2013-02-14 13:32:00 -
Applied Materials Solar President Joins Elite Group of Engineers
SANTA CLARA, California, February 14, 2013 - Applied Materials, Inc., the market
leader in solar photovoltaic (PV) manufacturing equipment, today announced that
Dr. Charlie Gay, president of Applied's Solar division, has been elected to the
National Academy of Engineering (NAE) for his seminal leadership contributions
to the development of the global solar PV industry.
Founded in 1964, the NAE provides engineering leadership in service to the
nation. Academy membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions
to engineering research, practice, or education and is among the highest
professional distinctions accorded to an engineer.
"We're delighted to welcome Charlie as a member of the NAE," said NAE president
Charles M. Vest. "His achievements embody our mission to provide leadership and
expertise for projects focused
on relationships between engineering, technology
and quality of life."
"Charlie's life-long passion for solar energy has greatly contributed to the
industrialization of solar PV and we congratulate him on this well-deserved
recognition," said Mike Splinter, Applied Materials chairman and CEO. "Charlie
has been instrumental in driving the industry roadmap to bring down the cost of
this technology and making solar a more significant contributor to the global
energy mix."
An industry veteran with more than 35 years of solar experience, Dr. Gay's
contributions across solar energy technology, manufacturing and deployment have
helped the global solar PV market become a $50 billion industry and enabled the
cost of solar to come down by a factor of 50 since 1978. More than 85% of all
solar panels manufactured in the last three decades have been made using the
groundbreaking metallization and packaging technology solutions developed by Dr.
Gay and his teams over the duration of his career.
"It is an honor to join the ranks of NAE's prestigious members, whose
innovations in engineering continue to improve our world," said Dr. Gay. "Over
the past several decades, we've seen significant technological advancements and
cost reductions in solar energy, many in the last few years alone as we enter
the zone of inflection where solar energy is now cost competitive with
residential power. There has never been a more exciting time to influence the
world's long-term energy supply."
As founder of the Greenstar Foundation, Dr. Gay has worked continuously to apply
solar technology to improve people's lives by delivering solar power to villages
in developing countries. The Greenstar model has received recognition from
international awards programs as diverse as the World Bank, the Stockholm
Challenge, the Davos Conference and the Tech Awards. More recently, Dr. Gay was
chairman of a project to electrify all the homes and schools in the rural
Shaanxi Province of China.
Applied Materials, Inc. (Nasdaq:AMAT) is the global leader in providing
innovative equipment, services and software to enable the manufacture of
advanced semiconductor, flat panel display and solar photovoltaic products. Our
technologies help make innovations like smartphones, flat screen TVs and solar
panels more affordable and accessible to consumers and businesses around the
world. Learn more at www.appliedmaterials.com.
# # #
Contact:
Kevin Winston (editorial/media) 408.235.4498
Michael Sullivan (financial community) 408.986.7977
PHOTO: Dr. Charlie Gay, president of Applied Solar:
hugin.info/143724/R/1677296/547151.jpg
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Source: Applied Materials via Thomson Reuters ONE
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