Wyldon Fishman – Chair 2020 – October 2025
Wyldon Fishman is an ASES Fellow. She is the Founder and President of New York Solar Energy Society (NYSES) since 2007, delivering consumer resources on energy conservation and renewable energy and distributing Green Energy Times. She analyzes legislation and state programs and communicates with legislative staffs in New York City, New York State, and Washington, DC. Wyldon is also a thought leader and organizer at the Solar Salon NYC series and NYSES conferences. She travels to local events and facilitates “Make A Solar Module” workshops. As a chapter leader and Fellow of ASES, she helps coordinate the yearly National Solar Tour and assists new chapters and emerging professionals. Wyldon also mentors a local organization working on food, energy, and environmental justice, and is a regular contributor to local magazines, the NYSES publications, and Green Energy Times. In 2014, she won the Rebecca Vories award.
Statement: The economic viability of world’s transition to energy efficiency and renewable energy hangs on workforce development. Our costs for PV, batteries and inverters are affordable and the supply chain has ramped up appreciably but the hurdles remain as we figure out how to train thousands of workers and pay them well to get onboard. How have other countries improved their schools to meet demand for high tech workers? Ireland souped up lower school education and graduates the most STEM scholars in the world. My research is all about helping students choose math as the key to unlocking careers in engineering, etc. Our programs at the New York Solar Energy Society reflect this constant educational outreach to families needing to reduce energy usage. I appreciate your vote for me to continue to influence ASES’s programs with facts about energy efficiency and workforce development with sound business principles.
Daniel Simon – Vice Chair October 2022 – October 2024
Daniel Simon has been a member of ASES for twenty years and attends ASES annual conferences most years. He has served as Vice Chair of the Clean Energy and Water Division for many years (until that was folded into the Sustainability Division a few years ago) and most recently as Vice Chair of the Photovoltaics Division. Daniel has been fascinated with solar energy since he was a young boy and seeks ways to speed the transition to a low-carbon economy. He has studied engineering in undergrad (mechanical), physics in grad school (optical design), and business post-graduate (MBA). Daniel is an inventor, entrepreneur, and most recently an angel investor (past ~18 months). He works for the Helen Brach Foundation, which is focused primarily on helping respond to the immediate needs of individuals, but believes his interest in ASES has helped ensure grant support for the fine work of this organization in recent years.
Bill Guernsey Chair February 2024 – October 2025
Bill Guernsey is an engineer with over 20 years of experience as a satellite Systems Engineer and over 20 years of experience in energy/environment, including industrial campus energy procurement and conservation as a campus Energy Manager, and environmental engineering (air quality, hazardous waste management, soil/water cleanup). He’s an early adopter in understanding Global Climate Change, and a long-time member of ASES. He recently relocated to the Denver area, enabling him in serving as a member of the 2023 and 2034 ASES Local Organizing Committees, and the 2024 Technical Review Committee. Bill has extensive management and organizing experience in professional and volunteer settings: highly applicable to the role of ASES Division Chair.
Statement: It’s settled science that the sun provides, with existing conversion rates and utilizing a small portion of suitable land area, many times the energy needed to fully support all human activity. This dwarfs all other energy sources. And the transition to solar and other renewables is necessary and economical, especially when Global Climate Change is factored in, as it must be (as another piece of settled science).
These facts should be the starting point in discussions of our human energy future. But they are not, for any number of reasons including rampant self-serving misinformation in the information sphere.
I see one of the roles of ASES and other technical organizations to be Keepers and Communicators of truth: resistance to misinformation. I’m glad to be a small part of that effort. In terms of electric grids: it’s well known that our grids can and must evolve to enable full use of renewables. This process is underway and accelerating, over the objections of (self-serving) naysayers. There is excellent science supporting this evolution and how to go about it, with many excellent organizations supporting. I see ASES and its Grid Modernization and Storage Technical Division as part of that support network: through information dissemination, referrals/networking and other activities TBD.
Emily Moog – Vice Chair October 2023 – October 2025
Emily Moog is a researcher and engineer at Sandia National Laboratories. Emily researches dynamics, optimization, and interdependency of complex systems and networks, focused on critical infrastructure systems. Emily particularly works in modeling the effects of increasing adoption of renewables, whether at the residential, community, or utility scale, and increasing use of electrified transportation. Much of Emily’s work focuses on the importance of including energy and environmental justice (EEEJ) principles and community resilience priorities into these models. Prior to joining Sandia, Emily was in graduate school.
Statement: Solar power is a critical factor as we reach for a clean energy transition and the hope of avoiding the worst of climate change. Research in renewables integration must continue to focus not only on utility-scale solar, but also the technical, policy, and social challenges of smaller scales, such as community-scale and even individual residences. The grid integration track is poised to focus on the implications of solar adoption at every scale in these areas, as part of a distributed and transitioning energy system. I intend to continue to support ASES in giving a platform to this work.
John Burke – Chair 2019 – October 2024
I have been actively involved with Maine Solar Energy Association (MESEA) since 1990 and on the board since 2000. I continue with my DIY solar PV activities with SEADS of Truth, Inc. and DAD Solar, Inc, nonprofit solar educational corporations. I have presented hundreds of hands-on solar assembly workshops (PV and Thermal) with the general public, junior and senior high schools, as well as other interested groups across the country and around the world since 1980. I facilitated the effort to establish MESEA as a full state chapter of ases.org with Dr. Richard Komp. The Downeast Solar Center in Jonesport, Maine, has a history that includes passive solar building practices since 1985, an international intern program, and many solar assembly and off-grid installation workshops. We are continuing with activities to promote understanding and utilization of solar energy and self-reliant lifestyles. I have a BFA (Fine Arts) degree from 1974 from the University of Hawai’i at Manoa. I’m working on a book that combines the art and solar aspects of my life. I have been involved with anti-nuclear and peace actions since 1970.
Rich Stromberg – Vice Chair October 2022 – October 2024
Rich Stromberg first became intrigued with off-grid living when a subversive classmate brought a copy of The Whole Earth Catalog to elementary school. Rich acquired his first solar panel (a Sharp 80-watt module) in 2005 and has been living off-grid since then – first on a small ranch on the east side of the Sangre de Cristos, then at an old homestead in southcentral Alaska, and now back at the Colorado ranch. After a two-decade career in the semiconductor industry, Rich worked at the Alaska Energy Authority running the state’s solar and wind energy programs. He holds a BS in math/computer science, a BA in journalism, and a master’s in environmental management. His current doctoral studies are focused on the reuse of solar photovoltaic systems for social and ecological benefit, which is based on his work as a co- founder of the Equitable Solar Solutions™ program at Coldharbour Institute, based in Colorado. His intended focus on the PV technical division is to engage system owners (residential, commercial, large commercial and utility) on performance, reliability, and circular economy pathways.
Gilbert Michaud – Chair 2019 – October 2025
Gilbert Michaud, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Energy and Environmental Policy at the School of Environmental Sustainability at Loyola University Chicago. Dr. Michaud also serves as a Faculty Affiliate at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan and as a Senior Research Fellow at Global Law Initiatives for Sustainable Development (gLAWcal). An engaged and applied scholar, Michaud’s research portfolio broadly focuses on solar energy policy, electricity markets, and sustainable economic development. Recent work has focused on the unfolding energy transition in the U.S., including studies on workforce and tax impacts, pollution mitigation scenarios, and innovative clean energy deployment programs. He holds a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration from the L. Douglas Wilder School of Government and Public Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) as well as a certificate in Data Analytics from Cornell University.
Statement: My name is Gilbert Michaud and I am interested in serving as chair of ASES’ Policy Division. This division helps provide information on governmental policies used to encourage solar energy deployment, and I have been serving as its chair since 2019. Our activities have included multiple solar policy webinars and conference session planning. If selected to serve in this role, I will continue to help operationalize, quantify, and assess the comprehensive range of solar energy policy options, in the hopes of helping the federal government, states, and jurisdictions alike craft more effective policy solutions for solar energy use.
Manajit Sengupta – Chair January 2023 – October 2024
Dr. Manajit Sengupta is a Senior Manager of Programs and an internationally recognized R&D leader with 20+ years of experience in product development and management, customer engagement, strategic planning, proposal development and negotiation, and technical and financial management of projects. He has strong technical acumen with the ability to anticipate new problems and work with the renewable energy industry to develop innovative solutions. Manajit is experienced in partnering with clients to develop understanding of long-term client needs and offer comprehensive cost-effective solutions. He has a proven ability to build and manage cross-cutting teams of highly skilled professionals to solve cutting-edge problems. Currently, Manajit leads Solar Measurement and Modeling at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). Manajit and his group maintain expertise in solar and atmospheric resource measurement, modeling, and forecasting for renewable energy applications. His technical expertise lies in solar and atmospheric measurement, modeling, data analytics, forecasting, and remote sensing. He is internationally recognized in his field with numerous publications on satellite-based resource assessment, PV modeling, and uncertainty analysis. Manajit led the development of the National Solar Radiation Data Base, the world’s leading public solar data product. Before joining NREL, Manajit worked at Colorado State University and the Pacific National Northwest Laboratory. His research areas have also included cloud and solar radiation modeling for future satellites and the impact of clouds on climate change.
Julian Wang – Chair 2020 – October 2024
Julian Wang is Associate Professor in Architectural Engineering and the Director of the ArchiLambda Laboratory at Penn State University (PSU). He also holds affiliated positions within the Materials Research Institute and the Architecture Department at PSU. He received a Ph.D. in Architecture from Texas A&M University and Dr. Eng. in Building Physics from Tianjin University. Before joining PSU, he has worked at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, University of Cincinnati, and Tsinghua University. His research focuses on interdisciplinary applications of building physics and computational methods in sustainable, healthy, and interactive building environments. His research projects have been funded by the American Institute of Architects, the National Science Foundation (NSF), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the National Institute for Standards and Technology, and the project topics are related to building envelopes, solar energy utilization, smart buildings, daylighting, building information modeling parametric design, and biomimetic design. Also, solar building design and engineering are one of his primary research trajectories, in which he has received several federal research awards, such as NSF CAREER (about the independent modulation of solar infrared radiation in spectrally selective glazing systems) and the Illuminating Engineering Society’s Richard Kelly award (about visual and thermal effects of solar radiation through building envelopes). Julian also sits in the editorial board of the journal of Technology, Architecture, and Design (TAD), published by Taylor & Francis and serves in committees in several professional organizations including the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers, the Illuminating Engineering Society, and the National Institute of Building Sciences and the international conferences, such as the Passive Low Energy Architecture conferences, Architectural Research Centers Consortium, and Architecture and Civil Engineering conferences.
Debbie Coleman – Vice Chair – October 2020-October 2024
For over 40 years, I have been a passionate proponent of residential passive solar energy! When a home uses less heating energy by taking advantage of the free heat of the sun, then the PV system can be much smaller. My company, Sun Plans, founded in 2002, provides passive solar house plans and custom home design services for clients throughout the U.S. and Canada. Hundreds of homes have been built according to the passive solar heating and cooling principles illustrated in my book “The Sun-Inspired House: House Designs Warmed and Brightened by the Sun,” first published in 2005. The principles are rooted in the early publication “Passive Solar Design Strategies: Guidelines for Home Builders” that was developed by Doug Balcomb, an early passive solar pioneer, in association with the Passive Solar Industries Council, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the U.S. Department of Energy, and many people associated with ASES. Since 1984, I have been a registered architect and currently hold registrations in Alabama and North Carolina. In other states, I provide residential design services. My Bachelor of Architecture degree was received from the University of Arizona, where I gained the fundamentals in sustainable and energy education. Passive solar heating and passive cooling elements were part of the design process and not something that could be tacked onto a building or set of plans at the end. I am a LEED Green Associate and believe that sun-inspired design is the gold lining of green building. Taking advantage of the free heat of the sun to warm buildings in winter is low-hanging fruit for energy savings. In 2015, I completed the Zero Net Energy Home Design course by Marc Rosenbaum, P.E. at Energysmiths, where I logged over 200 hours exploring the details of what it takes to design a zero net energy home. Homes built from my designs have been on the National Solar Tour for over 20 years across the U.S. My work has been published in Fine Homebuilding, Solar Today, Mother Earth News, Home Power, and Home Energy. I have presented papers, posters and seminars on passive solar design in the U.S. and Canada. I was the general contractor for my previous sun-inspired home and assisted with the renovations of my current one. These construction projects have given me experience in the construction details of high-performance, low-energy homes. In both homes, the energy consumption typically averages around 700 kWh per month for the home’s energy use with about 1/3 being the heating/cooling portion.
Henry K. Vandermark – Chair 2014 – October 2023 ; Vice Chair October 2023 – October 2025
Henry K. Vandermark founded Solar Wave Energy in 1978, where he has been involved in design, installation, and service of solar thermal systems, including site-built and factory-built collectors. He spent 30 years installing and servicing many types of solar hot water systems used in the Northeast U.S. and brings detailed analysis and that hands-on experience to solar monitoring. He currently oversees the team that has built and operates www.thermal-grid.com, a web-based solar thermal monitoring platform designed to help installers optimize performance, manage service of solar thermal systems, and provide reports for performance-based incentives programs, Thermal PPAs, and company fleets. Monitoring experience includes conventional solar thermal systems with flat-plate and evacuated tubes panels as well as hybrids (PV-Therms/PVT) panels combining thermal and electrical production. He has taught conference workshops, trade school classes, and programs for science teachers. He continues to consult on solar thermal designs for building applications and portfolio management using the monitoring platform as a Lifetime Commissioning tool to optimize efficiency. He is the board chair of the Boston Area Solar Energy Association; is a member of ASES, the International Solar Energy Society, the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association, and Solar Energy Industries Association (Solar Heating and Cooling Alliance); and participates in several working groups and forums such as those of the International Energy Agency Solar Heating and Cooling Programme), Solar Thermal R&D, and the Solar Desalination Forum.
Statement: My goal is for the division is to create a network of professionals working with applied solar thermal technologies, researcher and provide a resource for learners.
Bill Guiney – Vice Chair October 2022 – October 2023; Chair October 2023-October 2025
William T. Guiney (Bill) has more than 40 years of experience in the solar industry as a retailer, solar contractor, distributor, manufacturer, and educator. Currently, Bill is the President of Artic Solar Inc. a high temperature solar thermal collector manufacturer in Jacksonville, FL. Previously, Bill was the Director of the solar heating and cooling business at Johnson Controls. Inc. (JCI). He also served as the Program Director for Global Renewable Energy Development and Program Manager for the development of the PV and Solar thermal business at JCI. Prior to JCI, he was the General Manager of Solar Thermal at Duke Solar & Solargenix Energy. Bill also was a consultant to the Florida Solar Energy Center at the University of Central Florida. He has an inactive solar contracting license in Florida and was founder of a solar distribution business with three branches in Florida. He was nominated for a World Energy Award for the “A Guide to Fee-for-Service Solar Water Heating Programs for Caribbean Electric Utilities” business plan. Bill has previously been the primary solar thermal instructor for both the North Carolina and Florida Solar Energy Centers and provided training workshops throughout the Caribbean and Asia. Bill also chaired the Entry-Level Solar Thermal Committee for the North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners and has been active in many states’ solar organizations.
Statement: I hope the emergence of consumer awareness, potential for hybrid solar assisted heat pumps, the development of advanced solar thermal technologies, global energy shortages and escalating energy prices will help the US Solar Thermal Industry to grow and prosper. It will take everyone in the solar heating industry — contractors, manufacturers, and solar thermal organizations — to get us aligned and focused. I hope once again I can contribute to this goal and will give it my best efforts.
Paulette Middleton – Chair 2019 – October 2025
For me, the ultimate vision is a world where people are living in harmony with each other and nature. I bring 20 years of experience with ASES and the International Solar Energy Society and a 40+-year professional career in energy and environmental issues with expertise in air quality and climate change science, program management and strategic planning, stakeholder dialogues aimed at policy development, and communication through diverse media. As an atmospheric chemist (with a Ph.D. in chemistry from 1973 at the University of Texas) specializing in scientific assessments that support decision making at regional and international levels, I have held leadership/executive positions at the National Center for Atmospheric Research, Atmospheric Sciences Research Center at the State University of New York at Albany, Science & Policy Associates, Inc., and RAND Corporation. In addition to my work with ISES and ASES, other ongoing activities include being a Global Emissions Initiative (http://geiacenter.org/) coordinator and an environment/energy advisor to diverse organizations through my company Panorama Pathways (http://www.panoramapathways.net).
Statement: The Division promotes the innovative development, exchange, and use of information on the environmental and socioeconomic benefits of renewable energy combined with energy efficiency and conservation. The Division helped SOLAR 2023 be a net zero conference for the first time ever, assisted in organizing the conference’s life cycle and education tracks, and presented the Spirit – Sustainability – Reality Forum. The Division will support these activities for SOLAR 2024 as well as contribute webinars and articles in SOLAR TODAY. A major goal is to have more active Division members: everyone is most welcome to be part of the creative work.
Numair Latif – Vice Chair October 2023 – October 2025
Numair is the founder and principal of RESco Engineers LLC, a company focused on ‘engineering the renewable economy’ using the Architecture 2030 Palette to achieve carbon neutrality in the building and transportation sectors. He also recently launched 1to3tutors.com to engage youth and offer individualized instruction in math, science and social studies through video conferencing. Numair is the co-founder and former Executive Director of the Southwest Rural and Indigenous Renewable Resource Center located in New Mexico. The nonprofit provides education, support services and training for small and emerging businesses in rural and indigenous communities of the American Southwest for realization of renewable energy and efficiency project ideas. Living in the high desert, he is inspired by the regional passive solar building design pioneered by the Native Americans, and later adopted by the Spanish and Mexican settlers of this arid region.
Statement: Besides teaching in-person and remotely, I have practical experience in managing private and public enterprises, and building community partnerships. In my capacity as a consultant, business leader, and educator, I have worked with a diverse group of people. I look forward to playing a role in accelerating the deployment of solar technologies in under-resourced communities of the American Southwest. I am excited about utilizing my recent teaching experience and extensive continuing professional development to potentially serve as the Vice Chair of the Sustainability Division at ASES.
