Richard Swanson

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

For the American organizational theorist, see Richard A. Swanson.

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. "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. "SunPower History". SunPower. 2012. Archived from the original on December 31, 2013. Retrieved December 28, 2012.
  5. "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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