Dennis Fitzgibbons, former top aide to the House Energy and Commerce Committee under then-Chairman John Dingell (D-Mich.), is headed back to K Street.Fitzgibbons has joined solar energy company First Solar as vice president for federal affairs.“It’s a set of issues that I’ve worked on a long time and an opportunity to make a positive contribution in those areas,— Fitzgibbons said of his move to the company. Fitzgibbons, who spent six years as head of DaimlerChrysler’s Washington office before rejoining the Energy and Commerce Committee in 2006, is charged with opening the First Solar’s Washington office. Dingell lost the Energy and Commerce chairmanship last fall to Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.), who waged a successful challenge to the veteran Michigan lawmaker for the job.Fitzgibbons will oversee the company’s legislative, regulatory and public policy initiatives. In addition to broad energy policy, the company will focus on renewable energy initiatives, the capacity of the smart grid and smart metering, according to Fitzgibbons. “Most of the activity in these areas up to this point has occurred at the state and regional levels and now with the new administration and new Congress, there’s a much greater level of interest at the federal level,— Fitzgibbons said. First Solar spent $545,000 on lobbying in 2008, with Patton Boggs, Van Heuvelen Strategies and Washington Tax Group on retainer, according to Senate lobbying records.