Tigo Energy Accelerates International Expansion

LOS GATOS, Calif., March 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Tigo Energy, (www.tigoenergy.com), the solar company whose unique technology brings new levels of power output efficiency, management and control to photovoltaic solar installations, announced today the expansion of international sales efforts for the Tigo Energy Maximizer System in North Asia and across Europe.  These activities include: growing direct sales representation and technical support, meeting key regional conformance requirements, and establishing major regional distribution partners.  The initial results of these efforts have yielded sales agreements in excess of 100MW and are aimed to better service customers interested in the next generation of PV innovation.

Tigo Energy has brought aboard industry veteran, Bernd Neuner, to manage the firm's European expansion. Neuner, who has been named Director of Business Development for Europe, brings eleven years of international experience in the electronics industry as well as a strong background in solar energy projects.

According to Paolo Viscontini, CEO of Enerpoint, one of Europe's leading PV distributors, "Bernd Neuner is a strong addition to the company. He has a compelling background in pan-European, multi-lingual, multi-cultural management of distribution networks and business development. Given his track record and the company's exciting product lines, we expect positive growth for Tigo Energy across Europe."

Prior to joining Tigo Energy, Neuner managed the European distribution network of Ametek Programmable Power, the leader in programmable power supplies. He was also responsible for European business development for the solar array simulators for the space industry and the PV inverter manufacturers. Throughout Neuner's career, he has successfully marketed solutions for managing distributed systems: first tele and data communications networks, then cable TV networks and finally distributed nodal power generation networks in the form of PV arrays. Neuner graduated from Julius-Maximilians-Universitat Wurzburg where he studied Computer Science.

Since introducing the Tigo Energy Maximizer Solution in 2009, Tigo Energy has grown exponentially, expanding operations in North America, across Europe, North Asia and the Middle East. The solution that the company is launching in Japan is for utility scale, commercial and residential systems.  The Tigo Energy Maximizer Solution has achieved certification to UL 1741, CE Mark, a California Energy Commission (CEC) listing and now has necessary recognition from JET for sales in the Japanese market.  Tigo Energy has been committed to the Japan market with business development efforts which began two years ago.    

"We can move forward in supplying the unique value our customers are demanding – more efficient PV systems, higher total energy output, more visibility and control of the system, and decision-based tools for improving performance metrics over the life of the system as well as provide an unprecedented level of safety for new and existing PV solar installations," explained Sam Arditi, Tigo Energy's CEO. "We see system monitoring evolving from a passive role to an active role of dynamic control from installation commissioning throughout the life of the system."

"We welcome Tigo Energy's expansion into Japan," said Mr. Shigeki Kondo, respected veteran of the Japanese Solar Industry.  "The company's presence will be a most effective answer to the demand I have seen for Tigo Energy's product."  

"The solution will prove to be very attractive to the traditional Japanese urban installation and an important feature differentiator to keep Japanese PV module suppliers in their leadership position," added Professor Takashi Tomita of the University of Tokyo and former CEO of Sharp Solar.

Tigo Energy will be showcasing the Tigo Energy Maximizer ES and EP at PV Expo in Tokyo between March 3-5, 2010, at booth 22-26.

Tigo Energy is an innovative technology provider, augmenting the current PV value chain with new capabilities that will increase the adoption of solar energy. The patented Tigo Energy Maximizer Solution brings up to 20% more energy output by maximizing power output of individual modules, active system management with panel level visibility and advanced performance analytics, and enhanced system safety. The key technology break-though ensures these benefits are achieved with maximum reliability and conversion efficiency while minimizing incremental costs. Tigo Energy works closely with leaders in the PV market, to ensure interoperability, optimization and integration with the most recognized inverter and module products. The company expects to expand beyond existing sales commitments throughout 2010.

Based in Los Gatos, California, Tigo Energy was founded in 2007 and focuses on applying innovative technologies to the solar PV space. Tigo Energy has offices in the United States, Japan, Germany and Israel and is commercially shipping volume systems in cooperation with most prominent worldwide solar distributors and EPCs.  An expanding list of Tigo Energy's distribution sales partners can be found at www.tigoenergy.com/distributors.html. Additional information on Tigo Energy is available at: www.tigoenergy.com.

SOURCE Tigo Energy