Bill Bender is the founder and CEO of Solaflect Energy. An engineer, economist, and innovator, he was instrumental in developing Solaflect’s sun-tracking solar systems designed for high efficiency and minimal environmental impact. By applying principles inspired by Buckminster Fuller’s tensegrity structures, Solaflect’s unique design achieves strength and resilience while eliminating over 1,000 pounds of steel beams per system, significantly reducing material costs and environmental footprint.
Bill’s commitment to renewable energy is grounded in both academic and international experience. A graduate of Dartmouth College and the University of Iowa, he was named a Rhodes Scholar—an honor that deepened his dedication to “fighting the world’s fight,” the guiding principle of the Rhodes program. He earned a PhD in economics at Oxford and spent a decade working as an economic consultant in Africa, focused on food and nutrition policy, before turning his attention to solar energy.
As part of Story Preservation’s Climate Solutions series, we will be pairing Bill’s story—and all future climate-related stories—with our Handwerks project, highlighting the skilled tradespeople whose craftsmanship and technical knowledge are essential to transforming clean energy ideas into reality.
