Page 124 - ISES SWC50

William D’Alessandro
Country: United States
Year joined industry: 1978
Company first worked for: Solavision
Technology area: Media (Renewables)
Still active in the industry: No

William D’Alessandro was editor of the award-winning magazine Solar Age, and the monthly newspaper Renewable
Energy News. He was also editor of numerous other solar, photovoltaic, and wind energy business publications from
1978 through 1987. Solar Age was the largest and most widely read magazine in its field. For five years it served as
the official magazine of the American Section of the International Solar Energy Society. One year during the 1980s,
Solar Age was the fastest-growing subscription publication in the USA. The magazine achieved many journalism
firsts, including coverage of radon gases, super-insulation, passive solar energy and design and modelling tools,
the emerging photovoltaics industry, and business developments in solar heating and cooling. D’Alessandro later
reported on energy and environmental management for Cutter Information Corp. and Wolters Kluwer publishing
companies. He founded Victor House News Co. and was executive editor of Crosslands Bulletin, an international
newsletter on environmental policies and regulations in the European Union. D’Alessandro graduated cum laude
from Suffolk University Law School. He is a retired member of the legal bar in the state of New Hampshire.

Edgar DeMeo
Country: United States
Year joined industry: 1974
Company first worked for: Electric Power Research Institute
Technology area: PV
Still active in the industry: Yes

Edgar (Ed) DeMeo was introduced to solar photovoltaics (PV) in the early 1970s while on the Engineering Division
faculty at Brown University. In the summer of 1974, he served as a visiting staff member at the recently formed
Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) with responsibility for planning EPRI’s original program in PV research and
application for utility power production. Over the next year he continued to consult for the institute, and in 1976
joined the EPRI staff to manage and expand its portfolio of contracted PV projects. These included research at
universities to develop high efficiency PV devices—both flat-plate and sunlight-concentrating options—as well as
utility system assessments to estimate cost and performance targets that could lead to large-scale use of PV power
generation for the nation. He subsequently assumed responsibility for EPRI’s entire Solar Power Program, which
included, in addition to PV, solar thermal conversion and wind power. In 1999 he left EPRI to form an independent
consulting firm, Renewable Energy Consulting Services, Inc., through which he has since provided technical and
management support to several government programs in renewable energy—most notably the DOE-NREL wind
energy program. Over the past 15 years, he has served on the management teams for several national assessments
of the expected costs and benefits of large contributions of wind and other renewables to the nation’s electricity
needs. He continues to provide consultant support to the federal wind program, though at a reduced level over
the past two years. Ed welcomes more time for activities with family and friends, riding his bike, and continuing to
indulge his model trains hobby!

106 | ISES SWC50 - The Century of Solar-Stories and Visions