Howard Berke is stepping down as CEO of solar developer Konarka, the company said today.

Rick Hess, formerly president and chief operating officer of Konarka, is succeeding Berke as CEO.

The company said Berke still plans to stay active with Konarka, focusing on the company's strategic direction, global corporate partnering and scaling up joint ventures, while "working to further renewable energy interests throughout Massachusetts, United States and internationally."

Berke has also taken a position with Good Energies, an investor with a global renewable energy portfolio of approximately $5 billion, including an investment in Konarka.

Berke is a director of The American Council On Renewable Energy (ACORE) and helped found and organize the Massachusetts Clean Energy Council.

New CEO Hess was previously president of M/A-COM, a manufacturer, designer and marketer of high frequency components and systems for the wireless, defense, public safety and automotive markets, now a unit of Tyco Electronics.

Konarka Technologies develops what it calls Power Plastic®, a flexible thin film material that converts light to energy. It is headquartered in Lowell, Massachusetts, with European headquarters in Nuremberg, Germany, and research and development facility in Austria.