Tom Hoff

Tom Hoff is the founder and chief research officer of Clean Power Research. He’s a pioneer in the science of valuing distributed solar generation and holds a number of patents in the area of PV fleet power estimation. Tom’s research is proving vital to utilities and ISOs faced with the challenge of maintaining reliability while integrating ever-increasing levels of PV generation on the grid.

Tom takes an analytical approach to problem-solving and his mathematical models and methodologies are frequently integrated into the company’s commercial software products, making them readily accessible to the solar industry.

Tom’s passion for innovation in the area of clean energy system analysis has made him a sought-after industry speaker and consultant for the PV industry, and he has published extensively for more than 25 years. His numerous research topics include the valuation of photovoltaics and distributed generation, risk management, renewables, and, most recently, methods to characterize PV output variability. In performing his research, Tom has been known to test hypotheses using the PV and electrical systems in his own home.

Tom began his career at Pacific Gas and Electric Company. He holds a Ph.D. in Engineering-Economic Systems from Stanford University’s School of Engineering.