SiliconBeat

Green-energy companies continue to borrow from the vast talent pool provided by traditional players.

Today’s example? Trilliant, the Redwood City smart-grid firm, just named Andrew C. White as its CEO. White comes from GE New Energy Ventures, where he was president and CEO. He’s a 30-year General Electric veteran, who started with GM Mobile Radio as an engineer, where he managed the installation of systems in the Congo and Egypt. He later headed the Asia-Pacific branch of GE Energy Services and then became president/CEO of GE Nuclear Energy.

“The transition to an information-enabled grid is part of a dramatic change in the global energy industry,” White said in a statement released by the company. “I was attracted to Trilliant because of its financial strength, technology prowess and leadership position in the smart-grid industry.”

Trilliant, with more than 1 million units in operation, provides hardware, software and system management. Its 200 utility customers include a huge deal with Canada’s Hydro One, the biggest smart-grid implementation in North America.

Trilliant founder and previous CEO Bill Vogel becomes the company’s SVP of strategic development.

Other SV cleantech companies, including Palo Alto’s Ausra, San Jose’s SunPower and San Carlos’ Tesla Motors have added executives with prior experience in traditional energy and transportation companies.