Jethro Betcke was born November 24, 1969. He studied physics at Utrecht University. He did an optional research at the Department of Science, Technology and Society in 1995 on the subject of HVDC transmission cables for the project "Large-Scale Wind Energy Application". In 1997 he graduated at the Department of Theoretical Physics on the subject of mid gap states in hydrogenated amorphous silicon. The research for this subject was performed at and for the Department of Atomic and Interface Physics.

From April 1997 until November 1997 he was employed as project employee at Adviesbureau E-connection, a Dutch consultancy on the subject of wind energy.

From  December  1997 until December 2002  he was employed at the Department of Science, Technology and Society of Utrecht University in the Netherlands. He performed contract research in the field of photovoltaic systems and solar irradiation, assisted teaching and was a member of the library and PR commity.

Since February 2003 he is employed at the Department of Energy and Semiconductor Research  at Oldenburg University Germany. Here his research concerns with different aspects of remote sensing  of solar irradiance for the apllication  to solar energy.