SSES Names Ron Van Dell as New CEO

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CHAMPAIGN, Illinois (November 10, 2008) – SmartSpark Energy Systems, an energy middleware provider and developer, announced today that its board of directors has appointed Ron Van Dell as the new President and Chief Executive Officer. Effective immediately, Van Dell will lead SmartSpark into 2009 and the launch of its latest product, SolarBridge™, an integrated micro-inverter.

Van Dell has an exceptional track record and proven leadership skills to complement his 25+ years of experience. Most recently, he served as President and CEO at Primarion, a mixed signal semiconductor company, which became the leader in digital power management in four years, resulting in an acquisition by Infineon Technologies in April, 2008. Before joining Primarion, he served as President and CEO at Legerity and in senior management positions at Dell, Harris Semiconductor, Groupe Schneider, Square D Company, and General Electric.

“We are pleased to welcome Ron to SmartSpark. His experience leading innovative start-ups offers exciting possibilities for the company,” says Chairman of the Board, Phil Krein. “We look forward to visionary progress and rapid growth as we anticipate Ron’s leadership.”

“I am thrilled to join SmartSpark at this important moment for the company and for the impact our unique technologies and products can have on the solar power generation industry.” Van Dell said.

SmartSpark possesses patented technologies which address one of the main challenges in the solar power generation system, the inverter. SolarBridge™, an integrated microinverter, will match the lifetime of a typical solar panel and allow maximum power point tracking at the module level. Compared to central and string inverters, SolarBridge™ is dramatically more reliable, produces more power, and lowers the cost of investment for the photovoltaic system and the levelized cost of energy.

About SmartSpark Energy Systems

SmartSpark Energy Systems was established in 2004 and is located in Champaign, IL. SmartSpark has licensed a suite of power conversion patents from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Their power electronics technologies and products support electricity conversion and control between almost any energy source and load. For more information, please visit www.SmartSparkEnergy.com.