Visit the Solar Institute for details of the 2011 Solar Symposium: solar.gwu.edu/Symposium.html

1. The GW Solar Institute | 3RD ANNUAL SYMPOSIUM
SOLAR ENERGY:
Sponsored By:
A Critical Component of Meeting
the Clean Energy Challenge
April 26, 2011 • 8:30am–6:00pm U.S. DEPARTMENT OF
Jack Morton Auditorium
805 21st Street, NW, Washington, DC ENERGY

3. Letter from the Director
Dear Colleagues,
Since we last met in 2010, the political environment has shifted substantially. With a new Republican majority in the
House, a divided Senate, and austere State governments, the public financing outlook for renewable energy looks
less favorable. Nevertheless, solar costs are dropping and the public need for clean, renewable energy remains.
With this in mind, President Obama issued a challenge to Congress in his 2011 State of the Union: “Now, clean
energy breakthroughs will only translate into clean energy jobs if businesses know there will be a market for what
they’re selling. So tonight, I challenge you to join me in setting a new goal: by 2035, 80% of America’s electricity will
come from clean energy sources. Some folks want wind and solar. Others want nuclear, clean coal, and natural gas.
To meet this goal, we will need them all—and I urge Democrats and Republicans to work together to make it happen.”
Today, we look at the solar component of that vision and ask ourselves, can solar make it happen? What are the barriers?
Can we really build a solid energy infrastructure with a resource that fluctuates with every passing cloud? That costs
much more than conventional electricity? Today, we will face these questions squarely.
Thanks for joining us,
Ken Zweibel
Director, GW Solar Institute

4. Symposium Agenda
Welcome Kathy Weiss
8:30–8:45am VP Federal Government Affairs, First Solar
Steven Lerman, Thomas Georgis
Provost, The George Washington University VP Development, Solar Reserve
Peg Barratt Simon Watson
Dean, GW Columbian College of Arts and Sciences Director, Utility Market Strategy, SunEdison
Ken Zweibel
Director, GW Solar Institute Break
10:30–10:45am
Keynote: “SunShot, the Apollo Mission of Our Time”
8:45–9:15am Private Sector Taking Up the Clean Energy Challenge
Minh Le, Chief Engineer, DOE Solar Energy Technologies Program 10:45–11:50am
Session Chair: Jerry Bloom, Partner, Winston & Strawn, LLP
Leading Energy Companies Taking Up the Clean Scott Sklar
Energy Challenge President, The Stella Group
9:15–10:30am
Andrew Murphy
Panel Discussion
EVP & President of the Northeast Region, NRG Energy, Inc.
Moderator: Randall Packer,
Elizabeth Singleton
Associate Dean, The George Washington University
Global Business Development Leader, Energy & Climate Change,
James Torpey The Dow Chemical Company
Director Market Development, SunPower

5. Lunch Break
12:00–1:30pm 3:30–3:45pm
“China: Surging Ahead in Renewable Energy”
(Marvin Center–Grand Ballroom) Solar: Distributed or Central? Distant or Close By?
Doug Guthrie, Dean, GW School of Business 3:45–4:45pm
Bill Powers, “California and Distributed PV,” Powers Engineering
What’s Next Steve Burns, “Transmission for the Solar Grand Plan,”
1:30–2:30pm The George Washington University
Session Chair, Jack Hurley, Siemens USA
Richard Perez, “Grid parity – A Value Based Perspective,”
James Sites, “PV’s Leading Edge,” Colorado State SUNY Albany
Clemens Heske, “Hard Problems Improving the Best PV,” UNLV
Open Questions
Stuart Licht, “Solar Thermal Hybrids,” The George Washington 4:45–5:00pm
University Ken Zweibel, Director, GW Solar Institute
Tackling the Variability Challenge Reception
2:30–3:30pm 5:00–6:00pm
Robert Gibson, “Utility Perspective on Solar Energy,” Solar Electric All welcome (Jack Morton 2nd Floor Lobby)
Power Association (SEPA)
Carl Lenox, “Connecting Variable Solar to the Grid,” SunPower
Chris Cook, “Regulatory and Economic Issues of Grid Integration,”
Keyes & Fox, LLP

6. Speaker Bios
Peg Barratt Jerry Bloom
Dr. Peg Barratt is Dean of the Columbian As Department Chair of Winston & Strawn LLP’s
College of Arts and Sciences at the George Energy, Project Development and Finance
Washington University, the oldest college at Practice Group, Jerry Bloom focuses his practice
the University. Departments and programs are on the development, finance, and operation
supported in the arts and humanities; social and of domestic and international independent
behavioral sciences; and natural, mathematical energy projects, electric-industry restructuring
and biomedical sciences. Dr. Barratt served as and privatization, and mergers and acquisitions.
Deputy Director of the Clinical Research Policy His expertise in the development and financing
Analysis and Coordination Program at NIH (CRpac) until 2006, and of energy infrastructure projects includes renewable, combined heat
and power (CHP), and fossil-fuel generation in the United States and
before that as Division Director for Behavioral and Cognitive Sciences
abroad. He is active in the development of wind, biomass, and small
and Program Director for Developmental and Learning Sciences/
and utility scale photovoltaic and thermal solar facilities.
Children’s Research Initiative at the National Science Foundation.
Jerry Bloom has extensive experience negotiating off-take and power
Prior to her service at NSF, Dr. Barratt directed the Institute for Children,
purchase agreements, engineering, procurement, and construction
Youth, and Families at Michigan State University and was a member
contracts, operation and maintenance agreements, fuel supply
of the faculty of the University of Wisconsin--Madison for 19 years agreements, syndication and agency agreements and he appears
in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies and regularly before various local, state, and federal regulatory bodies with
served as department chair. She received the University of Wisconsin– jurisdiction over energy infrastructure projects.
Madison Distinguished Teaching Award in 1998.
Mr. Bloom is leading efforts in the private and public sectors on the
She received a doctorate in developmental psychology from the formation and execution of Sustainability, CleanTech strategies, which
University of Wisconsin-Madison, and received bachelor’s and will be crucial in making energy efficiency and renewable energy
master’s degrees in psychology from Michigan State University. development a key factor in achieving energy independence, resource
She also holds a Master of Philosophy in psychology from The preservation and greenhouse gas reductions.
George Washington University.
Degrees: B.A. in Psychology and M.A. in Counseling from The George
Washington University,1974 and 1976, respectively; JD from University
of Miami School of Law, 1980.

7. James Torpey Steve Burns
Jim Torpey has served as director of market Mr. Burns has nearly 15 years of experience
development for SunPower since 2007, in the electric power industry, specializing
in renewable energy asset development;
bringing two decades of power industry
power sector commercial and technical
expertise, including, including extensive
due diligence; and energy efficiency and
experience in solar and renewable energy green power strategies. His experience
certificate markets. In his market spans the Americas, Europe, and the Near
development role, Jim is responsible for East, where he has been involved in over
working with public policy officials to grow solar markets in the $1 billion in generation development. He currently serves
eastern U.S. and designing innovative financing strategies using as a Senior Energy Advisor for the United States Agency for
SRECs for residential, commercial, and utility projects in the same International Development where his focus is regulatory reform
to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy development
region.
in transition economies. He previously engaged in a variety of
Prior to joining SunPower, jim was president of Madison Energy technical and financial consulting assignments, where he served
Consultants (MEC), a firm that has helped develop supportive in the acquisition and development of several renewable energy
policy environments at the State and National levels to enable projects, including wind, photovoltaic, biomass, and natural gas
clean, distributed resources to become a significant factor in the facilities. He has advised utilities on resource planning efforts
U.S. energy supply. Prior to that, Jim spent more than 20 years in and has led multiple power project screening and feasibility
the electric utility industry, serving in a number of management assessments for the Department of Defense. He holds bachelors
and masters degrees in mechanical engineering and is a licensed
posts, where led the development of solar independent power
professional engineer in Maryland. The Solar Energy Institute
plants in California.
is supporting his joint research with Dr. Jonathan Deason on
He has served as the National Chairman of the Solar Electric large scale solar integration through an independent grant to
Power Association and the Policy Committee Chair for the Mid- the George Washington University Department of Engineering
Atlantic Solar Energy Industries Association. Management and Systems Engineering.

8. Christopher Cook Thomas Georgis
Mr. Cook is a member of the Maryland bar and Thomas Georgis is the Vice President
leads the Washington office of Keyes & Fox. of Development at SolarReserve, which
Mr. Cook assists clients with renewable energy uses integrated molten salt thermal energy
transactional work and power purchase storage technology in conjunction with
agreement drafting and negotiation for both solar power towers. He has over 20 years of
commercial and utility customers. He also development and operational experience
undertakes regulatory filings and policy work in the energy, technology, and government
before federal and state renewable energy service sectors, holding several senior
policy makers. management positions, most recently as Managing Director of
International at GlobalTec Solutions, a privately held technology
Prior to joining the firm Mr. Cook was a Managing Director of
company where he was responsible for all aspects of the company’s
Sunworks, a startup company focused on building US based solar
international expansion. Mr. Georgis was a Principal and Managing
PV manufacturing facilities to support utility solar deployment. Mr.
Director at Exodus Energy LLC, a Houston based privately held power
Cook was formerly Sr. Vice-President, of Regulatory Affairs and New
and natural gas firm. While at Exodus, he focused on the development
Markets for SunEdison, a company he helped found with three
and acquisition of energy assets, acting as lead developer on several
others in 2003. In his role at SunEdison, Mr. Cook worked with utility
multi-million dollar innovative technology energy facilities including
regulators, state and federal policy makers and electric utilities to
natural gas storage, offshore LNG regasification, and petroleum coke
create new opportunities for solar energy. He was the principal
gasification. Previously, Mr. Georgis was a manager at Enron Corp.
program architect for the design of the New Jersey solar program
where he was responsible for developing and structuring energy asset
—one of the most successful in the world.
projects internationally; negotiating and closing over 500 MW
Mr. Cook was instrumental in creating the federal standards for of power generation agreements. Mr. Georgis also served nine years
the interconnection of small generators with the utility grid. He as a Naval Special Warfare Officer in the United States Navy.
is considered by many to be the leading national expert on net
Mr. Georgis graduated from Northwestern University with a B.A. in
metering—the economic arrangement by which a customer
International Studies and obtained a MBA from the Anderson School
generating their own power is compensated by their local utility.
at the University of California Los Angeles.

9. Bob Gibson Doug Guthrie
Bob Gibson joined the Solar Electric Power An expert in the fields of management,
Association (SEPA) as Vice President of Market economic reform in China, leadership, and
Intelligence in September 2010. Bob came to corporate governance, Dr. Guthrie is the Dean
SEPA from the National Rural Electric Cooperative of The George Washington University School
Association (NRECA), where he was a senior of Business.
manager in the Cooperative Research Network,
Previously, he served as Professor of
leading NRECA’s analysis of renewable energy
Management at NYU Stern School of Business.
and energy efficiency technologies and
He also held a joint appointment as Professor of Sociology at NYU’s
business models. Bob also worked at an alternative energy services
College of Arts and Sciences. Dr. Guthrie has been a trusted adviser
company, marketing fuel cells, microturbines, photovoltaics and other
of both multinationals and local Chinese companies and
technologies to electric utilities. One of his key responsibilities while
a student of China for some 25 years. He is the author of Dragon in
with the Technology Transition Corporation was program management
a Three-Piece Suit: The Emergence of Capitalism in China, China and
for the Utility Photovoltaic Group. Bob’s diverse background includes
Globalization: The Social, Economic and Political Transformation of
work on projects to bring electricity to rural communities in developing
Chinese Society, and Social Connections in China: Institutions, Culture,
countries in Asia and Latin America, as an award-winning magazine
and the Changing Nature of Guanxi. He is currently writing China’s
and newspaper editor, writer and photographer, and service as a U.S.
Radical Transformation: Economic Reform, Global Integration, and
Peace Corps Volunteer in the West Indies.
Political Change in the World’s Largest Nation, which is an in-depth
look at how China’s government-driven form of capitalism has
successfully overcome traditional theories of development and helped
China become the economic and political juggernaut it is today.
In addition to NYU Stern, Doug has also taught at Harvard Business
School, INSEAD, and the graduate schools of business at Stanford
University, Columbia University, and Emory University. He received
his B.A. in Chinese Literature from the University of Chicago and
a Ph.D. in Organizational Sociology from the UC Berkeley.

10. Clemens Heske Jack Hurley
Dr. Clemens Heske is Professor of Materials Jack Hurley currently leads the US University
and Physical Chemistry at the University of Collaboration program for the Siemens
Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). Dr. Heske uses soft Corporation. In this role, Jack is responsible
x-rays to study surfaces and interfaces in a for establishing and managing strategic
wide variety of material systems for energy collaborations with leading North American
conversion. With the expertise and technical research universities on behalf of Siemens
skills of his research group, he teams up with worldwide.
over thirty different national and international
Prior to joining Siemens in 2007, Jack worked as a management
partners in academia, national labs, and industry to investigate and
consultant focusing on emerging opportunities in the energy
improve thin film solar cells, materials for hydrogen production,
technology and sustainability sectors. Jack’s depth of experience
hydrogen storage, fuel cells, light-emitting devices, nuclear fuel,
in the energy technology sector enables him to play a valuable role
and other systems that involve interfaces and require a deeper
in energy related strategic initiatives at Siemens Corporate Research.
understanding of their properties to optimize the performance
and stability of the final device. Jack earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering
from Villanova University and an MBA from the Wharton School
Dr. Heske received his Ph.D. (Dr. rer. nat.) in Physics from the
at the University of Pennsylvania.
University of Würzburg in Germany in 1998. After two years as a
postdoctoral fellow at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory,
he became a “wissenschaftlicher Assistent” at the University of
Würzburg and completed his German Habilitation in Experimental
Physics in December of 2003. In 2004, Dr. Heske joined the UNLV
Chemistry Department as an Associate Professor for Materials/Physical
Chemistry and was tenured in the summer of 2007 and promoted
to Professor in the summer of 2009.

11. Andrew Murphy Steven Lerman
J. Andrew Murphy, Drew has been an Steven Lerman became provost of The George
Executive Vice President of NRG Energy Inc., Washington University on July 1, 2010. Dr. Lerman
since December 18, 2006 and its President joined The George Washington University from
of the Northeast Region since February 2009. the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT),
Mr. Murphy lead NRG’s Northeast Region, where he served as vice chancellor and dean for
representing more than 7,000 megawatts graduate education, acting as the chancellor’s
of electricity in Connecticut, Delaware, chief deputy and working to develop strategic
Maryland, Massachusetts and New York. initiatives across the units of the Office of the
He served as General Counsel of NRG Energy Inc., from December Dean of Graduate Education, Office of the Dean for Undergraduate
18, 2006 to February 2009. He advises and support NRG on all Education and the Division for Student Life.
legal matters relevant to its terms of compliance, governance
Dr. Lerman brings to GW more than 35 years of experience as a
and general business operations. He came to NRG from the law
leader and scholar at one of the nation’s most prestigious research
firm of Hunton & Williams where he served as Partner in Charge
universities. He began at MIT as a student, earning a Bachelor of
of their energy practice. He has more than 15 years of experience
Science in Civil Engineering, a Master of Science in Civil Engineering
representing issuers, developers, investors and lenders in a wide
and a Ph.D. in Transportation Systems Analysis. He joined the faculty
variety of U.S. and cross-border energy projects and structured
in 1975 as assistant professor of civil engineering and rose through the
financings. His legal expertise includes supporting various
ranks, serving twice as chair of the faculty and then as dean of graduate
development projects and financings including coal- and gas-fired
education since 2007 and as vice chancellor since 2008. His awards
power plants, transmission lines, gas storage facilities, waste-to-energy
and honors have included the Advisor of the Year Award from the
facilities, water treatment facilities and renewable energy projects.
National Association of Graduate and Professional Students, the Maseeh
Mr. Murphy has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Harvard College Teaching Award for best departmental teacher and the Class of 1922
and a Law Degree from the George Washington University. Distinguished Professorship.

12. Minh Le Carl Lenox
Minh Le is the Chief Engineer of the Solar Carl Lenox is a principal engineer in technology
Energy Technologies Program within the for SunPower Corporation and currently leads
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable a cross-functional team that is addressing the
Energy at the US Department of Energy. challenges of integrating photovoltaic power
The Solar Energy Technologies Program plants into the utility system. He has spent
represents and provides the national more than ten years in the solar industry in
programmatic expertise in solar energy diverse roles, including product development
to support the formulation and execution and certification; codes and standards
of national energy policies. Secretary Chu recently announced development; performance modeling; and testing and reliability.
a new initiative called SunShot, aimed at helping make solar energy Lenox holds three U.S. patents with numerous applications pending.
competitive with fossil fuels without subsidies by the end of the
Mr. Lenox earned a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University
decade. Minh helps manage and balance the portfolio of Research,
of California San Diego.
Development, Demonstration, and Deployment programs in
achieving our national goals.
Prior to his current role at the DOE, Minh spent his career in industry
developing technologies and scaling new technologies to high
volume manufacturing. Most recently, he was at Evergreen Solar
where he managed the team that developed the Quad String
Ribbon Silicon wafer technology. He served on the Board
of Directors of a Design For Manufacturing startup and has advised
a number of other high technology startups. Minh earned his SB
and SM degrees from MIT where he held fellowships by the DoD,
DoE, and the Bose Foundation.

13. Stuart Licht Randall Packer
Dr. Licht is Professor of Chemistry in The Dr. Randall Packer is Associate Dean for Special
George Washington University Columbian Projects at the Columbian College of Arts and
College of Arts and Sciences and is a founding Sciences at the George Washington University,
member of the GWU Institute of Basic Energy and serves as Scientific Director for the GW
Science and Technology. His current research Solar Institute. He is a Professor of Biology
focuses on the generation of fuels from and also serves on the faculty of graduate
sunlight, and he has published numerous programs in Environmental Resource Policy
articles on the subject, which have been and Molecular Medicine. He received his Ph.D.
featured in the Journal of Physical Chemistry. in Zoology from the Pennsylvania State University and has served
as a visiting scientist in the Laboratory of Kidney and Electrolyte
Prior to coming to the George Washington University, Dr. Licht served
Metabolism, Heart, Lung and Blood Institute; The National Institutes
as a Program Director in the Chemistry Division of the National
of Health (Bethesda, Md); The Laboratory of Comparative Respiration,
Science Foundation. He also held professor positions at Technion
Bristol University (Bristol, England); and the Department of Zoology,
Israel Institute of Technology, Clark University, and the University of
University of British Columbia (Vancouver, BC). His research interests
Massachusetts, Boston, where he served as Chair of the Chemistry
include mammalian renal physiology as well as ion balance,
Department from 2003 to 2006.
respiration and acid-base balance in other vertebrates, especially
Dr. Licht earned his doctorate from the Weizmann Institute of Science as affected by acid pollution and temperature.
and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and a master’s in physics from
Dr. Packer’s work has appeared in Science, Journal of the
Wesleyan University.
American Society of Nephrology, American Journal of Physiology,
. Kidney International, Physiological Reviews, and the Journal of
Experimental Biology.

14. Richard Perez Bill Powers
Richard Perez is a Research Professor at the Mr. Powers is a registered professional
University at Albany’s Atmospheric Sciences engineer in California with over 25 years of
Research Center, where he directs applied experience in the energy and environmental
research and teaches in the fields of solar fields. He is involved in siting distributed
radiation, and solar energy applications, PV plants and has permitted numerous
and daylighting. He holds a Master and peaking gas turbine, microturbine, and
a Doctorate in Atmospheric Sciences engine cogeneration plants in California.
(University of Paris and SUNY-Albany) and Mr. Powers organized the first U.S. conference
an Undergraduate Degree in Electrotechnics (University of Nice, focused exclusively on dry cooling systems for power plants in
France). Noted contributions to the field of solar energy include; 2002. He is the author of the October 2007 strategic energy plan,
identifying the potential of photovoltaic power generation to “San Diego Smart Energy 2020,” for the San Diego region. The plan
meet the electrical power demand of large cities in nontraditional uses California’s Energy Action Plan as the template for accelerated
solar regions such as the northeastern United States; and, the introduction of local distributed renewable and combined heat and
development solar radiation models which have been incorporated power resources to reduce GHG emissions from power generation
in standard solar energy and daylighting calculation practice in the San Diego region by 50 percent by 2020. Mr. Powers served
around the world. as an expert witness in a landmark California Energy Commission
proceeding where the Commission determined urban PV could
Perez has produced over 200 journal articles, conference papers
potentially serve as a cost-effective alternative to conventional
and technical reports and holds two US patents on methods of
gas turbine peaking power. He has written articles on the strategic
load management using photovoltaics. He has received several
cost and reliability advantages of local PV over large-scale, remote,
international awards including a Certificate for Outstanding
transmission-dependent renewable resources. Mr. Powers has a
Research from the USDOE, Best Published Article from the
B.S. in mechanical engineering from Duke University and an M.P.H.
International Solar Energy Society, and the American Solar Energy
in environmental sciences from the UNC–Chapel Hill.
Society’s highest award, the Charles Greeley Abbot Award. He
recently received the 2008 Solar Industry Professional of the Year
Award from the New York Solar Energy Industries Association.

15. Elizabeth Singleton James Sites
Elizabeth Singleton is the Global Business Dr. Sites studies the device physics of
Development Leader for Energy & Climate CdTe and CIGS thin-film solar cells. His
Change at The Dow Chemical Company. photovoltaics lab makes precision electrical
In this role, Elizabeth is responsible for and optical measurements on solar cells
identifying innovative business opportunities fabricated by several partners in the U.S.
that help Dow minimize its own energy and abroad. The goals are to separate the
footprint as well as developing new solutions various solar-cell losses, to explain the losses
for the energy marketplace through Dow’s on a fundamental basis, and to suggest
current product portfolio and expertise. strategies for improved solar–cell performance.
Elizabeth joined Dow in 2008 as a Sustainability Leader to work on Professor Sites has an increasing leadership role in the thin–film
Dow’s 2015 Sustainability Goal: Breakthroughs to World Challenges, solar–cell community. He has published 150 papers, including
where she was responsible for designing a new strategy for goal being co-author of the chapter on CdTe in the Handbook of
implementation. Prior to her current position, she helped establish Photovoltaic Science and Engineering. 26 of his students have
Dow’s Government Markets Group, building relationships with key completed the Ph.D., and many are active in the U.S. PV community.
government agencies, seeking support for Dow initiatives, and
developing new channels to government purchasing programs.
Her early career was spent working in international development
in East Africa where she was the inaugural Coordinator for the
Tanzania Natural Resource Forum, a civil society network focused
on sustainable natural resource management.

16. Scott Sklar Simon Watson
Scott Sklar is President of The Stella Group, Simon Watson is the Director of Utility
a strategic marketing and policy firm for clean Market Strategy at SunEdison, based in their
distributed energy users and companies. Maryland headquarters. He is responsible for
The firm specializes in blending technologies product development and market strategy for
and financing for projects, assisting companies the North American utility business segment.
to scale-up market penetration, and facilitating Prior to joining SunEdison he was General
federal and state polices to expand markets. Manager of Tetronics Ventures LLC, a thermal
He joined the company full-time as its plasma technology and investment company
President in 2000. and has held senior positions in management consulting firms,
including Accenture and Navigant Consulting, advising a wide
For fifteen years, he was simultaneously the Executive Director of
range of US and international utility businesses on strategy and
the Solar Energy Industries Association and the National BioEnergy
regulatory matters. He began his career as an economist at British
Industries Association. Sklar also served as Political Director of the
Aerospace plc and then at British Energy plc, the nuclear generator,
Solar Lobby, formed by several national environmental groups, and
where he also served as the company’s representative to the
co-founded the Congressional Solar Coalition, which helped drive
European Union in Brussels.
legislation for renewables in the 1970s. His coauthored book,
A Consumer Guide to Solar Energy, was re-released for its third Simon is a graduate of the University of Liverpool and the London
printing, and his co-authored book, The Forbidden Fuel: Power School of Economics.
Alcohol in the Twentieth Century, was updated and re-released
in early 2010 by University of Nebraska Press.
Sklar serves on and chairs numerous industry and non-profit
boards. Sklar will join GW in September 2010 to teach a course
on sustainable energy within the Columbian College of Arts
and Sciences.

17. Kathy Weiss Ken Zweibel
Kathy is a Vice President of Federal Ken Zweibel has almost 30 years experience
Government Affairs and is responsible for in solar photovoltaics. During his 26 years at
managing the company’s interests before the National renewable Energy Lab (NREL),
Congress and within the Administration. Zweibel led their development of thin film
She also serves on various trade and business PV, serving as program leader for the Thin
associations, including the Solar Energy Film PV Partnership Program until 2006. The
Industry Association’s Board of Directors. Thin Film Partnership worked with most
First Solar manufactures solar modules U.S. stakeholders in thin film PV (companies,
with an advanced thin film semiconductor process and provides universities, scientists) and is often credited with being important
comprehensive system solutions that significantly reduce solar to the success of thin film PV in the U.S. Zweibel subsequently
electricity costs. cofounded and became Chairman and President of a thin film CdTe
PV start-up, PrimeStar Solar, a majority of which has been purchased
Prior to joining First Solar, Kathy worked for Centex Corporation,
by General Electric. Zweibel authored the “Solar Grand Plan,”
a leading national homebuilder. As Vice President, Government
an article appearing in Scientific American (January 2008).
& Public Affairs, Kathy managed federal, state and local legislative
and regulatory issues affecting the company. Kathy was also Since July 2008, Zweibel has been Director of the Solar Institute at
responsible for managing the Centex Political Action Committee The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. The Institute
as well as representing Centex within various trade and business conducts research into the economic, technical, and public policy
associations. issues associated with the development and deployment of solar
energy to meet global energy and environmental challenges.
Prior to joining Centex, Kathy worked for MeadWestvaco, a global
Zweibel has been on the Steering Committee of the “DOE Solar
paper and packaging company, holding management positions
Vision” since June 2009, when it began an effort to develop
in Government Relations and Investor Relations during her tenure.
a deployment plan for solar through 2030. Zweibel also keeps
Kathy has an undergraduate degree in economics from UCLA and an active blog on solar energy, thesolarreview.org.
a master’s degree in political management from the Graduate
School of Political Management at the George Washington University.

18. Printed on recycled paper made with process-chlorine-free 100% post-consumer waste fiber, manufactured with electricity generated by wind power. G42042

20. The George Washington
University Solar Institute
researches the economic,
technical, and public policy
issues associated with the
development and deployment
of solar energy to meet
global energy needs and
environmental challenges.