On-Grid Goes Off-Grid - Roundtable Discussion

Inès van Oldeneel has a background in Political Sciences and International Development from the University of Bristol. She worked for a development consulting company and Stakeholder management company in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania before joining the Alliance for Rural Electrification in Brussels. Inès van Oldeneel is Officer for the market and Business Development at the Alliance for Rural Electrification where she is involved in projects and publications related to decentralised renewable energy in Sub-Saharan Africa. ARE is a business association that brings together more than 200 companies working across the decentralised renewable energy value chain mainly in Sub-Saharan Africa and enables the business environment for those companies.

Paulus Mulunga is the Secretary of the Renewable Industry Association of Namibia (REIAoN). REIAoN advocates for the growth of Renewable Energy in Namibia by securing technical and ethical standards within the sector to the benefit of the Namibian consumer. REIAoN is a platform for collaboration, consultation, creating awareness within the industry. Paulus is also a Founder and Managing Director of a Renewable Technology Company called Lights Systems Namibia (LSN). LSN is focused on providing Sustainable Renewable Energy Photovoltaic (PV) Solutions in Namibia. These Solutions include the latest technologies supported by the latest in information systems to raise efficiencies and lower costs. Paulus has a Master's Degree in Computer Science, a Bachelor's of Science Degree in Computer Science and Economics and a certificate for a programmer in soar energy for Master Trainers from ISA. He has a number of Diplomas and certificates.

Lea Dunst is a political scientist (Freiburg / Aix-en-Provence) with a focus on climate change and international relations. Since 2015, she has worked in various NGOs, international organizations and consultancies. Most recently, she supervised several consulting projects at adelphi in the field of climate adaptation within development cooperation, including in Tunisia. Lea Dunst has undergone further training in numerous areas and is, among other things, a certified mediator. She has been working for BSW Solar since January 2022 and is responsible for international association partnerships, the preparation of studies and is involved in the organization of various conference formats, including the Berlin Energy Transition Dialogue (BETD) and the Women Energize Women (WEW) conference.

Bärbel Höhn is a German politician for Alliance '90/The Greens. Ms. Höhn became State Minister for Environment and Agriculture in North Rhine-Westphalia from 1995 to 2005. In 2005 she was elected to the Bundestag in the 2005 national elections. She first served as chairwoman of the Committee on Food, Agriculture and Consumer Protection from 2005 to 2006. Between 2006 and 2013 she was vice chairwoman of the Green parliamentary group in the Bundestag, and as such responsible for the issues of energy, climate, environment, transport, agriculture, nature conservation and construction. From 2014 to 2017 Bärbel Höhn served as chairwoman of the Committee on the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety. Having participated in various UN Climate Change conferences, she was a regular speaker at international climate and energy conventions. Since November 2017, Bärbel Höhn has been acting as unpaid Special Representative for Energy in Africa for the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development. She plays a special role in this regard to promote the Green People's Energy initiative with their many years of political experience and expertise in citizen-based renewable energy.

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David Wedepohl, Managing Director International Affairs David Wedepohl is a radio journalist by training who studied and worked on both sides of the Atlantic. He holds a master's degree in Journalism and Public Affairs which he achieved as a Fulbright scholar. His professional experience included working for the German embassy in Washington, DC as a senior press and public diplomacy officer. He first came in touch with the solar industry while working for an American consulting company before taking up his job as director communications and markets at the German Solar Association, also serving as the organization's spokesperson. He now holds the position of managing director international affairs and is responsible for the association's international activities. Among those are projects in North, West and Southern Africa, Latin America, South-East Asia and the US.

Abdul-Wahab Raaj (BSc. MBA, MSc) is an expert on solar energy and environmental management. He was born in Ghana, educated in Germany and Britain. He currently runs Süka Energy Group of which Suka Power Ltd is a part. After finishing his renewable energy technical training in Thüringen, Germany in 1999, he moved to the United Kingdom in 2004 and started his own company - Süka Energy Group - specialised in solar energy components and electrical heating systems distribution in the UK for manufacturers from Germany. Süka has become one of UK's leading providers of grid- based solar energy solutions, designing, selling, and installing solar systems across United Kingdom; and since 2009, in Ghana too. After completing his Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Development Finance and Operations Management; and Master of Science (MSc.) in Energy and Environmental Management with the Open University of United Kingdom, Mr Raaj has functioned as a leading expert on solar energy and environmental management; providing strategic guidance and data-driven insights to empower businesses in the energy sector. With over 20 years of experience in the industry, Mr. Raaj is a trusted advisor known for his expertise in energy strategy, data analysis, and sustainable solutions. He has provided consultancy services to leading organisations like University of Bristol and other clients such as hospitals to optimise their energy portfolios, enhance operational efficiency, and drive sustainability initiatives. His analytical mindset, combined with a deep understanding of renewable energy technologies, enables him to identify growth opportunities and guide clients toward a greener, NetZero, and more profitable future. He currently lives and works in Ghana building up Süka Power Limited as well as its knowledge transfer wing known as Women in Renewable Energy (WiRE) in Ghana. He has travelled extensively throughout Europe, Asia and West Africa always learning about the different approaches used by different organisations to achieve wider diffusion of renewable energy.

Deepak Mohapatra works as the Senior Officer - Business & Market Development at the Alliance for Rural Electrification (ARE), a leading global business association representing the decentralised renewable energy (DRE) sector for provision of energy access in developing and emerging countries. He works closely together with more than 200 ARE Members, as well as international and local partners to improve market conditions, facilitate capacity building, and establish favourable environment enabling business for private sector companies in DRE space across the globe. Previously Deepak worked at a German NGO called 'Lernen - Helfen - Leben e.V. as a Project Coordinator. He holds MSc. in Renewable Energy Management from Technical University of Cologne (TH Köln), Germany and B.Tech. in Electrical & Electronics Engineering from Biju Patnaik University of Technology (BPUT), India.