Applying Renewable Energy: Solar Technologies

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:

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:

Rafael Juan Martí is a project director and instructor at the Renewables Academy (RENAC) AG in Berlin. Rafael joined RENAC in 2021 and has been working on capacity building in renewable energies and green energy business projects as part of the Solar Energy/Energy Efficiency/Rural Electrification team. He is also a mentor for green energy companies and entrepreneurs in Africa as well as a trainer for the development of solar projects and storage solutions. Rafael is currently specialising in ESG and impact investing.

Professional Experience:

Before joining RENAC, Rafael gained several years of experience working on solar project development in Latin America. He has worked in the area of business development with several companies in different points of the renewable solar industry chain and has technical as well as commercial knowledge in power electronics and energy storage solutions.

Education:

Rafael Juan Martí holds an MBA in International Business Management from the Menéndez Pelayo International University in Madrid, Spain and a postgraduate diploma in Energy Economics and Management from Monterrey Institute of Technology in Monterrey, Mexico. From the University of Valencia in Valencia, Spain, he received a Law and Political Science double bachelor’s degree. Rafael speaks Spanish, English, German, and French.