SolarEdge names former SMA America president John Berdner as North America GM

SolarEdge Technologies has appointed former SMA America president John Berdner as its general manager for North America, where he will direct operations in the region for the distributed solar power harvesting and PV monitoring solutions company.

Berdner comes to SolarEdge from GroSolar, where he was VP of technology. Before that, he was the founder and president of SMA America. In 2000, he led SMA's introduction of the popular Sunny Boy inverters into the U.S. market. He was president of the company from 2000-2006.

“John has developed an enviable track record of growing successful businesses in the US market," said Guy Sella, chairman/CEO/founder of SolarEdge. "His expertise in PV inverters and depth of industry knowledge makes him a key addition to our executive team. SolarEdge will benefit greatly from his nearly 30 years of PV experience and the numerous longstanding relationships he has developed with PV panel manufacturers, integrators, distributors, and PV system owners.

"John also has a strong background in regulatory compliance issues, which will be essential for proliferation of our distributed power harvesting system with its cutting-edge performance advancements and safety enhancements,” noted Sella.

Berdner said that when he was first introduced to SolarEdge at Intersolar 2009 in Munich, he "found it to be one of the most interesting concepts at the show. As I learned more about the technology and the company’s holistic approach to system design, I became even more impressed.

"I am thrilled to join an incredible team at SolarEdge, and I look forward to expanding market penetration of this revolutionary power conversion solution in North America.”

Newsletter

Preview Latest
Subscribe
We won't share your details - promise!

Publications

  • Photovoltaics International 19th Edition

    For manufacturers who had their heads in the bunker during 2012, fighting falling ASPs and eroding margins, the nineteenth edition brings you details of what lies in store for this coming year. Wright Williams & Kelly return in this issue with their popular analysis of payback on technology buys; crucially they analyze n-type wafers, Al2O3 passivation and copper metallization. SERIS shows us how to achieve 18.7% efficiencies using low-cost etching techniques on diffused wafers. We also have two important technology roundups: CIGS from Helmholtz Berlin, and PV module encapsulation techniques from Fraunhofer ISE.

  • Manufacturing The Solar Future: The 2013 Production Annual

    In the ever-changing global solar markets, cost reduction and measures to increase cell efficiencies are the key tools available to PV manufacturers to create new opportunities and drive your business to the next level. Manufacturing the Solar Future 2013 is the third in the Photovoltaics International PV Production Annual series, delivering the next instalment of in-depth technical manufacturing information on PV production processes designed to help you gain the competitive edge.

Partners

Acknowledgements

Solar Media