Stan Ovshinsky passes the baton at ECD Ovonics

Stanford R. Ovshinsky, founder of Energy Conversion Devices (ECD Ovonics) (NASDAQ: ENER), today relinquished his executive duties at the company he founded.

ECD Ovonics is the parent company of high profile thin film solar maker United Solar Ovonic, informally known in the industry by its product brand UNI-SOLAR.

The company says Ovshinsky, 84, requested the change.

According to the company, Ovshinsky will "devote his full energy and intellect to the further development of the science and application of amorphous and disordered materials in the fields of energy and information technologies."

Mr. Ovshinsky, who co-founded the company with his late wife, Dr. Iris M. Ovshinsky, will remain an member of ECD Ovonics' Board of Directors, and contribute on strategic and technical issues as Founder and Chief Scientist and Technologist, the company said.

The change is what the company calls the "first in a series of management moves consistent with the company's previously announced management succession planning." ECD Ovonics announced last month that it had started succession planning, and had retained executive search firm of Heidrick & Struggles to consult on the process.

Ovshinsky will retain office will be located at ECD Ovonics' newly named Stan and Iris Ovshinsky Center for the Advancement of Energy and Information Technologies in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

Backfilling Stan's duties, James R. Metzger, previously Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, has been appointed as Interim President and Chief Operating Officer of ECD Ovonics.

Reflecting on nearly 50 years of technological progress, Mr. Ovshinsky said, "When we formed the company, Iris and I wanted to use science and technology to solve serious societal problems. It is wonderful to see the inventions developed by Iris and me at ECD Ovonics become commercially viable so that people around the world can enjoy their benefits."

ECD Ovonics has a history in synthesizing new materials and developing advanced production technology and alternative energy products. The company's portfolio features advances in solar electric power generation, NiMH batteries, and fuel cell, solid hydride storage and phase-change memory technologies.

Cleantech developments making news in the past 24 hours

• Econcern partners on €863M Chinese wind farm deal
• Behind the scenes at Cleantech Forum Shanghai
• Infinite Power raises $13M to ramp thin-film batteries
• Hawaii becomes next stop for Better Place
• Thar Technologies looks at India's karanj, jatropha for biodiesel
• BP, China to invest $73M in cleantech center

View the last week of cleantech developments here | Subscribe to full feed