Panels

Panel:  Electrical Safety and Standards

Abstract:

Electrical accidents are a pervasive effect of development, or are they?  While sadly a regular occurrence wherever electricity has been available, statistics in developed countries actually show that the number of accidents can be reduced, even as more electricity is used.  The goal of the panel will be to examine the underlying common reasons for accidents, ways to prevent them, as well as the role of standards for the safe use of electricity.  The panel experts have background in both safety and standards, and will provide first-hand experience of what has been done in the previous decades to minimize the occurrence of accidents.  Many African regions are new or relatively new to electricity, and there is an opportunity for the continent to combine development with safety.

Panelists:

• John Nelson, NEI Engineering, USA
• Daleep Mohla, DCM Electrical Consulting Services, USA
• Sreekumar Nhalur, Member, Prayas (Energy Group), Pune, India – Tentative
• Geisel Custodio, ASEP – Engenharia, Lda, Angola – Tentative
• Marcelo Valdes, ABB, USA – Tentative
• Engr. Tasiu Wudil, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Agency, NERC, Nigeria – Tentative

Bios:

James (Jim) R. White, Shermco, USA (moderator).  Jim White, Vice President of Training Services, has worked for Shermco Industries Inc. since 2001. He is a US National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Certified Electrical Safety Compliance Professional (CESCP) and a NETA Level IV Senior Technician. Jim is NETA’s principle member on NFPA Technical Committee NFPA 70E® Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace®, NETA’s principle representative on National Electrical Code® (NEC®) Code-Making Panel (CMP) 13, and represents NETA on ASTM International Technical Committee F18 Electrical Protective Equipment for Workers. Jim is Shermco Industries’ principal member on NFPA Technical Committee for NFPA 70B: Recommended Practice for Electrical Equipment Maintenance and represents AWEA (American Wind Energy Association) on the ANSI/ISEA Standard 203 Secondary Single-Use Flame Resistant Protective Clothing for Use Over Primary Flame Resistant Protective Clothing. An IEEE Senior Member, Jim received the IEEE/IAS/PCIC Electrical Safety Excellence Award in 2011 and NETA’s Outstanding Achievement Award in 2013. Jim was Chairman of the IEEE Electrical Safety Workshop in 2008 and is currently Vice-Chair for the IEEE /IAS/PCIC Safety Subcommittee.

John Nelson, P.E., NEI Engineering, USA.  John P. Nelson graduated from the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana, in 1970, with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering, and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering, from the University of Colorado Boulder, in 1975. He performed post graduate studies in business administration from 1975-1979. Prior to his retirement, Mr. Nelson held positions with Public Service Company of Colorado, from 1969-1979, Power Line Models, from 1979-1984 and NEI Electric Power Engineering from 1984-2014. In December 2014, Mr. Nelson retired as the CEO and a principle engineer of NEI Electric Power Engineering which he founded in 1984. Mr. Nelson has also been active in the IAS Petroleum and Chemical Industry Committee since 1980 where he received the Russel W. Mills award for outstanding contributions to PCIC. Mr. Nelson was elevated to IEEE Fellow in 1999 and is the recipient of the 2012 Harold Kaufman award and the 2018 IAS Distinguished Service Award. Mr. Nelson has taught graduate and undergraduate classes at the University of Colorado.

Daleep Mohla, DCM Electrical Consulting Services, USA. 

Sreekumar Nhalur, Member, Prayas Energy Group, India.   Sreekumar has been working in power sector in the areas of policy analysis, IT applications and automation & control from 1984. After 14 years of work in the industry, in 2000, he joined Prayas, a voluntary organisation based at Pune, India, and is currently Member, Prayas (Energy Group). The Energy Group works on policy analysis, governance and civil society capacity building in energy sector. Sreekumar is involved with all the energy programs of Prayas, but his focus is on equitable electricity access and democratisation of sector governance.

Sreekumar is a member of several government committees like the Advisory Committees of State Electricity Regulatory Commissions and a Board member of several voluntary organisations like the Knowledge In Civil Society trust and Water and Livelihood Foundation. He is also associated with the People’s Monitoring Group on Electricity Regulation in Andhra Pradesh and Ananda Bharathi, a learning centre for underprivileged girl children. As a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), he is associated with the activities of its Hyderabad chapter, especially related to electricity safety.  He is an author of many articles, papers, booklets, including a Citizens’ Primer on the electricity sector and a review of the last 25 years of electricity sector reforms.

Before joining Prayas, Sreekumar worked with CMC Limited, Hyderabad and with Larsen & Toubro Limited, Mumbai. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from IIT – Bombay in 1984 and Master’s degree in Power Systems Engineering from IIT- Kharagpur.

Engr. Tasiu Wudil, Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Agency, NERC, Nigeria – Tentative

Geisel Custodio, ASEP – Engenharia, Lda, Angola – Tentative – Geisel Custodio received the Certified-Engineer degree from Agostinho Neto University, Angola, in 2010, and the Master degree in Power System Regulation and Control from the CIPEL – University Jose Antonio Echevarria – CUJAE, Habana, Cuba, in 2017.

He worked for 5 years as Teacher on High School in Luanda – Angola, and then moved to Hydroelectric Dam, as Field Engineer and Maintenance Supervisor. After that joined CHEVRON, working as Power System Engineer in Malongo – Angola.

His electrical involvement includes working with Power Load Shed (PLMS), Load Sharing, reliability projects, Load Forecast for Distribution System and power studies (2013 – at present).

In 2016, he started his own consultancy, ASEP – Engenharia, Lda. Since starting his consultancy, he has contributed to the electrical facilities inspections, test, and renewable energy industries, working on industrial and power systems.  He is also an expert witness with courtroom experience.

In 2018, He was elected as Coordinator of Electro-technical Community of Angolan Engineers Council.

Marcelo E. Valdes, P.E., ABB, USA.  Cornell University-1977, BS EE. Mr. Valdes was with GE 41 years in field engineering, sales, product management, marketing and application engineering. Since July 2018 he is with ABB’s Electrical Products division. Mr. Valdes is past chair of various IEEE PES and IAS chapters in Northern California as well as past chair of the 2014 IEEE Electrical Safety Workshop (IEEE-ESW). Mr. Valdes has received recognition for his contributions from the Pulp & Paper Industry Committee and the IEEE Electrical Safety Committee. He has published over 35 papers in the IEEE and other technical forums, mostly on Low Voltage selectivity, Arc Flash and Electrical Safety. Marcelo participates in CSA Z462, the Canadian Electrical Safety Standard, NFPA 70, the NEC and NFPA70B NFPA’s Electrical Maintenance Standard and multiple IEEE working groups including IEEE 1584. He is the holder of 28 patents in the field electrical distribution and control. Mr. Valdes is an IEEE Fellow.

Panel:  Energy Opportunities in Africa

Panel organizer & moderator:  Dr. Avoki Omekanda, Research Engineer, General Motors Global R&D Center Detroit MI, USA. IEEE Fellow, Chair Inter-Society Cooperation IEEE Industrial Applications Society

Abstract:  Energy is critical in any program focusing in a sustainable development of a community or a country.  Today, Africa is hungry for energy, as the demand is rising constantly with the increasing population, urbanization, and economic productivity.  It is also recognized that Africa is rich in energy resources, but most of the energy potential in the continent is not exploited yet.  Please join our panel discussions on Energy Opportunity in Africa, at PowerAfrica 2019 Conference, and listen to international experts on energy in Africa and its impact on the sustainable development of the continent.

Panelists:

Jon Exel – Sr. Energy Specialist – Energy Sector Management Assistance Program – The World Bank. Exel leads the Global Facility on Mini Grids and manages the Energy Access for the Urban Poor initiative. He has over two decades of experience in energy access and the alternative energy sector, working with diesel, solar, hydropower, wind, and biomass-based energy systems, developing expertise in the delivery of energy services to large groups of end users; business plans and delivery models; pre-investment and investment plans; market intelligence; and how institutions plan and operate. Jon has lived and worked in Liberia, Indonesia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, East Jerusalem, and Cambodia. Jon holds a MA in Energy Engineering and Business Administration.

The Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) is a global knowledge and technical assistance program administered by the World Bank. Its mission is to assist low- and middle-income countries to increase know-how and institutional capacity to achieve environmentally sustainable energy solutions for poverty reduction and economic growth. Since its inception in 1983, ESMAP has supported more than 800 energy-sector activities that promote poverty reduction, economic growth and low carbon development in over 100 countries.

Dr. Robin Podmore – is co-founder and co-chair of IEEE Smart Village, as well as chair of the ISV Development Committee. He is also founder and President of Incremental Systems Corp. (IncSys), a private company that helps organizations train system operators to ensure reliability of the bulk power system. Robin is passionately dedicated to using his own expertise and inspiring others, including industry partners to help energy-impoverished communities build toward sustainable prosperity. In the markets that IEEE Smart Village serves, he actively promotes IEEE Smart Village’s open-source products and encourages industry to participate in consensus development of technology-interoperability standards needed for market acceptance and investor confidence in ISV’s community entrepreneurs.

Dr. Podmore received his Bachelors and Doctorate degrees in Electrical Engineering from University of Canterbury, New Zealand. Dr. Podmore is a NERC Certified Reliability Coordinator. In 2013 Dr. Podmore was elected to the National Academy of Engineering for development of modeling and simulation tools for power system operation.

Dr. Joseph Essandoh-Yeddu holds a BSc physics, an MSc. in Engineering with specialization in Energy & Environment from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, and a PhD in Physics with specialization in Climate Change & Geosciences from the University of Texas at Austin, USA and the University of Cape Coast, Ghana. He is the Director for Strategic Planning and Policy at the Ghana Energy Commission. His main responsibilities include making energy demand and supply forecasts for the country. His co-chairs the national planning committee that prepare Ghana’s Annual Power Supply Plan.

Dr. Essandoh-Yeddu has been in Ghana’s energy sector since 1989 starting as a schedule officer for solar energy till his present position. He led the team that developed Ghana’s first Strategic National Energy Plan (SNEP: 2006-2020) and also leading the team updating it to cover up to 2030, a task expected to be completed this year. Besides, his regular work, he has been an adjunct professor in universities in and outside Ghana. He was a Burns Visiting Scholar on Sustainable Energy Solutions to the University of Lethbridge, Canada in 2014 and to the Centre for Petroleum, Energy Economics and Law (CPEEL) at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria in 2016.

He has been a member of IEEE since 2018 and currently an executive committee member of IEEE Ghana Section.  He has authored a number of papers and made presentations on sustainable energy development. And is involved with a broad cross section of climate change and sustainable energy planning and advisory groups with the UN’s Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change as well as the UN’s Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Pending

Isaac Adekanye, MNSE, MNIEEE, SMIEEE, FNATE, MNIM, MNITAD – Senior member of the IEEE and former Nigeria Section Chair.  Adekanye is a graduate of electrical/ electronic engineering from .  He is chartered electrical engineer with COREN and Fellow of Nigeria Society of Engineers and Nigeria Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers. He championed the rejuvenation of IEEE Nigeria section in 1999/2000 and served as Section Chair till 2005.

Isaac has three decades of oil/gas industry experience involving onshore and offshore production, maintenance and logistic activities. He retired from Agip Energy and Natural Resources Ltd as Production Operations Manager in 2017. He is currently with National Engineering and Technical Company Ltd as Project Manager on FPSO FIRENZE with the task of refurbishing and bringing the vessel to production.

Panel organizer:  Joe Ojo, USA

Panel moderator:  Engr. John Oladipo Ayodele, Chief Operating Officer, Ibadan Distribution System, Nigeria

Abstract:

A large percentage of the population of Africa lacks electricity supply. The extension of the utility grid to remote locations is prohibitively uneconomical and not sustainable in the long run. Standalone power systems such as micro-grids deriving source of power from renewable energy sources are becoming popular and economically affordable in the context of rural electrification.

This panel will explore the feasibility of rural electrification, the experiences in Africa and potential technologies which will aid faster penetration. Financing of rural electrification and affordability by the rural will also be discussed.

Panelists:

Mrs. Damilola Ogunbiyi, Nigerian Rural Electrification Agency, Nigeria

Dr. Ohiare Sanusi, Nigeria

Prof. Eli Bala, Director General of Nigeria Energy Commission

Sreekumar Nhalur,  Member, Prayas (Energy Group), Pune, India  (accepted, applied for funding)

Bios:

Mrs. Damilola Ogunbiyi. 

Dr. Ohiare Sanusi. 

Prof. Eli Bala –

Sreekumar Nhalur

Sreekumar Nhalur.  Sreekumar has been working in India in power sector in the areas of policy analysis, IT applications and automation & control from 1984. After 14 years of work in the industry, in 2000, he joined Prayas, a voluntary organisation based at Pune, India, and is currently Member, Prayas (Energy Group). The Energy Group works on policy analysis, governance and civil society capacity building in energy sector. Sreekumar is involved with all the energy programs of Prayas, but his focus is on equitable electricity access and democratisation of sector governance.

Sreekumar is a member of several government committees like the Advisory Committees of State Electricity Regulatory Commissions and a Board member of several voluntary organisations like the Knowledge In Civil Society trust and Water and Livelihood Foundation. He is also associated with the People’s Monitoring Group on Electricity Regulation in Andhra Pradesh and Ananda Bharathi, a learning centre for underprivileged girl children. As a Senior Member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), he is associated with the activities of its Hyderabad chapter, especially related to electricity safety.  He is an author of many articles, papers, booklets, including a Citizens’ Primer on the electricity sector and a review of the last 25 years of electricity sector reforms.

Before joining Prayas, Sreekumar worked with CMC Limited, Hyderabad and with Larsen & Toubro Limited, Mumbai. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from IIT – Bombay in 1984 and Master’s degree in Power Systems Engineering from IIT- Kharagpur.

Panel Organizer:  Engr. Abdullateef Aliyu

Moderator: Pending

Abstract:         Over the past decade a multitude of African nations have experienced rapid and meaningful economic growth, with an increasing reliance on affordable and energy efficient energy. The demand for power remains a major challenge to the continent. Outlying rural areas lack access to electricity due to poor grid infrastructure and the vast distances power needs to be distributed. This energy poverty leads to a multitude of socio-economic problems. Development of public investments such as schools, health centers, clean water and sanitation remain unfeasible without electricity. Lack of power means small enterprise is limited, homes continue to be illuminated with diminishing natural resources, and the wonders of modern global communication remain tantalizing out of reach. Fortunately, the development of off-grid solutions is starting to address this challenge. This panel will address the opportunities and challenges entrepreneurs and developers face in seizing and sustainably exploiting what is a widely recognized as a major opportunity, the introduction of a multitude of small-scale distributed energy service companies into the market.

Panelists: Jude Numfor – CEO Reliable Energy Innovators Cameroon (REIc), Jude is a seasoned entrepreneur with exceptional experience in off-grid electrification. He has great passion for the people in the off-grid communities and a member of the IEEE Smart Village. REIc is a social enterprise providing off-grid electrification using solar power and standalone/on grid solar backup systems. Jude will share his experience in bringing SunBlazer type 2kW DC/AC Microgrid systems, as well as, 30KW AC Microgrids to villages in the Northwest Region of Cameroon.

Mohamed El-Dallal – Co-founder and CEO at Innovideas, LLC Egypt – Earning his BSc degree in computer and communication Engineering from Alexandria university in 2014, Mohamed El Dallal has since been able to turn his passions into reality through various projects. He is a serial Entrepreneur currently the Co-founder and CEO of Innovideas LLC. for marketing and advertising, Co-founder of Dcodes LLC. for software solutions and Co-founder and board member of Techne Summit (a yearly international summit aimed at supporting and encouraging technological entrepreneurship). Mohamed is also an avid volunteer, participating with several NGOs, project and youth initiatives both inside and outside of Egypt since 2009. He has been a volunteer in IEEE since 2010 serving on a different position locally and regionally.  He is currently a Global Shaper, Rotarian, Vice Chair of IEEE Young Professionals MGA, Chair for IEEE Region 8 professional activities committee and IEEE Region 8 educational activities.

Sulaiman Yusuf –  Suleiman Yusuf is the CEO of Blue Camel Energy Limited, an Abuja based Renewable energy & Power back-up solution provider. Suleiman read economics and is a graduate of Bayero University, Kano. He left his job with the Federal Government of Nigeria to become an entrepreneur that provides alternative energy solutions to Nigerians. Clients include Government MDA’s, embassies, banks, universities, small businesses, military, households and a host of others. Suleiman was involved with one of Nigeria’s most impressive GREEN housing projects, the highly acclaimed off-grid Luxury apartments in the Guzape area of Abuja. He has been recognized for his contribution to Nigeria’s GREEN Space with an award at the Nigerian Alternative Energy Expo event in October 2015 as the best renewable energy company in energy efficiency and climate change-residential category.  Winner of the west African Entrepreneur of the year and a nominated finalist for the African Entrepreneur of the of year.

Mark Dominic Mugisha – Masters in Development Practice – Regis University, Denver, USA, CECREF Frankfurt School of Finance and Management, International Center for Hydropower (ICH) Trondheim Norway. Is currently a USADF implementing partner engaging grantees in all aspects of their projects; due diligence, project development and day to day transactional and technical support including preparing the projects for follow on financing.  Funded by the off-grid program of USAID’s Power Africa program. Also as a renewable energy in Uganda, Mugisha has engaged in major project planning, feasibility studies (including technical feasibility, environmental, and social impact assessment and financial close), licensing & permit acquisition, implementation as well as operations and maintenance in  the off-grid and the on grid space and in Solar, Biomass and Hydropower.

A key founder of SolarNow Services, Uganda Ltd. a leading solar home system financing company in Uganda with expanded in Kenya debt and equity financing USD$40m from Sunfunder, Novarster, Acumen, Alpha Mundi, AECF and OIKOCredit among others.

Panel organizer & moderator:  Kartik Kulkarni, Principal Member of Technical Staff, Oracle Corporation, Redwood City, USA. Chair, IEEE Humanitarian Activities Committee

Abstract:  Impact assessment enables project teams to question assumptions, better determine good practices, adapt, improve, and also be able to more effectively tell their project’s story in order to attract more support. In this panel, attendees will learn about impact assessment, focusing on Social Return on Investment (SROI) – the theory, examples of SROI assessments that are currently underway with IEEE sustainable development projects, and questions of how it can be best utilized.

Panelists:  Monica LaBiche Brown
Founder and Executive Director

Africa Development Promise

Monica LaBiche Brown founded Africa Development Promise is June 2013 and launched the organization in May 2014. Monica is from Seychelles, an African island nation in the Indian Ocean but spent her formative years in Kampala, Uganda. Living in both countries, she experienced first-hand the challenges that developing countries face, especially in the rural areas. Wanting to make a difference, Monica focused her efforts on gaining experience in development practice.  Her development career includes twelve years at the World Bank and eight years at Water for People.

Monica holds a Master’s degree in Organizational Management from Regis University, a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Spelman College, and a Graduate Certificate in Development Practice from Regis University. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and the National Association of Negro Women where she received the 2016 Living Portraits Award.

Lwanga Herbert (IEEE Uganda Section) – is the Co-founder of M/S LOG`EL GROUP. A group of companies in the technology/ innovative related sectors. Among the sectors these include Research and Development (R&D), renewable energy, IT, software applications and related technologies. He is also a co-founder of the Non Profit Arm LOG`EL Science Foundation, an organization that exists for young people’s involvement into the national development agenda through the application of science, technology, innovation and entrepreneurship.

Lwanga is the immediate past chair of the IEEE Uganda Subsection, and he is the current chair of IEEE Uganda SIGHT. Lwanga serves as a committee member of the IEEE SIGHT Operations subcommittee and the EPICS in IEEE subcommittee of IEEE Educational Activities Board.

Sampath Veeraraghavan: Mr. Sampathkumar Veeraraghavan currently serves as Chair of the 2019 IEEE SIGHT Steering Committee. As such, he is a member of the Humanitarian Activities Committee (HAC) established by the IEEE Board of Directors.

Mr. Veeraraghavan, an internationally recognized technologist, is best known for his pioneering leadership and technological innovations in developing large-scale computing systems, advanced software technologies and systems engineering solutions to solve complex real-world computing challenges across multidisciplinary domains such as healthcare, disabilities, education, poverty alleviation, assistive technologies and security.

He received his M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from Tufts University, Massachusetts, USA (2010) and B.E. degree in Computer Science and Engineering from Anna University, Tamil Nadu, India (2005). Currently, he works as a Technical Program Manager at Amazon, Massachusetts.

Mr. Veeraraghavan is the founder and director of the technology-based humanitarian program “The Brahmam” (meaning knowledge) which aims to address pressing global and local humanitarian challenges in developing nations through advanced technological solutions. For over a decade, he delivered technology-based sustainable programs that brought together the engineering community, Non-Government Organizations, Governmental agencies, engineers, students and disability advocacy groups to improve the living conditions of children with disabilities, impoverished women and students in developing nations.

SEAN MASAKI FLYNN, PhD, is the author of the international bestseller Economics for Dummies and the co-author, along with Campbell McConnell and Stanley Brue, of the world’s bestselling economics textbook. A U.S. national champion in the Japanese martial art of aikido, Sean was born in the Philippines to a father who was a World War II combat veteran and a mother who immigrated from Japan to become a medical doctor and serve as a Lt. Cmdr in the U.S. Navy. Sean completed his doctorate in economics at U.C. Berkeley, studying under Nobel laureates George Akerlof and Daniel McFadden. He has taught at Vassar College in upstate New York and currently serves as the Chairman of the Economics Department at Scripps College in Claremont, California, USA. He has founded several companies, including an economic consultancy, the first company to offer student loan default insurance, and a non-profit that finds jobs for near 300 disabled workers each year.

Dr. Sean Flynn is an assistant professor of economics at Scripps College. He is the author of the best-seller Economics for Dummies, which has now been translated into seven foreign languages, as well as the coauthor along with Campbell McConnell and Stanley Brue of the world’s best-selling college textbook, Economics: Principles, Problems, and Policies.