Page 198 - ISES SWC50

Daniel Kithokoi
Country: Kenya Year joined industry: c. 1984
Company first worked for: Solar Shamba
Technology area: PV
Still active in the industry:

Daniel Kithokoi started working as a solar technician with Harold Burris in his business Solar Shamba in about
1984. He served as a field installer and sales agent, handling the area between Embu and Meru to the east of Mt.
Kenya. He helped Burris manage an assembly workshop and develop a standard design, delivery and installation
method for early solar home systems that was widely imitated by other companies. In 1987 Daniel starts American
Solar Technology in Meru Kenya after Harold returns to the USA and supplied solar home systems within rural
Kenya. In 1992, Mark Hankins formed Energy Alternatives Africa (EAA) with Daniel Kithokoi as a partner. Their
work helped the company to become the most important PV actor in the region at the time undertaking a number
of demonstration and training activities in Kenya, Tanzania, Somalia and Uganda. Daniel worked with Mark Hankins
in helping to establish the KARADEA Solar Training Facility (KSTF) that was run by Oswald Kasaizi.

Klaus Langner
Country: Australia
Year joined industry: 1985
Company first worked for: Latronics
Technology area: PV
Still active in the industry: Yes

1985 is when Klaus Langner first began designing a standalone Square wave Inverter. In 1995 Latronics got their
first and only R&D Grant to develop a range of Sine wave Inverters. In 2001 the first Grid Connect Inverter was
launched but the breakthrough came in 2008 when Latronics supplied 1000 Grid connect Inverters to a local
community association. This put Caloundra on the map as having the highest percentage of Solar in Australia at
the time thanks to Government support of $8000 grants for 1 kw systems. All of this coincided with the GFC, and
caused a global shortage of Inverters. Latronics grew by 400% in 16 months, which was a challenge indeed, but
what rises quickly often falls just as fast, and so in 2012 the subsidies were removed, with the out of the blue “from
midnight tonight”. As the market exploded with growth, so did the investments from “big money”, which brought
unbeatable competition from China and Germany. Products came on the market at a third of the price. At this time
Latronics was investing profits heavily into R&D and as a result developed a transformer less fully sealed and cloud
connected 5kw Grid Connect Inverter. However, the R&D investment had paled in comparison to these new giant
competitors and the high cost of manufacturing in Australia made it no longer feasible. Latronics did not have the
capacity to re-enter the Grid Connect mass market and focused R&D resources towards a new standalone product,
the Inverter-Charger. Although getting to it to a stage where it could have been certified, Latronics decided to scrap
the project, as the previous experience and research indicated that the product could not have been made cost-
effective enough for the market due to the high manufacturing costs. Whether it was due to quality control, personal
principals, or the love for Australia, Klaus never wanted to manufacture anywhere but here. So today, with the small
family of employees, most whom have been with Latronics for over a decade, the focus is on what Latronics has
done best, and from the beginning, producing custom reliable off-grid inverters.

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