Page 133 - ISES SWC50

Mike Nicklas ISES President 2010-2019
Country: United States
Year joined industry: 1972
Company first worked for: Innovative Design
Technology area: Solar Architecture.Buildings
Still active in the industry: Yes

Michael Nicklas, FAIA, graduated from NC State University with a Bachelor of Architecture in 1972, afterwards
created his own company in San Salvador, Bahamas doing low-income design-build housing systems. Later, he
interned with George Ellingwood and Dean Best and his career began its focus on energy-efficient buildings. Mike
founded Innovative Design in 1977. By 1979, they had built about 4,000 passive solar homes. By 2015, it was
estimated that their 4,755 buildings had saved around $139 million in energy costs, over 1.6 billion kWh, 1.1 mt
of CO2, and reduced peak demand by around 54 MW. Many of these were school buildings, designed to also
harvest rainwater, use PV to lower energy costs and their carbon footprint. In 2006, the US EPA awarded Innovative
Design the national Energy Star Award; they have been the recipients of numbers sustainable design awards. Mike
served on the Board of Directors of the NC Sustainable Energy Association, American Solar Energy Society and the
International Solar Energy Society (ISES) every year from 1979 to 2005; ISES Vice President ISES 1991 – 1993 and
President 1993-1995; in 1992 presented with an ISES Special Service Award for his tireless work as ISES-UNCED
chair, putting the ISES principals of solar energy for all before influential people and organisations. Mike initiated
many significant efforts, from implementing solar tax credits in NC legislature to global efforts lobbying for energy-
efficiency and solar energy within the UN Earth Summit’s Agenda 21. Mike’s extensive knowledge has made him
a valued resource. Appointments include NC Energy Policy Council, UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School Advisory
Board, NC Solar Center chairman, US Office of Technology Assessment Renewable Energy Advisory Board, AIA
Environment Steering Committee, NC Trade and Industrial Education Advisory Committee, NC Governor’s Task
Force on Solar Law and ASHRAE Advanced Energy Design Guide for K-12 Schools Committee.

Thomas Nordmann
Country: Switzerland
Year joined industry: 1975
Company first worked for: Eidgenössisches Institut für
Reaktorforschung (EIR) today PSI
Technology area: PV
Still active in the industry: Yes

Thomas Nordmann has been working for solar energy for 45 years. In 1974 he was working in the development,
research and conversion of thermals applications and collector testing in government research (Paul Scherrer
Institute) and for the Swiss energy industry. In 1985 Nordmann founded his own enterprise named «TNC Consulting
AG». He developed and built the world’s first 100 kW PV noise barrier installation along a Swiss motorway (1989)
and has since planned, engineered and installed a total PV-capacity of approx. 3 MWp in Switzerland and Europe.
He developed the world’s first bifacial PV noise barrier pilot project in Zurich with 12 kWp in 1997 and 2008 a
bifacial PV noise barrier along the railway in Münsingen, Bern. Nordmann was president of the Swiss Solar Industry
Association (SOFAS) from 1992-1999 and vice-president of the Swiss national organisation «Swissolar» till March
2002 and for his contribution to the development of solar energy he received three times the Swiss solar prize
(1994, 1998 and 1999) and the European solar prize (1997). From 2004 – 2018 Nordmann and his Company have
been Swiss Expert in PVPS Task 2 now Task 13 for Performance and Reliability of Photovoltaic Systems. In 2008
he was co-founder of ZSSAG, an independent power producer of today 18 PV installations. He is the inventor of
Swiss - and EU Patent for Floating photovoltaic unit 17. 9. 2009 The first floating PV Paper: Large Scale Hybrid
PV Hydro Electricity Production in Floating Devices oral Paper at the 24th EUPVSEC 21.-24.9.2009, Hamburg,
Germany. In 2012 he founded the project company HydroSun AG with the aim to develop floating PVTNCALL is a
new energy management product to coordinate all energy applications incl. electromobility in a building developed
by TNC. The first commercial projects have been launched 2020. Thomas Nordmann has published more than 140
Papers and publications in his career since 1974 and was Chairman of the PV Symposium Staffelstein/Germany
2008, 2013 and 2018.

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