GESS I: Introduction to Renewable Energy Technologies

Current Position

Marta Stetsiv joined RENAC in 2023 as an expert in international energy efficiency training. As part of the Solar & Energy Efficiency Division, she conceptualises, plans, and manages international and national training programmes, materials, and projects for energy efficiency in buildings.  

Professional Experience

Before joining RENAC, Marta worked as a technical advisor at GIZ Ukraine for two IKI (Internationale Klimaschutzinitiative) projects focusing on energy efficiency in buildings. There she coordinated the planning and implementation of refurbishing multi-storey residential buildings, including construction. Marta also brings extensive experience as a team lead and engineer in the energy sector. She has an in-depth understanding of electricity supply networks and industries, markets and policies, and technical details of power grids and their components. 

Education

Marta received her master’s degree in Electrical Engineering Systems of Energy Consumption from Lviv Polytechnic National University in Ukraine.

Current position:

Albrecht Tiedemann heads the Green Hydrogen, Climate Policy, and Renewables Grid Integration division at RENAC. He manages international capacity development programmes on green hydrogen, energy transition, and Power-to-X (PtX) for applications professionals in the public and private energy sectors. As an experienced educator and trainer, he designs and implements blended learning seminars covering green hydrogen project development, renewable PtX pathway assessment, grid integration of photovoltaic and wind power, and wind farm economics and technology. Albrecht also moderates and chairs panel discussions, workshops, seminars, and conferences.

Professional experience:

Albrecht has been highly involved in integrating renewable energies into the German energy supply system and conducting strategic energy transition analyses for the German energy sector. Before joining RENAC, he was a project director at the German Energy Agency (dena) GmbH, where he also worked as a consultant for the German Federal Ministry of Economics & Technology, the Federal Ministry for the Environment, the European Commission, and enterprises in the energy sector. Furthermore, he was the chairperson of the Offshore Wind Standing Committee of the Federal Government and the Forum Offshore Wind Energy and Nature Conservation. Albrecht was also a scientific assistant for the Federal Environmental Agency of Germany, responsible for developing environmentally friendly technologies.

Education:

He holds an Engineer for Environmental Technology degree from the Technical University of Berlin.

Current position:

Jens Brand has been working at RENAC since March 2021. As project director of the Solar and Energy Efficiency department, he develops photovoltaics off-grid curricula and seminar training material for practitioners, trainers, and other experts in the sector. 

Professional experience:

Before joining RENAC, Jens worked at hardware manufacturing facilities, including SMD production, and designed solar home systems for markets in Africa. He brings extensive practice-based experience in hardware engineering, product design, manufacturing, and technical operations to the RENAC team.

Education:

Jens Brand holds a Master of Science (M.Sc.) degree in sustainable energy studies. He speaks English, French, and German.

Current Position
Since 2017, Johann Woick has been an external consultant for RENAC, developing training materials, course design concepts, and e-learning content. He also conducts seminars and train-the-trainer programmes for RENAC's Green Banking team.
 
Professional Experience
Johann is an expert on financing international renewable energy projects, with nearly 20 years of professional experience in the renewable energy sector. He currently works at DAL as a Senior Project Manager, originating debt capital for German and international renewable energy projects. Previously, Johann worked as a management consultant, project financier, and managing director, specialising in financing renewable energy projects. During his career, he and his team have successfully obtained more than EUR 1 billion in funding for renewable energy projects. He also has experience in structuring international corporate structures, and has been significantly involved in the development and implementation of several business plans. 
 
Education
Johann Woick holds a Diplôme de l'ESCE in International Management from ESCE International Business School, Paris, and a degree (Diplom-Kaufmann (FH)) from Berlin School of Economics in International Management. 
 

Current position:

Martin Schnauss has worked in the renewable energy sector for more than 30 years. He is a freelance engineer and external consultant for RENAC, developing training materials and conducting seminars and train-the-trainer programmes.

Professional experience:

Martin is an expert on solar thermal and PV systems with extensive planning and construction experience. He provides technical support and has expertise in monitoring and research, system optimisation, and computer simulation. He shares his knowledge in several publications, including in magazines, technical literature, and training courses.

Before joining RENAC, he was an engineer at the Technical University of Berlin and several solar engineering companies. As a consultant, he worked for the German Solar Industry Association (BSW-Solar) and as a short-term expert for GIZ. Martin regularly gives presentations at national and international conferences and leads seminars on renewable energy technologies with a focus on solar thermal technology.

Education:

Martin received his electrical engineering diploma from the Technical University of Berlin.

Current position:

Volker Jaensch is head of the Bioenergy, Renewable Energy, and Energy Efficiency Finance Division at RENAC. Since joining RENAC in 2010, Volker has implemented and managed bioenergy, wind energy, and green banking training programmes and projects. He has also been responsible for designing and creating renewable energy training centres, such as at Earth University in Costa Rica.

Professional experience:

Before RENAC, Volker was a project manager at Veolia Environment and Gamesa Energia, where he gained ten years of professional experience in project development, due diligence, finance, and implementation of renewable energy projects with a focus on biomass and wind energy. He was also involved in renewable energy policy frameworks at the German Energy Agency (dena). Furthermore, Volker worked in developing and implementing sustainable carbon credit-generating projects (according to the Kyoto Protocol and the Gold Standard) in developing countries.

Education:

Volker received his MBA in 2001 from South Bank University London. He also holds a degree in Environmental Engineering from the University of Applied Science Gießen.