SEIA Appoints New Board Chair and Expands Board of Directors with Solar Racking Manufacturer to Commence Ambitious 2024

The Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), a prominent advocate for America’s solar and storage sector, has announced significant changes to its board of directors.

Darren Van’t Hof, the managing director of environmental finance at U.S. Bancorp Impact Finance, a subsidiary of U.S. Bank, has been elected as the chair of SEIA’s board of directors.

PanelClaw, a manufacturer of solar racking and mounting equipment and an Enstall Company, is also joining SEIA’s board as an at-large member. The CEO of PanelClaw, Costa Nicolaou, has served as an elected SEIA board member for ten years.

SEIA president and CEO, Abigail Ross Hopper, emphasized the importance of strong leadership and advocates as the industry heads into a consequential election year for clean energy. She expressed confidence in the newly elected leaders, stating that Darren, Costa, and the new roster of board leaders have decades of experience in renewable energy and are motivated to help SEIA deliver a prosperous clean energy future.

Darren Van’t Hof, a board member since 2011, is recognized as a leading industry voice on solar and storage finance issues. He frequently shares his expertise on project finance and tax equity trends at solar and storage industry events.

Van’t Hof highlighted SEIA’s pivotal role in leading its members through the energy transition, particularly as the solar industry is poised for exponential growth in the coming years.

PanelClaw, known for manufacturing rooftop solar racking systems installed on 13,000 projects worldwide, totaling over 3 gigawatts of capacity, brings its expertise to SEIA’s board. During Costa Nicolaou’s tenure as an elected SEIA board member, he has served as the chair of SEIA’s distributed generation and manufacturing divisions. Nicolaou has long advocated for effective trade policies promoting solar project development and investments in domestic manufacturing.

Costa Nicolaou expressed delight at PanelClaw joining SEIA’s board and pledged to leverage the company’s resources to shape policies fostering innovation and sustainable growth in the renewable sector.

Van’t Hof and PanelClaw are joined by newly elected executive committee members serving a one-year term on SEIA’s executive committee in 2024. Additionally, SEIA’s board of directors has approved three elected at-large members, along with division chairs and vice chairs, to serve two-year terms.