News Article
New CTO At As New Research Plan Announced
Entech Solar appoints CTO Mark J. O’Neill to Board of Directors and following day announces agreement with Fraunhofer USA’s Centre for Sustainable Energy Systems.
Entech Solar a manufacturer of concentrating solar energy systems, announced that it has appointed chief technology officer Mark J. O'Neill to its Board of Directors.
"We are very pleased to announce that Mark will join our board, effective immediately,” said Frank Smith, CEO of Entech Solar. “As a co-founder of ENTECH, Mark has been essential to building the Company into what it is today and creating a unified vision behind our commercialization strategy. His appointment to the board reflects his unparalleled qualifications and passion to succeed.”
Mr. O'Neill is CTO of Entech Solar and a co-founder of ENTECH, Inc. Prior to the founding of ENTECH in 1983, Mr. O'Neill served in a variety of engineering and management positions with E-Systems, Inc., Northrup, Inc., and Lockheed Missiles & Space Company. Mr. O'Neill is a graduate of Notre Dame, with a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, and he performed graduate studies in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Alabama, Huntsville, while working at Lockheed. He has directed major research and technology development programs related to solar energy systems for space and ground applications since 1972. Mr. O'Neill has authored or co-authored more than 160 technical publications related to solar energy and 15 U.S. Patents for inventions ranging from Fresnel lens solar concentrators to collimating tubular skylights.
The following day the company announced that it has entered into a research contract with Fraunhofer USA's Centre for Sustainable Energy Systems (CSE) to evaluate the feasibility of incorporating high-efficiency back-contact silicon solar cells into Entech's 20x concentrating solar systems. Fraunhofer CSE will, in conjunction with the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE), simulate, design, and test prototype back-contact silicon solar cells with the goal of providing a cell with significantly greater efficiency than those Entech currently uses. Fraunhofer will also make recommendations related to the future mass production of such high-efficiency back-contact cells for use in Entech's products. Fraunhofer CSE will utilize its recently established solar development and test laboratory in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in conjunction with Fraunhofer ISE's facility in Freiburg, Germany - Europe's largest solar research facility.
“Our engagement with Fraunhofer demonstrates Entech's commitment to producing the most efficient, highest quality concentrating solar products available,” said Frank Smith, CEO of Entech Solar. “This contract supports the Company's strategy of commercializing its existing concentrating solar modules as well as investing in next generation systems. We expect to realize significant performance improvement through this relationship.”
"We are very pleased to announce that Mark will join our board, effective immediately,” said Frank Smith, CEO of Entech Solar. “As a co-founder of ENTECH, Mark has been essential to building the Company into what it is today and creating a unified vision behind our commercialization strategy. His appointment to the board reflects his unparalleled qualifications and passion to succeed.”
Mr. O'Neill is CTO of Entech Solar and a co-founder of ENTECH, Inc. Prior to the founding of ENTECH in 1983, Mr. O'Neill served in a variety of engineering and management positions with E-Systems, Inc., Northrup, Inc., and Lockheed Missiles & Space Company. Mr. O'Neill is a graduate of Notre Dame, with a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering, and he performed graduate studies in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Alabama, Huntsville, while working at Lockheed. He has directed major research and technology development programs related to solar energy systems for space and ground applications since 1972. Mr. O'Neill has authored or co-authored more than 160 technical publications related to solar energy and 15 U.S. Patents for inventions ranging from Fresnel lens solar concentrators to collimating tubular skylights.
The following day the company announced that it has entered into a research contract with Fraunhofer USA's Centre for Sustainable Energy Systems (CSE) to evaluate the feasibility of incorporating high-efficiency back-contact silicon solar cells into Entech's 20x concentrating solar systems. Fraunhofer CSE will, in conjunction with the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE), simulate, design, and test prototype back-contact silicon solar cells with the goal of providing a cell with significantly greater efficiency than those Entech currently uses. Fraunhofer will also make recommendations related to the future mass production of such high-efficiency back-contact cells for use in Entech's products. Fraunhofer CSE will utilize its recently established solar development and test laboratory in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in conjunction with Fraunhofer ISE's facility in Freiburg, Germany - Europe's largest solar research facility.
“Our engagement with Fraunhofer demonstrates Entech's commitment to producing the most efficient, highest quality concentrating solar products available,” said Frank Smith, CEO of Entech Solar. “This contract supports the Company's strategy of commercializing its existing concentrating solar modules as well as investing in next generation systems. We expect to realize significant performance improvement through this relationship.”
