Chris O’Brien has extensive experience and expertise in clean energy technologies, markets and policies both in the US and internationally. He worked for over 20 years as a business development executive for leading solar PV manufacturing companies. During that period he was active on the Board of the Solar Energy Industries Association in Washington, DC, serving as Chairman for 5 years. He previously worked as a project development manager for combined heat and power projects for a leading US independent electric power producer. Prior to beginning his career in solar he worked for the US EPA as the first program manager for the Energy Star Buildings Program.
Chris is retired and lives with his wife Jane in Grand Marais, Minnesota where they love taking advantage of the abundant year-round opportunities for outdoors adventures. He is active on many local Boards including the Cook County Housing Redevelopment Authority’s Board (Vice Chair) and the Pincushion Ski and Run Club (President), a volunteer-led organization that manages the 25km network of ski trails at Pincushion Mountain and hosts youth sports programs and public recreational activities. Chris has been President of a local clean energy non-profit group in Cook County for 7 years and has also been an ad hoc advisor on efficiency and renewables for several local development projects. Chris was on the Fresh Energy Board from 2014-2024 and is enthusiastic about re-joining the Board in 2026 to lend his energies to supporting Fresh Energy’s mission to mitigate climate change in different sectors of the economy and in different parts of the state.
