ISES Board of Directors 2022-2023

ISES Executive Committee

Prof. Dr. Klaus Vajen

ISES President

Germany

Prof. Dr. Klaus Vajen is director of the Institute of Thermal Engineering at the University of... Read more

Prof. Dr. Klaus Vajen is director of the Institute of Thermal Engineering at the University of Kassel, Germany, where he holds the chair of Solar- and Systems Engineering, and furthermore distinguished professor of the Technical University of Kyrgyzstan in Bishkek. He holds a PhD in applied physics and is (co-)author of 300+ publications about (solar) thermal engineering, university education and energy policy. He is founder and director of the MSc-programme “Renewable Energies and Energy Efficiency” at the University of Kassel, as well as founder and head of the council “University Educations on Renewable Energies” with 120+ professors from German speaking countries. He developed and coordinates the Europe-wide PhD-education on solar thermal technology, together with Professor U. Jordan.

Klaus was member of the ISES Board of Directors from 2003-2011 and is a member again since 2018. He was Vice-president of ISES 2006-2007, founder of Young ISES (together with J. McIntosh) and Chair of the Solar World Congress 2011 in Kassel.

Prof. Dr. Ricardo Rüther

ISES Vice President

Brazil

Prof. Dr. Ricardo Rüther is a Professor of Solar Energy at Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina... Read more

Prof. Dr. Ricardo Rüther is a Professor of Solar Energy at Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina in Florianopolis-Brazil, where he carries out R&D and academic activities in the field of solar photovoltaics, solar irradiation resource assessment, electrochemical storage and electromobility. He completed a BE with honours and a M.Sc. degree in Metallurgy and Materials Science at Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil, and obtained his Ph.D. from the University of Western Australia at the Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering. He was an Alexander von Humboldt post-doctoral research fellow at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems in Germany, and was tenured at Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina in 2000, where he is the director of the Solar Energy Research Laboratory Fotovoltaica/UFSC. Prof. Dr. Rüther was a member of the ISES Board of Directors in the 2005-2007 and 2008-2010 periods. He joined ISES in 1991, and became an ISES lifetime gold member in 2008.

Prof. Dr. Andreas Häberle

ISES Secretary

Germany

Prof. Dr. Andreas Häberle is Director of the Institute for Solar Technology SPF at the Eastern... Read more

Prof. Dr. Andreas Häberle is Director of the Institute for Solar Technology SPF at the Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences (OST) in Rapperswil, Switzerland. He is a physicist from the Technical University of Munich and earned his PhD at the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems in Freiburg, Germany in the field of concentrating solar thermal collectors. In 1999 he co-founded the company PSE AG that offers various technologies and services for the solar sector.

The institute SPF has been a driving force in research and development of innovative energy technologies for more than 30 years, with focal areas in energy efficiency and renewable energies in general, as well as solar thermal and solar electrical energy in particular.

Chiel Boonstra

ISES Treasurer

The Netherlands

Chiel Boonstra works as independent expert of his own company Trecodome in the application of... Read more

Chiel Boonstra works as independent expert of his own company Trecodome in the application of advanced solutions for buildings and cities. He has international experience in applied research and real life construction and renovation projects at building and communities scale. He works with industrial partners, social housing organisations, architects, city planners. Focusing on low demand profiles and seasonal energy storage at community and city scale with the purpose of achieving real time 100% renewable energy driven communities.

Aline Kirsten Vidal de Oliveira

Young ISES Representative

Brazil

Aline Oliveira is the Vice-President of the Brazilian Association of Solar Energy (ABENS) and the... Read more

Aline Oliveira is the Vice-President of the Brazilian Association of Solar Energy (ABENS) and the Director of External Relations in the Photovoltaic Collaborative to Advance Multi-Climate Performance and Energy Research (PVCAMPER). She is also a co-founder of the Brazilian Network of Women in Solar Energy (Rede MESol), an organization with the aim to support women working with solar energy in Brazil. Since 2017, she has been a researcher at the UFSC Solar Energy Research Laboratory (Fotovoltaica/UFSC), where she is currently doing her PhD with a focus on the inspection of photovoltaic plants. There, she works in R&D projects in the area of photovoltaics, energy storage, green hydrogen and electrical vehicles.

Dr. David Renné

ISES Immediate Past President

USA

Dr. Renné served as President of the International Solar Energy Society from 2010 - 2019. From... Read more

Dr. Renné served as President of the International Solar Energy Society from 2010 - 2019. From 1991 until his retirement in 2012 Dr. Renné managed the solar resource assessment activities at the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). In 2012 he formed the consultancy Dave Renne Renewables. He is dedicated to the concept of urgently achieving 100% renewable energy to meet all of our end use energy requirements as the best solution to the climate crisis.

International Experts Network profile

Rabindra Kumar Satpathy

ISES Appointed Exco Member

India

Mr. Rabindra Satpathy is an electrical engineering graduate from NIT, Warangal,India. He has more... Read more

Mr. Rabindra Satpathy is an electrical engineering graduate from NIT, Warangal,India. He has more than 30 years of professional experience in renewable energy in the fields of solar photovoltaic (PV) power systems, wind power generation and others. He started his solar career in Odisha Renewable Energy Development Agency (OREDA), installing India’s first 25 Kwp solar PV diesel hybrid system, PV wind hybrid system and 1.1 MW wind farm. He served as a key member of the management team in Tata BP Solar, Bangalore and was instrumental in setting up India’s first 5MW project in Rajasthan and 1 MW Rooftop project for Thyagaraj Sports Complex in New Delhi as President of Reliance Industries Limited-Solar Group. He is currently involved with Larsen & Toubro -Solar Manufacturing Business, in planning & establishing for large GWp level integrated solar pv value chain manufacturing facilities from Ingot to high efficiency solar pv module In India. He is co-author of the Solar book " Solar PV Power- Design, Manufacturing and Applications from Sands to Systems" published by Elsevier, USA/UK.

Board Members

Prof. Andrew Blakers

Appointed Board Member

Australia

Andrew Blakers is E2 Professor of Engineering at the Australian National University. He has held... Read more

Andrew Blakers is E2 Professor of Engineering at the Australian National University. He has held Humboldt, ARC QEII and ARC Senior Research Fellowships. He is a Fellow of the Academy of Technological Sciences & Engineering, the Institute of Energy and the Institute of Physics. He is a Life Member of the International Solar Energy Society and the Australian Conservation Foundation and is a Public Policy Fellow at ANU. In 1991 he founded the solar PV research group and laboratories at ANU (65 staff and PhD students). Leadership roles have included Foundation Director of the Centre for Sustainable Energy Systems at ANU, Node Director of the Australian Centre for Advanced Photovoltaics, Director of the ARC Centre for Solar Energy Systems, and Node Director of the Australian CRC for Renewable Energy. He has procured about US$100 million in external research funding for ANU. His research interests are in the areas of silicon solar cells and renewable energy systems. He was responsible for the design and fabrication of silicon solar cells with world record efficiencies of 18% (1983), 19% (1984), 20% (1986) and 22% (1989). He was co-inventor of Sliver solar cell technology, the subject of a $240 million commercialisation effort by Transform Solar. He was lead-inventor of the PERC silicon solar cell, which has 90% of the global solar market and cumulative module sales of US$90 billion. PERC deployment is mitigating 1% of global Greenhouse gas emissions through displacement of coal. Prof Blakers is a leading figure in discussions of 100% renewable energy futures and is engaged in detailed analysis of energy systems with high (50-100%) penetration by wind and photovoltaics with support from pumped hydro energy storage for which he was co-winner of the 2018 Eureka Prize for Environmental Research. His team developed a comprehensive global atlas of 616,000 off-river pumped hydro energy storage sites.

Prof. Dr. Rodrigo Escobar Moragas

ISES Member at Large Representative

Chile

Rodrigo Escobar is a Mechanical Engineer from University of Santiago, in Chile. He holds a Master... Read more

Rodrigo Escobar is a Mechanical Engineer from University of Santiago, in Chile. He holds a Master and PhD in Mechanical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University, USA, and is currently an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile (UC).

He is a member of the UC Atacama Desert Center, UC Energy Research Center and Center for Solar Energy Technology (CSET). He has successfully managed public funded R&D, Contract R&D, and International cooperation projects. Member of the IEA-PVPS Task 16 in "Solar Resource Assessment" and IEA-SHC task 64 in “Solar Process Heat”. A frequent reviewer in journals "Solar Energy" "Renewable Energy" "Energy Conversion and Management" and others. He has been Director of the Solar Electricity Line of CSET. Director of the Solar Energy Area of DICTUC, a subsidiary services company of UC. Former member of the School of Engineering Council. Board Member at the San Agustín Foundation. Board Member at the International Solar Energy Society ISES.

As of January 2022, he has published 65 articles in peer-reviewed journals, and more than a 100 articles and presentations in international conferences. More than 20 Master students and 5 doctoral students have graduated under his supervision. His current research team is composed of 6 PhD students, 3 postdoctoral fellows, two project engineers and several undergraduate students.

His research focuses on solar resource evaluation, modeling and simulation of solar power plants, polygeneration in solar power plants, collection and distribution of water from fog traps, and in general, the issues related to the transition to a sustainable energy system.

Dr. José González-Aguilar

ISES Member at Large Representative

Spain

Dr. José González-Aguilar is senior researcher and head of the R&D unit of High Temperature... Read more

Dr. José González-Aguilar is senior researcher and head of the R&D unit of High Temperature Processes at IMDEA Energy Institute (Spain), a R&D not-for-profit foundation that focuses its research on high-temperature solar concentration systems and technologies, the sustainable production of fuels, and the development of electrochemical energy storage systems coupled to renewable energy amongst other topics. He holds a PhD in Physics (Cantabria University, Spain, 1999) and a Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches (University Paul Sabatier, France, 2007). His current research interests are in the area of concentrating solar energy systems and technologies and thermal sciences, which is carried out in the framework of national and international research projects (From 2015 to 2019, he has participated in 7 EU-funded, 5 national and 3 regional projects as well as 8 contracts with companies). Author or co-author of 93 papers in peer review journals, 4 chapters in books on renewable energy, more than 140 communications in national and international conferences and 7 international and national patents. In addition to his research activity, he has had an intensive activity promoting scientific dissemination in the field of solar energy, which intends to foster as member of the ISES Board. Since 2015, Dr. González is serving as associated Editor of Solar Energy Journal of Elsevier.

Dr. Andreas Hauer

ISES Member at Large Representative

Germany

Dr. Andreas Hauer, born January 1962, studied Physics at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in... Read more

Dr. Andreas Hauer, born January 1962, studied Physics at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich, Germany. He made his PhD at the technical University in Berlin. Now is Head of the Division “Energy Storage” at the Bavarian Center for Applied Energy Research, ZAE Bayern, with about 80 employees. There he is responsible for a number of national and international research projects focussed on thermal and electrical energy storage, thermal driven heat pumps / chillers for industrial and building applications and solar thermal collectors. Dr. Hauer is an international known expert on energy storage in general and specialized on thermal energy storage. He is member of the Executive Committee of the Energy Storage Programme within the International Energy Agency IEA. At the moment he is leading working groups on material development for thermal energy storage and on “Flexible Sector Coupling by the Implementation of Energy Strorage” within the technology network of the IEA. On the national level he is member of the board of directors of the 2012 established Bundesverband Energiespeicher (BVES), German Energy Storage Association. In this position he is responsible for R&D activities within the association.

Jakob Jensen

Corporate Members Representative

Denmark

Jakob Jensen focuses on commercializing solar-generated heat for district heating and industrial... Read more

Jakob Jensen focuses on commercializing solar-generated heat for district heating and industrial processes up to 200C. Professionally he pursues this goal as Chief Commercial Officer in Denmark-based Heliac that has developed a scalable, cost-efficient method for concentrated solar thermal in the targeted temperature range. Previous to Heliac, Jakob has spent 20 years in as an early-stage investor in renewables. During this period he has invested in, raised money for, and served on the board of several startups. Working for EIT Climate-KIC (2014-17) he has also built a cleantech accelerator program in the Nordics with 30 startups and university spinouts from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden participating.

Jakob has a master degree in International Business from Copenhagen Business School. He joined Heliac in 2017.

Prof. Dr. Michael K.H. Leung

ISES Member at Large Representative

China

Prof. Dr. Michael K.H. Leung is the Shun Hing Education and Charity Fund Professor of Energy and... Read more

Prof. Dr. Michael K.H. Leung is the Shun Hing Education and Charity Fund Professor of Energy and Environment, Professor in the School of Energy and Environment, and Director of the Ability R&D Energy Research Centre at the City University of Hong Kong. He received his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, U.S.A. in 1995.

He has 20+ years academic experience in energy engineering. His particular research interests include solar photocatalysis, fuel cell, and advanced refrigeration. He has published 200+ papers in peer-reviewed journals and is listed as the top 2% of the world’s most highly cited scientists according to metrics complied by Stanford University in 2021. He is also a Fellow Member of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers.

Christine Lins

ISES Member at Large Representative

Austrian

In May 2017, Christine Lins co-founded GWNET, the Global Women’s Network for the Energy Transition... Read more

In May 2017, Christine Lins co-founded GWNET, the Global Women’s Network for the Energy Transition, which aims at empowering women in the sustainable energy sector.From July 2011 until April 2018, Christine was working as Executive Secretary of REN21, the Renewable Energy Policy Network of the 21st Century, headquartered at the United Nations Environment Programme in Paris/France. Between 2001 and 2011, Ms. Lins served as Secretary General of the European Renewable Energy Council in Brussels. Previously, she worked in a regional energy agency in Austria promoting energy efficiency and renewable energy sources.

Er. Jaideep N. Malaviya

ISES Member at Large Representative

India

Jaideep N. Malaviya is a professional in solar energy since 1996 and is the Managing Director of... Read more

Jaideep N. Malaviya is a professional in solar energy since 1996 and is the Managing Director of Malaviya Solar Energy Consultancy operating under Malaviya Solar Energy Consultancy. He is also the Founder and Secretary of Solar Thermal Federation of India (STFI), world’s only solar thermal association of manufacturers. He is elected on the Board of International Solar Energy Society. He has over 25 years of experience in solar energy industry as a Consultant, Researcher and Trainer and presented over 100 papers in Indian and International Conferences and organised over 50 National and International Events/Workshops. Recently he was recognized by the International Solar Energy Society amongst the 250 global pioneers in research and industrial development of solar energy.

His designs and develops projects in Solar Photovoltaic Rooftop and Solar Thermal Systems by undertaking load analysis and optimising. He is also a faculty in several Engineering Colleges on the said subject.

Under his leadership the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy operated the National Solar Energy Helpline for 9 years that addressed to over 10,00,000 phone calls. He was the Project Head in India for “Solar Payback” executed on behalf of German Solar Association. He is also undertaking a research study on drawing Roadmap for Solar energy waste recycling and coordinating with Ministry of Environment and Forests and Climate Change and Ministry of New and Renewable Energy as Task Force leader.

Prof. Dr. Viktoria Martin

ISES Member at Large Representative

Sweden

Prof. Dr. Viktoria Martin is Professor in Energy Technology at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in... Read more

Prof. Dr. Viktoria Martin is Professor in Energy Technology at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden. A graduate from KTH (MSc in Chemical Engineering 1993) and the University of Florida (PhD in Mechanical Engineering 1998), she has pursued a career in international research collaborations within the International Energy Agency as well as the EU, providing insight into a variety of leading research and education arenas. Dr. Martin has over 25 years of experience in education, research, and entrepreneurship in the area of sustainable energy, with special focus on thermal energy storage and heat driven heat pumping technology. She is the author/co-author of 100+ publications within her research area. Equally important to research is her work on high quality education within the field, and she is presently the director of a two-year MSc degree programme in Sustainable Energy Engineering with participants from all over the world.

Agnieszka E. Rządkowska

ISES Member at Large Representative

Poland

Mrs Agnieszka Rządkowska is an energy policy researcher focused on the EU solar transition and... Read more

Mrs Agnieszka Rządkowska is an energy policy researcher focused on the EU solar transition and its impact on international energy relations and geopolitics. She is a co-founder of the European Solar Network and a PhD candidate at the University of Wrocław. Her specialization is energy relations analytics and artificial intelligence modeling. She authored research grants and coordinated few EU funded projects. She holds a research position at solarity.cloud platform and was an advisor to the Board of the EU COST Multiscale Solar cooperation of 70+ leading European PV R&D institutions. Having published several academic papers she is now focused on the book project joining energy policy-makers, researchers and engineers from the EU and abroad.

Geoff Stapleton

ISES Member at Large Representative

Australia

Geoff Stapleton specialized in solar (PV) energy in the final year of his electrical engineering... Read more

Geoff Stapleton specialized in solar (PV) energy in the final year of his electrical engineering degree in 1981. He has worked in the solar industry since 1987. In 1998 he was one of the co-founders of Global Sustainable Energy Solutions Pty Ltd (GSES). GSES is a multi-disciplinary organization specializing in professional engineering and training services across the Renewable Energies sector. In 2010 through funding from REEEP, GSES acted as project manager and helped the industry in the Pacific create their own industry association known as Sustainable Energy Industry Association of Pacific Islands (SEIAPI).

Dr. Maria Wall

ISES Member at Large Representative

Sweden

Dr Maria Wall is associate professor at the Division of Energy and Building Design, Lund University... Read more

Dr Maria Wall is associate professor at the Division of Energy and Building Design, Lund University, Sweden. She has a MSc in Architecture and a PhD in Engineering. Over the years, her research has included different issues related to energy-efficient buildings as well as solar energy strategies. She is presently leader of the research project IEA SHC Task 63 on Solar Neighborhood Planning (2019-2023), including both passive and active solar energy strategies. She was former leader of the IEA SHC Task 41 on Solar Energy and Architecture (2009-2012) that focused on active solar technologies for buildings, especially architectural aspects, and was then appointed as leader for the IEA SHC Task 51 on Solar Energy in Urban Planning (2013-2018).

She was the main initiator and developer, and is also the Director of the 2-year Master’s Programme in Energy-efficient and Environmental Building Design at Lund University. This programme is enrolling international students from different backgrounds, both in architecture and in engineering, since interdisciplinary teamwork is needed when designing sustainable buildings and neighborhoods.

Robert Youngberg

ISES Member at Large Representative

USA

Mr Robert Youngberg, President and Founder, Sustainable Development International - Denver,... Read more

Mr Robert Youngberg, President and Founder, Sustainable Development International - Denver, Colorado, USA, has four decades of experience in consulting, executive, and academic positions in energy research, development, and implementation, government and industry consulting, international presentations, public service, and global energy data modeling and projections for national and global clients.

His areas of interest and expertise include renewable energy, energy conservation, environmental remediation, electric utility, agriculture, global data analysis, information technology industries, serving national and international clients, and various non-profit organizations. Over a decade at University of Nebraska in under-graduate and graduate level teaching, renewable energy research, energy conservation research, and energy policy at the locally and nationally. He has experience in the built environment, renewable energy, electric utilities, international development. Expertise and interests include passive solar, solar water heating, and photovoltaic solar applications for the built environment, power generation, industrial, and transportation sectors in both the developing and developing world.

His current professional activities are focused to facilitate adaptation and mitigation policies and technologies to address the climate crisis. These activities are at the local and international level in both developed and developing countries and include the development of specific projects, policies, and programs, locally and internationally. Numerous national and international presentations and collaborations.

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