Here we delve into the philosophy behind Selco – what makes the company what it is. We explore not only the operations philosophy, but also some of the social and cultural philosophies of the company. SM: Can you explain the business of Selco at this point to us? HH: The whole philosophy of Selco is
Harish focused on creating an energy solutions company in rural India. Here, we discuss locations and other issues of getting Selco off the ground. SM: When you moved back to India, where did you set your headquarters? HH: We headquartered in Bangalore. My mother is from Karnataka, so it was a choice between Orissa and
Dr. Harish Hande is the co-founder of Selco, a rural sustainable energy company which has over 80,000 installations and 25 retail sales and service centers all over Karnataka, a state in Southern India. Among its many accomplishments, Selco has created India’s first rural solar financing program using regional banks. I recently talked with Harish about
The core of SunPower’s success has been its dominance of the high efficiency solar cell. Tom breaks down the marketplace by product type, and explains where SunPower fits into the picture. SM: Is your technology the most efficient on the market today? TW: We are the highest efficiency in the world, although Sanyo is close.
I conclude my discussion with Sass on hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles. He evaluates the positions of major world automotive makers, and illustrates how activities in the Valley can affect change by having Silicon Valley emerge as a technology center for hybrid / battery technology. SM: The goal is to let you cover your entire
After discussing German and Japanese markets, Tom visits the North American markets with a particular emphasis on California. Of particular interest is the amount of growth which is expected, spurred in part by governmental policy and incentive programs. We use that discussion as a catalyst to have some quick discussions on the current and projected
Social activism has emerged into wide scale leadership, as Sass has led a drive in Silicon Valley for corporations to develop energy policies of carbon neutrality. After being spurned by members of Congress, he has kick started initiatives which are leading to substantive change. SM: When you say we, do you mean you have made
Germany has a political environment, influenced by voters, which is very supportive and progressive about solar energy. This has resulted in creating a very large and solid marketplace which SunPower has been able to capitalize on. SM: What has been driving Germany’s big focus on solar? Is that part of their energy policy? TW: When