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The German Board
Max Pohl
1st Chairman and Founder
Max studied Psychology (B.Sc.) at the City University in London and Economics (M.A.) at the Zeppelin University in Friedrichshafen. During his business studies, he dealt specifically with the topic of social business and, as part of his master’s thesis, launched a social business concept concerning the distribution of decentralized solar energy solutions in Ethiopia. Max Pohl has been the founder and a board member of the non-profit Sahay Solar Association since 2009 and works on the implementation of the social business idea in Germany, Ethiopia and Switzerland.
Sebastian Zenz
2nd Chairman
Sebastian first completed his bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering at the FH Karlsruhe and is currently preparing for his professional future as a master’s student in ‘Entrepreneurship’. In addition, he has realized various solar projects in Ethiopia in recent years as an employee and project manager of a student NGO specializing in the field of ‘solar water supply’. Sebastian is a board member of the Sahay Solar Association and acts as a training lecturer as well as a technical expert for solar trainings and solar installations in Ethiopia and other African countries.
Amelie Pohl
Treasurer and Founder
Amelie was already working on development policy issues during her bachelor’s degree in human geography in London and continued her education in the fields of public relations and the non-profit sector as part of a master’s degree in communication and cultural studies in Friedrichshafen. As a founder and a board member of the Sahay Solar Association, she contributes her previous professional experience in public relations and administration of non-profit institutions to the further development of the association.
Dr. Alexander Jordan
Secretary
Alex has been an active member of the Sahay Solar Initiative since 2011. As he studied economics in Jena and Aarhus, Alexander is interested in the distribution of environmentally-friendly technologies in developing countries. In this regard, he analyzed the decision to adopt new technologies from different perspectives during his doctoral thesis at the University of Turin. Alexander supports the Sahay Solar Association with his professional knowledge in the implementation of the social business approach and the awareness building strategy and takes care of PR, social media and the website.
The Swiss Board
Hans Rudolf Tobler
Chairman and Founder
Ruedi was born in 1940 in Winterhur, Switzerland. He acted as advisor to the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (Bern) in the field of ‘Marketing for Renewable Energies and Energy Efficiency’. Since 1999, he has also worked as a partner in numerous architectural projects involving geothermal and solar energy systems and, for example, organizes the presentation of sustainable architectural projects at the Swiss construction trade for SWISSBAU. Hans Rudolf Tobler also organizes various conferences in the field of construction and energy efficiency in cooperation with the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH) and other partners.
Alexandra Kellermann-Freytag
Board Member
Alex is a construction expert with involvement in many solar projects in Switzerland. She has been working for and with Tobler & Partner for 19 years, focusing on the marketing of environmentally and energy-conscious construction. She mainly deals with PR and media presentation of Sahay Solar’s activities in Ethiopia and is involved in fundraising for new solar systems, for instance for schools or health centers in Africa.
Roger Buser
Board Member
Roger studied electrical engineering at the HTL in Muttenz. He teaches solar energy amongst other things at the Lucene University of Applied Sciences and Arts and continues to lead and teach the certified solar engineer course. Since the beginning of 2016 he has been a permanent member of the Sahay Solar Association in Switzerland and is responsible for the training activities, leads the regular solar training courses on site in Ethiopia and plays a key role in designing our technical solar solutions for the electrification of schools and health centers.
Marieline Bader
Project and Sustainability Manager
Marieline Bader graduated in Korean and Development Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London and received her master’s degree in International Studies with a major in International Development Cooperation at Seoul National University (SNU). She gained practical experience in development cooperation during her six-month internship at UNIDO, the United Nations Industrial Development Organization in Seoul, and during her eight-month assignment at the Swiss Embassy in Ethiopia. At the GIZ Academy for International Cooperation she completed the course Project Management in International Cooperation.
Since 2018, Marieline is responsible for the project and sustainability management at Sahay Solar.
The Sahay-Team at the Arba Minch University
Zelalem Girma
Project Manager
Zelalem is the head of the AMU Sahay Team at the Arba Minch University (AMU). He otherwise works as director of the newly founded Institute of Renewable Energy Technologies and holds a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the Belgian University of Delft. Zelalem is responsible for coordinating the activities of our local Sahay Team, on-site project management and drafting reports. He is the first point of contact for communication with the representatives of the local government, the university administration and the responsible persons of the respective project villages.
Sodessa Soma
Technical Manager
Sodessa is the technical manager of the AMU Sahay Team and received his master’s degree in electrical engineering in 2017. He is responsible for the technical aspects of the AMU Solar Competence Center (AMU SSC), the logistics for the import of solar equipment from Europe and the functionality of the installed solar systems in schools and health centers and thus, the important aspect of regular maintenance.
Zeleke Ginto
Senior Technical Assistant
Zeleke works as a technical assistant in the AMU Sahay Team and as a laboratory assistant for the Faculty of Electrical Engineering. He is a trained electrician and is currently doing his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. Zeleke mainly takes care of the solar equipment during the installation of the solar systems on the roof, in the technical room, or wherever it is necessary. Before Zeleke joined our team, he already worked for the Stiftung Solarenergie (Solar Energy Foundation) and gained extensive experience in dealing with pico solar systems and solar home systems (SHS).
Nigussie Worku
Junior Technical Assistant
Nigussie has been a Junior Assistant in the AMU Sahay Team since 2017 and works as a laboratory assistant for the Faculty of Electrical Engineering. He is currently studying for his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. Together with Zeleke, he mainly takes care of the solar equipment during the installation of the solar systems on the roof, in the technical room, or wherever it is necessary.
The lecturers
Roger Buser
Lecturer (FH Lucerne)
Roger studied electrical engineering at the HTL in Muttenz. He teaches solar energy amongst other things at the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts and continues to lead and teach the certified solar engineer course. Since the beginning of 2016 he has been a permanent member of the Sahay Solar Association in Switzerland and is responsible for the training activities, leads the regular solar training courses on site in Ethiopia and plays a key role in designing our technical solar solutions for the electrification of schools and health centers.
Domenico Chianese
Lecturer(SUPSI)
Domenico holds a diploma in electronic engineering and has worked as a Senior Researcher at the ISAAC Institute of SUPSI in Lugano since 1998. Domenico is involved in various solar projects in Africa and other regions and supports the Sahay Solar Association with his wealth of experience as a reliable partner. Together with Roger, Domenico teaches the Ethiopian students solar technology and supports our local Sahay Team at Arba Minch University during the installation of the PV systems in rural areas.
Dr. Christof Bucher
Lecturer (FH Lucerne)
Christof Bucher (1982) grew up in the canton of Solothurn and studied electrical engineering and information technology at the ETH Zurich. Since 2008, he has been working for Basler & Hofmann as a project manager for photovoltaic systems. From 2010 to 2014 he wrote a dissertation at the ETH on ‘Grid Feed-In of Solar Power’. Since 2012, he has been lecturing on photovoltaics part-time at the FH Lucerne.
