Founder and Chief Technologist of Abound Solar to Speak at Colorado State University Tuesday, Feb. 16

Note to Reporters: A photo of Kurt Barth is available with the news release at http://www.news.colostate.edu/.

Kurt Barth, founder and senior technologist of Abound Solar and Colorado State University engineering affiliate faculty member, will speak at the university on Tuesday, Feb. 16. He’ll discuss solar photovoltaic technologies, the PV industry and progress at Abound Solar.

Barth will speak at 2 p.m. in Room 230 of the Lory Student Center. The event is open to the public.

Abound Solar, formerly AVA Solar, arose from research conducted at CSU from the early 1990s thorough 2007 by W.S. Sampath, Robert "Al" Enzenroth and Barth, members of the Mechanical Engineering department.

Barth’s talk is sponsored by Cenergy, the business arm of the university’s Clean Energy Supercluster program. Cenergy strives to create partnerships with organizations in the sustainability industry to move university-based environmental and renewable energy research into the marketplace quickly. More than 100 university faculty members contribute to the development of alternative energy solutions and policies in the areas of biofuels, solar energy, wind power and clean-burning energies.

Barth is one of the three founders of Abound Solar and is an inventor of Abound’s patented, advanced manufacturing technology. He has 17 years in solar photovoltaics research and manufacturing process development, and a publication record of more than 70 refereed papers and presentations focused on thin film PV. He is the inventor on seven patents. Barth’s project management experience includes serving as a project director on numerous federally sponsored programs totaling more than $18 million in funding. He is Abound Solar’s senior technologist and directs the company’s Solar America Initiative project with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Energy. A Colorado native, Barth has served Abound Solar as vice president of product development. He has also served on the Board of Directors and as the corporate secretary.

Abound Solar, with facilities in Fort Collins, Loveland and a major manufacturing facility in Longmont, produces solar photovoltaic modules with a continuous process that significantly reduces the cost of generating solar electricity. The company provides environmentally friendly and cost-effective sources of electricity that help to sustain the health of the planet. For additional information, visit http://www.abound.com.
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