Dan McGrail, the former boss of energy giant Siemens, has been appointed the interim chief executive of GB Energy.
McGrail, who is the current chief executive of trade association RenewableUK, will work for the government's new flagship, publicly-owned energy company Great British Energy based in Aberdeen.
His role will officially start in March on an initial six-month secondment from RenewableUK, which supports firms exploring and developing green energy projects in the UK.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said: "With the appointment of Dan McGrail as interim CEO we now have a fantastic team in place to lead Great British Energy and start delivering on our Plan for Change.
"Great British Energy is at the heart of our clean power mission, and will support thousands of well-paid jobs, drive growth and investment into our communities and deliver energy security for the British people.
"I look forward to working with Dan as we unlock the benefits of a new era of clean electricity for the British people."
Speaking of his new role, McGrail said it was a "privilege", adding: "Homegrown, affordable clean power has never been more important and it’s a privilege to take up the role of interim CEO of Great British Energy at such a pivotal moment.
"Together with the talented leadership team, I’m excited to hit the ground running to scale up the company and work with industry to unleash billions of investment in clean energy, helping to grow new industries at scale with job opportunities for hundreds of thousands of people, as well as helping the government achieve its clean power targets."
GB Energy chair Juergen Maier said: "Dan brings invaluable experience from a long career in clean energy and joins Great British Energy at a critical time to help spearhead our work to help make Britain energy independent.
"I look forward to working with him to back innovation, create sustainable jobs, and grow our supply chains."