THE SOLAR TEAM

The figure below shows the organisational structure and the chain-of-command of the Austrian Solar Project. The Austrian Development Agency (ADA) is at the top of the project ladder. AEE INTEC is answerable to ADA and DOMESTIC SOLAR HEATING (DSH) in turn is accountable to AEE INTEC. Both AEE INTEC and DSH form the steering committee of the project. While AEE INTEC is the overall project co-ordinator with respect to organisational, technical and financial issues, DSH is in charge of running the day-to-day business which includes making the subsidy scheme known, dealing with applicants and donors, negotiating with manufacturers and installers, preparing and supervising installations and instructing the new owner in how to maintain the institutional solar hot water systems.

The Development Technology Centre (DTC) and the Solar Energy Industries Association of Zimbabwe (SEIAZ) are local solar energy authorities. They are subcontracted by AEE INTEC to give the steering committee recommendations concerning the selection of applicants for subsidised solar hot water systems, the observation of quality standards and the instillation of maintenance awareness. DTC staff have been instrumental in carrying out a market studies on the demand for solar water heating systems in the domestic and institutional sector.

AEE INTEC, GLEISDORF, AUSTRIA

    Werner Weiss - Project Manager

With profound expertise in mechanical engineering, Werner Weiss co-founded AEE-INTEC in 1988 as an independent, non-governmental organisation. Its work emphasis is placed on the use of energy and resources and on the development of technologies and strategies which facilitate a quick and widespread use of solar know-how as the basis for an ecologically compatible supply of energy in the future. Werner has over 20 years of experience in the field of solar technology and 15 years of experience in management of more than 20 international projects. He co-ordinated several Austrian and international solar energy projects in countries such as Bulgaria, China, Iran, Latvia, Tanzania, Uganda, Ukraine, Nicaragua and Zimbabwe. Werner is a member of the International Solar Energy Society (ISES), the Austrian Standards Institute and other advisory groups. He co-authored several books and published innumerable articles on solar technology.

DOMESTIC SOLAR HEATING P/L (DSH), HARARE, ZIMBABWE

    Anton Schwarzlmuller - Local Project Manager (LPM)

After attaining a PhD in Meteorology and Geophysics at the University of Graz in Austria in 1982, Anton headed for Zimbabwe to join the University of Zimbabwe (UZ). He taught courses and supervised final year projects in electrical engineering and solar water heating technology. Parallel to that, Anton got involved in the investigation of lightning fatalities, upon wondering about their rather high frequency in Zimbabwe. This led him to present his findings at regional and international symposia and publish them in a number of international journals.

In 1996, Anton founded Domestic Solar Heating P/L (DSH) to manufacture and install low cost solar water heaters for Zimbabwean households. Two years later, DSH partnered with AEE-INTEC, an Austrian based specialist in solar technology to implement Austrian-funded solar water heating and solar drying projects in Zimbabwe.

      Penelope Muzanenhamo - Communications

Penelope joined DSH in 1997 as a sales representative. When the company partnered with AEE-INTEC to carry out Austrian funded projects, Penelope assumed the responsibility of an assistant project manager, with her duties covering customer relations, sales and accounting. In 1999, Penelope moved to Austria to study for a Master in Business Administration at the University of Innsbruck. After graduation, she worked for a boutique Branding Consultant firm in Munich/Germany before going back to University for further studies. Penelope passionately dedicates her energy to the DSH -albeit the distance-and her newly founded NGO, BrandingAfrica.

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