APS America adds Andy Weber to technical support team

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 6, 2014

SEATTLE — APS America has added Andy Weber to its team as Technical Support Engineer.

andy_weberWeber has extensive experience as a solar installer, with more than 50 installations in the Colorado market to his credit. He has also worked as a financial analyst in the solar industry, and holds a master’s degree in interdisciplinary studies.

“Andy is a great addition to the APS team,” said Tommy VanCleave, Customer Service Manager for APS America. “We pride ourselves on our responsiveness to customers, and Andy’s expertise carries that mission forward.”

Weber said he was drawn by the advanced solar technology now offered by APS, including the flagship YC500 microinverter and the YC1000, the world’s first true 3-phase, 4-panel microinverter for commercial applications, due later in 2014.

“APS products are distinguishing themselves in the market and in the field, where it really counts,” he said. “It’s an exciting time to be joining the company and supporting these products.”

APS  ranked No. 2 in global market share among top microinverter suppliers by shipments in 2013 (source: GTM Research).

APS was founded in Silicon Valley in 2009, and is now a global leader in the development, manufacturing and marketing of microinverters based on their own proprietary, leading-edge solar technology. APS America, representing APS in the US market, is based near Seattle.

For information on APS solar microinverter projects, see www.apsamerica.com or email sales@apsamerica.com.

Microinverter tech shines bright, APS VP Ludgate tells Solar Power World

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APS VP Michael Ludgate sees a bright future for microinverters in a new column at Solar Power World online.

“Microinverters have only scratched the surface of their potential, as focused research and development across the industry pushes this technology even farther forward,” Michael says.

Read the whole column at solarpowerworldonline.com.

THANK YOU to Solar Power World for inviting Michael and APS to share his insights on microinverter R&D and the module-level power electronics market’s exciting prospects!

Do We Need Solar Inverter Reliability Standards? Here’s What Manufacturers Think

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APS VP Michael Ludgate is among the industry elite invited to weigh in on solar equipment reliability standards at Solar Power World online:

Do We Need Solar Inverter Reliability Standards? Here’s What Manufacturers Think

“It is common practice in telecommunication and military power equipment to meet certain predictions on product life and reliability, better known as mean time before failure (MTBF) estimates. Some form of MTBF could separate the good from the bad and force solar module manufactures to address failures with analysis and constant product improvement.”
—Michael Ludgate, VP of Business Development, APS America.

Read the whole article here.

Serial solar entrepreneur

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APS America CEO Kelly Samson is featured in the latest issue of the Kitsap Peninsula Business Journal for his leadership in the solar industry. Thanks to the Journal and writer Rodika Tollefson for the great coverage of APS and our solar future!

Click here to read the article

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APS VP Ludgate a notable hire, Greentech Media says

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APS America’s new VP for Business Development Michael Ludgate is among solar industry’s notable hires, says Greentech Media:“Microinverter maker .APS America has hired Michael Ludgate as VP of business development. Ludgate was previously Sr. Director of Sales and Marketing for Sharp’s Solar Energy Solutions Group and Kyocera Solar.”Jobs-on-the-move_11_310_224Read the article here: http://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/Green-Jobs-Executive-Moves-at-Enbala-Utilidata-Power-Analytics-Solar-Mo

APS Microinverters power new net-zero neighborhood

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APS Microinverters are highlighted in a great Solar Power World feature on the Grow Community development on Bainbridge Island, Wash. Read ‘Welcome to the Net-Zero Neighborhood’ to find out why the developers chose APS Microinverters for the largest planned solar community in Washington. Thank you, Solar Power World!

http://www.solarpowerworldonline.com/2014/03/installation-notes-welcome-net-zero-neighborhood/

 

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APS announces product recognition and promotion of exec to Sr. VP – Kitsap Business Journal

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February 13, 2014 @ 12:05amIn advance of the first-quarter 2014 rollout of a new solar energy microinverter by APS , the manufacturer’s YC1000-3 microinverter was recognized by Solar Power World magazine on its Top 100 Solar Products of 2013. The YC1000-3 is the world’s first three-phase, four-panel microinverter for large-scale commercial solar installations.Barlock-Paul-2703_small
The new product is a single unit that connects four solar modules (up to 310W STC each) to provide from 208V to 480V three-phase grid voltage. It maximizes power generation for each module to boost efficiency by up to 20 percent. The performance of each module can be individually monitored from a home computer.Find out more about the YC1000-3 by contacting APS at sales@apsamerica.com, or download the product spec sheets on the company’s website. APS America also announced the promotion of Paul Barlock to Senior Vice President. He will manage the company’s sales team and development of strategic partnerships.Barlock has been a senior sales and marketing executive in a variety of power electronics firms, ranging from startups to large multinational corporations. His work experience has been in custom power supply design, UPS, telecom power, cable TV backup power, and most recently in renewable energy. Barlock, a Marine veteran, holds an undergraduate degree in physics from the University of Pittsburgh and an MBA from Boston College.

“We’re moving the market into areas that have not been penetrated,” Barlock said of the APS line of innovative solar microinverter products. “Our innovative technology is driving the market to a different, larger microinverter model, and at a lower cost.”

Everett Community College – PUD, For Your Home

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This installation stands out as the largest ever to receive Planet Power funding. It’s a 19.2 kilowatt, 80-panel array that will likely help the college’s new health sciences building earn gold certification under Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) standards.PP_EverettCC-300x222The three-story, 72,000-square-foot building is home to EvCC’s nursing, medical assisting and phlebotomy programs, as well as other health sciences training. It also houses an expanded Providence Everett Healthcare Clinic, featuring 20 exam rooms, and the college’s Criminal Justice program.The solar project is a locally-made enterprise: The solar modules were made by Itek Energy of Bellingham, and the inverters came from APS America in Poulsbo.A large monitor in the main-floor lobby of Liberty Hall will display real-time information about power generation from the array, demonstrating to visitors that solar energy is a viable resource right here in Snohomish County.
view article here

Incentives are driving growth of solar energy — and of Poulsbo business – North Kitsap Herald

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by RICHARD WALKER,  North Kitsap Herald Editor
posted Nov 22, 2013 at 12:36 PM— updated Nov 22, 2013 at 2:41 PM

POULSBO — There are several incentives for Washingtonians to go solar.

Residential and commercial property owners with a “Made in Washington” solar array may be eligible for a check up to $5,000 per year for the power their panels put into the grid. At the same time, their power bill is reduced by the amount of power they produce.

35780nkitsap1122Solar-300x200Put a solar array onto your home, and you may qualify for a credit of up to 30 percent of the cost from the federal government.

Installation of solar-energy systems in Washington is exempt from sales and use taxes.

With the incentives in place today, a new solar-energy system can pay for itself in five to seven years. After that, money from all the power you generate goes into your pocket. (And you can periodically watch your meter run backwards.)

“With some of the most progressive incentives in the nation, the return on investment for Washington residents today is real and substantial,” said Tim Bailey, co-founder of Blue Frog Solar. “Working together, our state has made solar a smart buy.”

Those incentives are driving consumer investment in solar-energy systems for homes and businesses in Washington state — and driving the success of a Poulsbo-based manufacturer and distributor of solar energy equipment.

Before we go on, here’s a simplified explanation of how a solar energy system works. An array of photovoltaic panels — on your roof or on groundlevel open space — captures energy from sunlight (even when it’s cloudy). Energy goes from the panels to a microinverter, which converts the energy into AC current. That energy supplements the electricity you use from Puget Sound Energy.

When you produce more electricity than you use, that electricity is made available for use elsewhere, and PSE buys it from you.

Blue Frog Solar, 1015 Hostmark St., manufactures and distributes inverters. Working with a network of certified installers, Blue Frog Solar designs solar-energy systems for homes and businesses using APS America’s inverter technology and Itek Energy’s photovoltaic panels — all made in Washington to qualify for the financial incentives.

Click here to read more –>

 

 

itekenergy in the news

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APS America’s manufacturing partner itekenergy is profiled in the Bellingham (Wash.) Business Journal’s November issue. itek is Washington state’s leading producer of PV panels and a real success story for solar manufacturing. Read the story here.

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