Meet Jigar Shah, Indian-American Named In TIME’s Most Influential List

Jigar Shah, the founder and CEO of SunEdison, was recently featured in TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People list of 2024. He is currently serving as the Director of the US Department of Energy’s Loan Programs Office, bringing over 25 years of expertise in clean energy, project finance, and entrepreneurship. Mr. Shah’s educational background includes a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois and an MBA in Finance, Strategy, and Entrepreneurship from the University of Maryland – Robert H. Smith School of Business. He also co-founded and served as the President of Generate Capital and authored the book “Creating Climate Wealth: Unlocking the Impact Economy.”

As the founder and CEO of SunEdison in 2003, Mr. Shah revolutionized the solar industry with the introduction of the “solar as a service” model. His success with SunEdison led to further ventures, including Generate Capital. He now oversees more than “$200 billion in government loans” aimed at driving energy innovation to the market, leading one of the largest economic development programs globally.