Executives of CLEAResult, First Solar, Lockheed Martin Energy, Nexant, NEXTracker, and Pattern Energy Join Board to Accelerate Growth of $200 Billion U.S. Market

WASHINGTON, Jan. 4, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today Advanced Energy Economy (AEE) announced that executives of six market-leading companies have joined its board of directors to support the national business group's efforts to accelerate the growth of secure, clean, affordable energy in the United States. The U.S. advanced energy market totals more than $200 billion in revenue and supports more than 2.5 million workers. The new directors are:

• Roger Flanagan, Managing Director, Lockheed Martin Energy (NYSE: LMT), the Lockheed Martin line of business that provides utilities and commercial customers with leading demand management and distributed energy resource solutions.
• Mike Garland, President and CEO, Pattern Energy (NASDAQ: PEGI), a leader in wind energy development with a total owned interest of 2,644 megawatts in the U.S., Canada, and Chile.
• Arjun Gupta, Executive Chairman, Nexant, consulting and software leader that transforms utility business processes and provides software platforms for smart grid, clean energy, distributed energy resources, energy efficiency and customer experience initiatives.  
• Paul Kaleta, EVP and General Counsel, First Solar (NASDAQ: FSLR), a leading global provider of comprehensive photovoltaic (PV) solar energy systems. 
• Dan Shugar, CEO, NEXTracker, a Flex company, is the No. 1 single-axis tracker supplier worldwide, supplying solar tracker and storage innovations that increase performance and reduce costs for all size power plants.
• Aziz Virani, CEO, CLEAResult, the largest provider of energy efficiency programs and services to utilities, businesses, and consumers in North America.

AEE's full board of directors can be found here.

"I am very proud to welcome these outstanding business leaders to our board. They bring a wealth of corporate leadership, technology expertise, and industry insight that will be of great value in guiding our organization," said Graham Richard, CEO of AEE. "They join a highly committed and energized board that is helping us work toward our vision of a prosperous world running on secure, clean, affordable energy."

"I am pleased to join the Advanced Energy Economy Board to work with other business leaders to advocate for new energy technologies, increased economic growth, and secure affordable energy," said Roger Flanagan, managing director at Lockheed Martin Energy.

"I am thrilled to join the AEE Board and support their work on policy at the federal and state level to expand advanced energy deployment," said Mike Garland, CEO of Pattern Energy, a leader in wind energy. "We are particularly interested in removing market barriers to make it easier for our customers—which include some of America's leading corporations, like Amazon, Google, and Walmart—to obtain the power they need for their operations from clean sources, including wind. Michigan's recent increase in its renewable energy goals demonstrates a positive step forward but there is much work to be done. AEE is well positioned to help expand these efforts."

"The advancement of energy technologies in innovation, affordability and adoption is core to both First Solar and AEE," said Paul Kaleta, First Solar's General Counsel. "I am excited to be joining the Board and look forward to engaging with policy makers to keep them well-informed on important issues around advanced energy that are positively impacting their communities and economies."

"Given AEE's extraordinary work, we are delighted to join the AEE board," said Arjun Gupta, Executive Chairman of Nexant, a leading provider of energy software and services for utilities. "AEE's collaborative, market-based approach aligns with ours, as we all work together to improve the electricity grid with a focus on the customer that improves business results, reduces risks and is great for our planet!" 

"I'm excited to be joining the Board of Directors of Advanced Energy Economy," said NEXTracker CEO Dan Shugar. "The organization is doing incredibly vital work as the business voice to reach policy makers so that we can attain the power plant of the future with secure, clean, affordable energy. I look forward to working alongside this esteemed group of clean energy business leaders to help move AEE's mission forward."

"I am honored to be appointed to the Advanced Energy Economy's Board of Directors," said CLEAResult CEO Aziz Virani. "Energy efficiency is imperative to the future of our energy economy and I'm looking forward to bringing CLEAResult's knowledge and expertise to help further AEE's mission of transforming public policy to enable rapid growth of advanced energy companies."

AEE leads a variety of policy initiatives to expand opportunities for the advanced energy industry. These include a 21st Century Electricity System initiative, which engages regulators, utilities, and business leaders in efforts to reform utility business and regulatory models; efforts to strengthen state policies on energy efficiency, peak demand reduction, and customer access to renewable energy; and ongoing engagement with members of Congress and the Executive branch on federal energy issues. 

In addition, AEE works with state and regional partner organizations on legislation and regulation, and is now active in 27 states. AEE has also developed PowerSuite, a set of online tools that allows users to search, track, and collaborate on legislative and regulatory issues in all 50 states, which is available to AEE members, state partners, and subscribers. 

See this statement online here.

About Advanced Energy Economy
Advanced Energy Economy (AEE) is a national association of businesses that are making the energy we use secure, clean, and affordable. Advanced energy encompasses a broad range of products and services that constitute the best available technologies for meeting energy needs today and tomorrow. AEE's mission is to transform public policy to enable rapid growth of advanced energy businesses. AEE and its State and Regional Partner organizations are active in 27 states across the country, representing more than 1,000 companies and organizations in the advanced energy industry.

Media Contact:
Monique Hanis, 202-391-0884, mhanis@aee.net

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SOURCE Advanced Energy Economy