is a portfolio company of Fir Tree Partners, a global investment fund.
Jimmy Chuang is now Chief Structured Finance Officer at Brite Energy, a solar finance firm being spun out of Protection 1, a business and home security company. Before joining Brite Energy, Chuang was VP and head of Structured Finance at SolarCity.
EnOcean, a maker of energy-harvesting wireless sensors for building automation and smart homes, named Wald Siskens as its new CEO. Laurent Giai-Miniet, the previous CEO, will "pursue other interests in the high-tech sector." Before joining EnOcean, Siskens was CEO at BEKON, a KP-funded European provider of dry anaerobic digestion technology. Prior to BEKON, he was an entrepreneur in residence at KP.
ViZn Energy, a flow battery startup targeting the large-scale energy storage market, named David Mintzer as VP of business development. Mintzer was previously VP of business development at ET Solar and has also held roles in business development at SolarBridge and JDSU. ViZn named Del Allison, also previously with SolarBridge, to the role of VP of sales.
Eyob Easwaran has joined Power Capital Partners as a managing director and director of asset management. He previously was lead asset manager for Conduit Capital Partners. Power Capital Partners is a PE firm that invests in the development, construction and operation of conventional and renewable power generation.
Patrick Fox, previously a director with Hannon Armstrong Capital, has joined New Energy Capital Partners as a partner. New Energy Capital provides "equity to small and mid-sized projects utilizing proven clean energy, clean water, combined heat and power, storage, and waste management technologies." Prior to his work at Hannon Armstrong Capital, Fox worked in the energy procurement group at PG&E.
Chris O'Brien is now a member of the board of directors at Fresh Energy, a policy advocacy group focusing on issues concerning energy efficiency and global warming. O'Brien currently works as a clean energy business consultant and an executive in residence at the Microgrid Institute. He led global market development for Oerlikon/TEL Solar’s amorphous thin-film silicon technology from 2008 to 2014.
Scott Sullivan, previously with inverter maker KACO, is now VP of sales and marketing at solar installer Neighborhood Power Corporation.
Cory Vaughan was promoted to managing director of business development at SunEdison earlier this year.
EcoFactor, a cloud-based home energy management service startup, named Matthew Plante as CEO. Plante joins EcoFactor from Bidgely, where he served as vice president of sales. Prior to Bidgely, Plante was VP of sales at EnerNOC, where he led various sales teams worldwide. He helped grow EnerNOC from twenty employees and $1 million in revenue to 800 employees and $280 million in revenue.
SolarCity's employee base has grown 67 percent since the end of 2013, with the firm adding 2,900 employees in 2014 to date, according to a statement. SolarCity is the nation's largest solar employer, with more than 7,000 full-time employees in the U.S.