Banyan Energy is a solar energy company developing breakthrough technology for photovoltaic modules.
Our technology enables low cost PV modules using the proven reliability of crystalline silicon cells and the lowest capital expense for manufacturing in the industry.
We are partnering with global leaders in the crystalline silicon value chain to bring our products to market.
The Technology
Our core innovations are based on a breakthrough in optics called Aggregated Total Internal Reflection. ATIR represents a fundamentally new approach to light management for PV modules. The ATIR optic is a flat sheet that replaces cover glass in standard modules. The Banyan module thereby replicates the standard module in form, function, and fit with existing solar infrastructure, producing comparable power with 80-90% less PV cell material. We have demonstrated the performance and manufacturability of ATIR technology and have working prototype modules on sun.
The company has two issued US patents and multiple patents pending around our optics and module technologies.
The Business
We are focused on one of the fastest growing market segments in the solar industry: large, ground-mounted, single-axis tracked installations using crystalline silicon modules. Our partners include some of the largest manufacturers and installers of these products and systems in the world. Our
business model is to integrate Banyan optics and module technologies with our partners' solar cells, which enables our partners to deliver economically superior modules to the end market.
Low costs are essential to success in solar. By reducing the cell need by 80-90%, we drive the costs of crystalline silicon modules down to the frontier of the industry. (Even in a world of abundant, low cost polysilicon feedstock, the processing of polysilicon into ingots, wafers, and cells is relatively expensive - the finished solar cell drives >70% of the overall module cost.)
In addition, we believe that the next major lever for competitive advantage in solar lies with capital efficiency. With Banyan, 100MW of traditional ingot, wafer, and cell manufacturing capacity can deliver >500MW of modules, dramatically increasing our partners' scalability and returns on invested capital. Over the long run, the combination of low cost, scalability and capital efficiency will determine the winners in the solar industry.
Shondip Ghosh
Cofounder, Chief Executive Officer
Shondip is co-inventor of Banyan's optics technology, and leads strategy and operations for the company. Prior to Banyan, Shondip was a management consultant with Monitor Group working with global technology companies to build high growth businesses. Shondip has a BA in Physics from Harvard University and an MBA from UC Berkeley.
David Schultz, PhD
Cofounder, Head of Engineering
David is co-inventor of Banyan's optics technology, and leads engineering for the company. Prior to Banyan, he was a systems engineer in the aerospace and defense industries, working on the Space Shuttle Main Engine for Boeing and on the Joint Strike Fighter project at Northrop Grumman. David has a BS in Materials Science and Mechanical Engineering from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from UC Berkeley.
Chris Grimmer, PhD
Engineering
Chris has extensive experience in materials sciences and electro-mechanical systems engineering. As a post-doctoral researcher at the Berkeley Composites Laboratory, he investigated the fatigue behavior of multi-scale reinforced composites, with an emphasis on modeling and lifetime prediction in composite materials containing carbon nanotubes. Prior to that, he worked in the UC Space Sciences Laboratory on the design, modeling, assembly and testing of the deployable boom subsystems of THEMIS, a five spacecraft mission currently on orbit. He also has experience with the Berkeley Robotics Lab, where he designed and implemented a fully autonomous hydraulic and electric power supply for use on a lower extremity exoskeleton. Chris has a BS in mechanical engineering from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and an MS and PhD in mechanical engineering from UC Berkeley.
Kevin Fine
Kevin spent three years at GreenVolts as Director of Product Development where he hired and led the engineering team in the design and delivery of the CarouSol a novel high-concentration photovoltaic system for utility scale deployments. Kevin draws on an extensive background in optics, opto-electronic device packaging, precision engineering, and mechanical design from his previous six years at Agilent Technologies where he worked on interferometer and optical switching products. Kevin received his BS and MS from Stanford University in Mechanical Engineering. He is a regular guest lecturer at Stanford on topics that have included solar power, sustainability, precision engineering, optical alignments, and manufacturing technology.
Hunter Mack, PhD
Hunter leads scientific efforts to troubleshoot process and materials challenges. As a postdoctoral researcher in the Combustion Analysis Laboratory at UC Berkeley, he investigated the effect of next-generation fuels in high efficiency engines, as well as the use of Carbon 14 in biofuels as a predictive tracer of combustion efficiency. Hunter has a BA in Physics from Hendrix College, a BS in Mechanical engineering from Washington University in St. Louis, and an MS and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from UC Berkeley.
Board of Directors
In addition to the company co-founders, Banyan's Board of Directors includes:
Steve Eglash
Steve is Executive Director of the Energy and Environment Affiliates Program at Stanford University, where he is responsible for developing and managing interactions for corporations and other organizations having an interest in Stanfords research, faculty, and graduate students in energy-related and environmental fields. Steve brings to this position a background in renewable energy, business, technology, and finance. Previously, Steve was President and CEO of Cyrium Technologies, a solar energy startup company, and a consultant and advisor to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Energy. Before that, Steve was a venture capitalist at Worldview Technology Partners where he emphasized investments in semiconductors, displays, lighting, and energy. Steve was also Vice President at SDL (JDSU) where he managed businesses in telecommunications, printing, optical amplifiers, and industrial lasers. He began his career as a research scientist at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. Steve received a PhD and MS from Stanford University, and a BS from the University of California at Berkeley, all in Electrical Engineering. He has more than 40 papers published in peer-reviewed journals and four patents, and is a fellow of the SPIE and a member of the IEEE and OSA. Steve is a member of the City of Palo Alto Utilities Advisory Commission and is involved in humanitarian projects such as the Tech Museum Awards for Technology Benefiting Humanity and the Global Social Benefit Incubator at Santa Clara University.
Ayman Fawaz
Ayman is Director of Venture Technology at Siemens Technology-To-Business (TTB) Center whose mission is to discover and engage entrepreneurs and companies with innovative ideas that are synergistic with Siemens business focus. He currently oversees Siemens TTBs portfolio which includes start-up companies like Banyan Energy, Sensys Networks and EnStorage, and manages various joint development programs, an example being a medium duty Parallel Hybrid Electric Drivetrain. His areas of interest range from industrial automation, to distributed power generation, to electric car charging infrastructure. Prior to Siemens, Ayman co-founded Odyssia Systems which he led and sold to Extreme Networks. He was also a co-founder and a member of the management team of Diva Communications which was sold to Innomedia. From 2004 to 2008, he was Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Ecole Bilingue de Berkeley, a 500 student K-8 bilingual school. Ayman received his Ph.D. in EECS from UC Berkeley, and his Bachelor of Engineering in EE from the American University of Beirut. He is co-inventor on 8 patents.
Rusty Schmit
Rusty is President and CEO of CleanSwitch, a leading solar engineering and installation company based in Albuquerque. Rusty is a 30-year veteran of the solar industry and a globally recognized leader in the field, with substantial earlier experience in solar technology development at Motorola and Texas Instruments. He led the acquisition and served as CEO of Photowatt, a French solar manufacturer, which he took to profitability and into the top 5 in global market share. He later founded and led Advent Solar, an Albuquerque-based solar module engineering and manufacturing company, to $10M in revenue before the company was acquired by Applied Materials. Rusty was tapped by United States Senator Jeff Bingaman to found the Advanced Program Initiative, a non-profit educational foundation, which promotes and supports the expansion and improvement of Advanced Placement courses, particularly in math and science, throughout New Mexico. Rusty currently serves as Chairman of API's Board of Directors.
Advisory Board
Banyan's Advisory Board includes:
J. Stuart Ryan
Mr. Ryan has been the founder and owner of Rydout LLC, an investment firm focused on the energy sector, since February 2003. He has served on Calpine Corporations board of directors since 2008 and has been a venture partner with SPO Partners & Co., a private investment partnership, since 2003. From 1986 through 2003, Mr. Ryan held various management positions with The AES Corporation, a global power company, including Executive Vice President from February 2000 and Chief Operating Officer from February 2002. He also served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Indianapolis Power & Light, and as a director of AES Gener, a publicly listed company in Chile. Mr. Ryan is a graduate of the Harvard Business School and has a Chemical Engineering degree from Lehigh University. He currently is Chairman of Lehighs Asa Packer Society.
Ty Jagerson
Ty is President of Helio Micro Utility, and EVP Commercial Sales of HelioPower, Inc. In these capacities Ty drives the development and execution of commercial and industrial scale solar projects in the US and abroad. Ty was previously Founder and CEO of Simple Energies, an intergrated renewable energy development company sold to HelioPower in February 2010. Ty was a co-Founder of SolFocus, a concentrating PV company where he developed projects, established manufacturing in Asia, and led raised capital raising including $150 million in venture and private equity funds. Ty was a Principal at Xerox PARC for 5 years where he was a founding member of the PARC Cleantech Initiative. Ty has an MBA from Wharton, and speaks fluent Russian.
Kevin Allison
Mr. Allison is a private consultant who has an extensive background in solar energy and microelectronics research project leadership. He has held a variety of management and research positions in the microelectronics and solar industries with Ferro Corporation, E.C.N., AstroPower, General Electric and Palo Alto Research Center (PARC). At Ferro Corporation's Electronic Materials group he was the Manager of Conductor Development. During this time he founded and led Ferro's successful solar metallization ink program for nearly 20 years. His experience also spans a 2 year materials development collaboration with ECN in the Netherlands and 4 years as Director of Strategic Technologies at AstroPower. He also led Product Development at AstroPower and after the company's acquisition by GE Energy spent 2 years as Marketing Manager for Solar Technology group. At PARC Mr. Allison worked as part of a team developing innovative materials and equipment for alternative cell metallization technologies. He currently operates his own consulting business focusing on technology and business development strategies for diverse clients in the photovoltaic industry. Mr. Allison has a B.A. in Chemistry from U.C. Berkeley, California and is a holder of 7 US patents.
Partners
Banyan's investment partners include Siemens Corporation, Varian Semiconductor, and private financial investors.
The company is also collaborating with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory on an R&D
subcontract under the PV Technology Pre-Incubator program, funded by
the US Department of Energy.
Banyan Energy, Inc.
950 Gilman St. Suite 800Berkeley, CA 94710Tel: + 1 510 280 2925Fax: +1 888 862 3156Email: info_banyanenergy.com
950 Gilman St. Suite 800
Berkeley, CA 94710
Tel: + 1 510 280 2925
Fax: +1 888 862 3156
Email: info_banyanenergy.com
Careers
Banyan Energy is always looking for talented, highly motivated individuals to join our team. We do not currently have any specific positions available, but feel free to contact us if you are interested. Email: hr_banyanenergy.com
Banyan Energy is always looking for talented, highly motivated individuals to join our team. We do not currently have any specific positions available, but feel free to contact us if you are interested.
Email: hr_banyanenergy.com
