Aurora Energy Research Podcast

Our Market Lead for Italy - Matteo Coriglioni speaks to Toni Volpe, CEO of Falck Renewables. Toni has been the CEO of Falck Renewables since 2016 and he started working in the energy industry at the Enel Group in 2004, where he covered several roles such as CEO of Enel Green Power North America in 2005 and Country Manager and CEO of Enel Romania in 2014. Falck Renewables is one of the biggest “pure players” in the European renewable energy sector, the Group has an installed capacity of 1.3 GW in UK, Italy, Spain, France, the Nordics and the United States, a project pipeline of more than 4.5 GW and manages around 4 GW of plants around the world (in more than 40 countries) on behalf of third parties; mostly wind onshore and solar.Matteo and Toni discuss:•The future of the energy transition and Falck Renewables’ strategy in terms of expanding to new markets and technologies•The role of policy in decarbonisation and renewables development•The impact of the Next Generation EU fund in accelerating the energy transi

Our Research Director Richard Howard speaks to Andrew Doyle, Executive Director MUFG. Andrew joined MUFG in March 2011 following the acquisition of a US$5bn project finance portfolio from RBS. He has over 15 years of project finance experience covering large thermal power and renewables projects across the UK, Europe and the Middle East. This is one of a series of episodes featuring energy transition leaders who will be speaking at our Spring Forum 2021. The Forum takes place in London on Wednesday 29th September. For more information go to auroraer.com/events/spring-forum/.Richard and Andrew discuss:•Hydrogen and business models that are emerging and how and when they will become bankable•By when will green hydrogen be cheap enough to compete with grey and blue hydrogen•The most attractive markets in Europe for hydrogen•Whether the UK Hydrogen strategy is ambitious enoughSupport the show

Our Head of Commissioned Projects in Central Europe, Hanns Koenig speaks to Christoph Torwegge - International Energy & Utilities Sector Leader at Osborne Clarke. Christoph leads a cross-border team advising clients across the energy sector on renewables, energy storage and energy innovation. He specialises in M&A and commercial law and supports funders, investors and developer clients in developing, investing in and financing projects in the renewables (solar, onshore wind and hydro) and other infrastructure sectors. This is one of a series of episodes featuring energy transition leaders who will be speaking at our Spring Forum 2021. The Forum takes place in London on Wednesday 29th September. For more information go to auroraer.com/events/spring-forum/.Hanns and Christoph discuss:•The role of lawyers in the energy transition•Renewables transactions and changes in the legal frameworks governing renewables•Areas for reform and where the law needs to change to reflect commercial realities on the groun

We have a very special episode for you this week on Energy Unplugged. Our CEO John Feddersen is talking to Markus Krebber, CEO of RWE AG about the role of the world’s largest utilities in decarbonising society.This is one of a series of episodes featuring energy transition leaders who will be speaking at our Spring Forum 2021. The Forum takes place in London on Wednesday 29th September. For more information go to https://auroraer.com/events/spring-forum/. John and Markus discuss:•RWE’s commitment to be carbon neutral by 2040 and the impact of such a commitment •The ramp-up of the hydrogen economy and how do we synchronize the investments cycles •EU’s climate ambition and what do we need to do to achieve the targets, where do we get the space for renewables and how can we accelerate planning and permitting processesSupport the show

Our Managing Director in Australia - Hugo Batten is joined by Anna Skarbek, the CEO of ClimateWorks Australia, a not-for-profit decarbonisation think tank. Anna has been the CEO of ClimateWorks Australia for almost 12 years now and she has had a number of Board roles in Australia, from CEFC to Impact Investment Group to the Carbon Market Institute. She has been hugely influential in Australia’s decarbonisation debates, and has certainly carried the torch when things were darkest in Australia’s long journey towards Net Zero.Hugo and Anna discuss:•The recently released IPCC report and its impact in Australia•Decarbonisation debates in Australia over the last decade and the current status•Solar & solar thermal storage technologies as dominant drivers of decarbonising the power systemSupport the show

In this episode, our CEO John Feddersen is joined by Bruce Riley – Managing Director for Infrastructure and Project Finance at NatWest. The focus of the show is the evolving role of project and infrastructure finance in the energy transition. Bruce leads one of Europe’ largest and most influential energy infrastructure and project finance teams and he’s a veteran in Europe’s project finance industry, having spent his career entirely with Royal Bank of Scotland – NatWest. John and Bruce discuss:•How has project finance as a field changed over the past two and a half decades•The relevance of renewables low carbon finance for NatWest loan book & long term climate commitments •Financing coal assets and how decisions are made within the bank to not lend against a particular area on ESG groundsSupport the show

Ed Birkett, Senior Research Fellow in the Energy and Environment unit at the Policy Exchange & Rachel Fletcher, Director Regulation and Economics at Octopus Energy join our Research Director Richard Howard for this week’s Energy Unplugged episode. The conversation focuses on the challenges around energy market design in a Net Zero world. Ed wrote a report last year called ‘Powering Net Zero - Why local electricity pricing holds the key to a Net Zero energy system’ which tackled the energy market design topic. Rachel is an experienced executive and regulatory expert, she spent many years at Ofgem in senior roles in retail markets, consumer protection, smart grids and networks, before moving to Ofwat as CEO and then more recently she has returned to the energy sector at Octopus Energy. Main topics include: •Is the current market design for power, gas, hydrogen and heating fit for purpose?•Will it deliver and enable the transition towards Net Zero? And if so, will it do so at the least costs for consumers?•

Our Head of Commissioned Projects in Central Europe, Hanns Koenig speaks to Alexander Voigt, CEO of STOFF2 & Board Member and Founder of HH2E. Alexander is one of the pioneers of the global energy transition. He has studied physics and started his career at an engineering bureau working on solar thermal solutions. He has founded several companies in the energy sector such as Solon in the solar space, Younicos in the battery space, Lumenion in the high temperature heat storage space, and STOFF2 & HH2E in the hydrogen space. Hanns and Alexander discuss:•Alexander’s journey and solar wind as a niche topic in the past•New technologies and concepts in the energy transition from battery & heat storage to hydrogen•Hydrogen economics and CO2 prices •Regulations needed to make the energy transition workSupport the show

Our Head of Commissioned Projects in Central Europe, Hanns Koenig is joined by one of the key executives in European hydrogen - Sopna Sury, Chief Operating Officer for Hydrogen at RWE Generation. Previous to the current role, Sopna spent ten years in roles that have spanned leading Strategy and Regulatory Affairs at RWE Renewables, Energy Services and Infrastructure at Uniper, and Business Development at E.ON Climate and Renewables. Before entering the energy sector, she completed a bank training, then studied economics and joined McKinsey, where she spent almost 10 years. Hanns and Sopna discuss:•Sopna’s professional journey and the reasons for which RWE has a board member for hydrogen •The role of hydrogen in the energy transition and why is everybody getting excited about it•The controversial use of hydrogen in sectors such long distance road transport and heating•RWE’s hydrogen strategy and its role in this pretty crowded marketSupport the show

In this episode, our CEO John Feddersen is delighted to be joined by Stef Murphy and Paro Konar, Directors of Industrial Energy at Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS). Stef and Paro are job share directors for the Industrial Energy Directorate which provides focus and leadership of BEIS strategy, policy development and delivery on industrial energy issues, and also ensure that industrial energy policies maximise the economic opportunities to the UK from the global move to cleaner growth, as part of the overall Industrial Strategy. The focus of the conversation is around industrial decarbonisation as the UK government has published its strategy in March this year, and the upcoming hydrogen strategy. The main topics include:•Key challenges and opportunities for industry in the move to Net Zero•The progress against commitments in the UK’s Energy White Paper and the Ten Point Plan•The UK’s upcoming Hydrogen Strategy and what to expect from it•UK’s Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS), what

Our Head of Iberia, Ana Barillas speaks to Federico Giannandrea, Partner and Head of Continental Europe at Foresight, a sustainability-led listed infrastructure and private equity investment manager. Federico joined Foresight in 2010 and leads Foresight’s infrastructure investments in continental Europe and the business development for infrastructure globally. Ana and Federico discuss:•How is renewable investment changing across Europe and value shifting across development stages•Vertical integration in development and construction•Local partnerships and how difficult is it to enter a new marketSupport the show

Our Managing Director in Australia - Hugo Batten speaks to Andrew Butler, Managing Director at Nectr – an Australian energy retailer that’s a subsidiary of the Korean group Hanwha. Andrew has successfully led three retail energy start-up ventures - Australian Power & Gas, Alinta Energy and now Nectr and he’s also spent time in telco and infrastructure more broadly. Hugo and Andrew discuss:•The retail space shift in Australia over last decades and other major aspects in the evolution of the Australian retail •Nectr and Octopus Energy Kraken Technology Platform•The state of Australian energy in terms of energy start-ups and innovation•Rising government intervention in energy markets with focus on wholesale and retailSupport the show

Dolf Gielen, Director of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Innovation and Technology Centre joins our Research Director Richard Howard for this week’s Energy Unplugged podcast. Dolf has been with IRENA for over 10 years, having previously been Chief of the Energy Efficiency and Policy Unit at UNIDO, and spending a number of years with IEA – starting as a Senior Energy Analyst and being promoted to Project Head of Energy Technology Scenarios.He has a strong engineering background, following his degree in Chemical Engineering with an MA in Environmental Sciences and a PhD in Energy and Materials Modelling. The interview covers a breadth of key market concerns around decarbonisation, focusing initially on IRENA's flagship publication setting out the pathway for a 1.5 degrees celsius ambition and closely examining the key issues and opportunities en route. The chat takes a deep dive into:•What we need to achieve•Hitting the targets by 2050 – what we can do with what we have, and the importanc

In this episode, our CEO John Feddersen is joined by a leading thinker on South Eastern European energy - Julian Popov. Julian is former Minister of Environment of Bulgaria, European Climate Foundation (ECF) fellow and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Buildings Performance Institute Europe. He has been voted twice as one of the most influential voices in European energy by EURACTIV. John and Julian discuss:•Julian’s journey, his novel called ‘Island of Mists’ and his experience as the Bulgarian Energy Minister•Energy transition and the power investment climate in South Eastern Europe •Offshore wind potential and growing interest •The European Commission as a force for good in South Eastern European power sector governance, structure, rules and marketsSupport the show

Our CEO John Feddersen speaks to Guy Newey, Strategy and Performance Director at Energy Systems Catapult (ESC) - an independent, not-for-profit centre of excellence that bridges the gap between industry, government, academia and research. ESC has recently published its report called ‘Rethinking Electricity Markets – EMR 2.0’, an initiative aiming to develop proposals to reform electricity markets so that they best enable innovative, efficient, whole energy system decarbonisation. Guy has had a diverse career across the energy sector. He has been a Special Adviser to two former Energy Secretaries of State, and was previously Head of Policy at Ovo Energy and Head of Environment and Energy at the think-tank Policy Exchange. Before this, Guy worked as a journalist in Hong Kong and in the UK. John and Guy discuss:•Guy’s journey, his early experience as a journalist and the impact on his present role•ESC’s mission in the energy transition and avoiding clean growth costs •‘Rethinking Electricity Markets’ report wit

Our Nordics Lead Alexander Esser speaks with Harald Överholm, CEO and co-founder of the leading solar Power Purchase Agreement provider in the Nordics - Alight (previously Eneo). Harald has been an advisor to WWF, the Swedish government and the Stockholm Environment Institute, as well as a former board member of Swedish Solar Energy. He is a Cambridge alumni with a PhD focused on market development of US solar PPA market and holds a masters degree in Industrial Engineering of Energy Systems. Alex and Harald discuss:•Harald’s in-depth studies of the US solar market, importing concepts to Europe and his inspiration in founding the company•Nordics as one of the most advanced PPAs markets and long term supply of PPAs •Alight and how does Solar as a Service differ from a typical project developmentSupport the show

In this episode, Our CEO John Feddersen speaks to Pat O'Doherty, CEO of the leading Irish utility Electricity Supply Board (ESB). Pat was appointed CEO of ESB in 2011 and to the ESB Board in 2013. He is Director of Energy UK and until very recently he was President of Eurelectric - the sector association which represents the common interests of the electricity industry at pan-European level. John and Pat discuss:•Pat’s journey and the job of the utility CEO now compared to 10 years ago•ESB and how the enterprise is measuring its ESG success •State-owned utilities’ role in enabling a just energy transition•Cyber security and how well is the European utility industry prepared for itSupport the show

Welcome to our 50th official Energy Unplugged episode!Our Head of Digital Solutions Mateusz Wronski is joined by the creator of the renewables division at one of the largest energy companies in the world - Julien Pouget, Senior Vice President for Renewables at Total. Julien joined Total in 2016, after two years of service as Senior Advisor to the President of France, François Hollande where he was entrusted with the overhaul of the French nuclear industry.Mateusz and Julien discuss:•Key challenges in shifting the focus of an oil supermajor by creating the renewables division within Total •Total’s target of 100 GW by 2030 as one of the most ambitious renewables goals in the industry•Floating offshore wind and Total’s strategy in bringing the costs down•The impact of green hydrogen in enabling renewables investmentSupport the show

Our CEO John Feddersen speaks to Henrik Tordrup, Partner at Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP). CIP is one of the leading clean energy investors globally, having recently raised a EUR 7 billion renewable energy investment fund. Henrik is a veteran of Europe’s offshore wind boom of the past decade and has deep expertise on the emerging energy transition in the US. John and Henrik discuss:•Henrik’s journey and his motivation to focus on the US markets•CIP’s current strategy and the main risks as a renewable investor•Current US policy and the recent federal election impact on decarbonisation •Texas’ big freeze in February and lessons for policy makersSupport the show

Our Research Director, Richard Howard speaks to Henry de Zoete, Co-founder of the energy switching service provider - Look After My Bills. Henry has a career background working as Special Adviser to the Secretary of State for Education prior to his success with Look After My Bills – which secured the best deal in the history of the UK Dragons’ Den business pitch competition. The company is now owned by industry giant Go Compare. Henry and Richard discuss:•Henry’s career and experience working for then Secretary of State for Education Michael Gove•His inspiration and motivation for establishing Look After My Bills•Raising funds in Silicon Valley and securing the investment from UK television’s notoriously tough Dragons panel•Transferring the ownership of his business to Go Compare and what’s nextSupport the show