Page 125 - ISES SWC50

Brian England
Country: Australia
Year joined industry: 1976
Company first worked for: Self Sufficiency Supplies
Technology area: PV
Still active in the industry: Yes

Brian England set up the current business, Self Sufficiency Supplies, in 1976 when the industry was in its infancy.
Initially solar installs were mainly solar hot water but as the cost of PV fell from $100/Watt to $40/Watt to $15/
Watt, PV progressively became more viable, especially for remote properties. Also sold were wind generators,
hydroelectric generators and a large range of ‘back to the land’ equipment for rural autonomy. Catalogues were
printed and equipment sold and shipped nationally. Throughout the 70’s and early 80’s he worked with the Lead
Association of Australia and then with David Rand from the CSIRO to develop batteries specific to the solar industry
as there were none up until then. This work resulted in Lucas Industries in New Zealand manufacturing the PVStor
battery for BP Solar. He started another business (Powerstore Pty Ltd) in the 80‘s designing, manufacturing, retailing
and wholesaling inverter/chargers, solar charge controllers and battery chargers, which became a joint venture in
China in 1989. Early PV panels sold were Philips, Solarex and Tideland, followed by BP Solar and Arco. Early panel
sizes were typically 20-30W with increases in panel wattages each year. Balance of system components were in
their infancy, and with some notable exceptions were unreliable or not fit for purpose. The first sine wave inverter
sold was the Honeywell battery-driven alternator with an efficiency of around 60%. From early days it became
apparent that the design criteria available, especially for stand-alone systems, was inadequate, as the theory and
the reality of consumer experience was very different. Brian created design programs which are still used today,
now incorporating battery storage for grid systems. He won an industry award in 2015 for a unique stand-alone
3-phase power system running a crematorium and chapel, the first in the world. Co-founder of ATRAA (Appropriate
Technology Retailers Association of Australia) in 1979 and involved in industry representation through its various
incarnations of SEIAA (Solar Energy Industry Association of Australia), BCSE (Australian Business Council for
Sustainable Energy) and CEC (Clean Energy Council). Currently National Chairman of SEIA (Solar Energy Industries
Association).

Charlie Gay
Country: United States
Year joined industry: 1974
Company first worked for: Spectrolab
Technology area: PV
Still active in the industry: Yes

Dr. Gay has over 45 years of experience in renewable energy. Currently, he serves on the Sandia National Laboratory
Energy and Homeland Security External Advisory Board and leads the Greenstar Foundation. He has significant
private-sector experience, including past tenures as president of Applied Solar for Applied Materials, chairman of
the technology advisory board for SunPower Corp, president and chief executive officer of ASE Americas, president
and chief operating officer of Siemens Solar Industries, and president of ARCO Solar. Dr. Gay’s public service
includes Director of the Department of Energy’s Solar Energy Technologies Office and Director of the National
Renewable Energy Laboratory. He is creator of the Greenstar Foundation, an organization that delivers solar power
and internet access to villages scaling microenterprise in the developing world. Charlie has a Ph.D. in chemistry
from the University of California, Riverside. He holds numerous patents for solar devices, won the Gold Medal for
Achievement from the World Renewable Energy Congress, was elected to the U.S. National Academy of Engineering
in 2013 for leadership in the development of the global photovoltaic industry and in 2019 won the Charles Greeley
Abbot Award from the American Solar Energy Society.

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