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
In this next segment of the interview, Tom takes us through the history of SunPower. From the inception, it was a company driven by innovation, yet faced the common business challenges which have been the demise of numerous other hi-tech startups. SM: Can you briefly tell us about the history of SunPower? TW: SunPower is,
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 Satish Dey, Guest Author Starting from where I had off left in my last post, India is gearing to use a basket of fuels for meeting its burgeoning power needs. It aims at generating 65.6% (84,400 MW) Thermal, 26.6% (33,942 MW) Hydro, 3% (3,900 MW) Nuclear and 4.8% (6,191 MW) Renewable power by 2012.
By Satish Dey, Guest Author [SM: Business Week’s Cover Story on India’s infrastructure challenges are being addressed. Here is an update from Satish Dey on the Power issue.]