Andrew Birch

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Andrew Birch is a former City banker and Scottish entrenepeneur who is chief executive of Sungevity, a solar company in San Francisco.

Background

Birch, who was born in Edinburgh, was behind the "Globama" campaign credited with convincing US President Barack Obama to install solar panels at the White House. After a petition gathered 50,000 signatories, Obama agreed to install solar within a few months. [1]

Sungevity is one of America's fastest growing retail solar panel companies, selling 500 solar units worth $10m in America in July 2013 alone, and 300 units through its Australian and Dutch joint ventures.[1]

Views on nuclear subsidies

In August 2013 in an interview with The Telegraph (UK) Birch said:

It alarms me to read the UK debate where there is talk about further subsidies to support a new nuclear plant that will generate its first electrons in 2023 ... Given the proven cost curve in solar, that nuclear plant could be obsolete before it’s even switched on. Politicians must be careful not to lock Britons into 20th century energy prices. [1]

Resources

Notes

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Louise Armitstead, Nuclear may become obsolete warns US solar energy chief, The Telegraph, 8:45PM BST 25 Aug 2013, acc 27 August 2013