The Face Behind NuRa Energy

 

Even at school, Peter De Wit knew he wanted to work together with our planet, but from a technical angle. Physics, chemistry and maths led him to technical college in the 70s and from there, the rest is history.
Heading straight from his studies into the field, Peter took his specialisation in Energy Technologies and Electrical Engineering and used them to the advantage of companies throughout the Netherlands. Peter worked as a commissioning engineer, bringing gas and steam turbines online and working on huge diesel generators. This was also when he commissioned his first windmill park.
He then turned to project management and worked his way steadily upwards through the ranks working on various electrical and instrumentation installations before being offered a departmental management position at a company where he doubled their teams and added ICT technology to their portfolio of electrical and mechanical contracting. In his last position in the Netherlands, Peter was the Sector Director for a very large division of a company which specialised in electrical and instrumentation contracting in industrial and utility projects.

Africa was calling. In an adventurous move, Peter decided to move to South Africa where he started Clean Air Company with a partner. Over 6 years, they developed and installed systems to clean air in welding rooms, mines, the construction industry, control rooms and even base stations for SA’s biggest mobile network.

An opportunity the arose to be part of an eco-lodge in Mozambique and the next 3 years were spent turning Nuarro into a model lodge by designing, commissioning, installing and maintaining a wind and solar energy hybrid system to run the entire lodge. This is apart from developing and working in the lodge itself – including as a scuba instructor! Nuarro still runs this system under Peter’s guidance today.

Having seen the need for small home energy systems in rural Africa, Peter jumped at the opportunity offered to him by Foundation Rural Energy Services in the Netherlands to establish thei branch in Uganda. Peter built this from the ground up, giving opportunity to households to take advantage of the Fee For Service model to give them renewable energy and maintenance thereof.
After turning this into a successful company in 3 years, Peter handed it over to a general manager.

From there, Peter’s roots in NuRa Energy were founded, as he took on an operational management role in the company in South Africa. His goal was to turn it into a successful, well-rounded energy company; operationally, staff-wise and asset-wise. He managed this impressively in a short space of time. Peter then also dabbled in Energy Management Consultancy and the sale of renewable energy products with a specialised company.
He was then called back to NuRa energy urgently, as mismanagement of the company had brought it to the brink of failure. After painstakingly bringing the company back into excellent standing, Peter acquired the South African shares in the company and brought it fully under his expert control. NuRa is now on a journey to change from a rural electrification utility to a solar and back-up service provider. And all this done while starting Hluhluwe Bushcamp – a beautiful off-grid lodge in Kwa-Zulu Natal.

We now claim this impressive history as the foundation for NuRa Energy