Assistant Secretary of Defense Burke Visits PowerFilm

PowerFilm, Inc., the developer and manufacturer of thin flexible solar panels and developer of roll to roll flexible electronics, announced that the company hosted Assistant Secretary of Defense Sharon E. Burke to provide her an update on PowerFilm’s U.S.-based advanced solar panel manufacturing capabilities, systems engineering capabilities, and an overview of solar panel products being supplied to the Department of Defense.

As the assistant secretary of defense for operational energy plans and programs, Burke is the principal advisor to the secretary and deputy secretary of defense on operational energy security and reports to the under secretary of defense for acquisition, technology, and logistics. She is the inaugural assistant secretary for the office, which was created to strengthen the energy security of U.S. military operations.

The mission of the office is to help the military services and combatant commands improve military capabilities, cut costs and lower operational and strategic risk through better energy accounting, planning, management, and innovation. Operational energy, or the energy required to train, move and sustain forces, weapons and equipment for military operations, accounted for 75% of all energy used by the Department of Defense in 2009.

Burke is the second Pentagon official to visit PowerFilm in recent days. Earlier this month, the company hosted Katherine Hammack, assistant secretary of the Army for installations, energy, and the environment. She is the primary advisor to the secretary of the Army and chief of staff of the Army on all Army matters related to installation policy, oversight and coordination of energy security and management. She is also responsible for policy and oversight of sustainability and environmental initiatives; resource management including design, military construction, operations and maintenance; base realignment and closure (BRAC); privatization of Army family housing; lodging, real estate, utilities; and the Army’s installations safety and occupational health programs.

These visits follow the recently announced military products sales purchase orders of approximately $3 million and the $2.2 million development contact.