Innovation competition on “Decentralised Energy Solutions for Ethiopia’’
ETHIOPIA
Dr. Atsede Gualu Endegnanew
chairperson of EWiEn's general assembly, Ethiopian Women in Energy Network (EWiEN)
Dr. Atsede is an Energy Consultant at Veritas Consulting, where she is responsible for leading activities related to the technical, business and financial modelling of private sector led mini-grids in rural Ethiopia. Dr. Atsede is a power system professional with a PhD in Electric Power Engineering. She has extensive experience in designing and analysing large scale integration of renewables (wind, solar, hydro, etc.), large power systems, distribution grids and mini-grids.
Prior to joining Veritas, Dr. Atsede has worked as a research scientist at SINTEF Energy Research (Norway) for almost 9 years and produced more than 30 peer-reviewed scientific papers. In addition, she has also worked at the Ethiopian Electric Power Corporation (now Ethiopian Electric Utility). She is currently the Chairperson of the Ethiopia Women in Energy Association (EWiEN), an association that envisions to put women at the heart of the energy sector in Ethiopia.
Nabil Ishak
Vice Chair, Ethiopian Solar Energy Development Association, (ESEDA) and General Manager, Solar Development PLC
Nabil Ishak is part of an investment group that invests in local companies in Ethiopia. He plans to use his international business network, to contribute to the development and advancement of impactful business in the world. With his extensive business experience he wants to conduct business at a deep level.
Mr. Ishak applies forward thinking and modern approaches, and ensures in his activities that he contributes to the introduction of technology for productive use, income generation, employment and entrepreneurial opportunities in Rural Africa especially focusing on Health, Education, and Agriculture
Markos Lemma
Co-founder/Manager, ICE Addis Ababa
Markos Lemma is co-founder & CEO of iceaddis, Ethiopia's first innovation hub and tech incubator. He began his career with a degree in computer science from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT).
Furthermore, he is the founder of SelamCompany – a venture working on primary education and literacy through technology. He also co-founded high potential ventures. Mr. Lemma works with high impact, socially responsible start-ups in East Africa. Representing Ethiopian innovation ecosystem on the international stage. He has seats on the board of advisors of GIG network, and is a founding member of i4policy.
He coestablished a logic and strategy for a literacy and technology project in remote Ethiopian villages in cooperation with MIT, OLPC & Tufts University. Based on the experience xPrize launched a $15mil literacy project award in 2015.
In addition, he developed and implemented a concept called “ePrivateSectorDevelopment”, which ran on export-oriented companies under German Development Cooperation (GIZ).
GERMANY
Noara Kebir
Ms. Noara Kebir – Managing Director, Microenergy International and TU Berlin
Ms. Kebir is an experienced project manager with more than 20 years in energy engineering and economics. Working alongside more than 50 energy companies, finance institutions and policymakers, Ms. Kebir has the know-how and experience to develop programmatic implementations of pilot and scale-up projects, adapted to the needs of the end-users and the capacities of the implementing partners.
Ms. Kebir was particularly involved in market development for clean energy products through microfinance in Ethiopia, in collaboration with the Nordic Climate Facility, and solar water heaters (SWH) market assessment and growth in Peru. Recently, she has been involved in the assistance of the Ministry of Water, Irrigation and Electricity in Ethiopia to assess the national policies for rural electrification and design the new phase of the National Electrification Programme (NEP) 2.0. After having graduated in 2004 from the Technical University Berlin with a B. Sc. and M. Sc. in Process and Energy Engineering, Ms. Kebir is currently pursuing her doctoral studies, within the same university, on the topic of "Assuring Product Quality in Microfinanced Energy Products".
Prof. Eicke R. Weber
former Director of the Institute, Fraunhofer Institute of Solar Energy Systems (ISE)
Professor Eicke Weber is a world-renowned expert for silicon research and semiconductors, that are not only important to the chip, but also the solar industry. He began his academic career by studying physics at the University of cologne, where he also gained his PhD.
After research stays in the USA and Sweden, he habilitated in Cologne in 1983 with a breakthrough thesis on transition metals in silicon. In the same year, Weber became assistant professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of California at Berkeley. In 1991, he was appointed full professor and director of the Integrated Materials Laboratory there.
From 2006 until 2016, Weber was the director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems (ISE) in Freiburg. At the same time, he was appointed to the Chair of Applied Physics and Solar Energy at the University of Freiburg. In the years from 2015-2017 he was the appointed the president of the Association of European Renewable Energy Research Centers (EUREC). Weber is the president of the German Scholars Organization (GSO), which has the goal to assist German scientists abroad.
Dr. Simone Peter
CEO, Federal Association of Renewable Energy in Germany (BEE)
Simone Peter is the President of the German Renewable Energy Federation (BEE), representing the German Renewable Industry with the goal to achieve 100% renewable energies in power, heat and transportation. Simone was chairperson of the German Green Party and before minister for environment, energy and transportation in the state of Saarland as well as Member of Parliament in the state. She was the first managing director of the Renewable Energy Agency and coordinated the World Renewable Energy Council at EUROSOLAR, the European Association for Renewable Energy. Simone holds a PhD in Biology. She is ever since fighting for the energy transition (Energiewende).
