Richard Swanson

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Richard Swanson (born 1945) is an American electrical engineer and businessman, retired founder of SunPower, a solar photovoltaic cell manufacturer.

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Biography

Swanson was born in Davenport, Iowa in 1945. [1]

He graduated in 1969 with Bachelor of Engineering and Master of Engineering degrees from Ohio State University and, in 1975, received a Doctor of Philosophy in electrical engineering from Stanford University. [1] He then joined the university faculty at Stanford and began research in solar cell technology. [2] [3] In 1985 Swanson received grants for his solar energy research from the Electric Power Research Institute and the U.S. Department of Energy. [4] That same year he founded SunPower Corporation. [4] Swanson is credited for creating Swanson's law, an observation that solar cell prices decline by 20% for every doubling of solar panel industry capacity. [5] The law is often compared to the better known Moore's Law. [5]

Honors

In 2002, Richard was awarded the William R. Cherry Award by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). [1] Additionally, Swanson received the Becquerel Prize in Photovoltaics from the European Communities in 2006. [1] He was elected a Fellow of the IEEE in 2008 and has been a member of the National Academy of Engineering since 2009. [1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Solar Energy Mini-Series: The Silicon Photovoltaic Roadmap". Stanford University. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved October 11, 2022.
  2. ↑ "The father of solar in the U.S." Greentech Media. 2012. Archived from the original on November 13, 2012. Retrieved December 28, 2012.
  3. ↑ Wolfe, Philip (May 22, 2018). The Solar Generation . John Wiley & Sons & Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). p. 185. ISBN   9781119425588.
  4. 1 2 "SunPower History". SunPower. 2012. Archived from the original on December 31, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2012.
  5. 1 2 "Sunny Uplands: Alternative energy will no longer be alternative". The Economist . November 21, 2012. Archived from the original on January 29, 2016. Retrieved December 28, 2012.
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