IEA SHC Solar Academy on: Global Solar Certification Network (2)

Harald Drück is Head of the Research and Test Centre for Solar Systems (TZS) and Head of R&D at the Institute for Building Energetics, Thermotechnology, and Energy Storage (IGTE) at the University of Stuttgart, Germany. His scientific focus is predominately related to the development of performance test methods and certification schemes for solar systems and their components for domestic hot water production, space heating, industrial processes, and solar thermal cooling as well as on the areas of heat storage, buildings with high solar fractions and smart cities.

Nationally and internationally, Dr. Harald Drück works as a consultant for a large number of public and private clients. In addition, he is involved in numerous national and international working groups and committees, e.g. as Honorary Chairman of the Solar Keymark Network and Chairman of the Global Solar Certification Network, the European Standardisation Committee CEN TC 312, and the international Standardisation Committee ISO TC 180 as well as the Board of Directors of the European solar thermal industry federation Solar Heat Europe (SHE).
Furthermore, he is a Task Manager of the newly initiated IEA SHC Task 66 on Solar Energy Buildings.
In addition to his work at the University of Stuttgart, Harald Drück is also head of SWT (Solar- und Wärmetechnik Stuttgart / Solar Heat Technology Stuttgart), one of the leading service providers in the field of solar thermal technology and Adjunct Professor at the Raiagiri School of Engineering and Technology in Kochi, India.

Bärbel Epp is the founder and managing director of the German consultancy solrico. She is responsible for the international newsletter of the web portal www.solarthermalworld.org, reporting exclusively about market and technology trends in the solar heating and cooling sector globally. solrico also created the first online World Map of SHIP suppliers (SHIP = Solar Heat for Industrial Processes) and carries out surveys among the around 80 companies listed on the world map annually. For six years Bärbel Epp is the SHC chapter author of the annual Global Status Report on Renewables published by REN21. Bärbel Epp graduated in Physics at the University of Oldenburg, Germany.

Marisol was born in Mexico and has lived in Germany since 2004. She graduated with honours in Business Administration from UNAM and holds a Master's degree in European Studies from Hochschule Bremen in Germany. In addition, she has studied International Marketing, Leadership, and Sustainable Development.

Her core competencies are strategic marketing, business development, and international project management. Marisol has worked in the public sector in Mexico, accumulating experience in the formulation of public policies. In Germany, she worked at the Environmental Institute of the Technology Transfer Centre in Bremerhaven for three years, where she gained experience in the acquisition and management of international and European Union-funded projects (FP5, FP6 and FP7). Later, she worked for the German manufacturer of solar collectors Ritter Energie for 8 years, in the areas of Export, Business Development, and Marketing.

Since 2016 Marisol works independently and has her own consultancy established in Berlin: matters.mx. Its clients include highly recognized companies and organizations in the European and Mexican solar energy market. She is a consultant, speaker and participates in several projects in the solar sector at an international level: Solar Heating Initiative: member of the steering committee and responsible for marketing and public relations: Heat Changers: founder and coordinator, Solar Payback: responsible for the communication activities in Mexico of this IKI-project funded by the German government, Intersolar Mexico: project manager of the Mexico edition of the worldwide-known series of Intersolar Exhibitions and Conferences, ANES: member of the XXI Board of Directors as Secretary of International Affairs, W4RES: member of the Board of Directors.

Sören Scholz, born in 1969, studied Process and Environmental Technology and Industrial Engineering at the Technische Fachhochschule Berlin. Since 2001 he works for DIN CERTCO, a subsidiary of TÜV Rheinland, as Head of Product Management and Deputy Head of the Certification Body. Mr. Scholz is a member or chairman of various national and European certification committees and experience exchange groups such as the Solar KEYMARK Network. He is also responsible for the management of KEYMARK, the European quality mark for products and services, on behalf of CEN.

Harry Michalopoulos is the Managing Director at Sammler solar, one of the leading companies in Greece in the field of manufacturing solar water heaters. He has been with the company for more than 20 years, starting at the sales department and evolving into critical positions such as Sales Manager and Export Director where he managed to expand the business and to establish it internationally with a presence in more than 40 countries worldwide.

He is an advocate of renewable energy, sustainability, and decarbonization, actively participating in forums, roundtables, and conferences aiming to promote the high potential of solar heating in Europe and worldwide. Harry has been Chairman of Technical Committee TC 312 since 2018, Vice President of the Greek Solar Thermal Industry Association (ΕΒΗΕ) and Member of the Board Global Solar Certification Network.  

He was born in Athens – Greece and graduated from ASETEM-SELETE in 2001, as a Mechanical Engineer.