China Sunergy Co. Ltd., a solar cell and module manufacturer based in Nanjing, China, has opened its U.S. headquarters in San Francisco. San Francisco Mayor Edwin M. Lee, China Sunergy Chairman Mr. Tingxiu Lu, and China Sunergy CEO Stephen Cai officially opened the new office, located at 575 Market St., during a ceremony Thursday.
‘The U.S. will eventually become one of the largest solar markets in the world,’ Cai said at the event. ‘We will invest in the U.S., hire people in the U.S. and serve customers in the U.S. under the CSUN brand name. Our strategy is to localize as much as possible.’
China Sunergy's selection of San Francisco as its U.S. headquarters was partly spurred by the efforts of ChinaSF, a public-private initiative of the San Francisco Center for Economic Development. According to a statement from Lee's office, plans began taking shape at last year's Intersolar Conference in San Francisco, and last October, ChinaSF brought a delegation from Lee's office to meet with China Sunergy executives.
"As leading Chinese businesses, such as China Sunergy, grow in the international cleantech market, San Francisco enthusiastically welcomes them," Lee said in a statement.
China Sunergy's U.S. operations will be managed by a newly appointed U.S. CEO, Mr. Willis He, who will be based in San Francisco. He joins the company from MEMC Electronic Materials, where he served as a solar sales director. As head of China Sunergy's U.S. operations, He will lead local recruitment efforts, pursue bankability status with U.S. banks, and investigate U.S. manufacturing and project development opportunities, Cai said.
