Employee Highlight: Matthias

Matthias attended UChicago and earned his undergraduate degree in Geophysical Sciences with a specialization in Paleontology and Stratigraphy. Upon graduation, he took on the role of Research Specialist at the UChicago Hospitals. After being motivated by a friend to find a career path rooted in technology and sustainability, he moved to Oregon to earn an M.S. in Renewable Energy Engineering at the Oregon Institute of Technology. 

Matthias was one of the first five employees at a solar software startup that he joined upon completing his graduate degree. His primary task at this job was to design software and hardware for monitoring and managing solar arrays. During a period of restructuring and revamping at this company, Matthias switched focus to development.

His next step was working for an O&M company where he took on a hybrid role doing everything from business development to hands-on site work. He enjoyed the variety that this position gave him, but looked elsewhere for a job after layoffs took place during a large company revamp. After spending time helping others with various side projects, Matthias joined Distributed Sun.

Over the last nine months, Matthias has worked with DSUN as our Development Manager. His primary tasks consist of tending to the technical side of operations and identifying issues that could arise if preventative measures aren’t taken. Specific focuses include land acquisition, preliminary design work, management of EPC work, participation in local town permitting and landowner meetings, management of third-party engineers and consulting services, and negotiations with utilities. Sometimes, he flies a drone!

Matthias is happy to see that solar energy is moving in a good direction. He acknowledges that Distributed Sun needs to continue staying on top of the game to achieve further success.

“Things change so quickly in the solar industry, we have to be ready to make fast decisions as regulations and legislation evolve within certain regions. You have to be prepared ahead of time. You can’t just go into a place that is suddenly lucrative because competitors have already gone through that location in preparation for new incentives.”
​
We greatly value all of the hard work that Matthias has done for us and we can’t wait to see how he continues to grow in the solar industry as part of the Distributed Sun team!

---