Borrego Solar Systems, Inc., a leading designer, installer and financier of grid-tied solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, announced that it made two key hires to facilitate increased demand for its end-to-end solar power services. Clark Thompson joins the company as vice president of operations, and Ted Walsh joins as director of project development, western U.S.

“2011 was a terrific year for Borrego Solar, as we were able to increase sales and contracts in our existing markets, while expanding into new geographies and industries,” said Mike Hall, CEO of Borrego Solar. “We needed to expand our management team to support this growth, and we are thrilled to have Clark and Ted onboard to help us close out 2011 and make 2012 another growth year for the company.”

Clark Thompson joins Borrego Solar as vice president of operations, and will help manage the company’s growing portfolio of large-scale projects for commercial, government, industrial and utility customers. Thompson brings 27 years of experience as a commercial electrical contractor. Before focusing strictly on solar power, Thompson spent ten years as president and CEO of Neal Electric, one of San Diego’s leading commercial electrical contractors.

Ted Walsh will serve as Borrego Solar’s director of project development for the western U.S., and will help the company expand into new markets in emerging western regions, such as Arizona and Texas. Walsh comes from a vice president of sales position at SPG Solar, where he directed all commercial project development efforts for the company.

In 2011, Borrego Solar continued to achieve new company milestones. The company secured $100 million to finance nearly twenty megawatts (MW) of projects with East West Bank and U.S. Bank. It also expanded into new industries, having recently broken ground on a 2.3 MW landfill project in Easthampton, Mass., and signed contracts for two other landfill projects in the state.

Borrego Solar also expanded into new geographic markets in 2011, having recently signed its first customer in Texas. The company anticipates increased demand in other western states such as Arizona, as well as states in the mid-Atlantic including Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland and Washington D.C.

In addition to Walsh and Thompson, Borrego Solar has hired 18 new employees in 2011, and plans to hire 11 more by the end of the year.

Borrego Solar executives will be exhibiting and speaking at the Solar Power International show in Dallas from October 17 – 20, 2011 in Booth #2220. Brendan Neagle, COO, will be speaking on the session “Recapturing Value from Brownfields with Solar: Insight into Assessment, Design and Installation” on Tuesday, October 18 from 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. CDT.