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Page of Douglas Banks[top] [end]Managing Director, Restio EnergyDoug Banks was managing director of Restio Energy, formally called RAPS Consulting which he helped to found in 2000 (with Jurie and Marius Willemse). He lived in Cape Town, South Africa, and enjoy working in a range of countries on rural, renewable and household energy issues until his untimely death from liver cancer on 4 July 2008.[top] [end]Household energy experienceDouglas was a member of Restio Energy (RAPS Consulting) since 2001, where he worked on a range of projects, including: Mini-grid feasibility study (for the National Electricity Regulator in South Africa), financial modelling of large scale rural energy businesses, technical, implementation, community consultation and procurement aspects of rural energy delivery (households and institutions). Douglas has also played a key role in the development of a GIS based electrification planning tool being used in South Africa. He was part of the founding and key management team of the NuRa Utility (implementing a large scale Solar Home System and thermal energy service in northern KwaZulu-Natal – by April 2006, 11 000 SHS installed, and 7 Energy Stores running) with responsibility for a number of areas including technical management and procurement. Permanent management staff have now taken over the business, and Douglas provides management consultancy services to NuRa. Other projects included risk assessment for rural energy delivery (Namibia), and rural energy programme design (Namibia and South Africa). He led the development phase of the innovative EnergyStream Energy Services Management System (now taken over by separate company Raps Technologies). Prior to joining RAPS Consulting / Restio he worked at the Energy & Development Research Centre (EDRC, University of Cape Town) where he focused on household photovoltaic system finance and dissemination strategies, quality assurance and standards aspects of photovoltaic systems, renewable energy policy and options (including work in Mozombique), and decision criteria for rural electrification planning (gird and off-gird). He has also worked with rural communities on development and service related projects, as a staff member of the rural Facility of the University of the Witwatersrand. Douglas carried out research work on Stirling Engines for his PhD, and retained a strong interest in education and teaching- acting as an external examiner and supervisor for postgraduate students from time to time. He produced several publications in the field of rural energy and development.User:Douglas Banks April 2006, Updated July 2008 by User: Grant Ballard-Tremeer | |
Page created:
21 September 2004; Last edited:
21 July 2008; Version: 6 | |
Pagename: User:DouglasBanks @HEDON: XMBA | |
