Richard Hansen

Richard Hansen is President and Founder of Soluz, Inc., a company that introduced PV for rural electrification in Latin America.  Soluz provides consulting services globally, and delivers PV products through Soluz Honduras in Central America.  In 1984, Hansen pioneered the use of PV for rural electrification in the Dominican Republic with small systems installed by local PV enterprises combined with microfinance, a breakthrough that made PV systems affordable for rural families.  In 1989, Hansen also introduced PV for rural electrification in Honduras, where he continues to lead efforts as President of Soluz Honduras.

Hansen has provided advisory services to energy access efforts around the world that have delivered electricity for the first time to millions of people.  Among the numerous assignments, in 1996, under contract to the World Bank’s International Finance Corporation (IFC), Hansen traveled to Bangladesh to advise the Grameen Bank on a PV business plan for a new entity, Grameen Shakti.  This initial $750,000 IFC loan helped launch an operation that recently announced its millionth PV customer. He presently assists the UN Foundation’s energy access practitioner network aimed at advancing the UN Sustainable Energy for All Initiative.

Mr. Hansen has received numerous awards for his pioneering work in developing sustainable models for renewable energy commercialization. Hansen holds a BSME from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and an MBA from Boston University.