Chris O’Brien has held senior executive positions with leading global solar PV and other clean energy companies and trade associations for the past 25 years. His expertise includes business strategy and development, energy market analysis, technology assessment, partnership development, and policy advocacy. Chris currently works as a clean energy business consultant and an advisory board member and executive in residence for the Microgrid Institute, based in Minnesota. Previously, he led global market development for Oerlikon/TEL Solar’s thin film silicon technology from 2008 to 2014 and helped lead marketing strategy for thin film technologies at Sharp Solar and BP Solar, among other responsibilities.
Chris served as chairman of Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA) from 2003 to 2008, and continued to serve on SEIA’s executive committee until 2012. He was part of a small team that negotiated with policy makers in Sacramento and San Francisco to launch the California Solar Initiative, and also led state-level advocacy teams in Pennsylvania and Florida. He was elected to the board of directors of the American Council on Renewable Energy (ACORE) in 2006 and served as a director through 2009, when he was elected to join ACORE’s board of advisors. Chris earned two engineering degrees from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Stanford University.