Vision, innovation and new talents for the solar industry

Dr. Karla Cedano,
Head of Strategic Innovation, IER-UNAM

Doctor of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Leading multidisciplinary academic in the fields of Energy and Society, and Innovation and Sustainability with a gender perspective. Consultant for the National Group of Universities for Renewable Energy Sources in Cuba; member of the Editorial Committee of the FIDE Energy Efficiency Journal and the International Women's Forum; mentor for the Global Women's Network for the Energy Transition and Voz Experta; and former President of the National Solar Energy Association (ANES). Currently, she is Head of the Innovation and Futures Laboratory and the Strategic Innovation Department at the Institute of Renewable Energies of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (IER-UNAM); secretary of the council of the Academy of Social Sciences and Humanities of the State of Morelos; advisor to Voz Experta; and visiting professor at the Central University of Las Villas (UCLV) in Cuba.

Dr. Julia Tagüeña,
Emeritus Researcher, IER-UNAM

She studied physics at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) and earned her doctorate from the University of Oxford, in Great Britain. She is an Emeritus Researcher at the Institute of Renewable Energies and the National System of Research Information (SNII), and is the Communication Coordinator at the Center for Complexity Sciences. She was the Director of the Center for Energy Research and the General Directorate for Science Communication, both at UNAM. She was Deputy Director of Scientific Development at the National Council of Science and Technology (CONACyT). She received the 2017 RedPOP Award, the 2020 National Science Communication Award, and the 2021 Public Understanding and Popularization of Science Award from TWAS-LACREP. She is a member of the Mexican Academy of Sciences, the Morelos Academy of Sciences, the Mexican Physical Society, the Institute of Physics (UK), SOMEDICyT, and the Mexico chapter of the International Women's Forum.

Marisol Oropeza,
Business and Marketing Strategist

Marisol Oropeza, a dual Mexican and German national based in Berlin, is a Business and Marketing Strategist with her own consulting brand “matters” since 2016. She is a leading figure in the solar industry and recognized as an exceptional advocate for solar thermal. With a career spanning more than 20 years holding leadership positions in the public sector in Mexico, as well as the private and non-profit sectors in Germany, she positions herself as a highly qualified professional with a creative mindset.

She is founder of the Heat Changers community and an advisor to highly recognized companies in the solar industry. She has cultivated a vast network of contacts in Germany, Europe and Latin America. Her influential international collaborations span initiatives to accelerate the energy transition and promote solar technology. She collaborates with the Solar Heating Initiative, the Global Solar Certification Network and Intersolar Mexico. She was responsible for the International Affairs Secretariat of the Mexican National Solar Energy Association (ANES) from 2020 to 2024.

Additionally, she stands out for her extensive knowledge of the sector and dynamic presence as a speaker and moderator. She is listed in the speaker directory of the Solar Heating and Cooling Program of the International Energy Agency (IEA SHC).

Marisol's academic background includes a Bachelor's degree with honors in Business Administration from UNAM, a Master's degree in European Studies from Hochschule Bremen, and additional studies in Strategic Marketing, Leadership and Sustainable Development.