Your daily dose of photovoltaic technology developments and solar news

Enphase Energy has hired Sanjeev Kumar as its new CFO. Kumar, who will be the PV microinverter company's first chief financial officer, brings more than 15 years of experience in global renewable and traditional energy markets.

Tom Larsen, previously responsible for the IPP-segment of COLEXON Energy AG and its subsidiary Renewagy A/S, has resigned from his Management Board position with immediate effect in order to concentrate on his responsibilities as CEO of Renewagy A/S.

Richard Erskine, partner and CEO of Energy Capital Management, is resigning his position as a director on the Ascent Solar board, a position he has held at the CIGS thin-film company since March 2008.

Applied Materials has appointed Joe Flanagan as new senior vice president of worldwide operations and supply chain. He returns to Applied Materials from Nortel Networks where he served as president of Nortel Business Services.

Hoku announced that effective March 31, Dustin Shindo will step down as Hoku chairman, president and CEO, although he will continue to serve the company in advisory position as a consultant. Scott Paul, Hoku's former chief operating officer, has been approved to succeed Shindo as president and CEO.

SVTC has appointed  Bert Bruggeman as new CEO.  Bruggeman, founder of SVTC served as SVTC's vice president of operations, and previously was the vice president of solar wafering manufacturing at MEMC.

Mitsubishi Electric has appointed Kenichiro Yamanishi as new president and CEO. He is scheduled to assume his new position on April 1. He will be replacing Setsuhiro Shimomura, who will be appointed to the new position of chairman.

CIGS thin-film start-up DayStar has appointed Magnus Ryde its new chief executive officer and a director of the company's board. DayStar also announced that William Steckel resigned from his positions of CEO and CFO on February 15. Steckel will continue to serve on DayStar's board. Ryde was North American President of the leading semiconductor foundry, Taiwan-based TSMC. He also spent 18 years with KLA-Tencor in various executive roles. DayStar has had a string of executive changes over the past two years.

Oerlikon Solar has appointed its interim CEO, Jürg Henz, to the role permanently. He was appointed interim CEO in November 2009 after the sudden departure of former CEO, Jeannine Sargent, who joined the company in September 2007. Previously, Henz was the senior manager of the Oerlikon Group and head of the Oerlikon Solar Thin Film business unit.

After a long search that started in May, 2009 GT Solar has now appointed a permanent Chief Financial Officer. The company has appointed Richard J. Gaynor to the role from Sonus Networks. Robert Woodbury, the former CFO had resigned for personal reasons. Vice President of Finance, Rich Johnson had held the CFO role during the search to replace Woodbury and will return to his former role within the company.