2024 Top Products Judges

Solar Power World is proud to unveil its inaugural winning class of Top Products for the solar and storage industry. The 2024 Top Products contest celebrates the most innovative and significant products available to the U.S. market. The competition was judged by industry professionals with experience in all markets, representing the research, product development and installation sectors. Products were assessed on their originality, market promise and benefits to installers and developers.

Biographies of our 2024 judges are below. Solar Power World thanks them for their dedication to a fair competition. Judges with a direct connection to a submitted product were prevented from ranking the product. The product’s score was averaged without the conflicting judge’s input.

Congratulations to the 2024 Top Products presented by Solar Power World!

Meet our 2024 Judges

Kate Collardson, co-founder, SolarRecycle.org Residential Judge

Kate is currently senior manager of operations for Sunnova’s New Homes division in the central region, while also serving as co-founder of SolarRecycle.org. Kate fused her deep industry knowledge and passion for sustainability to address the solar industry’s need for responsible end-of-life management. SolarRecycle.org’s website empowers stakeholders through centralized information, fostering a circular economy within the solar sector. Prior to joining Sunnova, Kate held positions at Omnidian, BayWa r.e. and CertainTeed Solar.

Laurel Hamilton, general manager, Mayfield Renewables Large-Scale Judge

Although Laurel’s early career included degrees in biological anthropology and global public health, she came to Mayfield Renewables after years of wearing multiple hats in the solar installation field. Her love of the solar industry started in 2014, working under mentorship at a small, reputable EPC in Southern California. She returned to her home state of Oregon to develop a branch office of a Portland-based solar firm. Laurel has tackled everything from marketing, administration and sales to design, project management, installation and operations management. As a NABCEP-certified PV Technical Sales Professional and Subject Matter Expert, Laurel brings a commitment to ethics and the gold standard to every project she touches. She has volunteered her time and expertise to advance solar policy, advocacy and education for the City of Bend and the State of Oregon.

Kevin King, CEO and founder, Solar Tools USA Residential Judge

Kevin’s passion for the solar industry has been a life-long mission. He started and eventually sold one of Idaho’s largest and most successful solar installation companies. Recognizing the need for better tools and safety in the industry, Kevin began inventing specialized solutions to address common challenges faced by solar installers. This led to the creation of Solar Tools USA, an e-commerce company providing solar professionals with a continually expanding collection of unique solar installation tools. Driven by a commitment to education and advocacy, Kevin has served as president of the nonprofit Idaho Clean Energy Association. He also lends his expertise to various industry boards, including the NABCEP JTA Exam and Technical Committees, IREC’s Solar Ready Vets Advisory Board and Solar Energy International (SEI).

Jenya Meydbray, CCO, Nevados Large-Scale Judge

Prior to joining tracking manufacturing company Nevados, Jenya co-founded PVEL in 2010 and served as CEO for a dozen years. He developed the first extended reliability and performance test protocols for the downstream PV industry as well as innovative methods of evaluating PV performance for power plant level risk assessment and mitigation. Prior to founding PVEL, Jenya was senior quality and reliability engineer at SunPower where he designed accelerated test methods for high-efficiency solar cells and modules. Jenya began his career at NASA Ames Research Center’s hyper-gravity facilities. He also served as VP of technology for Cypress Creek Renewables, a utility-scale project developer.

Anonymous Large-Scale Judge

Our third large-scale judge wishes to stay anonymous. The person works at a national construction company that offers full-service solar EPC work. The company is involved with Solar Power World’s Top Solar Contractors List and is fully vetted by the editorial team.