FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SEATTLE — APS America, a global leader in solar micro inverter technology, has hired Michael Ludgate as Vice President for Business Development.

“We’re gratified to attract someone of Michael’s caliber,” said Kelly Samson, APS America CEO. “Michael knows the solar market, and he’s well known in the industry. He’ll be a dynamic presence as we establish new strategic partnerships for sales and growth.”
Ludgate comes to APS America with over six years in the solar industry, and will lead the company’s sales, business partnership and engagement strategy. Previously, Ludgate served as Senior Director of Sales and Marketing for Sharp’s Solar Energy Solutions Group and Kyocera Solar. As a member of the senior leadership team there, Ludgate successfully developed more than 45MW of commercial solar installations.

Before joining the solar market, he held senior management positions in the high technology sector (20+ years) including Intel Corporation (Managing Director for Storage and Industrial Automation); Hewlett-Packard (head of marketing for two startup initiatives); and Iomega Corporation (General Manager for the $1B Zip storage division).

Michael knows the solar market, and he’s well known in the industry. He’ll be a dynamic presence as we establish new strategic partnerships for sales and growth.” – Kelly Samson, APS America CEO

Ludgate earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Waterloo and an MBA from York University (with distinction). He is also the Judging Chair (AZ) for the Clean Tech Open in the Rocky Mountain District.

“We are hitting on all cylinders and our third- and fourth-generation products are well received,” Ludgate said of APS. “Aside from the incredible value proposition that we offer with the YC500 micro inverter, launching the industry’s first three-phase microinverter (YC1000) is an exciting milestone.”

Ludgate noted that APS ranked No. 2 in global market share among top microinverter suppliers by shipments in 2013 (Source: GTM Research).

APS microinverters convert the DC (direct) current generated by rooftop solar panels into the AC (alternating) current of home appliances and the surrounding power grid. Unlike conventional “string” inverters, which channel all the output from a solar array through a single unit, APS microinverters allow monitoring and management of individual panels in a solar array. APS’ proprietary, chip-based architecture ensures maximum system efficiency and power output in all conditions.

The company’s flagship product is the YC500 microinverter, a powerful unit that handles two solar (PV) panels simultaneously. The new YC1000-3, a groundbreaking microinverter supporting 3-phase power, is an APS exclusive.

Based near Seattle, APS America supplies and services APS products in North America. APS was founded in Silicon Valley in 2009 and is now a global leader in the development, manufacturing and marketing of solar microinverters based on their own leading-edge technology.

For information on APS solar microinverter products, see www.usa.apsystems.com or call 206-855-5100.