Company Announcement - Technology start-up PowerOptimal is making headway in the South African energy industry with its solutions for both domestic and commercial customers that address power demand management and load shedding.  The company’s recent appointment of Professor Ian R Jandrell, who is currently the Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), as an Independent Director is proof that the company is definitely one to watch.  The appointment of Professor Ian R Jandrell to PowerOptimal brings a balance to the board that will enable PowerOptimal to increase its growth and steer its strategy going forward. PowerOptimal’s solution is a game changer in the market because unlike other options available to temporarily deal with the load shedding crisis their solution looks at a means that could make stage one load shedding a thing of the past.

“If used widely enough the shifting of electrical loads can put an end to stage one load shedding,” says PowerOptimal CEO and co-founder Sean Moolman “Think of electricity as a product. It’s a product that you pay for every month. But, it’s also the kind of product that has to be used at exactly the same time as it is produced. It’s a “use it or lose it” situation – which for both the consumer and public is wastage which cannot be afforded. Think of it as a highway – at peak times, the traffic bottlenecks, leading to huge traffic jams. Yet at other times, the road is completely empty. Wouldn’t it be great if we could spread out highway-use so that traffic is always flowing but never congested – regardless of whether it’s day or night?” Sean asks. 

PowerOptimal’s staff complement includes co-founder Richard Fearon, a serial entrepreneur and a board of directors that includes Hannes Roets, an aircraft pilot and energy management expert who is also the founder and co-owner of a company that specializes in energy efficiency and demand management. Johan Theron – technical director - is the inventor and developer of PowerOptimal’s PowerGuard technology and has over 40 years of experience in light current systems and runs his own successful electronics design and manufacturing business. Professor Jandrell is also currently a personal Professor in the School of Electrical and Information Engineering at Wits where he holds the CBI-electric Chair of Lightning.  He is the associate editor of the journal of Lightning Research and a member of the Scientific Committee of the International Conference on Lightning Protection. He is a registered Professional Engineer and Senior Member of the and a fellow of the South African Institute of Electrical Engineers. Professor Jandrell has won numerous awards including the SAIEE’s premier award – the President’s Award. 

“Often it does take a crisis to allow really innovative solutions to surface. One of the reasons why I am really so delighted to be a part of PowerOptimal is that this is a company that has developed and proven a really effective and high-tech way of dealing with the energy supply crisis we face. Of course this technology has a crucial role in any electrical system. I look forward to walking a path with this innovative and entrepreneurial outfit," says Professor Jandrell.