::GSES > Publications > Solar Entrepeneur's Handbook > Authors Geoff StapletonGeoff Stapleton specialised in PV systems when completing his electrical degree at the University of New South Wales in 1981.
In 1988/89 he worked with BP Solar in Australia and in 1989 he formed a company, Southern Solar Australia, which specialised in marketing, selling, installing and maintaining stand alone power systems in South Eastern New South Wales, Australia.
From 1995 until early 2000 he acted as full time consultant for an electricity distributor, Integral Energy, helping to develop a renewable energy business unit.
In 1993 Geoff was actively involved in helping the Australian Solar Industry develop RE training for technicians. Since then he has been actively involved as a RE trainer within Australia and overseas and is currently a part-time lecturer at the University of New South Wales, Centre for Photovoltaics.
Through GSES we have continued this work by helping countries like Sri Lanka and Ghana develop training programs. In 1997 we became involved with the Institute for Sustainable Power (ISP). This body is developing the competency standards for RE training programs.
Geoff has been a board member since 2000. GSES continues to work with ISP developing training competencies and capacity building through Asia and Africa. Lalith GunaratneLalith Gunaratne and two partners had a vision to utilize the state of the art technology called Solar Photovoltaics (SPV) back in 1985 to meet electricity needs of rural people who had no access to the Ceylon Electricity Board grid.
Power & Sun (Pvt.) Ltd was formed in 1986 to manufacture and market Solar PV systems in Sri Lanka. The decentralized nature of the Solar Home System market in rural areas of the country required exploring the limits of strategic management, human resources management and marketing techniques while developing this business.
The company, restructured as Solar Power & Light Company in 1991 continued to develop the market using a network of rural dealers and micro-entrepreneurs. In 1999, the company was sold to Shell International Renewables. Shell Solar continues to develop on this model.
In 1995, Lalith established an international consulting business called LGA Consultants (Pvt) Ltd to build on the experience gained from developing the solar enterprise. Here, working for private sector, non-governmental, government and international institutions such as the World Bank, UNDP among other agencies, he gained insight into many other areas such as human resources development, energy policy, financing, other renewable energy technologies and general issues related to energy and development.
The consulting business has taken Lalith for assignments, training events, seminars, workshops and conferences all over the world. He is also a published author of many papers, articles and is recognized internationally.
Lalith is the head of the board of directors of the non-profit organization, Energy Forum of Sri Lanka and also serves in the board of the US based Solar Development Foundation. In 2000, LGA Consultants formed a partnership with Sage Training of Australia to develop human resources in Sri Lanka. Peter JM KoningsAfter completing secondary school, Peter graduated from a four year course in Food-processing Technology at the Agriculture School (MAS) in the Netherlands. He then studied preparing industry training courses at the Pedagogic Technical High School.
After working at several large companies in the Netherlands, Peter started his own company in 1996, specialising in marketing of solar energy systems to Indonesia.
In conjunction with some Dutch companies he developed the "Affordable Living Solutions" concept, which combined low-cost housing with solar energy and wind energy. The first pilot project was erected in Indonesia in 1998.
In 1999 Peter moved his family permanently to Indonesia and joined the Indonesian Company, Mambruk Sarana Interbuana (MSI) who was just beginning to be active in the solar business. MSI had a close cooperation with the Dutch Company, Hollandia Kloos who was the formal owner of the Windmill Manufacturer Nedwind and who had a commitment to start a solar energy business. Together with MSI, SHELL and the Dutch Institute NOVEM, HK started the SOLINVICTUS project in Indonesia (2,000 SHS).
In 2001 the solar division of MSI became a Dutch/Indonesian Joint-venture company called Mambruk Energy International which is 100% active in Solar Energy. For MEI, Peter successfully developed a semi-franchise distribution system for solar systems (in Indonesia called the "WARLISTA-concept") and opening solar energy shops throughout Indonesia so that by 2002, 23 shops had been opened.
Together with his friend and PV specialist Prof. Harijono Djojodihardjo he developed training courses for solar technicians and sales people. And in close cooperation with PSE (Center for Energy Studies) from the Univ. Gadja Mada (Yogyakarta) they developed several courses and info events for energy conservation and the use of PV-energy in urban areas. | 
