Xavier Vallvé is co-founder and director of the engineering and consultancy firm TTA in Barcelona, Spain. He holds engineering and master’s degrees from the University of Waterloo in Canada and has more than 25 years of experience in rural electrification with renewable energy and distributed generation projects, autonomous as well as grid tied, renewable energy hybrid technology for islands and isolated villages. This involves complementary interdisciplinary activities in economic, social and management aspects as well as engineering in renewable energy generation and storage. Autonomous off-grid electrification needs to address the needs of potential beneficiaries, from basic access to power to develop income generating activities. Within a village, this can be done with microgrids, individual PV stations or a combination of both but involving the community and establishing an adequate business model for long term sustainable operation.
Xavier is well-experienced in distributed generation and micro grids. He has been involved in research, feasibility studies, engineering, project management and commissioning of many PV rural micro grids in isolated villages in Africa, Asia and South America. He is also an active member in international codes and standards committees on this subject. He has been project director or lead consultant for private and government clients and also for projects by United Nations Development programme (UNDP), United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), World Bank (WB), European Commission (EC), International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA), among others. He is director and lecturer of the Master degree “Master en Ingeniería y Gestión de las Energías Renovables” at IL3 (University of Barcelona). He is a member of ARE (Alliance for Rural Electrification), and also member of the Board of Secartys.
