Ahmad Chatila worked in the chip industry for 18 years before taking over as CEO of the semiconductor manufacturer MEMC in 2009.
As a veteran of the industry, Chatila understood the difficulties of the silicon wafer business. Semiconductors are a commodity, and the company was facing intense pricing pressure from Chinese competitors. So he decided to make MEMC an energy company -- zeroing in on SunEdison as an acquisition target.
Nearly seven years after the acquisition, SunEdison is branching out beyond solar and into wind, battery storage, microgrids, and is eyeing hydro and even natural gas. The development arm became so important to the health of the company, MEMC adopted the SunEdison name in 2013.
So how does Chatila see the business evolving?
In this bonus episode of the Energy Gang, we feature an interview with Chatila on project development strategies, emerging markets, battery storage and vertical integration. We'll also talk about the megatrends that excite him most -- and which make him most nervous when it comes to competition.
This podcast is sponsored by ReneSola, a Tier 1 solar cell and module manufacturer with a decade of experience in the cleantech industry.
The Energy Gang is produced by Greentechmedia.com. The show features weekly discussions between energy futurist Jigar Shah, energy policy expert Katherine Hamilton and Greentech Media Editor Stephen Lacey.