Energy Innovations Appoints Budano CEO
Energy Innovations, Inc., of Pasadena, Calif., manufacturer of commercial solar products that maximize usable energy from the sun, announced on March 5 that Joseph Budano has joined the company as chief executive officer and also will serve on the company's board of directors.
Budano brings more than 25 years of corporate leadership experience and was most recently president of the programmable power division of Xantrex Technologies Inc., a $250-million solar inverter and power electronics manufacturer. He was based in San Diego, Calif.
Energy Innovations' flagship product line, the Sunflower HCPV Solution, integrates photovoltaic modules, advanced tracking, power optimization, an embedded controller, and wireless communication into one solution to produce cost-competitive solar power while reducing installation and maintenance costs. The Sunflower is also the first solar concentrator to earn UL Listing from Underwriters Laboratories.
"Joe has a strong track record of harnessing innovation to quickly commercialize new products and has a tremendous amount of experience leading companies through periods of rapid growth," said Bill Gross, founder and chair of Idealab. "Joe's experience is a great fit at this stage of the company's evolution and we're extremely pleased to welcome him to the Energy Innovations team."
Budano successfully led the turnaround and growth of Elgar and sold the company in 2007 to Xantrex Technologies.
Energy Innovations was founded in 2000 by entrepreneur Bill Gross and has assembled a world-class team of experts in the fields of solar concentration and tracking to deliver cost-effective, grid-competitive solar electric power.