Victron Energy people: Who is Niels Kaarill?

This insight is part of the ‘Victron Energy people: Who is who?’ series of blogs.

For a complete list of Victron Energy people in this series please see:

https://www.victronenergy.com/blog/category/victron-people/

My name is Niels Kaarill and I joined Victron seven years ago after working for one of our distributors in Denmark called Gertsen & Olufsen, where I was responsible for Kohler Gensets, Kabola heaters, Yanmar Marine (sales) and of course Victron Energy products.

Prior to that I worked as marine engineer and then as an assistant engineering inspector both at sea and ashore. I also worked for a manufacturing company making high pressure cleaners. My initial education was in the Danish Navy and at an engineering college in Copenhagen.

What do I do at Victron? My work is on the sales and technical advice side in Scandinavia. This means I cover Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland. Greenland and the Faroe Islands also come under my Danish territory. Additionally I provide local technical training for our products.

On the personal side I’m married and have a daughter of twenty three, who is an auditor for Ernst and Young. We spend a lot of time together with our Icelandic horses. In fact they have become a lifestyle, with competitions plus trips to the forests and beaches. Over the years I have been an avid motorcyclist riding over 1 million km on holidays throughout Europe on a range of motorcycles. These days however I simply enjoy cruising along the North coast of Zealand, near where I live. My home is a city called Helsinge, which is forty km north of Copenhagen. This coastline is considered to be Denmark’s Rivera, where there is a lot of life during the summertime.

I hope the above gives a little insight into who I am and what I do.

Niels Kaarill

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Justin Tyers • 26 May 2023

Meeting Victron Energy People

In our occasional ‘Who is Who?’ series we like to introduce you the Victron people whose names you know, and whose faces you’ve seen – but you haven’t had a chance to chat, yet. Introducing themselves today are Guy Stewart – online video training manager and Victron Community page moderator from New South Wales, Australia; and David Gutierrez – Sales Manager in Mexico. Here they are in their own words: Hi, my name is Guy Stewart. As one of Victron’s more public faces, there is a chance that you have already come into contact with me through our Victron Community, or Professional Online Training program. Working at Victron really feels like the job of a lifetime for me. It brings together so many of my previous interests and work experiences into one. My first contact with renewable energy systems was when I moved to an isolated forest in the Australian bush with my wife Kirrah. When we arrived we had no electricity, no toilet and no running water. So had to learn through necessity how to build the systems to survive. It was a fantastic time and since then I have not stopped learning. While trying to figure it out, I studied and graduated with a Diploma of Permaculture, using my real world experiences as part of my course work. I also began to teach what I had learned (earning a trade certificate in training and assessment), giving presentations and other public speaking. Terrifying, but also a great thrill. I found a strong mentor in Natalie Meyer and went to work for a community service organisation named the NNIC, as a Sustainability Project Co-ordinator. Helping start community farmers markets, a food co-operative, and …. locally owned renewable energy projects! I’d found something that I really loved to do, and pursued further professional work at one of Australia’s pioneer renewable energy companies Rainbow Power. There I found another mentor and role model in Paul O’Reilly. I had a diverse role at Rainbow, though working mainly as a stand alone power system designer, and part of a team developing tools to design the systems. Living off grid myself helped me to understand at a very deep level what it was like, and doing it with my wife also helped me to understand what it could be like for other people! Once I began working with the Victron equipment for my own customers, I was all in. I focused my time at Rainbow at becoming a Victron Specialist. Learning absolutely everything I could about the products, and how to use the range to meet the needs of my clients. At a point, I had read every Victron manual, designed and installed systems in nearly all possible applications (portable, cars, boats, caravans, homes, businesses and factories) domestically and internationally. I began helping others with Victron issues, troublesome systems are a great way to learn – and less stress when they aren’t your customer (or your wife). Margreet Leeftink, the Victron Australia sales manager at the time, later told me that each time she saw one of my emails she knew the answer wasn’t going simple, and it wasn’t going to be in the manual. I loved the products, but eventually my frustrations with Victron’s documentation and training came to a critical point. I got a phone call from Amsterdam one afternoon, it was Matthijs Vader, the CEO of Victron. He had seen me trying to help others, and had heard some of my criticisms and he had an offer. If I thought I could make things better, I was welcome to join him at Victron and try! Guy Stewart sent me a number of great images from which to illustrate his story. I’m tempted to move to Australia myself if this is his back garden. Next let’s hear from David: I am David Gutierrez, the Sales Manager for the Mexican market at Victron. I was born and raised in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico – the land of tequila. I live with my lovely wife and my beloved 3-year-old son, Leon. My professional background is in energy engineering, and before and during my university studies, I worked as a technician and installer of photovoltaic systems from 2012 until my graduation in 2017. After that, I worked in the wind energy sector and substations maintenance. I always have had an affinity for energy storage systems, which have seen an exponential increase in demand in recent years. I discovered Victron Energy in 2019 while working as an engineering manager for a local company. In a short time, I was fascinated by the solutions and became a loyal fan of the work that Vader’s father and son had developed. I am infinitely grateful for the opportunity to enjoy my work while doing what I love. When I’m not working, I spend time with my son Leon and my wife. Apart from my passion for technical subjects, I am also an avid music lover. During most of my adolescence, I played the drums for a rock band, and today it remains one of my favorite hobbies. Thank you very much David and Guy, for taking the time to introduce yourselves. Next time we find ourselves in a club in Mexico City at 4am it will be reassuring to know that – no, it isn’t the beer …we really DO recognise the drummer.

Justin Tyers • 06 October 2023

Who is Carlos Quinones?

This is a very good time to get to know Carlos a bit better – October 2023 marks the tenth anniversary of Carlos’ employment at Victron Energy! Congratulations Carlos! Living and working in Spain – Carlos has provided us with an introduction to him and his family in both Spanish and in English. First, let’s hear from him in Spanish: Estudie Formación Profesional-II en Electrónica industrial, me gustaba mucho cuidar la instalación aislada de mi familia en la casa de campo donde teníamos hace 25 años; baterías de camión, una placa solar BP (de las primeras) y consumos DC como bombas de agua, TV etc. Estuve trabajando 9 años en Autoliv, empresa de Airbags y cinturones de seguridad sueca, aprendí la importancia de la calidad y I+D en un producto, luego 4 años en TAB un distribuidor de Victron, allí entre en contacto con Stefan Juncker y Floor van Olphen. Decidí aceptar entrar en Victron y nos trasladamos de Valencia a Alicante, de eso hace ya 10 años. Me gusta ir al gimnasio para hacer musculación, pilates y yoga, además siempre que puedo cocinar. Mi familia y amigos dicen que mis paellas son deliciosas. Como mis hijos Lucia (13) y Víctor (10) son aún pequeños, me gusta estar con ellos y montar en bici, hacer pádel surf o simplemente intentar ser un buen padre junto con mi mujer Raquel que estamos casados hace 17 años. Mi filosofía de trabajo es hacer clientes felices en el menor tiempo posible ;porque principalmente me ocupo del proceso de garantías en España, Portugal y Italia ,reparándolas cuando es posible .Considero que Victron tiene una alta calidad ,pero también influye que el instalador y distribuidor Victron hagan bien su trabajo .Muchas veces recibimos equipos dañados por no haber leído los manuales ,o simplemente no presentan defecto (NDF), hemos desarrollado un documento Pre-RMA para que incluso el instalador o cliente final pueda probar el equipo por que un alto porcentaje de errores son por desconocimiento .Por ello gasto mucho tiempo formando a los técnicos y distribuidores que son Centros de reparación en Europa , latino América y últimamente también en USA. Con Richard y Juan Alberto hacemos un gran equipo. Vivo en Alicante a 5 minutos de la playa, somos afortunados de disfrutar un buen clima y buenas playas con agua limpia. Doy gracias a Dios diariamente por tener un buen trabajo, una familia unida. Espero que si algún compañero no me conocía ahora tenga una visión más ajustada de como soy. And now for readers in English… I studied Vocational training in industrial electronics. I really enjoyed improving the off-grid installation of a country house we, as a family, bought 25 years ago. There were 12V truck batteries , a solar panel BP (the first) and DC consumption for all installed conveniences – such as the water pump and TV. Then I worked 9 years at Autoliv, a Swedish Airbag/seat belt company. There I learned the importance of quality, and product R&D. Then I worked 4 years at a Victron distributor – TAB – where I met Stefan Juncker and Floor van Olphen. I decided to accept an offer to join Victron and we moved from Valencia to Alicante. That was 10 years ago. I like to go to the gym to do weight training, Pilates and Yoga, I also like cooking and my family and friends say that my paellas are delicious. As my children Lucia (13) and Victor (10) are still young, I like to spend time with them – bike-riding, paddle-boarding, or just trying to be a good father – together my wife Raquel with whom I have been married for 17 years. My work philosophy is to make happy customers in the shortest time possible. I deal mainly with the warranty process in Spain, Portugal and Italy, repairing units, when possible. I consider that Victron builds to a high quality, but it’s also necessary for the Victron installer and distributor to do their job well. Many times, we receive damaged equipment because the customer has not read the manuals, or we find that the equipment simply does not have a defect (NDF). Because of this we developed a Pre-RMA document so that even the installer or end customer can test the equipment as a high percentage of errors are due to lack of knowledge, so I spend a lot of time training technicians and distributors who run repair centres in Europe, Latin America, and lately also in USA. With Richard and Juan Alberto, we make a great team. I live in Alicante a short walk from the beach; we are fortunate to enjoy a good climate and good beaches with clear water. I thank God daily for having a good job and united family. I hope that if any of my colleagues did not know me now they will have a better vision of me. Carlos ================== Thanks very much to Carlos for telling us about the important work he does, and for introducing us to his family. I know I speak for everybody when I say we’re looking forward to the next ten years.

Justin Tyers • 03 March 2023

Wild camping Vietnam – RV road trip

Welcome to Robert Nguyen, our new dealer in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, who it turns out has a powerful hobby. When he and his family are not working they like nothing better than to spend a few nights under the stars, enjoying the quietude of natural locations such as Tau Cave (Hang Táu), Son La Province. Hang Táu is a remote village of twenty households on stilts and is home to the Hmong people who live a simple lifestyle of livestock farming and cultivation. The gated village lies on a grassy plateau of about one Hectare in an otherwise mountainous region. There is no electricity or cell net, and the nearest town is 18 km (11 miles) away by dirt track. To access the village you’d need a 4×4 – like the Ford Ranger Raptor Pick up Truck seen here equipped with its own accommodation in the form of a roof tent. A tidy mobile energy system provides all the power you might need for a luxury ‘glamping’ break, comprising a 230VAC 3kVA Inverter/Charger capable of running any domestic appliance. The camper truck has a dual battery system – the 12V Lead Acid vehicle battery; plus a 24V Lithium battery which supplies the Inverter to run ‘House’ loads. Battery charging – 12V and 24V – is controlled and automatically switched by the system’s three Orion-Tr Smart DC-DC Chargers 12/24/15A 360W. Orion-Tr Smart DC-DC Charger The Orion DC-DC Charger has an ‘Engine On’ detection feature which simplifies installation wiring. It is based on user-definable alternator voltage detection, and works in the case of both ‘regular’ and ‘smart’ alternators. The Orion DC-DC Charger continuously tests the charging voltage, so that when the engine is once again turned off, the voltage drop will be detected, and charging disabled. You can find more information about the Engine On detection sequence here . Orion DC-DC Chargers are available up to 400W output, and an unlimited number of units can be connected in parallel to increase output power. The Lithium Battery in this set up can be charged either by the Orion-Tr Smart, or by the MultiPlus II when it receives AC power from the electricity grid or from a generator. Live System data information – at your fingertips, nearby, or from afar A Cerbo GX communication device lies at the heart of the installation. It allows the Inverter and BMV 712 Smart Battery Monitor to communicate with each other – and with the user via a GX Touch 50 touch screen device. More than that, the Cerbo GX is a multi-port communication centre which accepts data from a range of Victron and third-party equipment – allowing power data, temperature, tank-levels …in fact a huge range of information to be communicated to the web-based platform Victron Remote Management ( VRM ) – Victron’s communication portal which enables system interrogation and management from anywhere in the world. Additionally, all smart devices can be monitored and managed locally using the VictronConnect app on a smart phone. The VictronConnect app – which allows the user to view and change settings on their system straight from a phone or tablet – was further enhanced recently by an additional feature known as Instant Readout . This feature allows at-a-glance checking of essential live data of individual devices – without the need to ‘connect’ to each device. In this system the MultiPlus-II, Orion DC-DC chargers, and Lithium Battery will all report data to the VictronConnect app. The system build is configured thus: 1 x MultiPlus-II 24/3000/70 3 x Orion-Tr Smart DC-DC Chargers 12/24/15A 360W 1 x Orion Converter 24/12-70A 1 x Lynx Distributor 1000DC Cerbo GX and GX Touch 50 Battery monitor BMV-712 Smart 24V-210Ah Lithium battery Robert has expert practical knowledge of mobile energy systems for land and sea, and in Backup power for home and industry. You can get in touch with him at MES Services,ltd which is based in HoChi Minh City. We’d like to acknowledge Mr Nguyen Huy Tuong from Hanoi – a professional photographer – whose work has been used in this story.

Victron Energy people: Who is Niels Kaarill?

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