Listing of STERG members

STERG Staff

Prof Craig McGregor: Research Group Director; Solar Thermal Spoke Grantholder; Associate Professor at Mechanical & Mechatronic Engineering, Stellenbosch University
Dr Mike Owen: Head of Division: Thermo-fluids Dynamics and Senior Lecturer at Mechanical & Mechatronic Engineering, Stellenbosch University
Dr Willie Smit: Research Projects Management; Sr Lecturer at Mechanical & Mechatronic Engineering, Stellenbosch University
Dr Hannes Pretorius: Senior Lecturer: Thermo-fluids at Mechanical & Mechatronic Engineering, Stellenbosch University
Mrs Leigh van der Merwe: Admin & Financial Officer at Mechanical & Mechatronic Engineering, Stellenbosch University

Faculty

Prof Frank Dinter: Professor (Extra-ordinary) at Mechanical & Mechatronic Engineering, Stellenbosch University; Fraunhofer CSET
Prof Paul Gauche: Associate Professor (Extra-ordinary) at Industrial Engineering; Founder and previous director of STERG; Vice President R&D, Heliogen Inc.
Prof Thomas Harms: Professor at Mechanical and Mechatronic Engineering, Stellenbosch University
Dr Jaap Hoffmann: Sr Lecturer at Mechanical & Mechatronic Engineering, Stellenbosch University
Prof Chris Meyer: Sr Lecturer at Mechanical & Mechatronic Engineering, Stellenbosch University
Dr Carl Tshamala: Lecturer at Mechanical & Mechatronic Engineering, Stellenbosch University
Prof Johan van der Spuy: Departmental Chairman at Mechanical & Mechatronic Engineering, Stellenbosch University
Prof Wikus van Niekerk: Dean of Faculty of Engineering, Stellenbosch University

Postgraduate researchers

Mr Massimiliano Afeltra: MEng Student (The Development of a Micro Gas Turbine for Solar-Hybrid Application)
Mr Chinedu Amadi: PhD Student (Photogrammetry with reflective surfaces)
Ms Annitta Attieh: MEng Student (Techno-Economic Assessment of Electricity Generation from a 10MW Medium-Scale CSP Plant using a Steam Expander/Generator)
Mr Francois Boshoff: MEng Student (Design of an Axial Flow Fan for a Unique Cooling Application)
Dr Steve Clark: Post-doc Researcher (Hydrogen development)
Mr Matthew Duckitt: MEng Student (Measuring the Performance of the 24ft installed MinwaterCSP Axial Flow Fan)
Mr Hennie du Plessis: MEng Student (Quantification of the effect of biomass grate turbulence generation on semi-suspension fired boiler-furnace heat uptake)
Mr Ross Egberink: MEng Student (Configuration and Testing of a Steam Expander/Generator Demonstrator for Medium Scale CSP Application)
Mr Chaz Fenner: PhD Student (The development of a micro gas turbine combustor for hydrogen consumption)
Mr Michael Fivaz: MEng Student (Upgrading the Compressor Stage of a Micro Gas Turbine)
Mr Eduard Fourie: MEng Student (Heat Transfer in Packed Beds of Crushed Rock)
Mr Benjamin Gardiner: MEng Student (Design and Configuration of Solar Thermal Multi-Tower Field Layout)
Mr Jandré Hanekom: MEng Student (Developing a cheap heliostat)
Mrs Taneha Hans: PhD Student (Transient Operation of a Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Brayton Cycle Power Generation System)
Mr Elzubeir Hassan: PhD Student (Flow and Heat Transfer in Packed Beds of Rock)
Mrs Lina Hockaday: PhD Student (Concentrated solar power for the minerals processing industry)
Mr Martin Janse van Vuuren: MEng Student (Concentrated Solar Thermal in Green Hydrogen Production – use of High Temperature Heat with Solid Oxide Electrode Cells)
Mr Chisala Kapumpu: PhD Student (Modelling of the spherical thermocline for storing thermal energy in the rock bed)
Ms Amy Keech: MEng Student (Design and Test a Tubular Cavity Solar Air Receiver)
Mr Mu-een Khan: MEng Student (Design and Testing of a Checker Brick-Based Thermal Energy Storage)
Mr Rorisang Lekholoane: Special Student (Design and Testing of a Winch Actuated Heliostat Using Digital Camera Based Feedback)
Mr Tristan Le Roux: MEng Student (Axial Fan with Alternate Full Length and Short Blades to Promote Through-Low Near the Hub)
Mr Matthew Meas: PhD Student (Investigation of the feasibility of a deconstructed gas turbine to compress air for a solar receiver)
Mr Muzingaye Mlilo: MEng Student (Development of a System Model for the Green Hydrogen Export Opportunity in Southern Africa)
Mr Arend Moelich: MEng Student (Development of an Optical System for a Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Reactor)
Mr Cameron Nel: MEng Student (Thermal performance and comfort in subsidy housing in South Africa)
Mr Paul Olivier: MEng Student (Photogrammertry for drones)
Mr Jackson Ondiko: MEng Student (Solar Distillation (Beam-Down Reflector Destination System)
Ms Angelique Palmi: MEng Student (Techno-Economic Assessment and Optimisation of a Hybrid CSP/PV Power Plant)
Mr Howard Piwang: MEng Student (Effect of Polydisperse Particle Size on Pressure Drop and Heat Transfer in Packed Beds)
Mr Michael Reed: MEng Student (An Intergrated Solar Thermal System for Decentralized Small Scale Desalination/Water Purification and Power Generation)
Mr Garrett Ronan: MEng Student (Design and Testing of an Actuated heliostat Using Digital Camera-Based Feedback Control)
Mr Francois Rozon: PhD Student (Renewable energy system design for industrial steam users)
Mr Jean Schnaar-Campbell: MEng Student (Proof of Concept Aluminium Heliostat)
Mr Gideon Stephan: MEng Student (Modelling of a Rotating Fan Blade Using Potential Flow Theory)
Mr Wian Strydom: MEng Student (Natural Draft Direct Dry Cooling System Air Side Performance Characteristics)
Mr Coenraad Swanepoel: PhD Student (Aerodynamic Noise Reduction on Large Scale Axial Flow Fans)
Mr Nurayn Tiamiyu: PhD Student (Transition to turbulence and its modelling in packed beds)
Mr Cesar Thiry: MEng Student (Measuring the Performance of the 24 ft. Installed Minwater CSP Axial Flow Fan)
Mr Richard Turner: Special Student (A Novel Heliostat Facet Design)
Ms Phakamani Tshuma: MEng Student (Comparison of Rock-Bed TES Charged from CSP technology to using PV Generated Heat (understanding the margin Thermal is still ahead of PV))
Mr Zubair Undre: MEng Student (Investigation of the Thermal Stresses in Solar Receivers)
Mr Joseph Uti: PhD student (Measuring the Optical Quality of a Heliostat with a Multicoper)
Mr Ruan van Breda: PhD Student (Visual odometry system for drones)
Mr Johan van der Spuy: MEng Student (Heat Exchanger Optimization for a Natural Draft Direct Dry Cooling System)
Mr Dewald van Deventer: MEng Student (Design and Test a Novel X-wing Drone)
Mr Vlok van Jaarsveld: MEng Student (Development of a methodology to determine the operating point of large-scale axial flow fans from tests conducted at model scale)
Mr Jacobus van Zyl: MEng Student (An Integrated Solar Thermal System for Decentralized, Small-Scale Desalination/Water Purification and Power Generation)
Mr Qhawe Vava: MEng Student (Financial Analysis of the Historic Bid-Prices of the REIPPP Program to Development Projections of Future RE Costs in South Africa)
Mr Adam Venter: PhD Student (Construction and validation of a novel implicit axial flow fan model for the purpose of full-scale air-cooled condenser simulation)
Mr Waldo Wessels: MEng Student (Design, Build and Test a Quadcopter with a Novel Configuration for Endurance Flights)
Mr Brendan Willemse: MEng Student (Investigation of Module Temperatures in Floating Solar Photovoltaic Arrays)

Affiliate members and visiting researchers

Dr Kenny Allen: Greenplan Consultants
Dr Bernard Bekker: CRSES
Dr Michael Brooks: University KwaZulu-Natal
Prof Ken Craig: University of Pretoria
Mr Sven du Clou: National Metrology Institute of South Africa
Mr Saliem Fakir: WWF SA
Mr Theo Fischer: Escience Associates
Dr Paul Harper
Mr Gregor Heiming: RWTH Aachen University
Dr Lukas Heller: Ricardo
Dr Stefan Hess: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
Mr Carel Jacobs: Stellenbosch University
Dr Atul Jadhav: Indian Institute of Packaging
Ms Karin Kritzinger: CRSES
Prof Sampson Mamphweli: CRSES
Mr Riaan Meyer: CEO, GeoSun Africa
Ms Mbali Mtshali: Eskom
Mr Jean Pitot: University KwaZulu-Natal
Mr Vikesh Rajpaul: Eskom
Dr Christoph Richter: DLR (German Aerospace Center)
Mr Thomas Roos: CSIR
Mr Cebo Silinga: Technology Innovation Agency (TIA)
Mr Imraan Solwa: International Finance Corporation of UCT