Auto engineers go solar with Applied Energy Technology

Automotive worker refugees have found a new home in alternative energy with their start-up, Applied Energy Technology. The 1-year-old business based in Clinton Township got its start when the automotive world took a dive recently. A small group of friends who did everything from engineering to manufacturing decided to put their skills to work creating rack systems for solar panels.”It made a lot of sense to us,” says Craig Winn, president & CEO of Applied Energy Technology. “We know automotive product development and energy.”Today the company employs 12 designers of solar rack systems and another 10 people at a manufacturing plant. It also has a couple of independent contractors and summer interns. It expects to double its staff within the next year on the expectation that the solar industry will continue to grow for the foreseeable future.”We survived the crisis,” Winn says. “Now is the time when the people who will prosper in the next economy start doing things.”Source: Craig Winn, president & CEO of Applied Energy TechnologyWriter: Jon Zemke