revoluti n THE PHOTOVOLTAIC
As PV use spreads, Mark Mrohs ’74 is there to provide his expertise.
Written by ELAINE REGUS Photography by SETH AFFOUMADO
Mark Mrohs ’74 conducts training at a world-class photovoltaic training facility he had built at SunPower in Richmond, Calif.
Mark Mrohs ’74 has spent his career making sure the lights stay on in some of the most remote reaches of the world. Now senior manager of global training at SunPower Corp.,
Mrohs began working with photovoltaics the summer of his junior year at Harvey Mudd College. He was working in the research and development department of Spectrolab, making solar cells for satellites at a time when the terrestrial market for photovoltaic (PV) power systems was just taking root. Over the years, Mrohs has worked for several of the largest
PV manufacturers in the world. He’s traveled to 25 countries and trained thousands of people in the design and installation
2 2 H a r v e y Mu d d C o l l e g e S UMME R 2 0 1 0
of solar power systems. Today, he is considered an international expert in technical training for photovoltaic systems. “Training is particularly important in developing countries
where millions of people rely on rural electrification programs funded by organizations like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund,” Mrohs says. “Governments and NGOs can have the best intentions to
fund rural electrification using solar power, but if you don’t have people on the ground who know how to install the modules or batteries, or do the wiring correctly, the systems will fail within the first year, and everyone will be discouraged.”
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