solar summit 2015

Now in its eighth year, Solar Summit is Greentech Media’s flagship annual solar conference that attracts leaders from across the solar value chain. Join us in Phoenix for over two days of unrivaled networking opportunities and innovative, engaging panel sessions that will provide a unique mix of market intelligence and coordination among industry players.

A Comprehensive Look at the Evolving Solar Market

Speakers

Tom Werner

President & CEO, SunPower

Tom Werner serves as SunPower’s CEO and chairman of the SunPower board of directors. Prior to joining SunPower, he held the position of chief executive officer of Silicon Light Machines, Inc., an optical solutions subsidiary of Cypress Semiconductor Corporation. Previously, Werner was vice president and general manager of the Business Connectivity Group of 3Com Corp., a network solutions company, and has also held a number of executive management positions at Oak Industries, Inc., and General Electric Co. He currently serves as a board member of Cree, Inc., Silicon Valley Leadership Group, and is a member of the Marquette University board of trustees. Werner holds a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Marquette University and a master's degree in business administration from George Washington University.

Ahmad Chatila

President and CEO, SunEdison

Mr. Chatila has served as President and Chief Executive Officer and member of the board of directors of SunEdison since March 2009. Mr. Chatila oversaw our acquisition of SunEdison LLC in 2009 and developed SunEdison’s solar strategy. Prior to joining SunEdison, Mr. Chatila served as Executive Vice President, Memory and Imaging Division of Cypress Semiconductor Corporation, a semiconductor design and manufacturing company, from July 2005 to February 2009. From September 2004 to June 2005, Mr. Chatila was the Vice President of Operations of the Cypress Memory and Imaging Division, and before that he served as Managing Director of the low power memory business unit in the Memory and Imaging Division from January 2003 to September 2004. Mr. Chatila initially joined Cypress in 1991 and held a number of management roles in wafer technology development, manufacturing and sales since that time, including the positions described above. From November 1997 to December 1999, Mr. Chatila worked for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) as Senior Account Manager, before rejoining Cypress in January 2000. Mr. Chatila has over 20 years’ experience in the semiconductor industry, with increasing responsibility as an executive during this time, prior to his appointment as our President and Chief Executive Officer.

Greg Butterfield

CEO, Vivint Solar

Greg Butterfield is the CEO at Vivint Solar, a leading full-service residential solar company headquartered in Utah. Greg has over 25 years of leadership experience and has been the CEO of many private and public companies. Greg has also served as a chairman or board member for RES Software, Needle, Omniture, and several other technology and eCommerce companies. Greg was awarded the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award and was inducted into Utah’s Technology Hall of Fame in 2009. Greg holds a B.S. in business administration and finance from Brigham Young University.

Jon Carson

Sr Director of Solar Ambassadors, SolarCity & Former Obama Campaign Strategist,

Lidija Sekaric

SunShot Director, U.S. Department of Energy

Dr. Lidija Sekaric is the Director of Solar Energy Technologies Office and its SunShot Initiative at the Department of Energy. In that role, she manages and balances a portfolio of nearly $1B in projects, and sets the near and long-term goals for the programs. Prior to joining SunShot, she served as a senior advisor in the office of the Under Secretary of Energy and as a technical and market advisor on some of the world’s largest distributed solar generation projects. Prior to joining DOE, Dr. Sekaric was on research staff at IBM T.J. Watson laboratory where she conducted record-setting research in nanoscale science and engineering. She holds 30 U.S. patents and has over 40 scientific publications. Dr. Sekaric received her Ph.D. and M.S. in Applied Physics from Cornell University and her A.B. from Bryn Mawr College.

Neil Auerbach

CEO & Managing Partner, Hudson Clean Energy Partners, L.P.

Mr. Auerbach is founder and Managing Partner of Hudson. Formerly, Mr. Auerbach was a Partner at Goldman Sachs & Co., where he co-founded the U.S. alternative energy investment business within the Special Situations Group and led several of Goldman’s most successful investments in renewable energy. Mr. Auerbach founded and managed several other businesses at Goldman during his seven year tenure with the firm, supervising over 30 professionals in the U.S. and Europe, and presiding over a $3 Billion balance sheet. Mr. Auerbach worked in the firm’s Debt Capital Markets and Credit Derivatives units before joining the Special Situations Group in December 2003.

Mr. Auerbach is a member of the Leadership Council, American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE), and serves on the Executive Committee of ACORE’s Partnership for Renewable Energy Finance. Mr. Auerbach is a member of the U.S. Council on Competitiveness, Commissioner on the National Commission on Energy Policy, and serves on the Advisory Council of the Prince of Wales' Rainforest Project. Mr. Auerbach leads Hudson’s global efforts to engage with the political and business communities to develop policy frameworks that best facilitate the scale-up of clean energy.

Lon Huber

Vice President, Strategen Consulting

Lon Huber directs Strategen’s private sector consulting practice. In this capacity, Lon provides independent analysis, strategy, and policy solutions to some of the energy sector’s most controversial issues. On behalf of a diversity of clients, he is involved in numerous public proceedings across the US, covering such topics as rate design modernization, community solar, energy storage policy, and the designing of new ratepayer friendly market structures.

Prior to joining Strategen, Lon worked for the consumer advocate office in Arizona, in the private sector for solar technology firms, and in academia at an energy focused research institute. Due to his efforts in the community, Mr. Huber received a congressional recognition award for his work in educating citizens about solar energy. He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree and MBA from the University of Arizona Eller College of Management.

Sara Ross

Co-Founder & CEO, Sungage Financial

Sara founded Sungage Financial following her own struggle to finance solar panels during a deep energy retrofit of her home. She realized firsthand that solar contractors need simple financing that works at the kitchen table, consumers want financing that helps them capture as much savings as possible, and banks need a partner with a deep understanding of residential solar. Sungage Financial was started to meet those needs. Sara is a frequent speaker and panelist at solar energy conferences and is a member of the New England Sustainable Energy Association (NESEA) and Solar Connecticut. Prior to Sungage, Sara was a policy and economic analyst for the City of New York, Harvard University, USAID, and Abt Associates. She holds an MPA/ID from the Harvard Kennedy School.

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