Manuel Alejandro Fuentes
Based in: Nicaragua | Advising in: Dominican Republic, Honduras, Colombia
Expertise: Rural Electrification & Energy Access, Energy Efficiency and Demand Reduction, Clean Transport
Dr Manuel Alejandro Fuentes is a Senior Sustainable Energies Expert with 25 years’ experience in Renewable Energy (RE), Energy Efficiency (EE) and Climate Change (CC). His experience includes providing technical assistance, advisory services, recommendations, and best practices to public sector bodies (governments), international donors and private clients in climate change related issues including mitigation strategies, methodologies for adaptation planning, climate financing, development of sustainable energy access plans and related infrastructure and deployment of renewable energy sources, in particular in the context of Rural Electrification.
As a lecturer and researcher at Oxford Brookes University, he taught master's level courses on energy efficiency in buildings and led several research projects. During his tenure at the university, he authored The Ecohouse: A Design Guide, a seminal work that has become a classic reference for low-energy, environmentally friendly housing worldwide. He has extensive experience in mobilizing public and private investments for energy-focused projects: developing business and investment plans for launching sustainable projects.
Hugo Arriaza
Based in: Guatemala
Expertise: Rural Electrification & Energy Access, Investor Network
Hugo is a founding partner of the Guatemala-based Fundación Solar since 1994, and currently is the Coordinator of energy and environment initiatives in the organization. Hugo has been promoting the electric cooperatives model in different countries. Since 2017, he has been the country-contact for cooperation agencies working in rural electrification, investments in isolated systems and with Electric Cooperatives.
As a climate change related investments and clean energy consultant, Hugo has worked for multiple programs dealing with electricity business and rural development in Latin America and the Caribbean and Africa. He has participated in the creation of a credit program to encourage small and medium farming, industry and tourism enterprises for efficient, productive and safe use of electricity.
By education, Hugo is an agricultural engineer and holds an MSc in Project Formulation and evaluation as well as in Financial Administration. Furthermore, he holds a diploma in Risk Assessment and Management and is a postgraduate in Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency and Climate Change.
Jorge Barrigh
Based in: USA | Advising in: Haiti
Expertise: Sustainable Finance and Transaction Management
Jorge has over twenty-five years of experience in field and leadership positions in impact investing, renewable & traditional energy, climate, conservation, and agriculture finance. He has worked with national governments, international development finance institutions as well as private equity investors, impact funds, startups, developers of new ventures and established corporates in the design, development, measuring, and efficient implementation of opportunities in sustainability as applied to finance, operations, innovation, and entrepreneurship.
Jorge is currently Regional Director Impact Investment Americas for a rural development Impact capital fund focused on entrepreneurs and SMEs scaling up productive value chains in the agri-food production & exports sectors in the region. He is a Board member and former Chair of the Latin America and Caribbean Council On Renewable Energy (LAC-CORE) and the Transaction Manager for PFAN-LAC. He was Team Leader for the $12 M US government CEFF-CCA project preparation grant facility, administered by USAID.
He has a BS in Economics, an MBA with a concentration in Finance from Temple University in Philadelphia, and a follow-on certificate in Advanced Innovation Management from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkely
Kirkland Brathwaite
Based in: Trinidad and Tobago | Advising in: Haiti
Expertise: Development Impact Focus
Kirkland Brathwaite has successfully completed a variety of complex and challenging assignments that required specialist environmental and project consulting services and has provided corporate advisory services to government, private sector and international donor clients regionally. Kirkland has worked in a number of regional territories including Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Guyana, Suriname, & French Guinea and completed projects in such varied areas as hotel and resort development, infrastructure planning (water, sewerage, roads, airports and ports), solid waste management, petrochemical and industrial process operations, agriculture and tourism sector studies, quarrying and land development. Through these experiences, Kirkland has gained a detailed understanding of the environmental legislative framework (both current and proposed) in a number of territories, technical constraints and general business principles in these territories.
Paula Brufman
Based and advising in: Argentina
Expertise: Distributed & Off-Grid Generation, Rural Electrification & Energy Access
Paula Brufman is experienced in climate change, adaptation, community energy access projects using renewable energy, and in sustainability. Paula also has experience in initiatives in Latin America and the Caribbean, in planning, coordinating and implementing fundraising strategies. Paula has also worked on sustainability footprints, climate change, resilience and adaptation with a focus on the impact and implementation of international climate finance and policies, including at sub-national and local levels.
Rafael Carmona Davila
Based and advising in: Mexico
Expertise: Development Impact Focus
Rafael has a mechanical engineering background, from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and Master’s in Engineering from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT), Australia, with more than 25 years of experience in the Cleantech sector, working as consultant for international development organizations such as USAID, WWF, Zennström Philanthropies, ADF, GIZ, Breakthrough Energy, amongst others.
Rafael is the cofounder of GreenMomentum Inc., a market intelligence and innovation company, focused on the Latin American market, and co-founder of Cleantech Challenge Mexico, Latin America’s top green business acceleration program, supporting almost 1,400 Cleantech start-ups since 2010. Rafael is also the Secretary of Technological Innovation and Entrepreneurship at the Solar Energy National Association (ANES).
Loreto Duffy-Mayers
Based in: Barbados | Advising in: Barbados, Bermuda, Jamaica
Expertise: Sustainable Tourism
Loreto is a tourism, environment, and energy specialist with 30 years’ of experience throughout the Caribbean, with a major focus on emission reduction and climate change. Loreto has worked with many donor organizations, climate-focused agencies and government agencies to develop tourism-energy-environmental projects in the private sector and has overseen two energy efficiency projects for the Caribbean Hotel sector as Programme Manager (CHENACT and CHENACT Advanced Programme) and UN Caribbean Cooling Initiative (CCOOL) as the Project Lead.
She is also the Tourism Consultant for the EU COSME Programme and Barbados Offshore Renewable Energy Consultancy and managed environment programmes in seven award-winning green hotels in Barbados and St. Lucia.
Rohan Ford
Based and advising in: Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados
Expertise: Community building, Business Development, Renewable Energy
Over the last decade Rohan has founded, co-founded, and developed numerous sustainability focused projects. These include: a renewable energy powered, sports and entertainment facility (FindTheOasis); an online, community solar investment platform (Cloudsolar); the first electric vehicle dealership in Barbados; NGO work on Caribbean National Energy Transitions, and more.
His focus for pushing projects from ideas to implementation has resulted in many successful ventures. He is now eager to share his expertise with other passionate sustainability focused businesses.
Rodrigo Garcia
Based in: Chile | Advising in: Argentina, Peru
Expertise: Solar
Rodrigo García is a renowned leader with over 22 years of experience in energy and climate change. As the founder and managing director of ImplementaSur, he specializes in strategies to combat climate threats and drive sustainable investments in Latin America and other developing regions. Rodrigo developed early Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) products that facilitated over 950 ktonCO2/year in emissions reductions. He has held key roles at Chile’s Economic Development Agency (CORFO), managing grants for over 150 renewable energy projects, and at First Solar, addressing regulatory challenges as Director of Government Affairs for Latin America.
Rodrigo advises on government programs to promote energy efficiency and evaluates business opportunities and financial mechanisms for sustainable investments. He also lectures on climate change and sustainable investment at Universidad de Chile, Universidad Católica, and Universidad Finis Terrae. He holds a degree in civil and environmental engineering from Universidad Católica de Chile and a Master’s in Technology and Policy from MIT.
Alaide González
Based in: Guatemala | Advising in: Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador
Expertise: Distributed & Off-Grid Generation, Rural Electrification & Energy Access
Alaide is a Guatemalan expert in the integral, sustainable, and inclusive development of energy projects. Alaide is working in innovative business models to develop renewable energy projects under a sustainable and inclusive approach.
In the last two decades, Alaide has been involved in the different stages of several energy projects in Guatemala, including resource identification, management of environmental and social aspects of the projects, business plan development, electricity commercialization and efficient use of electricity. She has advised several companies in Central America in the management of GHG mitigation activities that includes the development of CDM projects, monitoring of emissions reductions, generation of green certificates and identification of carbon finance opportunities.
Ernesto Hanhausen
Based and advising in: Mexico
Expertise: Energy Efficiency and Demand Reduction, Waste to Energy
Ernesto is Circulate Capital’s Managing Partner for Latin America and the Caribbean coordinating and managing the CC Ocean Fund LAC investments and business activities in the region.
Ernesto has nearly 25 years of experience in originating, analyzing, structuring, implementing, and managing climate change, environmental, sustainability and impact capital investments related to energy efficiency, renewable energy, water and waste sectors in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Prior to joining Circulate Capital, he was Managing Partner at Becquerel Capital, a financial boutique specializing in structuring, funding and operating investment platforms for renewable energy and energy efficiency businesses. Previously he served as manager, chief investment officer and investment committee member in four Latin American regional private equity funds specializing in sustainability investments, including the Emerging Energy Latin America Fund II, LP, the H-REFF/CABEF Parallel Funds, the CleanTech Fund, and the FondElec LatAm Clean Energy Services Fund, with over $200 million in aggregate capital. He has also been advisor to impact investment funds in the region, such as Adobe Capital, Deetken Impact, and Heifer Impact Capital.
He holds a B.S. in Engineering from the Anahuac University and a postgraduate Diploma in Finance from ITAM University in Mexico.
Sasha Jattansingh
Based and advising in: Trinidad and Tobago
Expertise: Development Impact Focus, Climate Finance, Climate Adaptation
Sasha Jattansingh is a climate finance and environmental governance specialist with over 15 years of experience in Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean. She has a strong background in environmental and climate policy and regulation, climate finance, participatory governance, project development, grants management, capacity building and science communication. She is currently a Loss and Damage Expert at Climate Analytics Caribbean, a global climate policy institute, where she leads the organisation’s work on adaptation and loss and damage for Caribbean Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
Previously, Sasha has worked with various international development organisations, government agencies and civil society organisations to develop and implement climate change policies and plans as well as develop and manage climate finance readiness projects and climate adaptation and sustainable agriculture projects in the Caribbean. She was also an Adjunct Lecturer for the MBA Sustainable Energy Management at the Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School of Business, University of the West Indies. Sasha has a MSc. Environmental Policy and Regulation from the London School of Economics and Political Science as well as a Certified Expert in Climate and Renewable Energy Finance from the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management. She is also a Project Management Professional (PMP).
Alden Jiron
Based in: Nicaragua | Advising in Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador
Expertise: Distributed & Off-Grid Generation, Rural Electrification & Energy Access
Alden Jiron holds professional experience working with NGOs, Private Companies, Academies, International Development Agencies, Multilateral Financial Institutions, and Governments. Alden has worked with them as a Consultant, Researcher, Project Manager, Deputy Director, and Executive positions for more than twenty years, touching on several aspects regarding social and economic development, including land tenure, electricity access, and renewable energies, among others.
Patrick Longmire
Based in: USA | Advising in Haiti, Jamaica, Guatemala
Expertise: Financial Modelling, Development Impact, Wind, Solar
Patrick is an independent consultant, advising energy project developers on raising financing from international institutions. Patrick holds a B.A. in International Relations from Stanford University, a Masters in Social Change and Development from the Johns Hopkins School of International Studies and an MBA in International Finance from the Wharton School of Business, with over 30 years of experience in finance in the United States, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.
Patrick has experience working with SEAF, Castalia’s Clean Energy Transaction Advisory practice, Chase Manhattan Bank, Lehman Brothers, IFC Power Department, and as a Managing Director for power sector investments with a $1 billion private equity fund.
Alejandro Lucio Chaustre
Based and advising in: Colombia
Expertise: Biomass, Distributed & Off-Grid Generation
Alejandro provides PFAN coaching services on behalf of the organization Óptima Consultores, which is an advisory and consultancy firm for large electrical energy consumers and stakeholders in the Wholesale Energy Market (WEM) in Colombia. He has experience in corporate energy planning, formation and operation of energy retailer companies and regulations.
Óptima Consultores has a multidisciplinary team and wide knowledge of the particularities regarding the contracting of electrical energy for non-regulated consumers, energy marketing among stakeholders in the wholesale energy market, regulatory aspects, protection of public service consumers, financial evaluation of electrical generating projects, as well as a network of strategic allies that provide permanent support in technical and regulatory aspects, etc.
Jorge Manrique
Based in: USA | Advising in: Guatemala, El Salvador, Peru
Expertise: Energy policy, Utility Resource Planning, Evaluation and Development of Renewable Energy Projects
Jorge holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley and a Master’s in economics from the San Francisco State university. He has more than 40 years of experience in working with public and private entities in the USA, Canada, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Belize, Peru, Dominican and Republic Puerto Rico in the areas of public policy, resource planning for electric utilities and in the development of privately owned renewable energy projects.
Jorge led a team of experts in the installation of resource planning methodologies in Guatemala, which have now become standard methodologies used by countries in Central America and the Caribbean. He also has extensive experience in managing companies and leading teams performing feasibility studies, due diligence, engineering and economic analysis, financing, negotiation of PPAs, supervision of construction, operation, etc. for all types of renewable energy projects. Jorge applies, his unique understanding of how electric utilities work and their needs, to the optimization of design and development of renewable energy projects.
Gustavo Marquez
Based in: Colombia | Advising in: Colombia, Mexico, United States
Expertise: Financial Modelling, Development Impact Focus
Gustavo Marquez provides advising services on behalf of the company Athena Impacto, which has experience in structuring and financing energy efficiency and renewable energy projects, rural agro-industry projects, climate and conservancy and productive projects in Colombia and Chile.
Talya Mohammed
Based in: Trinidad and Tobago | Advising in: Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, Belize
Expertise: Biomass, Development Impact
Talya has over 17 years of experience performing in environmental compliance, monitoring and analysis, H.S.E. system approaches, capacity building and training, as well as project design and management to promote sustainable climate-smart action.
Talya is currently the Director of Ideas I Foundation, a local social enterprise focused on youth and community development and empowerment; as well as technical consulting on sustainable waste management and operationalization to support the sustained recovery of recyclables. Her work in recent years includes project coordination and facilitation and supporting grant funding applications for NGOs and CBOs.
She has also contributed to local NGO consortium projects with CANARI and the Cropper Foundation, as well as supporting the Caribbean Philanthropic Alliance and working with the Bridge Foundation as project lead with an umbrella of environmental CSOs and experts in Trinidad and Tobago.
David Orantes
Based in: Guatemala | Advising in: Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador
Expertise: Hydro, Solar
David has worked as the executive director of an operating 60MWp photovoltaic plant in Honduras and on an "under-development" Hydroelectric project in Guatemala, with board experience in a geothermal plant in Nicaragua. David closed 3 financing stages for a PV plant in Honduras, with "bridge financing" of US$ 5 MM, "first-phase financing" of US$ 32 MM, and ‘’second phase financing" of US$ 60 MM.
Fernando Revuelta
Based and advising in: Panama
Expertise: Energy Efficiency and Demand Reduction, Renewable Energy
Fernando Revuelta is deeply involved in the renewable energy sector, particularly in (hydro, solar, wind), energy efficiency, environment and climate change. He has experience in the areas of development, equity and debt structuring, operations and related areas as a development and project manager, administrative manager, legal advisor, senior consultant, coach and mentor. During these years, he worked on many projects such as the Paso Ancho hydro plant, Bajo de Mina hydro plant and Baitun hydro plant in Panama. From 2012 to 2013, he was the Panama National Coordinator for the LaGuardia Foundation (USA). From 2014 to 2015, he had the responsibility of Regional Co-coordinator of the Regional Clean Energy Investment Initiative (RCEII) of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for the Central American Forum for Clean Energy Financing (CAFCEF) competition (Guatemala).
As a consultant member of the PFAN network since 2012, he provided mentoring and coaching services to several projects in Central America.
Eduardo Reyes
Based and advising in: Panama
Expertise: Environmental Regulation of Developing Nations
Eduardo Reyes has more than 20 years of experience in the field of renewable energy, primarily in the area of environmental regulation of developing nations, and also has more than 21 years of experience in the field of climate change, particularly in the forest, energy, and financial sectors, dealing with and adhering to UNFCCC agreements.
Since May 2010, he has been serving as a Senior Advisor for the Coalition for Rainforest Nations (CfRN) as an independent climate change consultant and has been providing advice to numerous private sector businesses to deal with carbon credits and low carbon development schemes.
Eduardo has been a UNFCCC negotiator since 2002, first for the Panamanian government (2002–2009), as a country's public servant and later as a Vice Minister of Environment (2004–2009). Eduardo is currently dealing with the Paris Agreement (PA) Articles 4 (mitigation/NDC), 5 (REDD+), 6 (Carbon Markets and ITMOs), and 13 (Transparency), which are crucial Articles for the mitigation sectors (LEDs).
Eduardo’s experience has allowed him to support and to structure projects for the PFAN programme for many years, mainly in the energy sector.
Ignacio Smith Salazar
Based in: Trinidad and Tobago | Advising in: Grenada, Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago
Expertise: Solar, Data Innovation, Development Impact Focus
Ignacio Smith is an expert in data innovation with a focus on solar energy and development impact. He holds a Bachelor’s in Industrial Engineering from the University of Miami, a Master’s in Finance and Project Management, and a Post MBA.
An active speaker at international renewable energy forums, Ignacio researches financial platforms and stochastic models to enhance photovoltaic availability, grid penetration, integration, equality, and inclusiveness. He has developed initiatives like the Grid Tied Government Assisted Model and Carbon Credit Community Based Financing to make renewable energy accessible across the Caribbean and Latin America.
Ignacio also serves as the Coordinating Management Entity for the Clean Development Mechanisms Program of Activities for the Caribbean and Central America and is the regional contact for the International Solar Energy Society.
Debby Stone
Based in: USA | Advising in: Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras
Expertise: Hydro, Development Impact Focus
Debby has been a key force in creating the Dl Infra-Invest program and is a Women in DLZ mentor, and she is also an equity partner in several projects under development in Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean.
Debby previously led the International Clean Energy Alliance and was White House Liaison to the Bush and Obama Administrations, representing solar, wind, hydro, biomass, and nuclear energy issues. Debby also led US Hydropower industry trade association efforts in project partnering, policy, social and environmental areas, and project finance for more than 14 years in the US, Latin America and the Caribbean, Asia, and Africa. She possesses unique experience in policy and legal framework, innovation, intellectual property, project finance, investment, government affairs and licensing related to the infrastructure projects business.
Walter Vargas
Based and advising in: Costa Rica
Expertise: Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency and Agribusiness
Walter has 27 years of experience in providing technical and managerial leadership in accounting, auditing, finance, and investing. Over the years, Walter has worked across a diverse range of industries, including hardware stores, private hospitals, private corporations, tourism companies, auditing firms, NGOs, Private Equity Funds, and Multilateral Banks. Additionally, Walter has extensive experience in environmental and social risk assessment and monitoring, as well as in the evaluation of projects and companies, based on IFC performance standards, Equator Principles, and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).