Ranga Pitchumani Appointed New Editor of Solar Energy

After nearly two decades of outstanding leadership of Solar Energy as Editor-in-Chief, Prof Yogi Goswami (University of South Florida, Tampa, United States) has retired as the Editor-in-Chief for the Journal.

The International Solar Energy Society (ISES) and Elsevier recently undertook an open search for a successor to Prof. Goswami and received many strong applications from the community.

We are pleased to announce that Prof Ranga Pitchumani (Virginia Tech, Falls Church, Virginia, United States) will step up from his current role as Subject Editor to lead the journal, as the next Editor-in-Chief.

Prof Pitchumani is the George R. Goodson Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech, USA. At Virginia Tech, he directs the Advanced Materials and Technologies Laboratory (www.me.vt.edu/amtl), which focuses on research in the areas of energy and materials. From 2011–2015, Prof Pitchumani served in an invitational role as the Chief Scientist for the SunShot Initiative at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), where he was the founding director of the SunShot Concentrating Solar Power program and director of the Systems Integration program. In his role at the DOE, he defined bold national goals for achieving cost-competitive solar energy technologies and their ubiquitous integration into the electric grid. Prof Pitchumani is the author of over 240 journal or conference articles, book chapters and edited book volumes.

He has been on the editorial team of many journals, most recently serving as the subject editor for Solar Energy in the area of Concentrating Solar Power and High Temperature Applications. Among his honours, he is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and a recipient of the Hoyt Clarke Hottel Award from the American Solar Energy Society for leadership in the development of cost-effective solar energy.

Prof Pitchumani said, “I am honoured and excited to be chosen to serve as the Editor-in-Chief of Solar Energy, the flagship journal in the field. Solar Energy has grown tremendously under Prof Goswami’s leadership, and I have been proud to be part of the journal for nearly a decade. The field of solar energy has witnessed unprecedented, impressive progress in the last decade that presents both fantastic opportunities and important challenges to be addressed in the years to come. I look forward to working with the vast ecosystem of top-notch researchers around the globe, the talented international team of the journal’s Subject Editors and Associate Editors, ISES and Elsevier to grow the journal further as the vanguard publication charting the course of research and innovation in the field of solar energy.”

Prof Klaus Vajen, President of ISES said: “We were very pleased to be welcoming Prof Pitchumani as the new Editor-in-Chief of Solar Energy. His proven experience in solar energy science, research and publishing makes him an excellent fit to lead the Journal. We look forward to working closely with him to grow and strengthen Solar Energy, and to continue providing a publication for the important areas of research driving the renewable energy transformation.”

Elsevier and ISES would like to thank Prof Goswami for his sterling leadership of the journal over many years. His impact on the field of solar energy research is significant—the journal is now a field-leading publication, highlighting ground breaking advances at forefront of solar energy research, truly advancing knowledge and helping us move towards a world with 100% renewable energy for everyone used wisely and efficiently. He has also been a great colleague and mentor to many, and we are sure many in the community will join us in wishing him the best in his future endeavours. Prof Goswami said “Solar Energy journal has served the scientific community by sharing scientific research continuously since 1956. I feel fortunate to be a small part in this tradition. The credit for its success goes to the subject editors and associate editors for their voluntary service. I wish Prof Ranga Pitchumani the best in leading the journal as its new Editor-in-Chief.”

Prof Klaus Vajen, President of ISES said, “On behalf of ISES we want to express our gratitude to Prof Goswami for leading the Solar Energy as Editor-in-Chief for almost 20 years. Prof Goswami has been instrumental in shaping the Journal as a leading publication for solar energy science and technology, and his impact will leave a lasting positive impression on Solar Energy and the ISES community overall. We thank him for his tireless work and contributions to the Journal, the Society and for the overall advancement of renewable energy.”

Welcome to Prof Pitchumani! We’re sure he will be a great successor to Prof Goswami, and we look forward to continuing the success of Solar Energy and realising our mission in the coming years.