u.s. solar market insight 2015

Bob Bellemare is responsible for leading Array’s strategic growth and the company’s business operations. For the past 20 years Bob has held C-level positions in electric utility and renewable energy related businesses. He has a master’s degree in electrical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology and is a registered professional engineer (PE), certified valuation analyst (CVA), and certified business appraiser (CBA).

Chad serves as the chief financial analyst and ERCOT market analyst for the Butler Firm, where he provides regulatory support to many of the world's most successful solar development companies. Chad has experience building financial models for more than a billion dollars worth of PV projects, is an Air Force trained GIS specialist, is Co-Founder and CFO of Smart Power Maps (a geospatial cash flow modeling software as a service company), and he is Chairman of the ERCOT Emerging Technologies Working Group, where he has authored several ERCOT Nodal Protocol Revision Requests, each of which he has marshalled through to passage by the ERCOT Board of Directors. He has worked at a 35,000 acre coal mine, the Energy Resources Division of the General Land Office, a vertically-integrated grid-scale battery storage company, and at the Austin Technology Incubator. Mr. Blevins served as the President of the Energy Resources Group at the University of Texas while he was a graduate student in the Energy & Earth Resources masters program. Chad is an Air Force Honors Graduate and Distinguished Graduate, and is a Summa Cum Laude alumnus of Saint Edward’s University. He has Chaired the ERCOT Emerging Technologies Working Group since 2013.

Trent Bowers is Enbala’s Chief Commercial Officer and Executive Vice President of Sales, responsible for leading the company’s sales, marketing and partner relations initiatives globally. With 23 years of experience, Bowers came to Enbala from Toshiba/Landis+Gyr, where he was Vice President of the Industry Solutions Group.  He also led the Global Alliances & Solutions organization for Landis+Gyr for five years. Bowers’ entire career has been focused on technology, communications and services, with the last 10 years concentrated on delivering integrated software solutions to further advance grid modernization initiatives in the energy and utility industry.  His knowledge and experience span the full utility value chain, from generation to the customer experience and including advanced grid analytics, demand response, distributed energy resource (DER) management, operational data management and dynamic voltage management.  Previously, Bowers was Vice President of Global Strategic Sales for Trilliant, a business executive in IBM’s Intelligent Utility Network business unit and Energy and Utility Sales Director for Alcatel-Lucent.

Adam is the co-founder and Executive Director of Vote Solar, a non-profit advocacy organization with the mission of bringing solar energy into the mainstream.  Vote Solar got its start with a successful ballot initiative for a $100 million solar revenue bond in San Francisco in 2001, and since then has been working with state and municipal governments on pro-solar policies, with the goal of jumpstarting the national transition to renewable energy.  Vote Solar has 13 advocates spread across the country, working full-time to advance solar markets.

Prior to Vote Solar, Adam spent eight years with the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency’s San Francisco office, where he won the Agency’s top pollution prevention award for developing a program that reduced air emissions of mercury. Adam received a BA with Distinction from Swarthmore College in 1992, and served with the Peace Corps in Guinea-Bissau, West Africa.

Anthony Carroll is Vice President for the Solar Business of Schneider Electric. He manages Sales and Service for the Residential, Commercial and Utility Scale Solar divisions of the company, and also their Storage business unit. Anthony holds an eMBA from Juan Carlos I University in Madrid and has led other global solar and industrial corporations over the last decade with focus in the Americas, Asia and Europe.

Mr. Colavito brings eight years of solar industry experience to his role as the Director of Engineering at Standard Solar, Inc., where he is responsible for oversight and management of all engineering and technical aspects of the business. Mr. Colavito and his engineering team have produced more than 60 MW of PV system designs dispersed over more than 150 sites in 12 states, ranging from 5 kW to 5 MW.  Mr. Colavito established SSI’s commercial engineering department in 2009, where has developed and trained more than a dozen engineers in the design of solar PV systems. Before coming to SSI he served as a volunteer in Nicaragua where he worked to usefully apply solar technologies in rural areas.  Mr. Colavito regularly presents at industry conferences and lectures at local universities.   At Renewable Energy World North America his submission was awarded the 2014 Paper of the Year. Mr. Colavito co-authored the feature article for the July 2015 SolarPro Magazine on deploying solar+storage microgrids. Mr. Colavito has a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Virginia Tech.  He is a NABCEP Certified Solar PV Installation Professional, NABCEP Certified Solar PV Technical Sales Professional and a Certified Renewable Energy Professional.

PJ Deschenes is a Partner in the New York office of GCA. He has over 11 years of experience advising companies and investors in a variety of Sustainable Infrastructure sectors. PJ focuses on cleaner conventional energy and environmental services and offers expertise in M&A, project finance, and financial structuring. PJ joined GCA from GE Energy Financial Services where he worked on equity investments in wind, biomass, and solar energy projects and companies, including nearly 900 MW of wind energy assets. Previously, he was a founding member and Partner of BlueWave Strategies, a cleantech-focused consulting firm. PJ holds a Masters of Business Administration from Harvard Business School and a Masters of Environmental Management from the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of the South with a Bachelor of Science in Forestry and Mathematics. PJ is a CFA Charterholder and a LEED Accredited Professional, as well as a three-time USAT All-American triathlete.

Thomas is a passionate leader in the Solar Energy industry, and prides himself on building lasting teams and facilitating alignment and cohesion of business models across diverse projects and programs. He balances the business capability roadmap with energy sustainability and renewable technology solutions, quality, service, and process simplification to achieve a positive return on assets.

Thomas currently serves as President for Soligent Distribution and is responsible for the day-to-day operational responsibilities of the company. Prior to joining Soligent, Thomas served as a member of the Management Board and ran the Solar Energy Division at Fronius USA for over five years. Before his time spent at Fronius USA, Thomas co-founded and managed joint ventures and conducted multiple successful mergers and acquisitions.

In his current role, Lee is responsible for the development and implementation of customer strategies that deliver an optimal customer experience and customer choice.  In addition, his team is responsible for the administration of renewable product offerings for Xcel Energy customers which includes both rooftop DG and Community Solar Gardens.  During his 17 year tenure with the company, Lee has held leadership positions in Energy Efficiency/Demand Side Management and Customer Care.

William Gambogi is a Research Fellow with DuPont Photovoltaic Fluoromaterials.  His work focuses on photovoltaic (solar) materials and their impact on solar panel performance and durability.  He has worked at DuPont for more than 25 years and has been involved in several new product developments within the DuPont Electronics and Communications businesses.  He has contributed to over 30 patents and more than 20 technical publications, and regularly delivers technical presentations at international industry events.

Mr. Gambogi earned Bachelors of Science in Physics from Villanova University and Master of Science in Physics from the University of Delaware.  He is based at the DuPont R&D Center in Wilmington, Delaware.

Paul Grana is the co-founder of Folsom Labs, where he leads sales and marketing, where he has helped to grow the company to thousands of installers in over 70 countries. He founded the Solar Software Summit in partnership with GTM Events. He previously worked at Abound Solar, and led product management and technical marketing with Tigo Energy.  Paul holds a BS in Mathematics and Economics from the University of Chicago, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Brian has over 15 years of experience in the areas of engineering, operations, and supply chain management, mostly focused on advancements within the solar industry. Brian served as Quality Manager for the pioneering PV module manufacturer AstroPower, prior to its acquisition by GE in 2004. Before joining Yingli in 2009 to launch its San Francisco office, Brian was Supplier Quality Leader for GE Energy’s Solar Technologies division. Brian most recently served as Vice President of Technology for Yingli Green Energy Americas, where he managed a team of engineers providing customer service while supporting PV module/system characterization, research, and development efforts at Yingli's PV Testing Laboratory. Brian is a certified Lean Sigma Blackbelt and holds a BS in Civil & Environmental Engineering from Pennsylvania State University.

Dan is Director of Distributed Generation at Pacific Gas & Electric where he is responsible for DG incentive program, customer experience initiatives and policy objectives for customers interested in adopting solar and other renewable technologies.  Prior to joining PG&E, Dan spent six years in the solar industry with leadership roles in project development and finance at HelioPower, Solyndra and MMA/Fotowatio Renewable Ventures.  Dan began his energy career at Entergy in corporate development and later worked at PG&E in regulatory and finance.  He has an MBA from Duke University and a law degree from the University of Western Australia.

Hans Isern leads early stage development, origination and power marketing efforts for sPower. For over a decade he has led teams in diverse roles including utility engineering, power trading, regulatory affairs, and generation development and finance. This broad knowledge base allows him to create innovative strategies to optimize sPower’s development operations.

Throughout his career, Mr. Isern has directly shaped the renewable industry by affecting renewable policy at the CPUC, negotiating and closing over 600 MW of renewable PPAs, obtaining 2 GW of capacity on the power grid, and leading permitting efforts for over 15,000 acres. Mr. Isern has led development teams on over 30 utility-scale projects that are now online and operating. Prior to his current role, Mr. Isern was the Chief Operating Officer at Silverado Power, where he negotiated and executed over $1 B of power purchase and sale agreements with utilities and municipalities. Prior to this, Hans ran Recurrent Energy’s IOU development efforts in California, where he led over 30 interconnection processes and closed three of Recurrent’s first four utility-scale PPAs. Before his role at Recurrent, Mr. Isern ran sales and trading for 3 Phases Renewables, an Energy Service Provider that provides retail power under California’s Direct Access laws. Mr. Isern began his career as a utility engineer in PacifiCorp’s Asset Management group, where he led several multi-million dollar investments to improve the power grids in Utah and Oregon. Mr. Isern holds an MBA from UCLA Anderson and graduated with honors from the University of Washington with a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering.

Lynn is Chief Executive Officer of Sunrun (Nasdaq: RUN), the largest dedicated residential solar company in the United States, and the creator of the solar-as-a-service model for the residential market. Lynn co-founded Sunrun in 2007 with a passion for creating simple solutions to difficult problems. From a young age she was a competitive athlete who was also drawn to innovation, infrastructure and the environment, all of which prepared her for her current role. Lynn began her career as one of the only female venture capitalists at Summit Partners, a leading growth equity investor. While at Summit she evaluated myriad business models and financing structures and completed investments with an aggregate market value of over $900 million in the financial services and technology sectors. But it was during a summer internship in China while attending business school at Stanford University that she witnessed firsthand the magnitude of the impact that the rapid consumption of natural resources was having on the environment. She knew then there had to be a better way. While back at school Lynn and classmate/ co-founder Edward Fenster recognized the solution to this complex environmental issue could be in simply offering consumers a better choice. By enabling homeowners to purchase clean power in a simple, affordable and more efficient way, Sunrun could pave the way for a cleaner more innovative future – and disrupt the massive and archaic residential energy industry in the process. From the beginning, Lynn helped shape Sunrun’s vision and served the Company in many roles from personally selling Sunrun’s first customers to leading the Company’s growing sales and marketing operations. She subsequently became President and co-CEO and eventually was named Chief Executive Officer in February 2014. She believes in empowering individuals to reach their full potential, a theme prevalent in Sunrun’s vision to create a planet run by the sun.

As Managing Director of Energy Storage Solutions, Madeleine is responsible for overseeing the origination, development, and execution of energy storage projects.  Prior to joining Edison Energy, Madeleine served as both Senior Vice President of Advanced Energy Solutions and Senior Vice President of Policy & Strategy for SoCore Energy, an Edison Energy affiliate specializing in solar energy.  In both of these roles, Madeleine specialized in translating market trends into strategic and transformative opportunities for SoCore and its clients.

Madeleine has more than 15 years of experience the clean energy field.  Prior to joining SoCore, she was a Senior Policy Advocate with the Environmental Law & Policy Center in Chicago, where she was involved in renewable energy policy development and regulatory proceedings across the Midwest.  Madeleine previously served as Deputy Director of Policy & Communications for the City of Knoxville, Tennessee, where she led downtown redevelopment activities and launched the City’s Energy & Sustainability Initiative.  Early in Madeleine’s career, she worked as a Policy Analyst for Environment Northeast and as Coordinator of the Community Clean Air Initiative for the City of New Haven, Connecticut.

Madeleine holds a Master’s of Environmental Management from the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies and a BA from Carleton College.

A native of Hamburg, Germany, Jurgen Krehnke has had a distinguished career with a track record of strong leadership both inside and outside of the PV Solar industry. He joined KACO new energy in February of 2014 as CEO for the Americas and accomplished a turn around of the 10-year old North American subsidiary, expanded state-side manufacturing and supply chains, brought back manufacturing jobs that had gone to Asia and led the company towards sustainable profitability. He had a key role in the introduction of several innovative, award-winning products and was instrumental in the company’s recent entry into the energy storage business.

Previously, Krehnke was President & General Manager of SMA America, LLC, an inverter company that he successfully managed between 2008 and 2013 and turned into the well-recognized industry leader. Under his leadership the company grew more than 15-fold and established US and Canada based manufacturing as well as a nationwide service network. Several hundred sustainable and direct “green collar jobs” were created in the process. Before joining SMA, Krehnke was an Executive in the semiconductor industry in Silicon Valley, most notably with top 10 players Philips Electronics and NXP Semiconductors where he headed several business units.

Mr. Krehnke holds a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Germany’s Technische Universität Carolo-Wilhelmina zu Braunschweig and completed Executive Education Programs at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

Evelyn is Managing Director at TerraForm focused on third party mergers and acquisitions.  Prior to joining TerraForm, Evelyn was a partner in Chadbourne and Parke’s Project Finance Group based in LA where she was responsible for re-building the firm’s Project Finance practice on the west coast and led several large renewable energy transactions consisting of project acquisitions and related acquisition financings; construction and backlevered debt financings, holdco and mezzanine debt transactions, tax equity financings and energy hedge transactions.  Prior to Chadbourne, Evelyn was General Counsel of Element Power, a global renewable energy company, and prior to Element Power, Evelyn was General Counsel of First Wind.
Evelyn is a graduate of Cornell University and Fordham University School of Law.

Morten Lund is a partner of the firm practicing in the Energy Development group, and serves as Chair of the Solar Energy Initiative. His experience includes development and financing of a broad variety of energy and infrastructure projects. Morten’s project experience background covers the full lifecycle of infrastructure projects, from early-stage development through construction, financing, and acquisition/divestiture. He has worked on a variety of infrastructure projects, including hydro-electric facilities, chemical facilities, wind and solar energy projects, forestry/paper facilities, combustion generator projects, large aircraft, cogeneration facilities, shipping fleets, and nuclear energy facilities. Morten also represents companies developing infrastructure technology, including water treatment technology, solar energy technology, and wind energy technology.

Richard Matsui is the CEO and Founder of kWh Analytics. kWh Analytics is the market leader in solar risk management. By leveraging the most comprehensive performance database of solar assets in the United States (20% of the U.S. asset class) and the strength of the global insurance markets, kWh Analytics’ customers are able to minimize risk and increase equity returns of their solar portfolios. kWh Analytics is backed by private venture capital and the US Department of Energy. Prior to kWh Analytics, Richard was a consultant with McKinsey & Company based in Greater China, where he helped found the Firm’s solar practice in 2007. There, he established himself as a leading global expert on the solar industry by accumulating more industry experience than any other consultant (9,000 globally). He graduated from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service magna cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, and is fluent in both English and Mandarin Chinese. He is proud to have been born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. He is also a Forbes "30 Under 30" award recipient for Energy.

Tamara Montague is Director of Sales for JA Solar USA and responsible for customer relationships, business development and operations for PV modules and cells in North America.  She has been with JA Solar since 2011 and worked in the solar PV industry for seven years.  Prior to joining the company, she launched Lumeta Solar’s BIPV products globally as the Director of Marketing.  Tamara has broad experience in the semiconductor and energy sectors.  As Product Marketing Manager at Advanced Micro Devices, she was responsible for business planning and competitive intelligence.  During her tenure at the Clean Energy Incubator, Tamara developed focused marketing and growth strategies for early-stage renewable-energy companies.  At UOP LLC, she designed and operated process plants for petroleum refining and petrochemical production.  Tamara holds a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and an MBA from the McCombs School of Business at The University of Texas at Austin.

Trent is the Vice President and General Manager of Mortenson Solar and Emerging Renewables Operating Group. Trent has helped grow Mortenson into the largest full service, EPC provider in the nation.   He is responsible for overall strategy development and direction of all facets of the group, including market selection, business development, design, engineering, procurement, construction and O&M activities.  He is driven by a desire to continuously eliminate waste from processes and develop innovative ways to consistently deliver far superior results to customers.

Meghan Nutting works closely with industry leaders, state and federal policymakers, and regulators to craft and implement policies that provide a more stable, sustainable business environment on behalf of Sunnova. Previously, she served as the Director of Policy and Electricity Markets at SolarCity for nearly five years. Before that, Nutting worked as a legislative director for a State Assembly member, and as a press secretary for former U.S. Senator. She has also held policy positions at the World Bank; the British Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; as well several environmental organizations. Nutting received a Master of Public Affairs from Princeton University and a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Cornell University. She has been named one of the #Solar100 thought leaders in the U.S. and one of the Denver Business Journal’s top women in energy for 2018.

Frank Palladino is a Vice President in CohnReznick Cap Markets’ San Francisco office. He has more than 10 years of experience serving clients in the renewable energy, oil & gas, and technology industries.

Frank primarily focuses on transaction management and advisory in the renewable energy sector including asset sales, debt raises and raising, and negotiating and structuring tax equity investments. He has been involved in numerous renewable energy transactions including utility scale wind as well as utility scale and residential solar projects. He has advised both solar panel and solar cell manufacturing facilities.

Before joining CohnReznick Cap Markets, Frank was a Director in KPMG’s Transactions and Restructuring practice in New York and San Francisco. He provided buy-side and sell-side commercial and operational due diligence services on over 60 M&A transactions in the renewable energy, oil & gas, and technology sectors. In addition to M&A due diligence services, Frank assisted clients with transaction accounting and financial modeling.

Frank earned a B.S. in Mathematics from Loyola University Maryland in 2005 and is a CFA charterholder since 2012.

Chip Palombini currently leads the Energy Solutions Group (ESG) at Dynapower Company of South Burlington, Vermont. Dynapower is the world’s leading independent manufacturer of power conversion systems for energy storage applications. Prior to leading of ESG, Chip was a research and development engineer and project manager responsible for the development of the first commercially available multi-port solar and storage inverter system. During his work as a development engineer Chip was responsible for power conversion systems for battery energy storage applications, primarily for the integration of large scale distributed renewable generation. These developments have been integral to Dynapower capturing >50% of the domestic energy storage market.

Tyson Peschke is a co-founder of Blue Raven Solar and currently serves as its President. Blue Raven Solar specializes in residential customer acquisition and has operations in 11 states supporting over 350 sales professionals. Mr. Peschke began his career in renewable energy in 2009 when he successfully helped nationwide home automation giant Vivint launch a renewables arm called Vivint Solar. As the first employee at Vivint Solar, he helped the company grow from an idea to a market leader. While at Vivint Solar, Mr. Peschke held the title of Vice President of Customer Experience and was responsible for any part of the business that interacted with the customer. Mr. Peschke then co-founded Terawatt, Inc (currently doing business as Level Solar and spinoff Suncrest Solar) with an investment from Sorenson Capital Partners, a Utah based PE firm. Mr. Peschke served as Chief Operating Officer and helped grow the business to over 50 employees in offices in California, Utah, and New York. Mr. Peschke holds a Bachelor of Science from Brigham Young University and a Master of Business Administration from Columbia Business School.

Richard Rambaldo is responsible for helping grow Sempra’s Renewable Energy business through deal origination, diligence, structuring and execution.

Richard has been an Energy Technology investment professional for over 10 years.  Before joining Sempra, Richard was an Equity Research Analyst at Citigroup covering Alternative Energy.  Prior to that, he was at Stark Investments, a $14 billion hedge fund, where he focused on public and private transactions in the Technology and Energy Technology sectors.  Richard began his investment career at Pacific Growth Equities where he co-founded the Firm’s Alternative Energy practice.

Richard graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology and holds an MBA from the Simon School, University of Rochester.

Peter Rive is SolarCity's co-founder and CTO, overseeing the company's technology development. Peter has helped grow SolarCity into the largest full-service solar provider in the nation— the company is currently providing one in every three new residential solar systems in the U.S. In his role as chief technology officer, Peter oversees the development of SolarCity's next-generation software and hardware technologies, including battery systems and solar mounting hardware. Peter’s passion for solar is centered around a concern for climate change and the belief that solar represents the most practical path to sustainable energy production. He continues to push the boundaries of solar operations and technology with the goal of achieving breakthroughs in cost reductions and 24-hour energy delivery.

Peter has held several senior technology positions throughout his career focused on streamlining operational activities through the use of advanced software. Before he co-founded SolarCity, Peter held the position of chief technology officer at Everdream, where he designed a software platform to centralize computer management. Everdream was acquired by Dell in 2007.

Also Energy CEO Robert Schaefer co-founded the company with CTO Holden Caine in 2007. Robert draws upon 25 years of experience in the computer industry. He applies this experience to continuously improve quality, cost, and performance at Also Energy. As a result, Also Energy has shown robust growth every year. The company now monitors over 3.5 GW at more than 11,000 sites in 39 countries around the globe. Robert received an undergraduate degree in Electrical Engineering at MIT and a graduate degree in Control Systems at the University of Colorado. As a P.E. Robert worked at Digital Equipment Corporation, then co-founded a robotics company.

Kaiulani (“Lani”) Shinsato is the Director of Distributed Energy Resources (DER) Programs at Hawaiian Electric.  She oversees the Net Energy Metering (NEM) program, which has been widely successful in customer adoption and in contributing towards Hawai‘i’s 100% renewable goals.  Lani also leads key company initiatives and change efforts supporting the Hawaiian Electric Companies’ near and long term strategic plans for DER.  In this role, Lani leads a cross-functional team that is dedicated to developing technical and programmatic solutions for DER that support planned growth of DER in a way that is equitable, sustainable, and provides benefits to the electric grids. Prior to joining Hawaiian Electric, Lani served as Commission Counsel at the Hawai‘i Public Utilities Commission, where she acted as lead attorney on several ground-breaking renewable energy dockets for the State, including Feed-In Tariffs, Reliability Standards Working Group, Decoupling, Energy Efficiency Portfolio Standards, Renewable Portfolio Standards, and NEM. When not working on DER, Lani enjoys trail running, skiing, and spending time with her husband and six-year-old daughter.

Ivo Steklac serves as SunPower vice president and general manager R & C energy solutions, which encompasses PV solutions and energy services for these markets.  He has more than 25 years of energy and utility experience, having held various leadership positions in research and development, marketing and general management.  Most recently Steklac served as COO and chief strategy officer for Tendril, a software company dedicated to transforming the relationship between everyday people and energy.  Prior to that, he was CEO of Greenbox Technology, a provider of interactive energy management for the smart home, which was acquired by Silver Spring Networks in late 2009.  At Schlumberger, Steklac held the position of vice president of marketing for energy and utilities, where he led the groundbreaking development of one of the earliest examples of consumer empowerment and energy management: Puget Sound Energy's Personal Energy Management program.  Steklac co-founded Enspiria Solutions, Inc. a consultancy and systems integrator with a strong focus in energy management and operational efficiency within advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), demand response, and smart grid. Steklac holds degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Queen's University at Kingston Ontario, Canada.

Scott Stephens, a Director of Technology Development, is leading NRG Renewables’ solar technology adoption efforts based on comprehensive engagement with upstream technology development and manufacturing firms.  Key focus areas include emerging technology diligence, quality assurance process development, market analysis, and technical engagement with tax equity investors.  These efforts increasingly include the integration of storage and controls into advanced photovoltaic (PV) systems. Prior to NRG, Stephens served as a portfolio manager for the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Loan Program.  In this role, Stephens lead technical management of solar manufacturing projects including due diligence review of over 40 companies as well as technical oversight of construction and operations for ten ground-mount solar projects totaling over 2.5GW and $8.7 billion in debt financing.  Prior to the DOE Loan Program, Stephens served as a PV technology manager for the DOE’s Solar Energy Technologies Program.  In this role, Stephens managed over $100 million of annual grant funding across universities, national labs, and start-up photovoltaic manufacturers.  More generally, this time at the DOE offered Stephens a unique vantage point on an industry undergoing tremendous change.  Stephens started his career at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office examining applications pertaining to optical systems.  He earned a M.S. in Physics researching thin film PV at the Institute of Energy Conversion at the University of Delaware and a B.A. in Physics from Gustavus Adolphus College in MN.

With more than 15 years in corporate leadership positions, Mike Teresso brings a wealth of experience in growing dynamic businesses – combining exceptional customer support, leading edge product and service offerings and driving impressive profitability. Leveraging his wealth of business and management experience, Teresso has made Baker Electric Solar one of the top 10 fastest growing privately-held companies in San Diego.  As president, Teresso is responsible for strategic and operational planning. His hands-on leadership, knowledge of sales, marketing, forecasting, budgeting and cost control helps ensure the Baker’s solid financial foundation and exponential growth. Teresso’s passion for renewable energy has positioned him as a respected thought-leader, active in solar energy policy and driving the future of the industry. Previously Teresso served as president of a bathware manufacturer, St. Thomas Creations, Div. of Villeroy & Boch, where he led the company in a turnaround effort – achieving record profitability. Most recently Teresso was director at LAUFEN North America, Bathroom Culture Since 1892. Teresso received his M.B.A. from Texas Christian University, M.J. Neeley School of Business. He resides in San Diego.

Hervé is CEO of the Energy Web Foundation. He is an energy industry veteran with more than two decades of executive-level experience across renewable energy, distributed energy resources, commodity trading, blockchain, and strategy.

Prior to EWF, Hervé led Shell New Energies’ global Connected Energy business, focused on distributed energy resources. He has also held senior roles at cleantech think tank Rocky Mountain Institute, E.ON Connected Energies and E.ON Climate & Renewables, and McKinsey & Co.

He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley.

Julie Ungerleider, senior vice president of engineering for Coronal Group, is responsible for directing project engineering, development and construction. Ms. Ungerleider brings over 20 years of experience as an engineering, development and construction management executive. She has a comprehensive background in commercial and industrial development and renewable energy power plants, and has successfully managed over 100 MW of solar projects. Ms. Ungerleider has developed methodologies for efficient due diligence and development processes that streamline transactions, resulting in substantial savings on transaction costs. Ms. Ungerleider most recently was vice president of systems and engineering for SolarWorld Americas’ systems and engineering division. She directed the design and development of multiple commercial and utility scale projects, including Highlander I and II totaling 26 MW. She was responsible for introducing next-generation mounting solutions for utility-scale power plants and rooftops through the management of a team of over 20 research and development mechanical engineers, design engineers and project managers. Prior to joining SolarWorld, Ms. Ungerleider was a senior project manager at SunPower Corporation where she managed the development and installation of over 60 MW of both commercial and utility-scale solar facilities. Before entering the solar industry, Ms. Ungerleider worked for multiple Fortune 500 retail companies, managing the development of new store expansion programs, and for two large retail and commercial developers in Southern California on the development of large mixed-use retail and entertainment centers. Ms. Ungerleider holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Virginia in civil engineering.

As the North American Director of Sales for Huawei Smart PV Plant Solutions, Brian leverages his 10 year industry experience dating back to 2005. Huawei is the world’s leading ICT company with 2015 estimated revenue exceeding $65 Billion with products and services touching 1/3 of the world’s population daily in over 170 countries. At Huawei Brian is responsible for leading and directing Huawei’s sales and business expansion into the North American PV marketplace. Prior to Huawei, Brian was the National Sales Manager for GCI Solar where he managed and directed the sales efforts for over 100 solar account executives. Brian’s rich experience in the PV industry stems from prior roles at SPG Solar, Akeena Solar, and Real Goods, serving the residential, commercial, and utility scale markets in the United States. Brian holds a BA in Entrepreneurial Management from California State University, Chico.

Dr. Ryan Wiser is a Senior Scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. Ryan leads and conducts research on the planning, design, and evaluation of renewable energy policies; on the costs, benefits, and market potential of renewable electricity sources; on electric grid operations and infrastructure impacts; and on public acceptance and deployment barriers. Ryan has published over 350 journal articles, research reports, book chapters, and conference papers. His work has been quoted in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, LA Times, USA Today, Washington Post, and numerous other publications, and he has offered invited testimony to the U.S. Senate. Ryan regularly advises state and federal agencies on issues related to renewable energy; is an adviser to the Energy Foundation's China Sustainable Energy Program; is on the Corporate Advisory Board of Mineral Acquisition Partners; and has been a lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Ryan holds a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Stanford University and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Energy and Resources from the University of California, Berkeley.

Alex Zhu is President of SFCE America, responsible for all project development, product sales, M&A and investment in the North America region for Shunfeng International Clean Energy (SFCE), the leading global clean energy solutions provider. SFCE products and services include Suntech and Suniva solar modules, Powin energy storage systems, Lattice LED lighting products and Meteo Control monitoring systems. SFCE also markets a unique Energy Cost Saving Agreement (ECSA) that enables commercial & industry building owners to reduce their energy costs for free and just share the savings. Prior to SFCE, Alex was Managing Director of Suntech America and global head of Product Management and Development (PDM) for Suntech Power. Alex joined Suntech in 2008 from the semiconductor industry where he held various management positions in engineering, operations and marketing. Alex earned his BS from Fudan University in Shanghai, MS from National University of Singapore and MBA from University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

MJ Shiao currently serves as the Director of Community Solar at Arcadia Power, where he works to connect residential customers with community solar projects developed by Arcadia Power's partners. Before Arcadia, MJ held various positions at Greentech Media and Wood Mackenzie, including leading GTM Research, a 30-person team tracking, analyzing and forecasting the evolution of the solar, energy storage and grid edge industries.  MJ is a leading expert in the transformation of the electricity sector. He has spoken at numerous conferences, testified in front of the U.S. International Trade Commission on solar trade issues and quoted in the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Bloomberg and Buzzfeed. Before joining GTM Research, MJ managed and designed several MWs of residential and commercial PV projects. He holds a bachelor's in electrical engineering from the University of Delaware, where he was named a National Truman Scholar. A believer in the social benefits of solar power, MJ has also researched, installed and tested rural off-grid PV in India and Thailand.

Stephen Lacey is Editor-in-Chief of Greentech Media. He manages a team of writers focused on solar, storage, efficiency, mobility, and grid modernization. He’s also host of the Energy Gang podcast, a weekly roundtable on the latest energy and environmental news.

Nicole Litvak is a Solar Analyst at GTM Research with a focus on the downstream US solar market. In addition to tracking the competitive landscape of installers, financiers, and technology providers in the residential and commercial market segments, Nicole serves as editor of PVNews, the solar industry's longest running market research periodical. Nicole has prior internship experience in corporate sustainability, solar water heating, and business development. She graduated from Brandeis University magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa with majors in Economics and Psychology.

Mohit Anand is a Senior Analyst at GTM research focusing on the global solar upstream market. With previous experience covering the demand dynamics and downstream procurement strategies in emerging markets like India, Mohit analyzes the competitive forces and sales growth criteria that determine the success of module manufacturers globally. Before joining GTM, he participated in the early stages of growth of the Indian solar industry by setting up a solar market intelligence team, advising project developers on new solar business models, and consulting international companies on their market success strategies. Mohit holds a BA in Economics from St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, a Master in International Studies from the National University of Singapore, and a Master in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.

Scott Moskowitz is the Director of Strategy and Market Intelligence at Hanwha Q CELLS America Inc., where he heads market research and leads communication and policy initiatives. Prior to Q CELLS, Scott was a Research Manager at GTM Research and head of the Renewable Technologies Group, leading a team of analysts covering technology trends in the solar, storage, and wind energy markets. Scott holds a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering and mathematics from Vanderbilt University and a master’s degree in environmental engineering from the University of California, Davis.