CPV firm Amonix buys Sunworks Solar, adds to management team as part of deal

High-concentration photovoltaics firm Amonix has completed the acquisition of Sunworks Solar, adding much of the newly acquired company's management team in the process. Sunworks cofounder and former SunEdison head Brian Robertson becomes CEO of Amonix, Sunworks cofounder Guy Blanchard joins the CPV company as SVP of sales and corporate development, and Matthew Meares, former Sunworks managing director, takes on the role of director of project finance.

Although the Torrance, CA-based company announced the acquisition Tuesday, it said that the deal (the financial terms of which were not disclosed) was completed Nov. 9.

The three new Amonix execs were instrumental in securing financing for more than half of all the solar PV projects deployed under power purchase agreements in the United States, according to the company.

Vahan Garboushian, founder and former CEO of Amonix, will continue as its CTO and chairman.

“Amonix systems clearly work in utility-scale applications," he said. "With the addition to our management team of three of the most productive solar industry business executives in the country, we have what it takes to get large, complex projects completed. We are ready to leverage our expertise and years in the field to take our growth to the next level.”

“It is rare to have a second chance to make a real difference in the same industry," said Robertson. "The solar industry is maturing and segmenting. For utilities to meet and exceed their energy portfolio requirements takes the right technology for the right application.

"The Amonix technology is unparalleled for utility-scale solar in hot and dry climates. It is a great place to be as the industry evolves to the next stage," he added.

Amonix recently completed the expansion of its 30MW factory in Seal Beach, CA, and also has automated its assembly process. The company, which makes two-axis HCPV trackers, says it has more systems installed in the field are more than any other concentrating PV company.

Sunworks had announced earlier this year that it was seeking to build a 75MW amorphous-silicon thin-film panel factory in New York, but Greentech Media reports that Amonix's new CEO says that the company does not plan to become an a-Si TFPV manufacturer.