XsunX Inc of Aliso Viejo, CA, USA, which is developing hybrid copper indium gallium (di)selenide thin-film (CIGS) photovoltaic (TFPV) cell technologies and ‘CIGSolar’ manufacturing processes, has appointed Dr John R. Tuttle to its advisory board, as a senior scientific and business advisor.
"John's extensive entrepreneurial background and comprehensive knowledge of the Cleantech industry is the perfect addition to XsunX at just the right time," said XsunX’s CEO Tom Djokovich.
Recently XsunX began its transition from focusing on its CIGSolar baseline system design and build-out to marketing of its CIGSolar technology, which the firm says required the addition of an industry veteran to further develop the firm’s relationships with customers and investors.
"There's been a paradigm shift occurring at virtually every level of the solar industry including, and most significantly, how business, the capital markets, and project finance assess the value of the solar industry as a whole and, more specifically, the value of any particular technology," says Djokovich. "Our current requirement was to find someone with world-class CIGS experience and someone who could also ‘think outside of the box’ - or in the CIGS business - outside of the vacuum chamber to commercialize technology. Dr. Tuttle's years of noteworthy experience at NREL elevating the science and capabilities of CIGS, and his experience transitioning innovation into operational results provides XsunX with the hands-on capabilities that we were looking for."
Tuttle brings 30 years of experience in the semiconductor and photovoltaic industries to XsunX, and for the last several years has focused on assisting with operational and capital management of early-stage companies in the cleantech sector. Previously, he was the co-founder, chief executive & chairman of DayStar Technologies Inc, where he took the company from 3 employees to an operational organization with world-class development and pilot production facilities, achieving an over 900% value creation for its IPO shareholders.
From 1986-1997, Tuttle held the position of Senior Scientist at NREL where his research guided the fabrication of thin-film CIGS PV devices with multiple world-record efficiencies.
Tuttle has authored/co-authored over 70 publications, 14 patent's/patent applications, and conducted over 100 presentations about technology & business development. He holds a Ph.D. in EE from the University of Colorado, an M.S. from the Colorado School of Mines and a B.S in Applied and Engineering Physics from Cornell University.
