Energy Jobs: DOE SunShot, GE Current, Schneider Electric, Mosaic, Sunverge, AutoGrid, Folsom Labs

Executive and boardroom moves in cleantech, utilities, energy and VC

GE Current, GE's energy spinout, named Bruce Stewart as its new CMO, according to the Boston Business Journal. Previously, Stewart was CMO and senior VP at the Exelon-acquired Constellation Energy. 

AutoGrid Systems named Jeffrey Norman as VP of industry solutions. Most recently, Norman was the VP of emerging technologies at Leidos Engineering (the former SAIC), where he led the practice that supported utilities’ grid modernization initiatives. Before Leidos, Jeff was an engagement manager with CapGemini North America’s Smart Energy Services group. AutoGrid's software for regulated utilities and deregulated energy companies is "designed to predict, optimize and control the millions of distributed energy resources (DERs) being deployed at the grid edge." AutoGrid’s total VC funding to date is over $40 million from investors including German utility E.ON, Envision Ventures, Energy Impact Partners, Foundation Capital and Voyager Capital.  

Hanan Fishman is now president at Alencon Systems. He was previously president at PartMaker, part of Autodesk. Alencon, with funding from the DOE and backing from Stephens Capital Partners, has been working on a distributed string-level architecture with a 2,500 VDC bus and central conversion up to 100 megawatts.

Mosaic, the solar loan provider, appointed Michael McDermitt, previously with Moody’s Investors Service, as chief credit officer; Eric Watson, formerly deputy general counsel of SoFi, was appointed to the roles of executive VP and general counsel; and Katya Baron, most recently at Aequitas, assumed the role of managing director of capital markets. Earlier this month, Mosaic closed a $200 million warehouse facility with Germany's DZ Bank and NY Green Bank. 

Anthony Carroll was promoted to VP for the Americas for Schneider Electric's solar and energy storage business. 

Microinverter leader and energy storage aspirant Enphase Energy reported that its VP and CFO of four years, Kris Sennesael, "has resigned to pursue other career opportunities." VP of finance Bert Garcia has been promoted to serve as the new CFO. Enphase reported GAAP net loss for the second quarter of 2016 of $16.7 million. The company's next-gen microinverter is coming "out [at the] end of this year or early next." 

Teresa Zhang joined Folsom Labs as VP of product and operations. Zhang previously led the global design and engineering innovations group at SunEdison. Folsom Labs' software helps design and optimize residential and commercial solar installations.

Silver Spring Networks hired former Intel VP Ayse Ildeniz to serve as COO. Ildeniz was previously VP of the new devices group and GM of strategy and business development, "leading a team charged with creating groundbreaking IOT devices and technologies."

Sunverge hired Scott Son as senior VP of finance. He was previously the VP of finance at NRG Energy. Earlier this summer, New York utility Con Ed, SunPower and Sunverge announced a $15 million virtual power plant pilot, part of New York's Reforming the Energy Vision (REV) effort, which will outfit about 300 homes in Brooklyn and Queens with leased high-efficiency solar panels and lithium-ion battery energy storage systems. The project is meant to explore the revenue streams made possible by software-enabled aggregation of energy storage.

Blue Pillar hired Todd Krause as CCO. Krause was previously VP of global utility sales at EnerNOC. 

Naveed Hasan is now head of marketing for the Americas at inverter firm Kaco New Energy. He was previously the head of marketing for ReneSola U.S.

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Enertech Search Partners, an executive search firm with a dedicated cleantech practice, is the sponsor of the GTM jobs column.

Among its many active searches, Enertech is looking for a Director of Strategic Partnerships - Distributed Energy.

Enertech Search Partners has been engaged in an exclusive search for a Strategic Partnership / Alliance leader who will be responsible for overseeing the client's global business development activities. The client offers an intelligent utility-grade distributed energy storage solution that captures solar power and is controlled by software running in the cloud, with commercial and residential applications offered as a financeable asset.

The role requires significant leadership skill and ability. The Strategic Partnership / Alliance Leader will be accountable for the overall success of the company’s alliance and partnership development. He/she will lead and oversee the development of the functional groups operating and strategic plans, and will report directly to the CEO.

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Some comings and goings to report at the DOE SunShot program: Lidija Sekaric is moving from acting director of SunShot to a new position as a senior adviser to Roland Risser, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Renewable Power for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. Becca Jones-Albertus has transitioned to a role as the acting director of SunShot from her previous role as the program manager of SunShot’s PV team.

Michael Levi is leaving his role as a senior fellow for energy and the environment at the Council on Foreign Relations to join the White House staff as a Special Assistant to the President for Energy and Economic Policy on the National Economic Council staff. (Here's a link to an Interchange podcast with Michael Levi and GTM's managing editor Stephen Lacey.)    

Mike Francis has been promoted to product manager of energy storage at PG&E. He will be working on the 2016 behind-the-meter energy storage RFP, and DERMS programs EPIC 2.19 (aggregated behind-the-meter energy storage) and EPIC 2.03 (aggregated smart inverter). Francis was previously an asset manager at SunEdison.