Davin Chown, Director, Mainstream Renewable Power

Davin is the Operations Director of Genesis Eco-Energy and Managing Director of Mainstream Renewable Power South Africa, the joint venture company set up between Genesis and Mainstream Renewable Power based in Dublin, Ireland. The joint venture is currently developing wind and solar projects worth €850m.

Davin completed a B.Comm (UP), the DPLR at UNISA School for Business Leadership, and went on to complete a Masters in Management (Wits Business School) and a Masters in Sustainable Ecological Management (UP). He gained his experience in various sectors from the trade union & NGO sector through to IT, management consulting, finance, banking and insurance, resources & energy.

He led a team that developed the Sustainable Energy Strategy for the Western Cape Government, has provided advice to local authorities and national government on LED and sustainable energy issues.

In addition he is a member of the International Society of Industrial Ecology, the African Wind Energy Association and the Institute of Directors.

He has occupied senior leadership positions at Accenture, and was Executive Director and co-founder of OneWorld Sustainable Investments and of Incite Sustainability. He has appeared on a range of TV shows and written numerous articles on sustainable investment and development and appeared in magazines such as Leadership and Acumen.

Irvan Damon, Ambassador, Sustainable Energy Society of Southern Africa (SESSA)
                                                            

Irvan Damon:  champion of a greener vision 

The Sustainable Energy Society of Southern Africa (SESSA) Solar Water Heating (SWH), a non-profit organisation, has appointed Irvan Damon as an ambassador to champion and educate Southern Africa about renewable energy and its effective role in addressing climate change.

In line with SA’s post Copenhagen commitment of reducing emissions by 34% by 2020, Damon will play an instrumental role in realising SWH’s vision to provide one square metre of solar collector per person by the year 2020.

Damon says solar is an additional form of offsetting one’s carbon footprint, complementing tree planting.  He forsees green economic empowerment being integral to creating sustainable industries, while saving the plane one solar system at a time.

Damon believes that the energy sector as a whole is not only making significant strides in addressing the climate and global warming crisis, but also providing enticing opportunities for new green industry investment, green collar jobs, as well as improving the quality of life for Southern Africa. 

Prof Wikus van Niekerk, Director, Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies, Stellenbosch University

Wikus van Niekerk is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical & Mechatronic Engineering at Stellenbosch University.  He holds a PhD from the University of California at Berkeley.  Prof van Niekerk is the Director of the Centre for Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies established in 2006 to coordinate the Postgraduate Programme in Renewable and Sustainable Energy Studies funded by the South African National Energy Research Institute.  He has a keen interest in harvesting the energy from waves.  Prof van Niekerk is a registered professional engineer with the Engineering Council of South African (Registration number 940462) and has been practising as a consultant to industry for fifteen years.  Previously he specialised in noise and vibration with particular emphasis on human response to vibration.  He has published more than 14 articles in refereed international journals and presented a number of papers at international conferences.

Brian Statham, Chairperson, South African National Energy Association (SANEA)

Brian has some 34 years of experience in the power industry in South Africa.

Working for Eskom for most of his career, he has been involved in construction, operations, research, production planning, investment planning, project development and strategic planning, predominantly in the area of power generation.

In parallel he has been active in World Energy Council (WEC) work, especially since being elected Secretary-General of the South African National Energy Association

(SANEA) in 1999. Brian is currently the Executive Chairman of SANEA

Brian was elected to the position of Executive Chairman of SANEA in March 2007,

and since then has devoted his time to the work of the Association and of the WEC.

During his career Brian has served on a number of governmental task forces and

committees dealing with energy matters. Brian has also actively supported the

WEC’s programme on the Performance of Generating Plant.

More recently, from 2004 to 2007, he chaired the WEC Global Study on “Energy

Policy Scenarios to 2050. Brian currently serves on the WEC Studies Committee for

the 2008 – 2010 work cycle.

In September 2009 the Executive Assembly of the World Energy Council elected

Brian as Chair-Elect of the WEC Studies Committee for the 2010 -2013 work cycle.

He also serves as an Officer of the World Energy Council since September 2010.

Barry McColl, Technology, Strategy & Planning, Eskom

Barry's main task is to determine the ESKOM Research and Innovation Department research strategy and align it with company objectives. This includes allocating and managing the research budget spend in accordance with the strategy. This ensures researching project delivery and implementation and project manages Eskom’s Research Pilot and Demonstration programme.

Barry is registered with the Engineering Council of South Africa (ECSA) and is a Member of the South African Institute of Electrical Engineers (SAIEE). He enjoys participating in and watching most sports, especially golf, cricket and rugby.

Tumai Murombo, Senior Lecturer, Oliver Schreiner Law School, University of the Witwatersrand

Tumai Murombo is a Senior Lecturer in Law having joined Wits as a lecturer in June 2006. He previously taught at the University of Zimbabwe, and he is an admitted Legal Practitioner of the High Court Zimbabwe. He is a Beit Fellow, Fulbright Scholar and member of the IUCN Commission on Environmental Law. In 2005 he interned with the Permanent Mission of the FSM to the United Nations rendering advisory services on sustainable development, human rights, marine resources, energy and the environment at the UN HQ in New York. From 2004 to 2005, he was Legal Counsel to the Privatization Agency of Zimbabwe [PAZ]. He is a Co-founder and Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association [ZELA]. Tumai is passionate about and has done research and published in environmental and sustainable development law, biodiversity, common property rights, and environmental justice. Tumai is currently pursuing a doctorate in renewable energy regulation in South Africa at Wits.