David Lipschitz – Industry Expert

David is a software engineer with a Computer Science Honours degree and an MBA, who has been running an information technology business since November 1994. In 2004, David started researching wind turbines and in June 2008 he started testing battery based photovoltaic and wind energy systems. He installed his first system in October 2008; his second system in May 2009; and first client system in September 2010. The learning from these systems and David’s wide reading and research has enabled him to get a firm grasp of the energy environment in South Africa. In 2008 David started a renewable energy business with a focus on feed in tariffs. When FITs didn’t happen, he started promoting Net Metering.

David attended the Retech conference in Las Vegas in 2009, did a grid tied photovoltaic course in Phoenix and attended a master distributor conference there. He also wrote and passed the NABCEP (North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners) entry-level exam. He has presented to government in parliament at the Climate Change hearings and to the DOE at the IRP2010 hearings and has been on the Chris Gibbons radio show. His letters are frequently published in the Cape Times and Tabletalk and he has been interviewed by these publications. He has attended numerous conferences and chaired and presented at an Energy Efficiency Conference in Johannesburg in April 2010; presented at the Power and Electricity World Conference in Johannesburg in March 2011; presented at the Powering Africa Ministerial Conference at the One and Only Hotel in Cape Town in November 2011; presented and chaired at the Green IT Conference in Johannesburg in March 2012; presented and chaired at the Transformer and Switch Gear Conference in Johannesburg in April 2012; presented at the Africa Health Facilities Week Conference in Durban, the Jewish Limmud Conference, the African Wind Energy Conference in Cape Town, and at the African Municipal Business Leadership Conference in Johannesburgin May 2012. In June 2012, David presented on the South African Renewable Energy Bidding Processes on behalf of SAAEA, the South African Alternative Energy Association.In June 2010, David attended a “Skills for Community Self Reliance”on a farm near Swellendam, South Africa. He has had meetings with the leader of one of the Political Parties and two City Mayors and he wrote a 42-page analysis of the South African National Planning Commission’s 444 page November 2011 report.

David is passionate about Renewable Energy and believes we have reached a turning point in South Africa where homeowners and SMMEs can produce their own electricity cheaper than they can buy it.