Page 112 - ISES SWC50

Harald N Røstvik
Country: Norway
Year Started Research: 1975
Title of Research: Architect MNAL - professor. Life long solar work:
Buildings, villages, cities, cars, planes.
University: Private practice SunLab, Bergen School of Architecture,
University of Stavanger
Still Active in Research: Yes

Professor Røstvik is a true pioneer. Since 1975 he has been engaged in research, design, publication and
dissemination to share information about the solar potential. He has designed solar systems or buildings in Sri
Lanka, Mali, Italy, Cyprus, Sweden and Norway. He has written ten books about the transfer from between fossil
fuels to solar. Written thousands of articles, spoken at numerous conferences and tutored thousands of students
mostly on Master but also on Phd level. He was the first Norwegian engaging in Tour the Sol in Switzerland by
creating media attention to it since 1984. He designed Europe’s first modern renewable energy based solar building
with state Housing bank standard at Building for the Future exhibition in Stavanger, Norway in 1988 (“Chanelle”).
He designed with Peter Opsvik “Butterfly”, a third world city solar taxi in 1995. His book “The Sunshine Revolution”
and the video in 1992 sold in 52 countries and was read by 4 presidents of the world. He is still active at 71 years
old and the university UiS just renewed his contract for teaching till 2024. Two years ago - at 69 - he won the prize
of the best Master level teacher at the Faculty of Science and Technology (UiS). Selected among all students at the
faculty. They claimed; “he loves his work, believes in the future and installs hope in the students to compete the
“no-hope-future mentality many possess.”

Valeriano Ruiz
Country: Spain
Year Started Research: 1970’s
Title of Research: Thermodynamics/Solar Thermal
University: University of Seville
Still Active in Research: Yes

Valeriano Ruiz was professor on thermodynamics at the Industrial Engineer School – University of Seville –
when the CSP demonstration plants at the Almeria Solar Platform (PSA) were built in the early 80’s. He was
teaching on solar concentrating technologies at those early times and was a permanent source of human
talent for the PSA. In fact, some of his students became directors at the PSA at certain points in time.
He was a tireless advocate for concentrating solar applications for both power and heat. He participated
in previous projects to the PS10 CSP plant, built by Abengoa, which was supported to a large extent by
Valeriano’s arguments. In 2004 he was founder of the Spanish CSP industry association, Protermosolar,
along with half-dozen Spanish CSP developers and he was its first president until 2012. The Spanish Feed
in Tariff for CSP plants, which allow the largest deployment of CSP in the world – 50 plants totalling 2,3
GW – had his clear footprint. This favourable regulation, which enabled the investment decisions, were
seriously threatened by the government in 2009 and 2010. He, as president of Protermosolar played a
key role in the hard negotiation process with the government to settle reasonable conditions to complete
the construction of the complete Spanish fleet. He was the driving force behind the creation of the
Andalusian Renewable Research Center in 2008 and appointed president. He published a lot of articles
enhancing the appreciation of CSP plants by policy makers. He wrote the book “Solar Thermal Electricity,
so far so close” in 2009 and was the editor of the collective book “Solar Thermal Power, History of a
research success” focusing on the creation of the PSA, which become a reference book for the sector. He
is still providing valuable reflections on CSP technology and supporting projects on solar process heat.

94 | ISES SWC50 - The Century of Solar-Stories and Visions