PTX HUB - Key Persons
I lead the country component South Africa and advise on synthetic fuels in the PtX Hub. The Hub's main goal is to catalyse defossilised economies globally. It is funded by the German Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety and implemented by the GIZ. Before joining GIZ, I was the Deputy Managing Director and Head of Transport Policy at Green Budget Germany, a German environmental think tank, where I focused on economic instruments in air and road transport.
Job Titles:
- Private Sector Advisor India
I joined the PtX Hub in India as Private Sector Advisor in September 2022. I am responsible for facilitating collaboration between the private sector, policymakers and research institutes in India and Germany. As part of its efforts to decarbonise its economy, India has ambitions to grow into a global green hydrogen hub. My goal is to promote knowledge exchange through dialogue and networking platforms and ensure that perspectives of partner countries, such as India, are heard globally. I hold a master's degree in political science and public administration from the University of Konstanz. I look forward to being part of the PtX Hub and working towards achieving the global energy transition.
In January 2024, I joined the PtX Hub as part of the trainings team. I hold a Bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Freiburg (i. Br.) and a Master's degree in sustainability management and economics (Nachhaltiges Wirtschaften) from the University of Kassel. During my studies, I collected working experience in the field of hydrogen at the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research before I joined the PtX Hub. I believe that the energy transition is a task for society as a whole and can only succeed if it is seen as such and if it has acceptance in markets and societies. With Power-to-X products, especially green hydrogen, it is possible to store renewable energy and use it in industries that cannot be electrified for process-related reasons. I am happy to support the trainings team in the global spread of knowledge about PtX and its potential for defossilisation.
With its favorable conditions for renewable energy generation, Argentina has great potential to develop sustainable Power-to-X (PtX) markets, reduce import dependency, and create socio-economic benefits. In order to support this process and facilitate the dialogue among the stakeholders in the PtX market, we are working on six key areas, such as conducting a study on allocation scenarios for PtX, conducting technical studies, and organising trainings. Prior to joining the PtX Hub, I worked as a GIZ Business Scout for Development at the German Argentine Chamber of Commerce and Industry. I have a degree in Business Administration, hold a Master's degree in Sustainable Development/International Cooperation, and have more than 17 years of international work experience in both the private sector and development cooperation.
Job Titles:
- Technical Advisor Chile & Uruguay
Since 2023, I joined the PtX Hub for Chile and Uruguay convinced that the green hydrogen and PtX products are crucial to defossilise end uses that are hard to electrify, and a sustainable alternative for the chemical industry. Before joining the PtX Hub I worked for five years at the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and The Caribbean (ECLAC) in several interdisciplinary projects regarding themes as green hydrogen, energy analysis and policy development for climate change mitigation and adaptation. In addition, as a contributing journalist, during 2021 I published articles related to the water, mining, and energy sector in The Economist magazine. My backgorund is in Industrial Engineering and I have a master's degree in Sustainable Development. Last year I completed a diploma on green hydrogen at the Catholic University of Chile.
Job Titles:
- Junior Communication Specialist
I joined the team in November 2022 with the responsibility of supporting communication activities for PtX Hub India. India is on its journey to emerge as a global champion in green hydrogen and it is fascinating to see its ambitious drive towards becoming self-reliant through clean energy. Besides handling communications, I am also responsible for extending administrative support to two of the subworking groups of the Indo-German Green Hydrogen Taskforce. I did my Master's in English Literature and Post Graduate diploma in Advertising and Marketing Communication. Prior to my current role, I managed communication and outreach activities for a public policy think tank based in New Delhi.
Job Titles:
- Student Assistant Chile & Uruguay
Since joining the PtX Hub in March 2023, I am supporting the PtX Hub activities in Chile and Uruguay. Within my role, I lead the design and implementation of communication strategies in both countries. Additionally, I assist in organising events and meetings to promote our Power-to-X initiatives. My interest lies in the intersection of energy and social topics, such as the energy transition, social acceptance of renewable energy, and promoting the role of women in the energy sector. I firmly believe in the transformative power of PtX and green hydrogen as tools for catalysing global defossilisation and delivering sustainable solutions to the pressing climate crisis. Before joining the PtX Hub, I gained experience as an intern at GIZ's Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Program in Santiago de Chile. After that, I expanded my expertise by working as a consultant for H2LAC, a project focused on the development of green hydrogen in Latin America and the Caribbean. I hold a degree in Latin American Studies, with a focus on Political Science, from the University of Cologne. Currently, I am beginning my Master's degree in Environmental, Economic, and Social Sustainability at the Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona (UAB).
The global energy transition has been the driving force of my professional life from the very beginning. After studying industrial engineering, I worked as project manager in the solar energy industry, on the implementation of international PV and CSP power plants. Since 2021 I am advisor for PtX and renewable energy at GIZ. My current role at the International PtX Hub is to support the cooperation activities with Argentina, Morocco and South Africa aiming at the development of local PtX markets, and to advise on PtX technology and sustainability issues.
I am coordinating all activities of the PtX Hub and other projects of GIZ on green hydrogen in Algeria. Algeria is committed to develop sustainable energy production and reduce green house gases. With a team of highly motivated colleagues, GIZ helps to achieve these goals with technical expertise. Having worked in the aviation industry, I finished my doctorate in political sciences in the 2000ies with a thesis on Algerian international relations.
Since the energy for our consumption cannot keep coming from fossils, I became interested in understanding the alternative ways of energy production fueling production, like hydrogen. As the energy transition from fossil fuels is imperative, I believe hydrogen energy gives a hope for more sustainable future. That's why I joined the PtX Hub in June 2023 as part of the Trainings team. Next to coordinating online and in-person trainings, I assist the team in updating the training content for Power-to-X, especially on sustainability and policy aspects. I have a professional background in research and public diplomacy. I hold a Bachelor's in Philosophy from GCU Lahore, and a Master's degree in Governance and Public Policy as a DAAD Scholar from the University of Passau. With one step in academia and the other in the development sector, I try to make sense of human societies and their future in a world in which the climate is changing.
Job Titles:
- Sustainability & Global Relations
PtX technologies hold immense promise in bolstering stable, reliable and defossilised energy systems - qualities that we experience at their limits here in South Africa - day in, day out. As an economist with a focus on energy- and regulatory economics, my passion are questions on how to create enabling environments to decarbonise our economies - from the renewable's deployment, along the pathway to PtX consumer ready products. I joined the International PtX Hub in February 2023 and support our activities in and from South Africa, bringing in hands-on experience with several GIZ energy projects in Ethiopia.
I recently joined the International PtX Hub to support the implementation of activities in Kenya. This position is combined with my work in the project power system readiness for grid integration of variable renewable energy (VRE). Prior to joining the team, I interned with the GIZ in Energy Solutions for displacement settings project, and at Res4Africa Foundation in their various renewable energy solutions for Africa Initiatives. Just Energy Transition and youth participation in climate action are two topics I am passionate about. My academic background includes a bachelor degree in electrical and electronics engineering.
Job Titles:
- Technical Advisor Colombia
Since joining the PtX Hub in February 2023, I focus on technical assistance to the Colombian Ministry Mines and Energy. My work focuses on capacity building, relationship management, and technical studies on the identification of hydrogen hubs and PtX potentials, regulatory diagnostics, the complementary hydrogen roadmap, certification recommendations, carbon contracts for difference (CCfD) and others. I believe that the PtX Hub's sustainability criteria are fundamental to providing local and national benefits. Even more so in developing countries, where places with the best renewable resources are sometimes those with the greatest environmental, social and economic challenges. I studied law at the University of Seville (Spain). Today, I feel very proud to be part of a group of people like at the PtX Hub who seek to ensure that the criteria of sustainability and sustainable development are met.
I am responsible for implementation of the PtX activities in Kenya that focus on the analysis of the potential for PtX concepts in the country, building technical capacity of stakeholders and supporting to build an enabling environment for privates sector involvement in PtX. Kenya is a renewable energy resource rich country and this provides an opportunity for the defossilisation of our economy through PtX. Previously, I have been involved in promotion of an enabling environment for the development of variable renewable energy in Kenya. I have a Bachelors in Energy Engineering and am a Certified ReGrid Manager.
At the PtX Hub, I focus on Morocco and North Africa. I am convinced that PtX can contribute to the last mile decarbonisation of the economy and that it gives the South's countries the opportunity to establish a lasting and sustainable industrial sector. Before joining GIZ in March 2021, I worked in the energy industry, mostly for TotalEnergies. I hold degrees from both Sciences-po and UCL.
I joined the International PtX Hub in July 2023 and support the activities in and from South Africa. My career has always been driven by the global energy transition. I am excited to have joined the team in South Africa, and to have the opportunity to contribute to making a significant impact in addressing climate change and environmental sustainability. I believe that PtX technologies offer a viable approach to decarbonising various sectors of the economy and mitigating climate change. With continued support and development, PtX technologies can undoubtedly make a significant contribution to a greener future. With a strong social science background and a Master's Degree in Organisational and Institutional Studies, I have a particular interest in topics that combine energy and social issues, such as the ‘just' element of the Just Energy transition and the advancement of women in the energy industry. Prior to joining the PtX Hub, I worked for KfW Entwicklungsbank in Pretoria, where I was responsible for green hydrogen and its link to skills development.
Job Titles:
- Junior Technical Advisor Algeria
Based in Algeria, I am working for Power-to-X technologies (PtX) as well as green hydrogen promotion and development since November 2022. Our main goal is to implement a suitable framework for a sustainable PtX infrastructure in the country. This could be achieved via organizational and regulatory advice, technical support, knowledge exchange and networking platforms, which we are working for. I have started my career at GIZ in August 2021, working in a project to enhance waste management systems on a municipal level. I hold a master's degree in waste management and treatment processes, and graduated in process engineering at Blida university, Algeria. I believe that the energy transition plays an essential role to assure a sustainable development.
Job Titles:
- Shipping & Country Outreach
Job Titles:
- Junior Technical Advisor Chile & Uruguay
At the PtX Hub, I support the work on water efficiency for the sustainable development of the green hydrogen industry as fundamental for the Just Energy transition. In the PtX Chile-Uruguay team, we analyse water management for the emergent industry looking at different sources, including industrial and municipal wastewater treatment. I am passionate about promoting sustainability in the energy sector, tending to the efficient use of natural resources, and reducing impacts based on the EESG vision. With a degree in engineering sciences, I collected experience in civil organisations on developing tools for training young people, enabling them to develop sustainability and environmental policies at national and international levels.
Job Titles:
- Technical Advisor Argentina
I work on fostering the development of a local PtX market in Argentina in the mid- and long-term. With this aim in mind, I work together with local experts and institutions involved in PtX and green hydrogen. We are looking into attractive scenarios and applications for PtX in the Argentinean context and support the dialogue between different kinds of stakeholders linked to PtX in Argentina and the region. Before joining the PtX Hub, I worked several years with GIZ in Chile on strengthening renewable energies as well as with private sector companies in Germany active within the renewable energy sector.
Job Titles:
- Director
- Coordinator of the "PtX Hub
Torsten Schwab is the coordinator of the "PtX Hub". The last years, he managed the IKI-project "Climate Neutral Alternative Fuels" in Brazil - BMU's first PtX project within the PtX Action Program. He has been with GIZ since 2004, promoting the use of renewable energies, first in rural electrification, then in energy planning for specific technologies (solar, wind, bioX), and lately renewables as a source for clean aviation fuels. He holds MSc degrees in both Engineering Cybernetics and WASTE ("Water, Air, and Solid Waste Treatment Engineering"), both from the University of Stuttgart.
Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF) as part of Power-to-X solutions are crucial as they significantly reduce dependence on fossil resources and are key to achieve zero emissions in aviation. Based in Berlin, I am part of the Knowledge team and focus on the work on aviation and trainings at the International PtX Hub. Before joining in October 2023, I studied Aviation Engineering / Aviation Management (m. Eng) and worked in logistics and engine maintenance.
Job Titles:
- Technical Advisor Argentina
I support the development of sustainable markets for green hydrogen and PtX as fundamental pieces for Argentina's energy transition. With our partners, we advise on the development of allocation scenarios for selected PtX products, analysing value chains and providing suggestions to improve the regulatory framework for the production, use and export of PtX products. I am passionate about promoting sustainability in the energy sector and industry, and I love working as a team to achieve satisfactory results. I have a Bachelor Degree in Economics, a Master Degree in Environmental Management and a specialisation in the energy sector. Before joining GIZ, I worked at multi-stakeholder initiatives to promote sustainability in supply chains, and at the Secretary of Energy analyzing energy projects from a technical, economic, environmental and regulatory perspective.
Job Titles:
- Senior Advisor Chile & Uruguay
Accelerating the energy transition by defossilising those sectors that are difficult to electrify is crucial to comply with the Paris agreement, therefore being part of this transformation through the PtX Hub motivates me. After working for more than 15 years on the promotion of renewable energies and the development of technical and professional capacities in Chile, Argentina and Germany, I am now responsible for the implementation of the PtX Hub's activities in Chile and Uruguay. I have a degree in social sciences, and I am a certified project manager.