Aside from his executive role as the President of Novellus, Sass has also been engaging in a social entrepreneur role. Here Sass discusses the issue of US dependence on foreign oil, and his mission to change that dynamic. SM: Let us discuss your more recent work in Cleantech. SS: In the past year I started
SunPower went public in 2005, which is a monumental moment for most firms. It is always interesting to take note of firms who do not press the IPO, rather they wait for banks to begin courting them. Tom revisits that timeframe and explains SunPower’s progression during that period in thehistory of the company. SM: You
The later half of 2004 marked the beginning of production operations. SunPower began producing solar cells, a result of $150M of capital investments. On the books, this timeframe represents the greatest period of loss in the company’s history, due largely to the development of the new production lines. It was, of course, necessary. SM: What
Tom joined SunPower in 2003, and the IPO occurred in 2005. Here we review the steps the company took in that timeframe which led to not only a successful IPO, but also laid the foundation for its current success. SM: Between the time you showed up and the IPO, what was happening to the business
During its early phases SunPower was, out of necessity, not as focused of a company as it is now. It engaged in several other business areas to ensure positive cashflow, yet such activities detracted from the development of high efficiency solar cells which became one of its core competencies. SM: Did SunPower engage in any
Here Tom discusses his transition into SunPower. He also provides some basic information about the solar power marketplace. SM: How far along was SunPower at the time? TW: It was 60% owned by Cypress, and they were at the prototype stage. They were prototyping the high efficiency solar cell for the target market it was
Thomas H. Werner has served as the CEO and as a member of the board of directors of SunPower since 2003. SunPower Corporation (Nasdaq: SPWR) designs, manufactures and markets high-performance solar electric technology worldwide. SunPower’s high-efficiency solar cells and modules generate up to 50 percent more power per unit area than conventional solar technologies and
By removing salt from seawater, GE’s newest desalination plant in Algiers will supply enough drinking water to serve 25% of the country’s capital population. GE has joined the Algerian Government, the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) and the Algerian Energy Company (AEC), in announcing plans to build Hamma Water Desalination SpA (Hamma) – Africa’s largest