Off-Grid to the Rescue: Rebuilding with Mini-Grids

As CEO of SOLAR23 GmbH Tobias Merkel is driving since 2012 the success of the rural electrification in several African countries. He started his career 2008 at leader of the controlling department within a construction stock exchange company. His responsibility within SOLAR23 containing the company strategy, the operation and financing of the projects.

Vladyslav Sokolovskyi is Chairman of the Board of the Solar Energy Association of Ukraine and a lawyer with 27+ years of experience in the energy sector.

Dr. Tania Vorwerk is a senior development policy expert with a focus on sustainable development, energy, environment and infrastructure. She studied Law and Scandinavian Studies in Freiburg and Munich and holds a PhD in European Environmental Law. Prior to joining the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) in 2002, she worked in the private sector, including as a senior consultant at the international management consultancy Kienbaum, and served as Head of International Affairs and Protocol for the City of Bonn. At the BMZ, she has held several leadership roles, including Director for Strategy and Policy Planning and Deputy Director General for Environment and Infrastructure. In this capacity, she represented the BMZ in key international processes, including as "Sherpa" supporting former Federal President Horst Köhler on the UN High-Level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda under UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Currently, Tania heads the Deputy Subdirectorate for General Climate, Environment and Health at the BMZ.

Lea Dunst holds two Master's degrees from the University of Freiburg and Sciences Po University of Aix-en-Provence, with a strong background in international relations and climate policy. Since 2015, she has worked in various capacities for NGOs, international organizations and consultancies. Before joining BSW-Solar, she managed international cooperation projects on climate adaptation at the consulting firm adelphi. In early 2022, Ms. Dunst started her current position at the German Solar Industry Association (BSW-Solar). Since then, she has been actively involved in the management of events such as the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue and the "Women Energize Women" conference, as well as in studies and cooperation projects focusing on solar energy, especially in Africa.

Lana Almasri is an independent energy advisor with 10+ years of experience in utility-scale renewable projects across Europe, South West Asia, and Africa. Former Senior Project Engineer at ENERTRAG, she led GW-scale green energy developments from concept to feasibility."

Gianni Chianetta is Founder & Chair at Greening the Islands Foundation, Founder and CEO at The Green Consulting Group, member of the Steering Committee of the of the Global Renewable Alliance and of the Global Alliance for Sustainable Energy, Chairman of Worldwide Carbon Price and member of the Advisory Board at REN21. He has been working in the area of energy since 2003. He has been, Head of Comms & External Affairs at BP Italy, Managing Director at BP Solar Italy, Founder and Chairman of the first Italian Solar PV Industry Association for three consecutive terms when he negotiated the five Photovoltaic Energy Incentive Decrees (feed in-tariff) with the Italian Government, that has brought the installed capacity from about 35 MWp to more than 20 GWp. He also chaired the National Committee for Solar Energy of the Italian Ministry of the Environment, was member of the Steering Committee of the Coalition for Action of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), and member of the Strategy Committee of Solar Power Europe. Mr Chianetta founded the Global Network of National PV Associations in 2007, which has been the basis for the Global Solar Council being elected Co-Chairman and Chairman before taking on the role of CEO. He has a degree in Mechanical & Management Engineering and masters/seminars at: Middlesex University (London; Kellogg School of Management (Chicago); SDA Bocconi Milano (Milan); Istituto de Empresa (Madrid).

Eng. Dereje Walelign is the Chief Executive Officer of Lydetco PLC, a pioneer Ethiopian company specializing in solar photovoltaic (PV) and solar thermal solutions. He is a founder and current Chairperson of the Ethiopian Solar Energy Development Association (ESEDA), where he contributes to the growth and promotion of solar energy development in Ethiopia.Eng. Dereje holds a B.Sc. degree in Civil Engineering from Addis Ababa University. Before establishing Lydetco in 1996, he had a distinguished career with Shell Ethiopia, where he worked for over 12 years in various engineering and management roles, including Project Engineer, Equipment Engineer, Operations Assistant, and later Engineering Manager for Shell Ethiopia, Shell Eritrea, and Shell Djibouti.Through Lydetco, he has led the development and deployment of solar PV and solar thermal technologies, including innovative grid-independent solar energy solutions and solar cooker manufacturing, supporting the expansion of renewable energy applications in Ethiopia.