Cliff Ho

About Cliff Ho

Dr. Cliff Ho is a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and a Senior Manager of Advanced Renewable Energy at SB Energy. Prior to joining SB Energy, Cliff was a Sr. Scientist at Sandia National Laboratories working on problems involving solar energy, long-duration energy storage, water safety and sustainability, heat- and mass-transfer processes in porous media, nuclear waste management, microchemical sensor systems for environmental monitoring, airborne pathogen transport and exposure mitigation, and industrial decarbonization. From 1993 – Cliff worked on the Yucca Mountain Project and was the manager of the Natural Systems team, which evaluated the safety of the nation\'s proposed high-level radioactive nuclear waste repository. From – 2008, Cliff led the development of novel microchemical sensors and technologies to ensure the safety of our water systems and supplies. From 20••••22, Cliff worked in the Concentrating Solar Technologies Department at Sandia, where he performed research on high-temperature solar thermal receivers, heliostat optics, systems analyses, technoeconomics, and long-duration thermal storage. From 20••••24, Cliff served a two-year assignment in Washington DC as a Legislative Fellow in the Office of Senator Martin Heinrich of New Mexico, advising on energy and climate issues. In 2025, Cliff joined SB Energy to help manage their Innovation Center to develop, test and deploy technologies that enable sustainable, reliable, and affordable energy for large data centers. Cliff has authored over 300 scientific papers, holds nearly 30 patents, is an author and co-editor of three books, and is the Associate Editor of Solar Energy Journal. He received an Outstanding Professor Award at the University of New Mexico in 1997, and he received the national Asian American Engineer of the Year Award in 2010. Cliff received an R&D 100 Award in 2013 for his development of the Solar Glare Hazard Analysis Tool, and an R&D 100 Award in 2016 for his development of the Falling Particle Receiver for Concentrated Solar Energy. In 2008, he won Discover Magazine’s “The Future of Energy in Two-Minutes-or-Less” video contest. Cliff received his B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Wisconsin–Madison in 1989, and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley in 1990 and 1993.

Experience

1. Senior Manager, Advanced Renewable Energy

   SB Energy

   Nov 2025 — Present

   Manage testing, demonstration, and analyses of new technologies at SB Energy\'s Innovation Center. Engage across multiple business units to successfully deploy innovations in large-scale renewable energy, storage, and smart energy management systems.

Education

• University of California, Berkeley

  Master's degree, Mechanical Engineering

  1989 — 1990

• University of California, Berkeley

  Doctor of Philosophy - PhD, Mechanical Engineering

  1990 — 1993

• University of Wisconsin-Madison

  Bachelor of Science - BS, Mechanical Engineering

  1985 — 1989