Steve Hill
President of Kyocera Solar, Inc.

Steve Hill has dedicated his life's work to materials and technologies that offer hope for environmental preservation — including engineered ceramics, semiconductors, silicon and, most of all, solar energy.

A graduate of California Polytechnic University with a bachelors degree in Marketing Management, Hill joined Kyocera in 1988. His early sales and management positions at the company specialized in engineered ceramics for semiconductor fabrication equipment, where he became acquainted with the world's leaders in silicon technology.

In 2004, he transferred to Kyocera Solar, Inc. as president. His leadership responsibilities have concentrated on establishing Kyocera's North American manufacturing operations for solar photovoltaic (PV) modules, developing the U.S. market for solar electric generating systems, and stabilizing the supply of highly purified silicon that serves as the essential raw material for solar PV cells.

During his leadership tenure, several milestones have occurred in solar energy. California passed the "Million Solar Roofs" initiative, backed by $3.2 billion in funding; Kyocera set new world records for energy conversion efficiency in polycrystalline silicon solar cells; solar energy became Kyocera's fastest growing business segment; and the solar industry as a whole attained compounded annual growth rates exceeding 25%.